After a little research I leaned St. Gertrude was was a seventh-century abbess who was born in 626 and died in 659. With her mother, she founded the monastery of Nivelles in present-day Belgium. She was never formally canonized, but in 1677 Pope Clement XII declared her feast day to be March 17. She is the patron saint of travelers, gardeners, and cats; she protects against mental illness, fever, mice, and rats.
My saint statue came with a stand embossed with her name. She has a cat slung over one arm and another by her feet. There's also a backdrop decorated with more cats that slips into a slot on the stand. We keep the statue on a shelf in the family room next to a set of three small soapstone cat sculptures and a miniature picture book of kittens.
Jackson and Pepper, our cats, ignore all of it.
Five years ago today: My Home Town
Good for cats, and I'm sure Jackson and Pepper agree. Cats generally inform us of the disagreeable in their lives, not the agreeable.
ReplyDeleteThe cats are like adolescents; they want to keep us on our toes. I think deep down inside, though, they'd admit you're right.
Deletewell who knew?
ReplyDeleteI have one of these, too. Except the background is long gone. St. Gertrude just stands alone, with her cats, in our guest room.
ReplyDeleteI like the visual of St. Gertrude guarding your and the cats in your house, too.
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