St. Walburga: Missionary, Benedictine Nun, and First Woman Author in England and Germany
Today is the feast of St. Walburga (710-777) missionary, Benedictine nun, author, and abbess of Hiedenheim. She had two brothers, St. Willibald and St. Winibald. She wrote a biography of Winibald and an account in Latin of St. Willibald's travels in Palestine and is thus, considered to the first woman author in both England and Germany. St. Walburga was born in Wessex, England, about 710, the daughter of St. Richard and Winna, the sister of St. Boniface. When St. Richard set out for a pilgrimage to the Holy Land with his sons, he entrusted 11-year-old Walburga to to the abbess of Wimborne. She was educated by the nuns at the monastery school at Wimborne, and became a nun there, remaining with the community for twenty-six years. When St. Boniface requested nuns to help him in the evangelization of pagan Germany, St. Walburga responded to that call. On the way to Germany, there was a terrible storm at sea. Walburga knelt on the deck of the ship and prayed. The sea immediatel...