<p>Margaret, born in Hungary about 1045, was the daughter of Eadward Atheling, heir apparent to the English throne, and Princess Agatha of Hungary. At about the age of 10, she returned to England with her family, but was forced back into exile after the Norman Conquest in 1066. Her widowed mother was taking her children to safety, when a North Sea storm wrecked their ship onto the Scottish coast.</p>
<p>In 1070, Margaret married Malcolm Canmore, King of Scotland. Of their eight children, three sons ruled Scotland in succession and their daughter Maud married Henry I of England. Margaret greatly influenced King Malcolm III, a fine ruler. To her husband and his country, she brought the best of European culture and encouraged many by her life of Christian virtue. She worked for justice and improved conditions for the poor; she guided the Celtic church toward strong ties with Rome, rebuilt churches, and brought the Benedictines to Scotland.</p>
<p>In 1093 her husband and one son were killed in battle and she, already on her deathbed, died four days later. Margaret was a model of motherhood, one of the few canonized saints to have reared a large family. She was canonized in 1251 and in 1673 was named a patron saint of Scotland.</p>
<p><strong>Saint Gertrude the Great</strong></p>
<p>All we know of Gertrude's life comes from her own writings. She was born on Epiphany 1256 and at the age of five was placed in the care of the Benedictine nuns at Helfta in Saxony where she studied under Mechtilde of Hackborn. A promising scholar of the humanities, Gertrude eventually became a nun, having lived in the convent most of her life.</p>
<p>When she was nearly 25, she received the first of many visions. In time, these experiences were recorded and although her visions and spiritual instructions comprise five books, only the second is her own composition. This book alone shows the depth of her spiritual and intellectual gifts. Meanwhile, Gertrude was also recording the mystical experiences of Mechtilde. These works are extant and, because of the great influence of the nuns of Helfta, have lately been of interest to theologians. Gertrude died in 1301, and although she was never officially canonized, her feast is in the general calendar of the Roman rite.©2011 <em>Living with Christ, </em>Novalis - Bayard Press Canada Inc., <strong>http://www.livingwithchrist.ca/</strong>. Reprinted with permission.</p>
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