Mechtilde of Hackeborn
The scion of a noble Saxon family, St. Mechtilde entered the convent at Rodorsdorf at the age of seven. She later went to Helfta, where her older sister, Gertrude, was abbess. Mechtilde, who was called God's nightingale, became choirmistress and director of the convent school; in 1261, she was given charge of St. Gertrude the Great. Their teachings form the Book of Special Graces (or the Revelations of St. Gertrude and St. Mechtilde), which a disciple recorded. Known also as the Maude book, it was a popular devotional work. Mechtilde and her pupil were early proponents of devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Mechtilde died c. 1299, and although she has never been formally canonized, her memory is kept in Benedictine convents.
Karen Rae Keck
including the header and this copyright remain intact.