Wednesday’s Woman: Blessed Christina of Sommeln

The Basics: Born July 24, 1242, in Germany; died November 6, 1312, in Germany; beatified November 8, 1908, by Pius X; feast day, November 6; mystic.

The Story: Christina is said to have had her first mystical encounter with Christ when she was just ten years old or possibly even younger.

Three years later, she convinced her parents to allow her to go live with a Beguine community not far from her hometown. Alas, all did not go well there; her sister Beguines were taken aback by her raptures, not to mention her mystic encounters with demons and, considering her to be ill mentally or physically, sent her away from the community after just a few years.

A turning point in her spiritual life came when she was twenty-five and living with a parish priest. It was then that Christina encountered Peter of Dacia (Denmark), a Dominican who was studying nearby. There was an immediate connection, and Peter visited with her at least fifteen times, even after he moved on from the area and to France and Sweden. While Christina could not write, with the help of scribes, she dictated letters and she and Peter had a lively correspondence until his death in 1289. The Codex Iuliacensis includes Peter’s biography of Christina.

After Peter’s death, there is no further record of Christina experiencing the stigmata or other visions.

What We Can Learn from Christina: Not all of the gifts with which the Lord provides us will be appreciated by others. But we may never know the full extent of our evangelization when we share them. What gifts does the Father wish you to share more broadly? Pray for the courage to do so.

To Learn More About Christina: Check out information about a 2012-2013 exhibition about Christina in the town where her remains reside, or read her story in Prophets in Their Own Country: Living Saints and the Making of Sainthood in the Later Middle Ages.

To Learn More About Other Women Saints and Blesseds: Come back next week, or consider buying my book, Sisterhood of Saints: Daily Guidance and Inspiration.

Tagged as: beguines, Catholic, christina of stommeln, mystics, peter of dacia, saints, wednesday's woman, women saints