Her story
She was born in AD 626 into a noble family, the daughter of Pepin of Landen. After her father died in AD 639, her mother Itta founded a double monastery, of monks and of nuns, at Nivelles in what is now Belgium, and made Gertrude its first abbess. Pilgrims came to Nivelles, among them two Irish monks, Foillan and Ultan, who taught the community the Scriptures. After her mother died in AD 652, Gertrude left the running of the house to others so that she could study the Scriptures, which she came to know almost by heart. She died on 17 March AD 659 and was honoured as a saint at once.
Her feast day
17 March: The day she died in the Catholic Church.
Why people ask St Gertrude of Nivelles
Animals and pets
Many Catholics ask her for cats today, though in the Middle Ages she was asked to keep away rats and mice.
“St. Gertrude of Nivelles”, Catholic Encyclopedia, 1909; “Do you know your pet’s patron saint?”, Aleteia
Where it comes from
Who wrote it
This is the prayer said for her on 17 March, St Patrick’s day, in the diocese of Meissen’s own book of feasts, in Saxony. No one knows who wrote it, and Martin Chemnitz quoted an older form of it between 1565 and 1573.
Why a place to stay
Her old prayer asks for a good place to stay, because she was known for her hospitality. We found no old prayer to her for animals.
In Latin
Omnipotens sempiterne Deus, qui beatam Gertrudem Virginem tuam,ex regali stirpe progenitam,speciali hospitalitatis gratia sublimasti:
concede propitius; ut ejus meritis et precibus,tam præsens quam futurum hospitiumnostræ fragilitati congruumet tuæ majestati gratiose semper inveniamus acceptum.Per Dominum.
