I was leafing through my new issue of Magnificat and found a entry on St. Bathild of France. She was kidnapped as a girl and brought to France as a slave. There she was seen by the king who offered her not concubinage but marriage. A slave girl became queen. She was a good influence on the king and after his death she was queen regent for her sons and ruled wisely. She abolished simony, ended the slave trade in her country and ransomed those who had been already sold. She also established abbeys. When her sons were grown and all became kings in their own territories she retired to a convent. She had no problem doing even the most menial tasks even cleaning the bathrooms. Now here is a woman to admire.
