Wednesday, July 23, 2025

It is the 23rd of July 2025. Welcome to the Christian History Almanac, brought to you by 1517 at 1517.org; I’m Dan van Voorhis.

All apologies to Apollinarus of Ravenna. For centuries, today was his… the Roman Martyrology and ancient texts told the story of the Bishop of Ravenna in Northeast Italy- ordained by Peter himself- the last capital of the Roman empire, Ravenna- the story of his martyrdom and conversion by Peter (and even others saying it was Jesus himself who converted him and made him one of the first disciples… well, the story is likely… well, you know hagiography and all (we talked about this kind of history on yesterday’s show about Blind Chang).

Today’s show was going to be all about Apollinarus and his removal from the calendar for today, the 23rd of July and his being given a smaller celebration on the 20th of July because “that date was open” and the ignominy of it all on account of the church finding a cooler, more historically accurate saint- Bridget of Sweden and giving her today. And surely, having done a show on Bridget of Sweden, I could point you to that one and spend our time on Appolinarus… until I saw that Bridget- of Bridgittine fame and one of the six patron saints of Europe had only gotten the CHA treatment on season 1 when the entries were much shorter and I was still figuring out how to do this…

And so like Matt Damon on the Jimmy Kimmel Show, apologies to Apollinarus of Ravenna who is going to get bumped- because Bridget of Sweden- since 1999 one of the six patron saints of Europe along with St Benedict, Cyril and Methodius joined, Brady Bunch style with three ladies, St. Catherine of Siena, Edith Stein and our St. Bridget- not the Bridget of Ireland but rather the Medieval Swedish noblewoman who blended both secular and religious authority.

Perhaps ironically for a woman who has gained such stature, she is also known as the patron saint of failures- in the short term, it seems that her plans didn’t come to fruition- but more on that in a minute.

Born in 1303 to a governor and governess, she is said to have experienced her first mystical vision at the age of 10. By 13, she was married off to another future governor, and she would have 8 children by him- one of which would be the famous Catherine of Sweden.

Known for her piety, she was made a lady-in-waiting to the queen and attempted to reform the court and church from that position. But when her husband died in 1344, she felt called to retreat to a life of prayer and contemplation. It was here that she had the first of her revelations that would be recorded and translated into Latin and serve as the primary means of her fame. These are intensely personal revelations focusing on the passion of Christ and his suffering, the intercession of Mary, and the final state of those both blessed and cursed.

She would form a religious order, the Bridgittines or “Order of the Most Holy Savior”- notable as it was for both men and women, cloistered together but separate and it was given the papal seal of approval by Pope Urban V. It was ironic that it was Pope Urban V- as he was a pope in Avignon during that period when the papacy was moved and then split between Avignon, Rome (and Pisa for a spell). One of Bridget’s great missions in life- and the reason she went to Rome in 1350 and on numerous pilgrimages to the Holy Land was to convince the church leadership to reconcile and return to Rome. It didn’t in her lifetime. She called for peace between the warring countries of England and France- it didn’t happen in her lifetime. She had never even officially become a nun. And though she desired to return to her homeland of Sweden, she failed at that too, dying in Rome in 1373. But despite the “failures,” she was canonized within 20 years, her daughter would help spread the order, and today the Bridgittines operate in Sweden and then everywhere from India to Mexico and beyond. Named a patron saint of Europe, she displaced poor Apollinarus of Ravenna, and we remember her, Bridget of Sweden, on this day.  

The Last word for today comes from the daily lectionary and John 6:

44 “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them, and I will raise them up at the last day. 45 It is written in the Prophets: ‘They will all be taught by God.’[ Everyone who has heard the Father and learned from him comes to me. 46 No one has seen the Father except the one who is from God; only he has seen the Father. 47 Very truly I tell you, the one who believes has eternal life. 48 I am the bread of life. 49 Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, yet they died. 50 But here is the bread that comes down from heaven, which anyone may eat and not die. 51 I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats this bread will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.”

This has been the Christian History Almanac for the 23rd of July 2025, brought to you by 1517 at 1517.org.

The show is produced by a man whose favorite Bridgets include the Swedish saint, pop songstress Bardot, and the animated Irish mouse from An American Tale. He is Christopher Gillespie.

The show is written and read by a man who can’t get enough Don Bluth 80s animated movies- Fievel, the Rats of Nimh, the Land Before Time, All Dogs Go to Heaven… I’m Dan van Voorhis.

You can catch us here every day- and remember that the rumors of grace, forgiveness, and the redemption of all things are true…. Everything is going to be ok.