Our Lady of Einsiedein
Story of Our Lady of Einsiedein
Einsiedeln is the most important place of pilgrimage dedicated to the Virgin Mary in Switzerland. The centre of Einsiedeln and destination for countless pilgrims is the baroque monastery dating from the 18th century. The Benedictine monastery has a history of just over one thousand years. Since the Middle Ages Einsiedeln with its “Black Madonna” has been one of the most important places of pilgrimage in Europe. The famous shrine incorporates the relics of a saint, a miraculous Black Madonna statue, and a Benedictine monastery.
In the 9th century, the monk St. Meinrad, of the family of the Counts of Hohenzollern, left one of the local monasteries to built a hermitage in the wilderness of today’s Einsiedeln. He took with him a miracle-working statue of the Virgin Mary given to him by the Abbess Hildegarde of Zürich. He soon became well-known in the local village for his kindness and holiness, and received many visitors and gifts. On January 21, 861, two thieves murdered Meinrad for the treasure in his hermitage. According to legend, the murderers were apprehended after two ravens followed them into town and drew attention to them with loud squawking.
In 940, a few Benedictine monks turned Meinrad’s little hermitage into the “Lady Chapel.” The chapel is said to have been consecrated by Christ himself on September 14, 948. The bishop who was to consecrate the new site had a vision in which the church was filled with a brilliant light as Christ approached the altar; the next day, when he went to perform the ceremony, he heard a voice saying the chapel had already been divinely consecrated. The miracle was confirmed by Pope Leo VIII 16 years later in a papal bull. St. Meinrad had the Black Madonna statue (its dark color caused by years of candle smoke) as part of his altarpiece; it was placed in the Lady Chapel for veneration after his death. Many miracles were attributed to the intercession of “Our Lady of Einsiedeln,” and pilgrimages to Einsiedeln began shortly after 1000 AD.
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Flower of the Day
Edelweiss is the national flower of Switzerland and it grows in the alps, it is also the name of a favorite song and movie!: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QGJBexdvfUA
PRAYER TO ST. PHILOMENA FOR PURITY
O most pure Virgin, glorious Martyr, St. Philomena, whom God in His eternal power has revealed to the world in these unhappy days in order to revive the faith, sustain the hope and enkindle the charity of Christian souls, behold me prostate at thy feet.
Deign, O Virgin, full of goodness and kindness, to receive my humble prayers and to obtain for me that purity for which thou didst sacrifice the most alluring pleasures of the world, that strength of soul which made thee resist the most terrible attacks and that ardent love for our Lord Jesus Christ, which the most frightful torments could not extinguish in thee. So, that wearing thy holy cord and imitating thee in this life, I may one day be crowned with thee in Heaven. Amen.
Ave Maria!
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