Bridget’s character was surely strong and determined from a young age. She came from an aristocratic family. She felt a calling, but agreed to marry Ulf, governor of an important district of the Kingdom of Sweden, as her father had wanted. The first part of her life, marked by a strong faith, was spent in a happy marriage, producing eight children. One of them, Catherine—who would follow her to Rome—would also be canonized. With her husband, she adopted the Rule of the Franciscan Tertiaries and founded a small hospital. Guided by a religious scholar, she studied the Bible and was so appreciated for her teaching that she was called by the King of Sweden to introduce the young queen to Swiss culture. After more than twenty years of marriage, her husband died. This was the beginning of the second part of her life.

Bridget and Catherine: May the Pope return to Rome

Bridget made a decisive choice: she gave up her possessions and went to live in the Cistercian monastery of Alvastra. The mystical experiences recounted in the eight books of Revelations date back to this period, and this is where her new mission began. In 1349, she went to Rome to obtain recognition for her Order, entitled “The Most Holy Savior,” which she wanted to be composed of nuns and religious. She therefore decided to settle in the Eternal City, in a house in Piazza Farnese that still houses the General Curia of the Order of Saint Bridget. However, she suffered the immorality and widespread degradation of the city, where the distance from the Pope, who at that time resided in Avignon, was strongly felt. The heart of her mission—like that of her contemporary, Saint Catherine of Siena—would therefore be to ask the Pope to return to the Tomb of Peter.

A woman for peace in Europe

The other “front,” on which her commitment is strong, is that of peace in Europe. She writes to the princes to seek an end to the Hundred Years’ War between France and England. Her charitable works were decisive during this period. She, who had been noble, lived in poverty, also having to beg at the doors of churches. These were the years of pilgrimages to various parts of Italy, from Assisi to Gargano, and of the pilgrimage of pilgrimages, that one to the Holy Land: she was almost 70 years old, but this did not deter her from her purpose. Central to her experience of faith were the Passion of Christ and the Virgin Mary. This is also attested by the Rosary of Saint Bridget and the prayers, linked to particular graces promised to her by Jesus for those who recited them.

She died on July 23, 1373, in Rome. She entrusted the Order to her daughter, Catherine, who, once widowed, had joined it when Bridget was in Farfa. Her only regret was that the Pope had not returned permanently to Rome. In 1367, he had indeed returned, but only for a brief period. Gregory XI, however, did establish himself permanently there, albeit several years after Bridget’s death.

Compatron of Europe

Canonized in 1391 by Boniface IX, Saint Bridget is the patron saint of Sweden. In 1999, she was declared Compatron of Europe by Saint John Paul II, who emphasized how the Church, even without expressing her particular revelations, embraced the global authenticity of her inner experience. Her figure is, therefore, much loved by recent Popes. Benedict XVI dedicated a catechesis to her at the general audience, and Pope Francis wished to canonize Maria Elisabeth Hesselblad, who in the 20th century had renewed the Order of the Most Holy Savior. She would leave a strong ecumenical imprint, always in the wake of that search for peace and unity so dear to Bridget.