Day 10 of Lent 2023 🐈‍⬛ Saint Gertrude of Nivelles

     The Patron saint of Cats, Saint Gertrude of Nivelles, is the subject of Day 10 of 2023’s Annual Lenten Series.

     According to hagiographer Terry Jones, creator of www.catholicSaints.Info Saint Gertrude’s shrine in Cologne, Germany has been a landmark since the mid 1800’s. People would leave pieces of gold replicas of mice, which apparently helped the represented souls in Purgatory, of which there are many. 

     Gertrude is also known as the patroness of gardeners and also the patron of travelers, chiefly because she was so forthcoming and welcoming to the pilgrims and refugees who came to Nivelles. 

     All of the pilgrims could not stay in the small town of Nivelles, so Saint Gertrude would send the refugees to distant lands. One of the legends Jones writes about is the story of Gertrude sending people off on a boat to distant lands, in efforts to offer the people a better life. During one of the missionary trips on a boat a treacherous storm came about. A large sea monster was also involved. The passengers asked for the assistance of Gertrude and they made it to their destination safe and sound. After that happened, travelers in the Middle Ages would drink “Sinte Geerts Minne” or “Gertrudenminnte” before embarking on their journeys. 

     If you’re wondering about the poor mice and rats that Saint Gertrude is invoked against. You can look forward to another of our legendary tales offering that there is also a saint who diligently cared for the mice in his vestibule!

Thanks for reading to the bottom line.