There is a rich array of saints to write about, and each time it is a profound experience to witness how God’s grace reaches a person and leads them beyond themselves. They show us what becomes possible when one hears God’s call and follows it. We must not assume that this was not also accompanied by struggles in which these people became aware of their own weakness. Yet they held fast to God, and thus the Lord was able to guide them and be glorified through them. It is moving when a person who holds a high social position is so deeply drawn to the holy faith that they do not shy away from performing the simplest—and often most difficult—acts of service toward their neighbor. Saint Radegund followed such a path and became a model for many other nobles to walk the way of Christ and to give their lives.
Radegund is the first queen to descend from the princely throne into a humble monastic cell to follow the poor Jesus in poverty; she is the first German princess upon whom monastic life exerted its wondrous influence, inspiring many crowned heads to follow her example. Born in 519, she was the daughter of Berthar, King of Thuringia, and was orphaned at an early age when her father was cruelly murdered by his brother Hermanfried out of a lust for power.