St. Gertrude was born in Germany around 1256. At the early age of five, she was sent to live with Benedictine sisters. She was an obedient, amiable, and profoundly humble child, and those who knew her were impressed by her virtues. When she was old enough, she entered the order and gave herself to intense study.
She was twenty-six when Our Lord first appeared to her, showing her His Sacred Heart. From this time on, she frequently received visions concerning the Sacred Heart. The visions were so engrossing that she would be utterly insensible to anything around her. In her great humility, she begged Our Lord that no outward sign would reveal her as a visionary to others.
Inflamed by the visions, Gertrude gave up all other studies and devoted herself to theology. She wrote numerous spiritual works and worked to spread devotion to the Sacred Heart. Her final years were marked with illness and pain, which she bore with sweetness and love.
Although not formally canonized, her feast was promulgated throughout the Church in the 1600s.
Learn more about this powerful saint and her astounding visions in the spiritual classic, Life & Revelations of St. Gertrude the Great! Containing Saint Gertrude’s own writings, as well as further writings on her life by her religious sisters, this book is a beautiful look at St. Gertrude’s mysticism and life. Available today at The Catholic Company!
