Saint Colette

Early Life

Saint Colette was born in a village called Corbie, a part of the regionPicardy in France. She was said to be a miracle child born to an oldcouple.

Her father was a Carpenter at the Benedictine monastery called Abbey ofCorbie. Her mother was called Marguerite Moyon.

Her parents were said to have prayed to Saint Nicolas for a child afterbeing barren most of their life. The answer to their prayer came on the13th of January, 1381 and she was named Nicolette after the Saint.

Nicolette, fondly called Colette by her parents, was a bubbly child. Sheshowed interest in devotion at a very young age.

When she was around eighteen, in the year 1399, her parents died. Thismotivated her to join the Beguines, a group of women who practicedspirituality. Saint Colette ended up not liking their methods and somoved on to a Benedictine order.

At the Benedictine order, she decided to join the Third Order of SaintFrancis. She did so and began to live in a hermitage that was providedby the Abbot of Corbie.

She lived as a hermit for four years and had several visions. Thesevisions convinced her that her path reform the Poor Clares, the SecondOrder of Saint Francis’ Franciscan Nuns.

Dedication and Devotion

Saint Colette did what the visions showed her and in October of 1406,she visited the Antipope Benedict XIII in Nice, France. There, shereceived his blessings and went to join the order.

This reform was further hastened by the papal edict she was later armedwith.

Supported by the Countess of Geneva and a man called Henry de Beaume,she resumed at the Diocese of Geneva in Beaune. Circa 1410, sheestablished an abbey at Besançon.

That proved to be her starting point. From then on, she set upmonasteries in Auxonne, Poligny, and even Heidelberg among other places.This reform swept through places like France, Savoy, Spain, andBurgundy.

Saint Colette set up over seventeen monasteries in her lifetime. She wasdevoted to God and practiced extreme poverty, depriving herself ofthings that she considered vanity.

In all the monasteries that she established, she created an injunctionof poverty and obedience, of fasting and chastity.

Legacy

In her lifetime, Saint Colette was said to have performed severalmiracles. Some of these miracles were an increase of food and wine, somewere healing the sick from diseases.

Saint Colette was said to have visited a friend whose wife was in apainful labor. Afraid that the mother and child would both die, she wassaid to have hurried to a nearby church and prayed for the woman.

Her prayers were said to have saved the woman who later gave birth to agirl. The child was named Petronilla and would later become a part ofSaint Colette’s monastery.

Saint Colette was also reported to have raised a stillborn child fromdeath. Refusing to baptize the dead child on request of his desperatefather, a local priest had sent the stillborn to Colette. Colette hadgiven her veil to the father of the child, instructed him to wrap thebaby in it, and sent him back to the priest.

On returning to the priest, the baby was found conscious.

Saint Colette was highly revered. Her Colettine Friars and nuns arewidespread and found in Germany, Belgium, Ireland, Japan, and a hist ofoffer countries.

Death and Canonization

Saint Colette died in March of 1447. She died in Ghent, Belgium.

Even in death, she was associated with various miracles, and her reformcontinued to spread.

Saint Colette was canonized on the 24th of May in 1807 by Pope Pius VII.

She is celebrated by the Roman Catholic Church on the 6th of March.

5 Interesting Facts About Saint Colette

1. Did you know that Saint Colette was said to have joined the
   Benedictines to avoid forced marriage?
2. Did you know that Saint Colette is the patron saint of childless
   couples, expectant mothers, and sick babies?
3. Did you know that Saint Colette was said to have been attacked by
   the devil? Ge is recorded to have come in the form of insects that
   stung her.
4. Did you know that Saint Colette was said to have died in a walk of
   intercession for sinners?
5. Did you know that Saint Colette was revered for her intellect?

Prayer of Saint Colette

Blessed Jesus,I dedicate myself to Theein health, in illness,in my life, in my death,in all my desires, in all my deeds.So that, I may never work henceforthexcept for Thy glory,for the salvation of souls,and for that which Thou have chosen me.From this moment on, oh dearest Lord,there is nothing which I am not preparedto undertake for love of Thee.Amen.

Source:[https://www.catholicdoors.com/prayers/novenas/p03892.htm]{.ul}