ROME — In the heart of Rome, on Piazza Farnese, stands the house where Birgitta Birgersdotter, known to the world as St. Bridget of Sweden, lived for nearly two decades before dying within its walls.

After the death of her husband Ulf, the governor of an important district of the Kingdom of Sweden with whom she had eight children, Bridget had decided to dedicate her life to the Lord — at a time when the Christianization of Scandinavia was still unfolding. 

She traveled to Rome to seek papal approval for her plan, inspired by the Lord, to found the Order of the Most Holy Savior. She left Sweden in 1349, never to return. She died 25 years later at the age of 69 or 70.

A contemporary of St. Catherine of Siena, Bridget, like Catherine, devoted herself to study, prayer and active engagement in the life of the Church and society, by urging the popes of their time — then residing in Avignon, France — to return to Rome. 

Over the course of her life, Bridget received around 700 visions, of which about 600 took place in Rome, in the house where she lived and where her church now stands. In these visions, she conversed not only with the saints, but with Jesus himself and his Blessed Mother, who both shared their sufferings and sorrows with her.

Reliving the Passion of Christ

Bridgettine Sister Olga Maria, who entered the Bridgettine order in 1998 and has served as mistress of novices at Casa Santa Brigida for the past two years, told the Register that the saint’s “first mystical revelations and experiences go back to the very earliest years of her life.”

“At 7, she had a vision of the Virgin Mary who presented her with a crown which she accepted in her adolescence,” Sister Olga said. Bridge later described it as making her understand that her life was to be a sacrifice of love for God.

Visions of the crucified Jesus in all the suffering and sorrow of his passion began soon after.

“At 10,” Sister Olga said, “she heard a sermon on the Passion of Christ, which made such a deep impression on her that, when she returned home and prayed before a crucifix, she began speaking to the Lord, asking him, ‘Who has done all this to you?’ Jesus answered her, ‘All those who despise me and refuse my love.’” 

“I think that from that moment, St. Bridget’s great love for the Passion of Jesus was born,” the Bridgettine sister said, observing that it was “from this deep relationship with the Lord that her devotion to the Most Holy Virgin, the Mother of our Lord, flowed.”

Through her devotion to Mary, St. Bridget was able to know Jesus as Mary did. “She knew the life of Jesus not only from the direct revelations she received from the Lord, but also because Mary herself recounted, step by step, the life of her Son,” Sister Olga said.

“She followed him step by step,” she noted, “just as Mary did during her life.” 

Of all aspects of Christ’s life, Sister Olga observed, “what she experienced most profoundly and intensely was his passion,” through which St. Bridget was united to Our Lady of Sorrows.

“When Mary recounts the passion of her Son, she also shares what she herself experienced at that moment,” she added. “When Jesus receives the vinegar, she feels the bitter taste on her tongue; when he is scourged, she falls as though dead and experiences the same suffering.” 

“And what Mary experienced,” Sister Olga said, “St. Bridget also experienced.”

The 15 Prayers of St. Bridget

The devotion to St. Bridget and the devotions she promoted both spread widely in Europe quickly after her death, the Bridgettine sister explained.  

While many prayers and devotions have been later attributed to St. Bridget, only 15 prayers have been confirmed by the Church as authentic, Sister Olga observed.

The prayers are tender meditations on Christ’s passion and death, with both a catechetical and penitential purpose — to awaken in readers a greater sense of sorrow for their sins and to motivate them to a greater love of Jesus who suffered so much for our sake.

“Jesus himself, in revealing these prayers to St. Bridget, also had Mary explain to her: ‘My Son has given you these beautiful prayers so that you may grow in knowledge of him,’” Sister Olga said, adding that the only promise linked to these prayers is that whoever prays them will receive consolation from Jesus. 

“We know that St. Bridget herself prayed these prayers daily,” the Bridgettine sister noted about the prayers, which grew in popularity during the late Middle Ages and became a frequent item in many medieval prayer books.

Throughout the centuries that followed, several devotions related to the suffering of Jesus and Mary ensued, including:

The 15 Promises to those devoted to Mary’s Seven Sorrows: These are promises and special graces that St. Bridget of Sweden is said to have received from the Blessed Virgin, given to those who meditate on her Seven Sorrows with devotion.
The One-Year Prayer for the Wounds of Christ: This devotion involves saying 15 Our Fathers, 15 Hail Marys and 15 specific prayers each day for a year, honoring each of the 5,480 wounds that Christ is said to have revealed to St. Bridget he suffered during his passion.
The 12-Year Novena: A long-term devotional practice inspired by St. Bridget, this novena is prayed over 12 years to help the faithful grow in love for Jesus and Mary and to obtain particular spiritual graces.

However, Sister Olga emphasized, “only the 15 prayers were revealed to St. Bridget. All the other prayers were inspired by these writings.”

The Value of Suffering

Noting similar visions about the passion and sorrows of Christ and his mother can be found present “in other medieval mystics,” Sister Olga stressed that they aren’t present “with this intensity or in such a large body of writings.” 

Reflecting on why St. Bridget might have received so many visions about the sufferings of Jesus and Mary, she said, “It was a gift that the Lord gave to St. Bridget.”

“I think it was necessary to reveal the depth of Christ’s passion and that of his most holy mother,” explaining that suffering is an aspect of Christian spirituality that confronts everyone.

Sister Olga said that “people today may perhaps be less capable of understanding God — and if they are capable of God, it is only of a good, merciful God, who forgives all and always guides us with love and patience — but the mystery of God is much greater.”

In this aspect, Sister Olga Maria said, St. Bridget can help us.

“The Passion of Christ can open our eyes to the mystery of God in its fullness,” she said. “We cannot escape the Cross. Suffering can make us more human and help us appreciate the simpler things in life. To truly live the Passion of Christ is to follow Jesus to the very end.” 

The Bridgettine Sisters were founded in 1344 by St. Bridget and approved by Pope Urban V in 1370. They follow the Rule of St. Augustine, and are identified by their distinctive crown of linen on their veil. For the sisters, suffering holds a particularly special significance. 

“Our entire life, from our vocation to our spirituality, is oriented toward this dimension of the Passion of Jesus,” Sister Olga said, emphasizing that the motto of the Bridgettine Order is Amor Meus Crucifixus Est (“My love is crucified”).

Reflecting on the relevance of St. Bridget, her revelations and her devotions today, Sister Olga noted that “she experienced many states of life and can serve as an example to many: as a laywoman, wife, mother, widow, and also as a religious.” 

“By praying St. Bridget’s 15 prayers, we can honor the passion of Jesus and draw closer to him in his suffering,” Sister Olga said. “Contemplating his suffering also gives us greater insight and understanding for our own lives.” 

Suffering has no meaning in and of itself, the Bridgettine sister stressed. 

She said, “To suffer for the sake of suffering is meaningless; suffering only has value when it is lived in union with the sufferings of Christ and his mother.” 

“When we read the passage from St. Paul’s letter which says that we ‘complete’ Christ’s passion with our own sufferings, it does not mean that anything is lacking in Christ’s passion — his saving work is complete — but that we can make it fully present in ourselves,” Sister Olga said. “It does not remain only a historical event of the past; it is realized continually, daily, in our lives.”