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Icon of St. Lioba, Abbess of
Bischofsheim
Feast: Sept. 23
St. Lioba was a nun at
Wimborne and a friend of St. Boniface, who invited her to Germany. She
arrived about 748. St. Boniface made her abbess of a women's
monastery at Sischofsheim, and gave her the duty of supervising all
nuns in the missionary church (she was functionally an archabbess). The
great woman of the Lord abbess Lioba founded women's monasteries also
in Kitzingen and Ochsenfurt. She was much sought after by rulers and
princes for her wisdom and ability to train women in living the angelic
life. She wrought various miracles; one that is well remembered today
is her instantaneous quelling of a storm by her prayers. She was a
friend of Hildegard, the wife of Charlemagne, and was beloved of Pippin
III. She retired with a group of Anglo-Saxon nuns to a new community
near Mainz donated by Charlemagne, and there, on Sept. 28, 782, she
passed to the Lord. She was buried next to her mentor St. Boniface, who
had been like an uncle to her, but later her relics were elevated and
translated twice, and now rest at Petersburg in Fulda. Holy Mother
Lioba, pray to God for us!
Icon at St. Spyridon Serbian
Orthodox Skyte in Geilnau, Germany. By the hand of Alexander
Stolyarov. The icon is a thumbnail of a much larger image,
which
can be viewed by clicking on the icon.
Beneath: the burial-church of
St. Lioba at Petersberg.
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