St. Ita

My mother-in-law has written the guest post for St. Ita today! St. Ita, or Dorothea, is patron saint of my sister-in-law, Kirsten. Also, my grandmother-in-law was named Dorothy after Dorothea.

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Saint Ita is also known as the “Brigid of Munster”, “Foster Mother of the Saints of Ireland” and the patron Saint of Killeedy.  St. Ita was born before 484AD in County Waterford, in the Tramore area and died around 570. Her father was Cennfoelad or Confhaola and her mother was Necta.  Ita's name was originally Dorothea or Deirdre. She was a member of the Déisí tribe. Ita refused her father's wish that she should marry a local chieftain, as she believed that she had a calling from God and wanted to become a nun.  To convince her father to change his mind, she fasted for three days and three nights. On the third night, God gave out to her father in his sleep. The next morning, Cennfoelad agreed that Ita could do as she wished.

         (source for picture)                     

 At the age of sixteen, Ita set off on her journey. Bishop (St.) Declan of Ardmore conferred the veil on her. Legend has it that Ita was lead to Killeedy by three heavenly lights. The first was at the top of the Galtee mountains, the second on the Mullaghareirk mountains and the third at Cluain Creadhail, which is nowadays Killeedy. Her sister Fiona also went on to become a nun, settling down at a place known as Killeedy in a church that she set up known as the "Church of St. Ita" in County Limerick. There, she was the head of a community of women. That group seems to have had a school for little boys where they were taught "Faith in God with purity of heart; simplicity of life with religion; generosity with love".   Her austerities are told by St. Cuimin of Down, and numerous miracles are recorded of her. She is said to be the originator of an Irish lullaby for the infant Jesus, an English version of which was set for voice and piano by the American composer Samuel Barber. She was said to be endowed with the gift of prophecy and was held in great veneration by a large number of contemporary saints, men as well as women. When she felt her end approaching she sent for her community of nuns, and invoked the blessing of heaven on the clergy and laity of the district around Killeedy.  Not alone was St. Ita a saint, but she was the foster-mother of many saints, including St. Brendan the Voyager, St. Pulcherius (Mochoemog), and St. Cummian Fada. At the request of Bishop Butler of Limerick, Pope Pius IX granted a special Office and Mass for the feast of St. Ita, which is kept on 15 January.

St. Ita, Pray for us.

That's all for today! Thanks to my mom-in-law who wrote this!