June 23: Saint Etheldreda

Today, June 23, we celebrate the feast day of Saint Etheldreda (also known as Saint Audrey, 636-379), ascetic, queen, and foundress of the “double monastery” at Ely. Against earthly pressures, and through divine intervention, Saint Etheldreda maintained her personal consecration to the Lord, remaining a virgin and engaging in ascetic pursuits despite her noble station. Her perseverance in faith and commitment to a life of prayer and service is remarkable still today.

Born in Northumbria, the daughter of a king, Etheldreda was brought up in a God-fearing household. From an early age, Etheldreda had but one goal: to consecrate herself entirely to the Lord through entrance into a religious order. Etheldreda longed to fully serve with her life, her wealth, and her actions. Her father, on the other hand, had other plans for her. For political reasons, Etheldreda was married (at quite a young age) to a prince named Tonbert, from who she received a track of land on the Isle of Ely. For three years the couple lived together, and due to her young age and commitment to sanctity, Etheldreda was able to maintain her purity. Upon Tonbert’s untimely death, she relocated to the Isle of Ely, where she intended to devote herself to entirely spiritual pursuits.

However, it was not to be. Her father, again sensing political opportunity, arranged for a second marriage, this time to the young son of the powerful king of Northumbria, Egfrith. Etheldreda obeyed her father’s wishes, but chose to live in the royal palace as a sister to the king, rather than a wife. This was not problematic, due to the youth of the boy, who would sit at Etheldreda’s feet, learning Scripture from her. For twelve years, Etheldreda engaged in purely ascetic activities, forgoing the accoutrements and privilege of her position, and maintaining her purity. Etheldreda became known for devoting her time to works of mercy and love, while observing a scrupulous regularity of discipline.

At the age of twenty-four, Egfrith ascended to the throne of Northumbria, becoming king. As Queen, Etheldreda delighted in the society of monks and nuns, and took care to invite and attract to her those most distinguished for learning and piety. Among these was St. Cuthbert, the young Prior of Lindisfarne, upon whose monastery she bestowed many gifts from her own private property. Over time, Etheldreda became friends with Saint Wilfrid, her confessor, who on her behalf, encouraged the king to allow her to retire for some years to the Convent at Coldingham Abbey. There, she lived as a sister, having received the veil from Saint Wilfrid himself. Her husband, the king, shortly after consenting to her departure from the royal court, changed his mind and pursued her. When Saint Wilfrid pleaded on her behalf, the king made his intentions known: he would find Etheldreda and bring her back to the court by force, where he would consummate his marital privileges.

Etheldreda fled toward her land on the Isle of Ely, with the king in pursuit. She took refuge on a headland on the southern coast of England where a miracle prevented further advance of the king. While she was standing on a large outcropping of rock, the tide rose such that it created an island of refuge for the saint, water surrounding her. Etheldreda remained in this island refuge for seven days, until her royal spouse, recognizing the divine will, agreed to leave her in peace.

Etheldreda, freed from her marriage, continued on her trek to the Isle of Ely. On one extremely hot day during her travels, legend tells us that Etheldreda was overpowered with fatigue. She stuck her staff into the ground and lay down to rest on the open plain. When she awoke, the staff had put forth leaves and branches, and it afterwards became a mighty oak tree, larger than any other for many miles around.

At length, after many days of weary walking, the saint arrived on her own lands in Ely. There, she established a “double monastery,” shepherding both nuns and monks. Saint Wilfrid appointed her abbess, and she governed the abbey for many years, serving as advisor to the pope and other Church officials during that time. Etheldreda ruled over her monastery for seven years, setting a great example of piety and abstinence and all other monastic virtues. Though of royal lineage, and having been delicately reared, Etheldreda abstained from all luxuries. She never wore any linen, but only rough woolen clothing. She denied herself the use of the warm bath, only using the bath that had already served the other nuns. Many of her old friends, relations, and courtiers followed her and her example, engaging in ascetic practices, discipline, and prayer. The monastery grew considerably under her holy leadership

Not only holy and a model of virtue in shepherding her people to the Lord, Etheldreda also was graced with the gift of prophecy. Most notable of her prophecies was that of her own death by plague, and the exact number of her monks and nuns who would be carried off by the same epidemic. True to her prophesy, Etheldreda died of a quinsy, a form of plague which led to the development of a large tumor upon her neck. Etheldreda, never complaining about the pain or the sight of the growth, regarded is as a punishment for her former love of fine clothing, and, in particular, for having worn jewels on her neck.

Seventeen years after her death, Saint Wilfrid and Saint Etheldreda’s physician discovered her body to be incorrupt. The incision that had been made into her tumor shortly before she died had miraculously healed in death. (Saint Etheldreda remains the patron of sufferers of throat complaints.) The linen cloths in which her body was wrapped were as fresh as the day she had been buried. Her body was placed in a stone sarcophagus and reburied at the Abbey. Unfortunately, the tomb of Saint Etheldreda was desecrated during the English Reformation, with only the incorrupt hand of the blessed saint surviving. Her relics remain at St Etheldreda's Roman Catholic church at Ely, where many miracles have been reported through her intercession.

The life of Saint Etheldreda reminds us that we cannot truly be servants of Christ when our souls are distracted by the pleasures and desires of the world. In her wisdom, Saint Etheldreda gave up her wealth, station, and privilege, instead choosing to live the ascetic life of a abbess, guiding people to Christ and contributing to His kingdom on earth. We might take a lesson from Saint Etheldreda today, examining what binds us to the world, preventing us from truly and fully serving our Creator.

Eternal God,
who bestowed such grace upon your servant Etheldreda
that she gave herself wholly to the life of prayer
and to the service of your true religion:
grant that we, like her,
may so live our lives on earth seeking your kingdom
that by your guiding
we may be joined to the glorious fellowship of your saints; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.




Inspired by the origins and spiritual history of the Holy Rosary, we continue our meditation on the psalms, one each day, in order, for 150 days.
Today’s Psalm: Psalm 59: Against Bloodthirsty Enemies


1 Deliver me from my enemies, O God;
protect me from those who rise up against me.
2 Deliver me from evildoers
and save me from bloodthirsty men.
3 See how they lie in wait for me!
Fierce men conspire against me
for no offense or sin of mine, O LORD.
4 I have done no wrong, yet they are ready to attack me.
Arise to help me; look on my plight!
5 O LORD God Almighty, the God of Israel,
rouse yourself to punish all the nations;
show no mercy to wicked traitors.
6 They return at evening,
snarling like dogs,
and prowl about the city.
7 See what they spew from their mouths—
they spew out swords from their lips,
and they say, "Who can hear us?"
8 But you, O LORD, laugh at them;
you scoff at all those nations.
9 O my Strength, I watch for you;
you, O God, are my fortress, 10 my loving God.
God will go before me
and will let me gloat over those who slander me.
11 But do not kill them, O Lord our shield,
or my people will forget.
In your might make them wander about,
and bring them down.
12 For the sins of their mouths,
for the words of their lips,
let them be caught in their pride.
For the curses and lies they utter,
13 consume them in wrath,
consume them till they are no more.
Then it will be known to the ends of the earth
that God rules over Jacob.
14 They return at evening,
snarling like dogs,
and prowl about the city.
15 They wander about for food
and howl if not satisfied.
16 But I will sing of your strength,
in the morning I will sing of your love;
for you are my fortress,
my refuge in times of trouble.
17 O my Strength, I sing praise to you;
you, O God, are my fortress, my loving God.


Day 174 of 365
Prayer Intentions: Separation from earthly desires; Steadfast conviction; Focus on the Lord alone.
Requested Intentions: For all lost children (I); Prosperity, health, healing, and conversion for a family (M); Health and healing of a mother (A); Healing of heart and mind (T); Healing of a new relationship before marriage (K); Healing of a relationship (T); Eternal rest for the dearly departed, end to financial struggles, successful sale of home, ability to travel on pilgrimage (L); For healing of a stomach illness (L); For the repose of the soul of a sister (C); Vocational security for family, Financial security for daughter beginning college (M); Vocational guidance, courage and strength (I); Health for an ailing nephew (A); Those suffering from depression (J); Successful adoption (S); Healing of a father battling cancer (S).
Psalm: Psalm 59: Against Bloodthirsty Enemies