ST. WERBURGA, VIRGIN, February 3rd

Collect

GRACIOUSLY hear us, O God of our salvation : that, like as we do rejoice in the festival of blessed Werburga thy holy Virgin : so we may learn to follow here in all godly and devout affections. Through Jesus Christ, thy Son, our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end. Amen.

For the legend

WERBURGA, on her mother's side, was related to Saint Hilda of Whitby, and was one of that line of valiant women who made Ely a great centre of Christian activity, namely : Saints Audrey, Sexaburga, Ermenilda, and lastly Werburga herself. Audrey was the foundress and first Abbess of Ely ; her sister Sexaburga, widow of King Erconbert of Kent, came thither, and at Audrey's death was made Abbess in her stead ; Sexaburga's daughter, Ermenilda, widow of King Wulfhere of Mercia, joined her mother at Ely, and thereafter succeeded her as Abbess ; and Ermenilda's daughter Werburga, who had become a nun at Ely in the time of her great-aunt Audrey, became superior-general over several religious houses. From lack of historical records the details of this Virgin's life are uncertain. But in those days there were still many that clung to the old pagan ways ; and Werburga, who united in herself the blood of all the chief Saxon kings, was thus near of kin both to pagan and to Christian royal houses. On her mother's side, she was of the Christian royal house of Kent ; but her own father, King Wulfhere of Mercia, was an apostate Christian.

AND it is related that he was furious when his daughter refused to marry one of his pagan courtiers. To whose evil counsel he gave himself, and was thereby moved to condemn his older sons to death, Wulfhad and Ruffin by name, because they chose the religion of their mother, and went to Saint Chad of Litchfield for spiritual direction, and upheld their sister in her purpose of virginity. But afterwards, striken with remorse, the King found quiet of conscience only by turning to Christ, who he thenceforth served to the end of his days. Hence he was moved to permit his daughter to become a nun ; whereat he gathered about him various kings and princes, and they all went with Werburga to Ely, and solemnly gave her over to Christ her Bridegroom, in the keeping of Saint Audrey. How after his death, his brother Ethelred succeeded to the throne ; for his younger son, Kenard, renounced all claim thereto, and became a monk at Rome, where he later died in the odour of holiness.

AND Ethelred aided his niece Werburga in all good works, such as the founding of houses of religion at Trentham, Hanbury, and Wedon ; and he also gave her oversight of all the religious houses of women in his kingdom, that she might nurture them in Christ. And after Werburga died, namely, about the year 699, Chester Cathedral was built as a repository for her relicks. She is said to have been famous for meekness, humility, patience, and purity ; and as for her prayer, it is believed that she recited the whole Psalter daily on her knees ; and further, that she never ate more than once a day ; and that, in addition to all the cares of administration of the places under her charge, she studied constantly the lives and teachings of the fathers of the desert, whereby she became most learned in divine science ; for all which she is deservedly reverenced as one of Christ's great disciples of the early days of England.

From the Anglican Breviary