Page:A Dictionary of Saintly Women Volume 1.djvu/492

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478
478

478 ST. LUPITA uncertain whether to indnde her among the saints. St. Lupita, Oct. 10, a sister of St. Patrick, said to have been brought a captive with him to Ireland and buried at Armagh. Worship uncertain. AA,8S, {See Darebca (1) and Eronata.) St. Luta of Droma Airbreah, April 30, Irish V. Mart of TaUagU. AA.SS. St. Lutfold, LuFTHiLD. Cahier. St. Lutg:ard, June IG (Luitgard, Ludgabd), V. 4- 124G. Cistercian nun of Aquina or Ay wieres in Brabant. Bepresented (1 ) with a censer beside her, from which incense ascends to God, to express the constant prayers and fasts which for fourteen years she ofifered up to appease the anger of Heaven by expi- ating the sins of heretics and bad Christians ; (2) embracing a crucifix. Her father was a citizen of Tongres near Liege ; her mother was of higher birth. The father gave twenty marks of silver to a merchant to increase for Lutgard's dowry. She was worldly though not bad. She liked to be neat and well dressed. The merchant made voyages to England and instead of doubling the money, he lost nearly all of it. The mother said they were not able now to live according to their station and must retire from the world. Lutgard was unwilling at first, but after a time consented to become a boarder in the convent at St. Tron, not far from Tongres. She had some offers of marriage from persons she had known in her richer days, and one of them tried to carry her off by force ; but through her love of Christ and the influence of the pious nuns, she overcame all earthly incli- nations and took the veil in 1208. She was elected prioress in 1 2 1 5, but declined, not thinking herself fit for the office ; but she could only obtain her discharge by leaving the convent. She was advised to go to the Cistercian monastery of Aquiria or Aywieres ; but she objected as they spoke French. After consulting Christina (0), she went, and lived there more than thirty years, with great sanctity and many miracles. She was sought as abbess for other communities, but always excused herself on the ground of her ignorance of French, which she never would learn. She had many Tisions and spiritual gifts. Christ showed her His wounded heart, to wean her from all earthly love. Another time He appeared to her, showing His wounds to the Father to stop the thunderbolts ready to strike the earth polluted by the crimes of the Albigenses. Yepes (Sermon 50) tells that she saved her friend, the Abbot Simon, from purgatory; also that the soul of Pope Innocent m. was doomed to eternal punishment but the B. V. Makt inter- ceded for him and his sentence was com- muted to purgatory until the day of judgment ; Lutgard had pity on him ; she and her sister nuns joined in prayers for him : and before long he was released from purgatory and appeared to her to thank her for her good offices. She is said to have been marked with the stigmata. When she meditated on the holy mysteries of the Passion of the Lord, her whole body distilled blood, and as soon as the meditation was over, this manifestation stopped. The last eleven years of her life she was blind and thanked God for this privation as it left her free to meditate on heavenly glory. From this time, she constantly saw heavenly apparitions. She died at the end of her third fast of seven years. She was never canonized. She is often styled Abbess, but in fact she always refused to accept that dignity. B,M. Baillet. Preger. Bucelinus. Cahier. Lenain. Two of the twelve very interesting letters of Jacques de Yitry (1210-121<)) are addressed to her. St. Lutrude, Sept 22 (Lictkude, LiNDKU, LiNTRUDK, LiUTDBUDE, LuT- trudb). 4th, 5th, or Gth century. The third of seven daughters bom in one day, at Pertois in Champagne, to the pious Sigimar and Lutrude. Her sisters were Imma or Aim^e, Othilda or Hoylda, PUBINNA, FkANGULA, LiBEBATA Or LiBEKA, Matilda or Menkhould. They were all instructed by Eugenins, a good priest through whom their parents gave alms and to whose prayers they commended themselves. When the children were ten years old, St. Alpwin, bishop of Chalons- sur-Mame, went round his dioceeo preaching and confirming. Sigimar