St. Zedislava Berka

  Posted on December 30, 2023  by admin  No comments

Born: c.1220 in the diocese in Križanov, Ždár nad Sázavou, Vysocina kraj (modern Czech Republic)

Died: 1 January 1252 at Jablonné, Ceská Lípa, Liberecký kraj (modern Czech Republic) of natural causes

Beatified: 28 August 1907 by Pope Pius X (cultus confirmed), 2 July 1994 by Pope John Paul II (decree of heroic virtues after Cause re-opened)

Canonized: 21 May 1995 by Pope John Paul II

Patronage: difficult marriages, people ridiculed for their piety

Also known as Zdislava Berka, Zedislava Berkiana, Zdislava of Lemberk

Additional Memorial 4 January (Dominicans)

Born to the Bohemian nobility. Married laywoman, and mother of four. Hers was not a happy marriage, and her largesse to the poor put her in frequent conflict with her husband. Dominican tertiary. Founded the Dominican priory of Saint Lawrence near her castle where she received Communion daily, an unusual practice at the time.