Saint Mildred
She was the daughter of Prince Merewald of Mercia and lived in the middle of the 8th Century AD.
She deeply loved God and secretly pledge herself to chastity. Even though this was not a formal religious vow, in her heart it was binding.
When she came of age, Mildred was sent by her mother to be educated at a convent in France. Crossing the English Channel would not separate her from the vow she made in England. She desired to remain faithful.
Upon reaching the convent, a young nobleman fell in love with her and desired to marry her. He was a kinsman of Lady Abbess.
The Abbess spent time with Mildred, beginning to extol the virtues of the young man, then his prowess and his great potential. Eventually, she asked Mildred whether she would marry him.
When she refused to, the Abbess commanded her as her superior, but Mildred would not break her vow.
The Abbess began to systematically abuse the girl. It is said, she was placed in a hot oven for over three hours. But when it was opened, Mildred walked out unharmed. She was singing songs of praise to God.
This enraged the Abbess, and she continued to beat Mildred. This still had no affect and she remained faithful to her vow.
Eventually, Mildred managed to send a message, with the torn locks of her hair, to her mother. Who sent boats across the Channel and rescued her daughter.
Upon returning to England, Mildred entered a convent in Thanet, Kent. Where, in time, she became the Abbess.
She gained a reputation for her generosity and compassion, especially to the poor, broken and rejected.
In her story, we can see symbolical links to the Old Testament.
The English Channel is like the Red Sea, where the Hebrews first crossed to live in Egypt. Rather than under the control of a merciless Pharaoh, it was a religious leader. Rather than living under slavery and torture in Egypt, she was in France.
Eventually, rescuers came. In the Bible, God sends two men, Moses and Aaron. In Mildred’s story, it was boats.
When Mildred was placed in the oven, it was like the three youths thrown into the fiery furnace in the Book of Daniel.
She was a key saint for the Anglo-Saxons and I wonder whether it inspired them when fighting against invaders from the French coast.