Saint Ermelinde (born c. 546 in Lovenjoel, died 594 in Meldert,

Hoegaarden Hoegaarden () is a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality in the province of Flemish Brabant, in Flanders, one of the three Communities, regions and language areas of Belgium, regions of Belgium. The municipality comprises the villages of Hoegaar ...

), is a Brabant Saint of the 6th century.Monks of Ramsgate. “Ermelinda”. ''Book of Saints'', 1921. CatholicSaints.Info. 1 January 2013
/ref> Her feast day is October 29.

Life

Her parents, Ermeonoldo and Armensinda, were rich chatelains related to the

Pippinids The Pippinids and the Arnulfings were two Frankish aristocratic families from Austrasia during the Merovingian period. They dominated the office of mayor of the palace after 687 and eventually supplanted the Merovingians as kings in 751, foundin ...

. They wanted her to marry, but she refused. Ermelinde "...cut off her hair in order to dissuade her parents from pushing her into an unwanted marriage contract". They permitted her to follow her vocation and gave her a little land. She spread her charity to the poor and lived as a

hermit A hermit, also known as an eremite (adjectival form: hermitic or eremitic) or solitary, is a person who lives in seclusion. Eremitism plays a role in a variety of religions. Description In Christianity, the term was originally applied to a Chr ...

in a forested area, probably around

Beauvechain Beauvechain (; ; ) is a municipality of Wallonia located in the province of Walloon Brabant, Belgium. On 1 January 2006 the municipality had 6,529 inhabitants. The total area is 38.58 km2, giving a population density of 169 inhabitants per ...

.Walsh, Michael. ''A New Dictionary of Saints''
Liturgical Press, 2007, p. 182 Attending church at night, she had to resist the seductions of two brothers, the local lords, who being refused planned to abduct her. They agreed to take her during night prayers. Warned by an angel, Ermelinda managed to escape and left for Meldert, where she set up a hermitage and spent the rest of her life in

prayer File:Prayers-collage.png, 300px, alt=Collage of various religionists praying – Clickable Image, Collage of various religionists praying ''(Clickable image – use cursor to identify.)'' rect 0 0 1000 1000 Shinto festivalgoer praying in front ...

." Sant' Ermelinda Vergine nel Brabante", Santi e Beati, June 13, 2001
/ref>

Veneration

She was venerated in

Tirlemont Tienen (; ) is a city and municipality in the province of Flemish Brabant, in Flanders, Belgium. The municipality comprises Tienen itself and the towns of Bost, Goetsenhoven, Hakendover, Kumtich, Oorbeek, Oplinter, Sint-Margriete-Houtem and Visse ...

and especially in Lovenjoul and Meldert. In Lovenjoul, there is a spring of water believed to be miraculous for curing the eyes, called the "Spring of St Hermelinda", because it irrigates the land belonging to her relatives. In Meldert, her cult was very popular. The

parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christianity, Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest#Christianity, priest, often termed a parish pries ...

church of Meldert is dedicated to Saint Ermelinde and possesses a

reliquary A reliquary (also referred to as a ''shrine'', ''Chasse (casket), chasse'', or ''phylactery'') is a container for relics. A portable reliquary, or the room in which one is stored, may also be called a ''feretory''. Relics may be the purported ...

containing her

relics In religion, a relic is an object or article of religious significance from the past. It usually consists of the physical remains or personal effects of a saint or other person preserved for the purpose of veneration as a tangible memorial. Reli ...

. Every fifty years, the relics are presented in devotion to the parishioners. On the Tuesday of

Pentecost Pentecost (also called Whit Sunday, Whitsunday or Whitsun) is a Christianity, Christian holiday which takes place on the 49th day (50th day when inclusive counting is used) after Easter Day, Easter. It commemorates the descent of the Holy Spiri ...

, in Meldert, a procession is organised in the honour of Saint Ermelinde."Sant' Ermelinda", Santo del Giorno
/ref> The Confraternity dedicated to her still exists in this town. She is also celebrated in the diocese of Malines on 29 October, the day traditionally considered to be the day of her death. Saint Ermelinde is also venerated in

Moergestel Moergestel () is a village in the Dutch province of North Brabant. It is located in the municipality of Oisterwijk, about 7 km East of Tilburg. History The village was first mentioned in 1147 as Gestele, and means "guest house". Moer (moo ...

, in

North Brabant North Brabant ( ; ), also unofficially called Brabant, Dutch Brabant or Hollandic Brabant, is a province in the south of the Netherlands. It borders the provinces of South Holland and Gelderland to the north, Limburg to the east, Zeeland to ...

(in the

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

). In 2008, in Moergestel, a Saint Ermelinde park was inaugurated. * In the

Liturgy Liturgy is the customary public ritual of worship performed by a religious group. As a religious phenomenon, liturgy represents a communal response to and participation in the sacred through activities reflecting praise, thanksgiving, remembra ...

, Saint Ermelinde is commemorated on 29 October. She one of the saints at a chapel in Kansas, where she is considered one of the Saints for Thanksgiving. Her

novena A novena (from , "nine") is an ancient tradition of devotional praying in Christianity, consisting of private or public prayers repeated for nine successive days or weeks. The nine days between the Feast of the Ascension and Pentecost, when the ...

is observed November 22 through December 1. Novena Prayer: St. Ermelinda, please pray for us. You lived a simple life of prayer. Please guide us to be thankful for the blessings we have during the holiday season. (Mention Your Prayer Intention). Amen

References

{{Authority control 510 births 590 deaths 6th-century Christian saints 6th-century women Christian female saints of the Middle Ages People from Beauvechain People from Bierbeek People from Hoegaarden