Elizabeth was daughter of Andrew II of Hungary and Gertrude Andechs-Meran. In 1221 she married Ludwig (not Louis!) IV of Thuringia (central Germany) by whom she had three children. After his death (1227), she had to leave her home in Wartburg with her children, suffering much deprivation. After a settlement, she resigned her official position, and with her resources, built a hospital for the sick and outcasts. Elizabeth was received into the Secular Franciscans in 1228, and died in Marburg in 1231. Canonised in 1235 by Gregory IX, she is patroness of the Secular Franciscan Order.
First Reading: Sir. 26: 1-3, 15-18, 24; Second Reading: 1 Tim. 5: 3-10;
Gospel: Mt. 25: 31-40
