Day 9 - Perseverance, Prophecy, and the Heavenly Call - St. Bridget of Sweden Novena

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 3:27 — 2.5MB) | Embed

Day 9: Perseverance, Prophecy, and the Heavenly Call – St. Bridget of Sweden Novena

Quote from the Revelations

“Remain firm in all good. I will be your guide and your reward.”
—Revelations, Book VII, Chapter 11

Reflection
St. Bridget of Sweden remained faithful to Christ’s call through every season of her life. In her final years, though her strength diminished, her love for Christ and the Church only deepened. She continued to write, pray, and give counsel—offering herself fully to the mission God had entrusted to her.

The Revelations she received were not merely private consolations. They contained direct and often challenging messages addressed to the leaders of the Church—popes, bishops, and kings—calling them to repentance, reform, and renewed fidelity. Bridget was not driven by anger or pride, but by a heart consumed with love for Christ and His Church. She longed for holiness to flourish again and never ceased interceding for that grace.

Bridget died in Rome in 1373, after years of prayer, sacrifice, and faithful witness for the good of the Church. Her daughter, St. Catherine of Sweden, remained by her side and accompanied her body on the long journey home. Bridget was laid to rest at the monastery in Vadstena, where St. Catherine would go on to lead the religious community her mother had founded—the Order of the Most Holy Savior, known as the Bridgettines. Through their life of Eucharistic devotion, prayer, and contemplation of the Passion of Christ, the legacy of both mother and daughter continued to bear fruit in the Church.

Centuries later, Pope St. John Paul II would declare St. Bridget a co-patroness of Europe, alongside two other women of extraordinary faith: St. Catherine of Siena, who arose shortly after Bridget’s death to take up the same urgent prayer for the healing of the Church, and St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross. Bridget and Catherine never met in person, but they are spiritually linked—courageous women who gave their lives for the Church in a time of division, scandal, and deep need.

Bridget’s life reveals that holiness takes root in fidelity, love, and perseverance—in family life, in service, in suffering, and in prayer. Her voice still echoes: calling us to faithfulness, to truth, and to hope.

Prayer for Intercession
St. Bridget, faithful servant and prophetic voice,
you followed Christ with courage and devotion.
You lived every role—as wife, mother, grandmother, foundress, and pilgrim—with trust in His will.
Pray for us, that we may persevere in prayer,
live the truth with humility,
and entrust everything to the love of God.
With confidence in your prayers, we now place before the Lord the intention we bring to this novena.
May we walk with Christ wherever He leads us,
and one day rejoice with you in the eternal joy of Heaven.
Amen.

St. Bridget of Sweden, pray for us