St. Ingrid of Sweden



The saint of the day for September 2 is St. Ingrid of Sweden, one of the patron saints of Sweden. Born in Skänninge, Sweden, in the 13th century of a noble family, St. Ingrid lived under the spiritual direction of Peter of Dacia, a Dominican priest. She married young and when her husband died, she dedicated all her possessions to God. After a pilgrimage to the Holy Land, she became the first Dominican nun in Sweden and in 1281 she founded the first Dominican cloister there, St. Martin's in Skänninge. She died in 1282 surrounded by an aura of sanctity. Miracles obtained through her intercession followed and led to a popular cult.

In 1405, a canonization process was begun and the Swedish Bishops introduced her cause at the Council of Constance. An inquest was held in Sweden in 1416-1417 and the results were inconclusive. In 1497, the cause was reactivated and in 1507 her relics were solemnly translated, and a Mass and Office were composed - but formal canonization seems never to have occurred. During the Reformation, her cult came to an end and her convent and relics were destroyed.

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