St. Lidwina of Schiedam
1380-1433
📅 Feast Day: Jul 15
📖 Life Timeline
1380
Born 18 April at Schiedam, Holland, to Peter and Petronella
c. 1390-1395
Developed deep devotion to Our Lady of Schiedam
1395
Winter — fell violently on ice while skating; broke a rib, beginning of her suffering
1395-1433
Endured 38 years of gangrene and constant pain; received visions and gifts of prayer
c. 1400s
Pastor Andries tested her faith with an unconsecrated host, which she distinguished
c. 1410s
Visited by preacher Wermbold of Roskoop and Arnold of Schoonhoven
c. 1420s
Received vision of the rose-bush foretelling the end of her suffering
1433
Spring — exclaimed 'I see the rose-bush in full bloom!'
1433
Died 14 April (Easter Sunday) in the odour of sanctity at age 53
1890
Beatified by Pope Leo XIII on 14 March
1433
Died July 14 in Schiedam; beatified, renowned for 27 years of suffering
✝ Biography
St. Lidwina of Schiedam was born to Peter, a man of noble descent, and Petronella, a poor country girl from Kethel, Holland. Despite their poverty, Lidwina from earliest childhood was drawn to the Mother of God and prayed devoutly before the miraculous image of Our Lady of Schiedam. During the winter of 1395, while skating with friends at age fifteen, she was pushed and fell violently upon the ice, breaking a rib in her right side. This accident became the beginning of an extraordinary martyrdom that lasted thirty-eight years. No medical skill could cure her; gangrene appeared in the wound and gradually spread over her entire body. For decades she lay in ever-increasing pain, becoming one continuous sore from head to foot and greatly emaciated. Some suspected her of being under the influence of the evil spirit, but her pastor Andries tested her faith by bringing her an unconsecrated host, which she distinguished immediately. God rewarded her sufferings with a wonderful gift of prayer and visions. Numerous miracles occurred at her bedside. The celebrated preacher and seer Wermbold of Roskoop visited her after previously beholding her in spirit. The pious Arnold of Schoonhoven treated her as a friend. Hendrik Mande wrote a pious Dutch tract for her consolation. In one vision she was shown a rose-bush with the words: "When this shall be in bloom, your suffering will be at an end." In the spring of 1433, she exclaimed: "I see the rose-bush in full bloom!" On Easter morning 1433, in deep contemplation, she beheld Christ coming to administer Extreme Unction. She died in the odour of great sanctity, and her grave immediately became a place of pilgrimage.
🛡 Patronage
Patron of: The sick, those suffering from gangrene, invalids, the city of Schiedam
💬 Words of the Saint
I desire to suffer, I desire to suffer.
📜 Key Facts
Born
1380 AD, Schiedam, Netherlands
Died
July 15, 1433 AD, Schiedam
Feast Day
Jul 15
Canonized
Venerable (beatification process ongoing)
🕊 Legacy
Lidwina's grave became an immediate pilgrimage site; a chapel was built over it by 1434. Her life was recorded by Joannes Brugmann and Thomas à Kempis. Veneration grew unceasingly for centuries. Her relics were moved to Brussels in 1615 and returned to Schiedam in 1871. Pope Leo XIII officially sanctioned her veneration on 14 March 1890. She remains one of the most beloved saints in the Netherlands, a model of patient suffering united to Christ's passion.
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