(C.D. Stampley Enterprises, Charlotte, NC 2001). Used with permission.

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For psychiatrists

St. Christina the Astonishing (1150-1224)

Feast day: July 24

St. Christina’s extreme behavior—possibly the result of schizophrenia—led psychiatrists to adopt her as their patron.

Christina was the youngest of three sisters who lived in the town of Saint Trond in Belgium. After the death of their parents the young women set themselves up as a little religious community in their parents’ house. Their family “convent” had not been in operation long when Christina, then 22 years old, fell ill and apparently died. At the Requiem Mass, as the priest prayed the Agnus Dei, Christina suddenly sat up in her coffin and levitated to the rafters of the church. All the mourners fled the church in terror except for Christina’s eldest sister and the priest who continued with the Mass. When the funeral prayers were concluded he commanded Christina to come down from her perch, and she obeyed.

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She told her friends that when she “died” she visited Hell, Purgatory, and Heaven. In Heaven Christ offered her a choice: to remain with him now, or to return to earth and by her sufferings and example bring many sinners to repentance. Christina chose to go back to earth and save souls. Then she warned her friends not to be surprised by anything she did since God had directed her to act in ways “never seen before among mortals.”

Saying she could not bear the smell of humans (some interpreters have taken this to mean that Christina could smell sin on her fellow men), she fled to deserted places, or climbed to the top of tall trees, or sought refuge in castle towers or church steeples—any place far removed from human contact. She threw herself into fires and stood for hours in a freezing river. She went to graveyards and wailed for the dead who had died in their sins. One night she woke all the dogs in town and led them in a pack into the woods where she threw herself into a dense growth of thorn bushes.

Christina was a constant source of embarrassment to her sisters and her friends. They thought she was mad or possessed and locked her up, but she always escaped. Since confining her was useless they prayed to God to moderate Christina’s actions, and he heard their prayer. One day Christian entered a church, climbed into the baptismal font, and completely immersed herself in the holy water. When she climbed out of the font she was calmer and content to live among people once again.

Christina made a point of begging from the heard-hearted saying that if she could move sinners to be merciful in this life, God would be merciful to them in the next. Once she walked into the house of a notoriously sinful man while he was enjoying a sumptuous meal. She said she was desperately thirsty and begged for something to drink. To everyone’s surprise the man was moved by pity and gave Christian some of his fine wine. Afterward Christina said that by this single act of charity the man had ensured his salvation: she predicted that on his deathbed he would repent.

When Count Louis of Looz was dying he called Christian to his bedside to tell her all the sins he had committed since he was an eleven-year-old boy and to beg her to pray for his soul. She did pray earnestly for the count, pleading with God to let her share half of the sufferings the count was enduring in Purgatory. Her prayer was granted: Christina’s sisters were witnesses as she suffered first from fire then from terrible cold.

When Christina felt she was dying she retired to the convent of St. Catherine in Saint-Trond where her friend Beatrice was a nun. Beatrice gave Christina a private room and arranged for a priest to bring the Last Rites. After the priest left Beatrice asked Christina to reveal certain holy secrets but the dying woman said nothing. Beatrice thought she would let Christina rest and ask her again later. When Beatrice returned to Christina’s room her friend was dead. The nun threw herself on the lifeless body, calling on Christina to come back and reveal the secrets. Suddenly Christina’s eyes opened and in a weary voice asked why Beatrice had brought her back to life just as she was being led to see Christ face to face. So to satisfy Beatrice she answered all her questions. By now the entire convent had gathered in Christina’s room. She made the sign of the

cross over the nuns, settled back on her pillow, and died—for the third time in her life.

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Prayer to the saints is a powerful thing.

Now, with Saints for Every Occasion, readers can quickly find help for any challenge they face – no matter how large or small. Author Thomas J. Craughwell profiles 101 patron saints from various continents, cultures and times – from saints who were contemporaries of Christ, to modern patrons like Padre Pio and Faustina Kowalska. Each saint lived heroically in difficult times and circumstances, providing powerful examples of how to turn almost any obstacle into a source of grace. Along with old favorites such as St. Anthony and St. Jude, Craughwell offers patrons for specifically modern concerns, including, for example, saints to watch over astronauts, internet users and environmental activists. Beautifully illustrated and entertainingly told, Saints for Every Occasion features 101 patron saints readers will seek out time and again.

“An excellent resource for home and classroom use.” – Publisher’s Weekly {/tabs}