The feast day of St. Elizabeth of Portugal is celebrated on July 4. She was a Spanish princess who was named after her great aunt St. Elizabeth of Hungary. At the age of twelve, she married King Denis of Portugal who was 26 years old. She was a very beautiful queen, but she was also very devout. She attended Mass daily.
St. Elizabeth’s marriage was a difficult one. The king did not share her pious beliefs. He was also very jealous. His jealousy of one of the pages resulted in an attempt to have the page murdered. The attempt failed, however another page was mistakenly killed instead. This event changed the King’s attitude. He apologized to everyone for what had happened. He began to treat his wife with more respect. She cared for him until his death.
For eleven years after the death of the king, Queen Elizabeth did works of charity. She joined the monastery of Poor Clare Nuns, becoming a member of The Third order of St. Francis. As a Poor Clare Nun she served the poor and the sick rather than having the servants usually bestowed upon a queen.
“In humility is perfect freedom.”
Quote of Thomas Merton
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July is the Month of the Most Precious Blood
Thank you for narrating to us the life of St Elizabeth of Portugal. A saint rich and influential in her role as queen. The peacemaker and lavish giver to the poor. Very pious in her life.May her holy life influence those who are rich and powerful, by using their prestige for the glory of God, alleviating the poor and giving peace to the cTonikoonflicting nations.