St Walburga

Fr Nicholas Schofield of Roman Miscellany writes about one of the great Anglo-German saints: St Walburga.

Her shrine is at Eichstätt.

According to tradition, she was born in Devon around 710, the daughter of St Richard, often referred to as ‘King’ of Wessex, and ‘Queen’ Wuna. She came from a family of saints: her uncle was the great St Boniface (Archbishop of Mainz) and her brothers were St Winnebald and St Willibald, who would later become Abbot of Heidenheim and Bishop of Eichstätt respectively.

At an early age, she was entrusted to the care of the Benedictine nuns in Wimbourne (in Dorset) where she eventually made monastic profession.

Eventually she became abbess of the monastery at Heidenheim, a double monastery of men and women founded by her brother St. Wunibald, who served as its first abbot. The tenth-cetury legend of her life tells stories of her gentleness, humility and charity, as well as her power to heal the sick through prayer.

References:

The Abbey of St Walburga
http://www.walburga.org

Catholic Forum
http://www.catholic-forum.com/SAINTS/saintw02.htm

Catholic Encyclopedia
http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/15526b.htm