The liturgical feast of St. Elizabeth of Hungary, patron saint of the Franciscan Third Order, was opened on 19 November, in the year dedicated to her. The liturgy was celebrated in the basilica of St. Stephen in Budapest. “Saint Elizabeth is not only a model of charity to our neighbour, but also an inspiring example of Christian conjugal and maternal love – said Cardinal Péter Erdo, President of the Hungarian Bishops’ Conference -. The message of her life remains extraordinarily relevant today: accepting marriage and children with love and courage is one of the finest forms of real Christian sainthood. We need with love to help families with children”. Daughter of Andrew, king of Hungary, and of Gertrude, Elizabeth was born at Sárospatak, in north-eastern Hungary, in 1207. She was betrothed to Ludwig, son and heir of the ruler of Thuringia. She married at the age of 14, became a mother at 15, and a widow at 19, with three children. On the death of her husband, Elizabeth retired to a modest house in Marburg where she built a hospital at her own expense, reducing herself to poverty. Having joined the third order of St. Francis, she dedicated herself to the sick and the outcast, visiting the sick twice each day, and becoming a mendicant. Her decision aroused the anger of her husband’s family who deprived her of her children. She died on 17 November 1231. She was canonized by Gregory IX in 1235.
