St. Walfrid
Died: 765
Walfrid or Galfrido della Gherardesca was born in Pisa, of which he became a prosperous and honored citizen. He married a wife to whom he was deeply attached, and they had five sons and at least one daughter. After a time, Walfrid and his wife Thesia felt that God was calling them to enter the religious life. Walfrid had two friends - A kinsman named Gunduald and a certain Fortis, a native of Corsica: like him they were living in the world, but were drawn to a closer service of God under monastic discipline. Together they discussed the future, and were led by a dream to choose Monte Verde, between Volterra and Piombino, as the site of their future monastery. They decided to follow the Benedictine Rule of Monte Casino and, besides their own Abbey of Palazzuolo, they built at a distance of about eighteen miles a convent for women, in which their wives and Walfrid's daughter Rattruda took the veil. The new foundation attracted many novices, and before long there were sixty monks including Walfrid's favorite son Gimfrid and Gunduald's only son Andrew, who became the third Abbott and wrote the history of St. Walfrid. Gimfrid was made priest, but in an hour of temptation he flew from the monastery, taking with him men, horses and papers which belonged to the community. Walfrid, greatly distressed, sent a search party after the fugitive. On the third day, when he was praying in the midst of his monks for his son's repentance and return, he besought God also to send Gimfrid a sign which would be constantly before him as a reminder and a warning for the rest of his life. That same day Wimfrid was caught and brought back penitent, but with the middle finger of his right hand so mutilated that he could never use it again. Walfrid ruled the Abbey wisely and well for ten years, and after his death, was succeeded by Gimfrid, who inspite of his earlier lapse became, as Andrew records, a great and good pastor. St. Walfrid's cultus was confirmed in 1861. His feast day is February 15th.
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St. Walfrid, please continue to intercede for me, to lead a life that is pleasing to God.
Please pray for Dn.Alex Kumar for his Priestly Ordination and his family members.
God Bless All.. thank you
15th/16th feb 2013:st walfrid pray for us repentant penitent sinners.amen.
Please pray for Jacob that he finds peace and the right path, for his mother that the doctors can slow the progression of her disease and for all cancer patients that we deal with our disease with grace and dignity. thank yo.u
St. Walfrid great saint please pray for me and my family
God Bless us all
Amen
Very interesting article.
Dear St. Walfrid, Please pray for us who are struggling to fulfil our obligations to the
Lord.
St. Walfrid pray for all married couples who have raised children to adulthood and independence, and are now in a position to devote their time, talent and travails for the Lord's work. Like you and your beloved wife, the world has numerous Catholics who can and must work in the vineyard of the Lord. St. Walfrid, it was common in your day and age to join the religious order after many years of a fulfulled married, family life. I'm in that stage too, so are many Catholics that I know. Give us the intitution, grace and knowledge to search and find what God wants us to do. One thing would be to look after our aged, helpless and lonely parents. That being done, we still have time for the Lord. Amen
They most likely never saw eachother again as spouses but as fellow religious. If they saw eachother at all (the article doesn't say what kind of order it was, i.e. were they cloistered?) it was likely not privately. If you study Church history there was a time when it was common for Catholics to enter into religious orders,to finish out their lives, once their children had reached the age of maturity.- their objective had been fulfilled- which is the same for today's parents- raising strong and holy Catholics- to fill heaven!
A very busy group. Stories like this always prods me to evaluate my works. God Bless All.
I'm asking this question because I want to learn about the faith not trying to attack it: How did the wives of the three men "take the veil" yet remained married?