Bridget Center’s Herstory
On this page we will be sharing the story of how Bridget Center came to be, discussing:
-Native Lands
-Irish and German farmers
-Beginning and end of St. Bridget’s Catholic Church
-Early Days of Bridget Center and short bio of foundress, “Flo”, Peggy Kober.
-Why we chose to keep the name, “Bridget”
About St. Bridget
The Bridget Center chose to keep the name “Bridget” because St. Bridget, and the Goddess of the Tuatha de Danaan (mostly a Pre-Christian Indigenous Irish people), after whom the Saint was named. Both embody and align with the Bridget Center’s Mission, Vision, and Values.
St. Bridget is often depicted as an Abbess with a shepherd staff, a lantern or candle, and accompanied by various livestock.
She is the patron (or matron) saint of:
-Babies -Children in distress -Midwives -Dairy workers -Farmers -Poultry workers -Healing -Protection -Livestock -Poets -Blacksmiths -Brewers -Printmaking -Sailors -Travelers -Impoverished people -Refugees -Fugitives -Water wells
There are many ways her name has been spelled through the ages: Brigid, Bridget, Bridgit, Brighid, Brid, Briginda, Brigdu. The name means “strength”, “high one”, “exalted one”, and “fiery arrow”.
The only written records of her life come from hagiographies (biographies of saints) written in the 7-9 centuries, 100-300 years after her death. They were written by nuns and monks of the Kildare Monastery in Ireland, which she founded. The writings share some details and vary in others. It is said that “Mary of the Irish” took on the name Brigid, after the locally adored goddess, Christianized her tribe, and formed the monastery at Kildare.
St. Bridget was born into slavery in 451. Her mother, Broicsech, was baptized by St. Patrick and enslaved by the Chieftain of Leinster, Dubhthach, who also happened to be Bridget’s father. Dubhthach’s wife demanded Broicsech and Bridget be sold. Years later Bridget worked as a servant for her father. She often got in trouble, giving away her father’s money and treasures to impoverished people. Frustrated, Dubhthach took Bridget to the King to sell her. While he was busy, Bridget gave away his bejeweled sword to a starving person. The King admired Bridget’s sense of charity and convinced Dubhthach to grant her freedom. Shortly after, Bridget was received, or “veiled”, by either St. Mac Caill, or St. Mel of Ardagh into the Catholic Religious Order, taking a vow of poverty, chastity, and obedience.
Bridget founded the Kildare Monastery at the site of “Cill Dara”, or “Church of the Oak”. It was the indigenous tribe’s shrine to their goddess, Bridget, where a group of women tended an eternal flame kept at the foot of a giant Oak tree. Bridget founded two monasteries at the site; one for monks and one for nuns. It was the first Catholic monastery to have both men and women on site. The area around the monastery grew into a prolific cathedral city where Bridget founded an art school for metalsmithing and illumination (illustrated manuscripts), well known for its Book of Kildare. Bridget died in 525 at 74 years of age on February 1, the saint’s Feast Day, which is the same day as Imbolc (meaning “in the womb”), the pre-Christian indigenous festival celebrating the goddess Bridget and the return of Spring. It is still widely celebrated in Ireland and around the world. She is a patron Saint of Ireland along with St. Patrick.
"The Coming of Bríde" by John Duncan (1917)
About Goddess Bridget
Bridget was from the Tuatha De Danann people, or “Tribe of Gods”. They were locally known as a supernatural race of humans in Irish mythology. They dwell in the “otherworld” but can interact with humans in this world too. Known as benevolent rulers, strong warriors, healers, bards, artists and craftspeople with supernatural powers. Early Christian writings acknowledge their existence, describing them as “fallen angels”, neither good nor bad. They were known as an ancient tribe highly skilled in magic. Their eternal flame at Cill Dara was surrounded by a hedge, which no man could cross. Those who tried were badly disabled or killed.
Bridget was a Queen and goddess of Spring, fertility, life, poetry, domesticated animals, healing, wisdom, and blacksmithing. She is often depicted as a triple deity, three sisters, a poet, a healer and a blacksmith. She was the daughter of Dagda, the King god associated with fertility, agriculture, masculinity, and strength. He could control life and death, the weather, time, seasons, and the success of crop yields.