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Saint Elizabeth of Hungary

Saint Elizabeth of Hungary Feast Day: Nov. 17th 

Saint Elizabeth of Hungary has always held a special place in my heart since she is my confirmation saint. If I'm being honest, when I was reading about saints back in the eighth grade, trying to choose which saint I wanted to take as my patron, my requirements were as follows: (1) She couldn't die a horrible death, (2) She was married with kids, (3) and her life was pretty good allowing her to serve God and others through the blessings she'd been given. In hindsight, my list of "requirements" was probably a little superficial, but now as an adult I focus more on the virtues and saintly qualities of Saint Elizabeth, and find inspiration in how she lived. She was humble, a kind and loving wife and mother, and very generous to the poor. She also made plenty of time to pray and grow in her relationship with the Lord. On her wedding day, Saint Elizabeth of Hungary, who was a princess, did not wear a crown. Instead she said: "How can I bear a crown of gold when the Lord bears a crown of thorns?" When my husband and I were planning our wedding, the church we attended unfortunately was not available the day of our wedding. 

After praying that God would help us find another parish to celebrate our Sacrament of Holy Matrimony, we were led to the church where we married. The first time I stepped into the sanctuary I noticed a statue of Saint Elizabeth of Hungary near the altar. I am sure my patron saint, who is the patron saint of young brides and bakers (among other things), helped intercede on our behalf. One of my favorite stories about her is one about her kindness and compassion to the poor. Saint Elizabeth of Hungary would take food from the castle to feed the poor and one day a family member, who thought she was giving away too much from the castles' wealth, stopped her and told her to reveal what she was carrying beneath her cloak. When Saint Elizabeth pulled back her garment, the bread she had been taking to feed the poor was transformed into roses! What a beautiful miracle! The romantic in me likes to think that Jesus gave her a bouquet of roses, because of how much he loved her beautiful and kind heart, and wanted to give her something beautiful to show his love for her. Let Saint Elizabeth of Hungary be an example for us that every little thing we do with kindness and love for someone else is beautiful in the eyes of the Lord.


How can you celebrate Saint Elizabeth's feast day? 

Since one of Saint Elizabeth of Hungary's patronages is that of "bakers," try making some homemade play-dough. Not only is it fun to play with when it's warm, but it's a simple cooking activity that even toddlers can do with assistance. You can then pretend to bake cookies, pasta, etc. Here is a great Play- dough recipe you can use. If you’re up for a bigger challenge, you can try making “Hungarian Braided White Bread” using this recipe from Allrecipes. 

For dinner, serve “Beef Stroganoff” or “Chicken Paprikas” with a salad and the Hungarian Braided bread. When I make the beef stroganoff, I use lean ground beef (my kids like it better), and I cook everything except the egg noodles in a big pot instead of a slow cooker. I also double the sauce recipe and serve it topped with green onions and sour cream. Here’s the recipe I use from “All Recipes.” The chicken paprikas I make is my husband’s favorite meal. Here is the recipe my mother-in-law passed along to me. Hope you enjoy! 


(Beef Stroganoff)

You can also spend some time today as a family looking at your wedding photos and discussing the Sacrament of Holy Matrimony, and since Saint Elizabeth of Hungary ended her days as a lay religious after she was widowed, you can also discuss the importance of the Sacrament of Holy Orders and religious life. 

Additional Activity:

Watch the cartoon video below, from EWTN, about Saint Elizabeth of Hungry together as a family. My daughter loved watching and learning about my Parton Saint—she’s watched it several times now.

Prayer:

Here is a prayer I wrote asking for Saint Elizabeth of Hungary’s intercession for me as a wife and mother you can also say. 

Faithful and loving wife and mother, and devoted servant of God, please pray that I may use the gifts God has given me for His will. Pray that I may grow in patience, and through all my actions display kindness and love. Please pray that I may also grow in virtues that will help me be the best wife and mother I can be; and pray that my faith and trust in the Lord will grow stronger each day, helping my family’s faith foundation continue to grow. Saint Elizabeth of Hungary, pray for us! 


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