 The statue of St. Elizabeth is a gift to the parish from the Kevin Hall family |
St. Elizabeth of Hungary
Patron Saint of the Parish
Born in 1207, the daughter of Hungarian royalty, Elizabeth was betrothed to Prince Ludwig of Thuringia in Germany at the age of four and sent to live in his family castle. As she grew older her extraordinary piety, prayer, and care for the poor were disapproved by his family, but in due time she and Ludwig were happily married and had three children.
Ludwig supported her in her charities and work with the poor. She established several hospitals for the poor, and even nursed the sick herself. During a famine Elizabeth opened the royal granaries to the poor.
When Ludwig died while on Crusade to the Holy Land in 1227, Elizabeth and her children were thrown out of the castle on a winter night to fend for themselves. Emperor Frederick II sought her as his wife, but she was determined to remain a widow and devote herself to prayer and service of the poor.
Despite her many trials she maintained her gentleness of spirit. Her reputation for holiness spread as she nursed the sick in their homes and in the hospices she had founded.
Elizabeth died on November 17, 1231 at the age of 24.
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