Elizabeth of Reute

Last updated
Blessed

Elizabeth of Reute

T.O.R.
Gute Beth Waldsee Kornhausmuseum.jpg
Image of St. Elizabeth the Good, T.O.R., in the Kornhausmuseum, Bad Waldsee, Germany
BornNovember 25, 1386
Waldsee, Upper Swabia
DiedNovember 25, 1420
Waldsee, Upper Swabia
Venerated in Roman Catholic Church
(Germany)
Beatified 19 June 1766 by Pope Clement XIII
Major shrine Convent of the Franciscan Sisters of Reute
Bad Waldsee, Germany [1]
Feast 25 November
Patronage Swabia

Elizabeth of Reute, T.O.R., (also known as Betha the Good; Betha von Reute; Elisabeth Acheer; Elisabeth Achlin; Elisabeth Bona von Reute; Elisabeth den Gode; Elisabeth the Good; Elizabeth Acheer; Elizabeth of Reute; Elizabeth the Good; Elizabeth the Recluse; Elsbeth Achler; Elsbeth Achlin; Elsbeth von Reute; November 25, 1386 - November 25, 1420) was a German Franciscan Tertiary sister who is venerated as a mystic and as having borne the stigmata.

Contents

Life

Elizabeth was born on November 25, 1386, to Hans and Anna Achler in Waldsee in the region of Upper Swabia (an historic and linguistic region in Germany). [2] She was raised in a pious home, hearing the Gospels explained to her by her mother in the form of stories, where she developed a strong devotion to the Passion of Christ. She became a member of the Third Order of St. Francis at the age of fourteen. Seeking to further her spiritual growth, she took as her confessor the provost of the local Canonry of St. Peter in Waldsee, Konrad Kügelin. [3] Under his guidance, she and several other girls who belonged to that Franciscan fraternity sought to follow a more intense experience of their Franciscan vocation. To this end, they acquired a house in Reute on the outskirts of Waldsee in 1403. [4]

This community was a proto-monastery of the Order, as tertiaries of the mendicant orders had not yet been allowed to profess vows. Elizabeth threw herself into a life of prayer and service, working in the cloister kitchen and in the garden, where she would spend long hours in prayer. [5]

She was known for her hospitality to visitors to the little monastery, especially for her concern for the poor who came to the gate to beg. Her love of the Blessed Sacrament was so great that she lived the last twelve years of her life subsisting solely on the consecrated hosts. [6] She died on her birthday in 1420.

Her head is said to have showed the marks of the crown of thorns worn by Christ, and her body the marks of Christ's scourging. Although stigmata only occasionally appeared on her hands, she always felt its pain. She was credited with the gift of prophecy foretelling the election of Pope Martin V and the end of the Great Western Schism. [5]

Veneration

She was buried in the parish church of Reute. A biography of her was written by Kügelin, her confessor, and sent to the Bishop of Konstanz. However, popular veneration for Elizabeth occurred only after 1623, when her tomb was opened by the then-provost of Waldsee. Miracles were attributed to her, which were compiled into a formal document by a contemporary canon, Heinrich Scheffler (d. 1635). [7] Pope Clement XIII officially approved her cultus on 19 June 1766. Her feast day is celebrated in Germany on 25 November. [5]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elizabeth of Hungary</span> Hungarian princess and Christian saint

Elizabeth of Hungary, also known as Elisabeth of Thuringia, was a princess of the Kingdom of Hungary and the landgravine of Thuringia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jutta of Kulmsee</span> German hermit and saint of the Roman Catholic Church

Jutta of Kulmsee, was a German member of the Third Order of Saint Francis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hohenwart Abbey</span>

Hohenwart Abbey was a Benedictine nunnery located at Hohenwart in Bavaria, Germany.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dorothea of Montau</span>

Dorotheaof Montau was an anchoress and visionary of 14th century Prussia. After centuries of veneration in Central Europe, she was canonized in 1976.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bad Waldsee</span> Town in Baden-Württemberg, Germany

Bad Waldsee is a town in Upper Swabia in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is part of the district of Ravensburg. It is situated 20 km south of Biberach an der Riß, and 20 km northeast of Ravensburg. The town is known for its historic old city with many landmarks and large pedestrian zone. Bad Waldsee is the district center for the Bodensee-Oberschwaben district and is the seat of the townships of Bad Waldsee, Aulendorf and Bergatreute.

The Third Order of Saint Francis is a third order in the Franciscan tradition of Christianity, founded by the medieval Italian Catholic friar Francis of Assisi.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elisabeth of Schönau</span> German Benedictine visionary

Elisabeth of Schönau was a German Benedictine visionary. She was an abbess at the Schönau Abbey in the Duchy of Nassau, and reportedly experienced numerous religious visions, for which she became widely sought after by many powerful men as far away as France and England.

Elisabeth of Meissen, Burgravine of Nuremberg was the daughter of Frederick II, Margrave of Meissen and Mathilde of Bavaria and a member of the House of Wettin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mary Frances of the Five Wounds</span> Christian saint

Mary Frances of the Five Wounds, TOSF,, was an Italian Third Order Franciscan who is honored as a saint in the Catholic Church.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Visions of Jesus and Mary</span> Claims to have seen Jesus or his mother Mary

A number of people have claimed to have had visions of Jesus Christ and personal conversations with him. Some people make similar claims regarding his mother, Mary. Discussions about the authenticity of these visions have often invited controversy. The Catholic Church endorses a fraction of these claims, and various visionaries it accepts have achieved beatification, or even sainthood.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Heggbach Abbey</span>

Heggbach Abbey was a Cistercian nunnery in Heggbach, now part of the municipality of Maselheim in the district of Biberach, Baden-Württemberg, Germany.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Miracle of the roses</span> Group of miracles in Catholicism

Within Catholicism, a miracle of the roses is a miracle in which roses manifest an activity of God or of a saint. Such a miracle is presented in various hagiographies and legends in different forms, and it occurs in connection with diverse individuals such as Saints Elizabeth of Hungary (1207–1231), Elizabeth of Portugal (1271–1336), Saint Dorothy, a 4th-century virgin martyr at Caesarea in Cappadocia, and Our Lady of Guadalupe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elsbeth Stagel</span>

Elisabeth or Elsbeth Stagel was a Dominican nun and prioress of the Töss Convent.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Töss Monastery</span>

Töss Monastery was a community of Dominican nuns located in the former Swiss city of Töss, now a part of Winterthur. Nothing of the original buildings exists today.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gars Abbey</span> Monastery in Germany

Gars Abbey is a monastery on the Inn River in Bavaria, Germany, in the town of Gars am Inn. It was founded in 768 and has been occupied by Benedictine monks, Augustinian Canons Regular, and most recently Redemptorists.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Helmut Schlegel</span> German Catholic priest (born 1943)

Helmut Alfons Schlegel is a German Franciscan, Catholic priest, meditation instructor, author, librettist and songwriter. He is known for writing new spiritual songs, set to music by various composers.

<i>Ecstasy of St Margaret of Cortona</i> Painting by Giovanni Lanfranco

The Ecstasy of St Margaret of Cortona is an oil on canvas painting by the Italian Baroque painter Giovanni Lanfranco, executed in 1622. It is housed in the Palatine Gallery of the Pitti Palace in Florence, Italy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nothgottes</span> Monastery in Hesse, Germany

Nothgottes is a Cistercian monastery and a pilgrimage destination above Eibingen, in Rüdesheim am Rhein, Hesse, Germany. Pilgrimages to the location date back to the 14th century, and have continued to the present day, especially an annual pilgrimage from Kruft that began in 1674.

Konrad Kügelin (1366–1428) was a Roman Catholic monk, provost of the Collegiate Church of St. Peter, Bad Walsee, and hagiographer of Elizabeth of Reute.

References