Detail
of the east window of the north transept, depicting Íde of Killeedy.. Church of
Our Lady and St. Kieran, Ballylooby, County Tipperary, Ireland
Sainte Ita
Abbesse en Irlande (+ 577)
Deirdre, Ida, Ide, Meda, Mida ou Ytha.
Elle est très populaire en Irlande.
Elle fonda le couvent de Hy Conaill dans le Limerick.
De nombreuses anecdotes sur sa vie sont peu plausibles.
Voir aussi sur le site St Patrick's church (en anglais)
Au monastère de Cluain Credal en Irlande, vers 570, sainte Ita, vierge,
fondatrice de ce monastère.
Martyrologe romain
SOURCE : http://nominis.cef.fr/contenus/saint/432/Sainte-Ita.html
St
Ita Detail, Harry Clarke, Honan Chapel Stained Glass
Also
known as
Ita of Clúaincredal
Ita of Hy-Connall
Ita of Ireland
Ita of Munster
Ita of Waterford
Deirdre…
Dorothy…
Ide…
Ite…
Itha…
Meda…
Mida…
Mide…
Ytha…
Profile
Born to the Irish nobility,
possibly a member of the royal family. She refused to marry,
and eventually received her father‘s
blessing to live a celibate life.
Founded the convent at
Hy Conaill, County Limerick, Ireland which
attracted large numbers of nuns.
Founded a school for boys in
Killeedy; one of her students was Saint Brendan.
Second only to Saint Brigid in
popular Irish devotion.
Many extravagant miracles have
become associated with her including healing a man who had been decapitated,
and living solely off food delivered from heaven.
Born
at Drum, County
Waterford, Ireland
c.570 of
natural causes
Additional
Information
Book
of Saints, by the Monks of
Ramsgate
Lives
of the Irish Saints, by Father Albert
Barry
Lives
of the Saints, by Father Alban
Butler
Saints
of the Day, by Katherine Rabenstein
Virgin
Saints and Martyrs, by Sabine Baring-Gould
books
Our Sunday Visitor’s Encyclopedia of Saints
other
sites in english
images
video
sitios
en español
Martirologio Romano, 2001 edición
fonti
in italiano
websites
in nederlandse
nettsteder
i norsk
MLA
Citation
“Saint Ita of
Killeedy“. CatholicSaints.Info. 14 January 2023. Web. 26 August 2026.
<https://catholicsaints.info/saint-ita-of-killeedy/>
SOURCE : https://catholicsaints.info/saint-ita-of-killeedy/
Article
(Ytha, Meda) (Saint)
Virgin (January 15) (7th century) Daughter of an Irish chieftain in the present
County of Waterford, Saint Ita early in life resolved on consecrating herself
to God in the Religious state. She encountered much opposition, but having at
last received the veil, she founded the famous monastery of Hy-Connall, near
Limerick. She was the friend and adviser of SS. Brendan, Colman and other holy
men, and is called the “Second Saint Brigid” or the “Saint Brigid of Munster.”
A.D. 650 is given as the date of her passing from this world.
MLA
Citation
Monks of Ramsgate.
“Ita”. Book of Saints, 1921. CatholicSaints.Info.
14 May 2016. Web. 26 August 2026. <https://catholicsaints.info/book-of-saints-ita/>
SOURCE : https://catholicsaints.info/book-of-saints-ita/
St. Ita
Feastday: January 15
Patron: of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Limerick, Ireland
Birth: 475
Death: 570
Ita was reputedly of
royal lineage. She was born at Decies, Waterford, Ireland, refused to be
married, and secured her father's permission to live a virginal life. She moved
to Killeedy, Limerick, and founded a community of women dedicated to God. She
also founded a school for boys, and one of her pupils was St. Brendan. Many
extravagant miracles were attributed to her (in one of them she is reputed to
have reunited the head and body of a man who
had been beheaded; in another she lived entirely on food from heaven), and she
is widely venerated in Ireland. She is also known as Deirdre and Mida.
SOURCE : https://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=818
Ita of Limerick V (AC)
(also known as Deirdre,
Ida, Ide, Meda, Mida, Ytha)
Died c. 570. Saint Ita is
the most famous woman saint in Ireland after Saint Brigid, and is known as the
Brigid of Munster. She is said to have been of royal lineage, born in one of
the baronies of Decies near Drum in County Waterford, and called Deirdre.
An aristocrat wished to
marry her, but after praying and fasting for three days and supposedly with
divine help, she convinced her father to allow her to lead the life of a
maiden. She migrated to Hy Conaill (Killeedy), in the western part of Limerick,
and founded a community of women dedicated to God, which soon attracted many
young women. She also founded and directed a school. It is said that Bishop
Saint Ere gave into her care Saint Brendan, who would become a famous abbot and
missionary (though the chronology makes this unlikely). Many other Irish saints
were taught by her for years. For this reason, she is often called
"foster-mother of the saints of Ireland."
Brendan is supposed to
have once asked her what three things God especially loved. She replied,
"True faith in God with a pure heart, a simple life with a religious
spirit, and open-handedness inspired by charity."
An Irish lullaby for the
Infant Jesus is attributed to her. Saint Ita's legend stresses her physical
austerities. The principle mark of her devotion was the indwelling of the Holy
Trinity. Like other monastic figures of Ireland, she spent much time in
solitude, praying and fasting, and the rest of the time in service to those
seeking her assistance and advice.
She and her sisters
helped to treat the sick of the area. Many extravagant miracles are also
attributed to her including one in which she is said to have reattached the
head to the body of a man who'd been decapitated, and another which claimed
that she lived only on food from heaven.
Although her life is
overlaid by much mythical material, because she has been so popular and her
vita was not written for centuries, there is no reason to doubt her existence.
There are church dedications and place names that recall her both in her
birthplace and around her monastery. She is also mentioned in the poem of
Blessed Alcuin, and her cultus is still vibrant (Attwater, Benedictines,
Delaney, Farmer, Montague, Riain, Walsh, White).
SOURCE : http://www.saintpatrickdc.org/ss/0115.shtml
St. Ita
Saint Ita, called the
"Brigid of Munster"; b. in the present County of Waterford,
about 475; d. 15 January, 570. She became a nun,
settling down at Cluain Credhail, a place-name that has ever since been known
as Killeedy — that is, "Church of St. Ita" — in County Limerick. Her
austerities are told by St. Cuimin of Down, and numerous miracles are
recorded of her. She was also endowed with the gift of prophecy and
was held in great veneration by a large number of contemporary saints,
men as well as women.
When she felt her end approaching she sent for her community of nuns,
and invoked the blessing of heaven on
the clergy and laity of
the district around Killeedy. Not alone was St. Ita a saint,
but she was the foster-mother of many saints,
including St.
Brendan the Voyager, St. Pulcherius (Mochoemog), and St. Cummian
Fada. At the request of Bishoper Butler of Limerick, Pope
Pius IX granted a special Office and Mass for
the feast of St.
Ita, which is kept on 15 January.
Grattan-Flood,
William. "St. Ita." The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 8. New
York: Robert Appleton Company, 1910. 15 Jan.
2017 <http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/08201c.htm>.
Transcription. This
article was transcribed for New Advent by Joseph P. Thomas. In memory of
Cecilia La Bombard.
Ecclesiastical
approbation. Nihil Obstat. October 1, 1910. Remy Lafort, S.T.D.,
Censor. Imprimatur. +John Cardinal Farley, Archbishop of New York.
Copyright © 2026 by New Advent LLC.
Dedicated to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
SOURCE : http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/08201c.htm
St. Ita, or Mida, Virgin
of Ireland, Abbess
SHE was a native of
Nandesi, now the barony of Dessee in the county of Waterford, and descended
from the royal family. Having consecrated her virginity to God, she led an
austere retired life at the foot of the mountain Luach, in the diocess of
Limerick, and founded there a famous monastery of holy virgins, called
Cluain-cred-hail. By the mortification of her senses and passions, and by her
constant attention to God and his divine love, she was enriched with many
extraordinary graces. The lesson she principally inculcated to others was, that
to be perpetually recollected in God is the great means of attaining to
perfection. She died January 15, in 569. Her feast was solemnized in her church
of Cluain-cred-hail, in the whole territory of Hua-Conail, and at Rosmide, in
the territory of Nandesi. See her ancient life in Bollandus, Jan. xvi. and
Colgan, t. 1. p. 72, who calls her the second St. Bridget of Ireland.
Rev. Alban
Butler (1711–73). Volume I: January. The Lives of the
Saints. 1866
SOURCE : http://www.bartleby.com/210/1/158.html
St Ita of Killeedy
Catholic Communications,
Sydney Archdiocese,
14 Jan 2010
The date 15 January marks
the Feast day of Ireland's St Ita of Killeedy who is revered by the Irish and
regarded second only to St Brigid.
Born in 480 AD in the
Diocese of Limerick, she was baptised Deirdre and grew up in Drum, County
Waterford. The daughter of Irish nobility and in all probability related to the
royal kings of Ireland, she showed an unusual inclination to prayer and holiness
from an early age and also was said to embody the six virtues of Irish
womanhood - wisdom, purity, musical ability, gentle speech and needle skills.
A high born noble courted
and wished to marry her. But Deirdre, now in her teens, had no wish to marry and
instead wanted to devote her life to God and become a nun. Her highborn father
was impatient with this decision and for three days she prayed for his
understanding. Her prayers were answered and with her father's blessing she
embarked on her chosen vocation. Vowing to remain single and lead a celibate
life, she made her way to Hy-Conall where she established a convent that became
known as Killeedy.
The convent, the ruins of
which still stand, would be her home for the rest of her life.
Taking the religious name
of Ita, she was joined in her convent by other sisters and a short time later,
founded a school for boys nearby.
Among those she taught
was St Brendan, also known as Brendan the Voyager after his voyage across the
Atlantic where legend has it he visited the Americas. As a student of St Ita's,
Brendan is believed to have asked her what three things God loved best.
"True faith in God
and a pure heart, a simple life with a religious spirit and open-handedness
inspired by charity," she answered.
Over the centuries many
extravagant miracles have become associated with St Ita including the healing
of a man who was decapitated. Although such stories seem unlikely, her faith,
devotion to God and her work as a healer and educationalist is unquestioned.
As with many of Ireland's
ancient Saints, St Ita was canonised by her local bishop but during the
twentieth Century, the Bishop of Limerick formalised her sanctification when he
received permission from Pope Pius IX to observe a feast day in her name on
January 15 each year.
She is also the official
Patron Saint of the Diocese of Limerick.
SOURCE : http://www.sydneycatholic.org/news/latest_news/2010/2010114_1631.shtml
Lives of Irish
Saints – Saint Ite
Article
Saint Ite was born in the
year 480, and was of the Deise family. Saint Patrick had preached the Gospel to
the Deise a few years before her birth. “Patrick then went into the southern
Deise (County Limerick), and began to build a Church at Ard-Patrick,” Tripartite.
The Deise afterwards went southwards towards the sea (County Waterford).
Ite was fond of fasting
and prayer whilst she was still a child. The room where she slept seemed one
night to be on fire, but when the inmates of the house rushed into it, they
beheld a wonderful light shining from the face of the sleeping girl: and she
looked like an Angel.
An Angel gave her three
precious gems, telling her that the three Persons of the blessed Trinity would
in future watch over her.
Her father wished her to
marry, but she would not, because she had consecrated her virginity to God. He
was very angry with her, but she said to her mother, “Although my father now
forbids me to give myself to Jesus Christ, he will one day tell me to go where
I wish in order to give myself to God.” She fasted and prayed for three days
that the holy will of God might be done in her. On the third day the devil came
and said to her, “Alas, you will withdraw yourself and many others from me.”
And an Angel at the same time said to her father, “Why do you hinder your
daughter taking the veil of virginity? Ite will be a great and holy virgin
before God and His saints. You ought to let her go wherever she wishes. She
will serve God in another part of this land.” Her father, therefore, at once
allowed her to go away.
Ite left her father’s
house, and on her way heard the devils saying: “Woe to us, the Angels of God
help her: she will snatch many souls from us.” She went to a neighbouring
church and there got the veil of virginity from a Priest, and, led by an Angel,
went to the west of Hy-Connail and built a house for herself and some
companions at Cluain Creadhail, at the foot of Sliabh-Luachra (Killeedy, County
Limerick).
Ite and her Nuns prayed
daily for the people of the place, and many blessings thereby flowed upon them.
They, in turn, gave many gifts to her Convent. She had the gifts of prophecy
and of working miracles, and she healed many sick persons by her prayers. She
once told a holy friend that she had got these gifts from God, because from her
youth she had always thought on holy things, and because she had so often
prayed to the Blessed Trinity.
Ite spent many days at a
time without food, prayed much, and earnestly strove to bring up young maidens
in the fear and love of God. Cuinnen of Conneire says of her:
Ite loved much the
bringing up of youth
Humility without sadness:
Her cheek to the floor she laid not:
Ever, ever for the love of the Lord.
Since she bound the girdle on her body.
And I know it since I’ve heard it,
She ate not a full or sufficing meal,
Such was Mide.
Aenghus, in his lives of
the Irish Saints, also thus writes of her: “Ite ever bore great sufferings, and
was much given to fasting, and was the shining light of the women of Mumhan.”
She was not only a
teacher of youth, but even gave wise counsel to holy and learned men. Saint
Breanan and Saint Mochoemoc owed much to her teaching, Saint Breanan one day
asked her to tell him what were the three works most pleasing to God. She said:
“Trustful resignation to God of a sinless heart: a guileless religious life:
generosity with charity. These three works are most pleasing to God.” He then
asked her to say what were the three things most hateful to Him. She answered:
“Hatred of men: wickedness in the heart: too great love of money. These three
things are very hateful to God.”
A Nun one day saw three
bright balls of light over Ite’s head as she was praying to the Blessed
Trinity.
Ite prayed to God that
she might, on a coming feast-day, get Holy Communion at the hands of a very
holy Priest. Her prayer was heard, and she was led by an Angel to Clonmacnois,
and there ate the heavenly Bread. The holy Priest who gave her Communion
afterwards set out for Ite’s Convent, and when he had come to it, asked her to
give sight to a blind Monk then with him. She did so, and asked the holy Priest
to sing Mass for her. After Mass she gave him a present of the vestments, but
he would not take them, saying that he had been forbidden by his Abbot to take
any gift from her. Ite then said, “Your holy Abbot will not be angry if you
take this towel as a gift from me; I will tell you why. One day he came to the
Convent of the holy virgin Caireche and she asked to be allowed to wash his
feet. Then this holy virgin washed the feet of your Abbot and wiped them with a
towel. I give it now to you, and he will be glad to get it when reminded of
this fact.” The holy Priest then took the gift, and having got her blessing,
went back to Clonmacnois.
A man, broken-hearted,
through the death of his son, came to the Convent, and weeping very much,
begged her to bring him back to life. He said: “I will not give over weeping,
nor will I leave this house until you bring him back to life.” She answered
gently: “What you ask is above my merits, and is a work fit only for the
Apostles and holy men like them.” But he said: “I am, above all, sorry because
my son lost the use of his speech, so that he was not able to confess his sins;
I, therefore, beseech you to get from the Holy Trinity that he may come back to
life even for one day.” Ite then said: “How long do you want him to live if the
good God should havo pity on you and bring back your son to life.” The father
answered: “I will be glad if he lives even for one day.” Ite said: “He will
live for more than seven years from this time.” She prayed earnestly to God,
and her prayer was heard, and the child came to life again.
Her uncle died, and his
sons by her wish came to the Convent. She said to them: “My uncle, your father,
is dead. Alas, he is now suffering for his sins. We ought to do something to
lessen his sufferings. Let each one of you give bread and meat and butter to
the poor every day for the next year for the good of his soul. Then come back
to me.” They did as she bade them and then came back to see her. Ite said to
them: “Your father has been freed from much suffering through your alms and my
prayers. Now go and do the same thing during the coming year and then come back
again.” When they had come back at the end of the year Ite said: “Your father
is now freed from his sufferings, but give clothing to the poor and come back
once more. They did so, and having come to her again, she told them that their
father had at last gone to heaven: “Your father now enjoys everlasting
happiness through your alms, my prayers, but above all through the mercy of
God; keep always from the sinful pleasures of this world, that you may not
suffer for your sins as he did.” They thanked God and their holy cousin and
went home.
In the year 546 the clan
of the Corcdiche of Hy-Figeinte (County Limerick), made war on the people of
Hy-Connaill. Ite told the soldiers to do penance for their sins before going to
battle. They did so, and she prayed whilst they fought, and the small and weak
army of Hy-Connaill, through her prayers, won the battle.
One of her nuns fell into
sin and God made it known to Ite. She said: “Today one of our family has fallen
into sin; I wish to know who among you has become the prey of the ravening
wolf.” Each denied it, but Ite drove the guilty one from the house. However,
she took her back afterwards, and, helped by Ite, this nun, led henceforth a
blameless life, and did great penance until her death.
Ite suffered great agony
from a cancer that ate away her side, but she bore it gladly from her love for
Jesus Christ.
In the year 569, Ite
became very sick, and crowds flocked from all sides to the Convent on hearing
of her illness, and, kneeling outside, prayed for a happy death for her whom
they loved so much.
When she was dying she
prayed earnestly to the holy Trinity to bless the Priests and people of
Hy-Connaill, and with a prayer to the blessed Trinity on her lips she slept in
the Lord.
Holy Mass was solemnly
sung for her, and she was buried in presence of a great crowd of weeping
people. Many miracles were worked by her both then and afterwards, and she was
taken by the people of Hy-Connaill as their patron and pro- tector. She has
ever since been called “The Brigid of Munster.”
Her feast-day is
kept January
15th.
MLA
Citation
Father Albert Berry.
“Saint Ite”. Lives of Irish Saints. Saints.SQPN.com.
22 January 2019. Web. 26 August 2026.
<https://catholicsaints.info/lives-of-irish-saints-saint-ite/>
SOURCE : https://catholicsaints.info/lives-of-irish-saints-saint-ite/
St. Ita of Killeedy: "Foster Mother of the Saints of Ireland"
After St. Brigid, St. Ita, who was named Deirdre, is the most famous woman
saint in Ireland. Her birth of noble Christian parents, Kennfoelad, a Déisí
tribe chieftain and Necta his princess wife, is said to have taken place around
470 in Drum, County Waterford, Ireland.
From her baptism on, Deirdre was filled with the Holy Spirit. All marveled at
her childhood purity and Christian virtues. She was prudent, generous, kind
toward everyone, and gentle. As she grew, it became apparent that she
wished to devote her life to God.
At the age of 16, Deirdre refused an offer of marriage, as she desired to
consecrate her virginity to God. Her father refused to let her do this, until
an angel reassured him that she would become an advocate for souls. With her
father's approval, Deirdre went to an elderly priest she had known from
childhood and publicly professed her religious vows. She took the name Ita at
this time. Ita then left her father’s house and set out with companions to a
place called Cluain Creadail which means "Holy Meadow," which is now
known as Killeedy ("Church of Ita").
When she decided to settle in Killeedy, a chieftain offered her a large grant
of land to support the monastery. But Ita would accept only four acres, which
she cultivated intensively. Ita and her community spent their time praying and
caring for the sick, the poor and the elderly. The community also had a dairy
farm, which was run by St Ita. The nuns also supervised a school for boys, some
of whom later became famous churchmen and saints. One of these was St.
Brendan, whom Bishop Saint Eric gave to Ita to raise when he was just a baby.
Thus, she is known as the "Foster Mother of the Saints of Ireland".
The great Navigator (who sailed to the New World long before Columbus)
revisited her between his voyages and always deferred to her counsel. He once
asked her what were the three things which God most detested, and she replied:
"A scowling face, obstinacy in wrong-doing, and too great a confidence in
the power of money." Brendan also asked her what three things God
especially loved. She replied, "True faith in God with a pure heart, a
simple life with a religious spirit, and open-handedness inspired by charity."
Through her practice of asceticism, and by her continual focus on God and
His divine love, she was enriched with many extraordinary graces. The main
lesson she taught others was, that to continually contemplate the will of God
and to unite our will with His is the great means of attaining perfection. She
died January 15, in 569.
SOURCE : https://catholicfire.blogspot.com/2015/01/st-ita-of-killeedy-foster-mother-of.html
Sant' Ita (Ida) Vergine
Nata presso Drum (contea
di Waterford) Ita fu battezzata con il nome di Derthrea (Deirdre) o
Dorotea. A circa quattordici anni si consacrò a Dio, probabilmente nelle
mani di Declan di Ardmore. Migrò quindi nel territorio di Hy-Conaill, qualche
miglio a Sud-Ovest di Limerick, fondando un monastero a Cluain Credail
(Killeedy, baronia di Glenquin, contea di Limerick) ai piedi dello Sliabh
Luachra. In seguito aprí una piccola scuola per bambini e si dice che san Erc
le affidò il futuro san Brendano di Clonfert. Nota con l'appellativo di «Bianco
sole delle donne del Munster» fu celebre per il suo ascetismo e per la pazienza
nella malattia. Chiamata spesso la «seconda Brigida» di Irlanda, si fa menzione
della sua morte nel 571, negli Annali di Inisfallen (ca. 1092) con la seguente
frase: «Morte di Ita di Cluain, madre adottiva di Gesú Cristo e di
Brendano». (Avvenire)
Martirologio Romano: Nel
monastero di Clúain Credal in Irlanda, santa Ita, vergine, fondatrice di quel
monastero.
Nata presso Drum (contea
di Waterford) Ita fu battezzata con il nome di Derthrea (Deirdre) o Dorotea. A
circa quattordici anni si consacrò a Dio, probabilmente nelle mani di Declan di
Ardmore. Emigrò quindi nel territorio di Hy-Conaill, qualche miglio a Sud-Ovest
di Limerick, fondando un monastero a Cluain Credail (Killeedy, baronia di
Glenquin, contea di Limerick) ai piedi dello Sliabh Luachra. In seguito aprí
una piccola scuola per bambini e si dice che s. Erc le affidò il futuro s.
Brendano di Clonfert.
Nota con l'appellativo di
"Bianco sole delle donne del Munster" fu celebre per il suo ascetismo
e per la pazienza nella malattia.
Chiamata spesso la
"seconda Brigida" di Irlanda, si fa menzione della sua morte nel 571,
negli Annali di Inisfallen (ca. 1092) con la seguente frase: "Morte di Ita
di Cluain, madre adottiva di Gesú Cristo e di Brendano". Gli Annali riferiscono
inoltre che nel 553 fu vinta una battaglia per le sue preghiere.
La festa di Ita si
celebra il 15 gennaio in tutti i calendari.
Autore: Leonard
Boyle
SOURCE : http://www.santiebeati.it/dettaglio/91036
Killeedy St Ite's shrine and graveyard
Killeedy St Ite's shrine and graveyard
Den hellige Ita av
Killeedy ( -~570)
Minnedag:
15. januar
Legenden forteller at hun
var av kongelig blod og at hennes far fant en frier til henne som var både
fornem og velstående. Faren motsatte seg hennes ønske om å avlegge
kyskhetsløfte, men etter at hun hadde fastet og bedt i tre dager, fikk hun hans
samtykke til et liv i kyskhet etter at engler hadde vist seg for ham i en
visjon. Senere flyttet hun til Hy Conaill ved foten av fjellet Sliabh Luachra,
sørvest i grevskapet Limerick, et sted som ble pekt ut for henne av engler.
Der grunnla hun det lille
kvinneklosteret Killeedy, hvor hun levde resten av livet. Der sluttet andre
kvinner fra de lokale klanene seg til henne, og det er trolig at hennes nonner
hjalp til med å behandle de syke i nabolaget. Hun grunnla trolig en skole for
gutter, hvor hun utdannet mange som senere ble berømte helgener. Selv om hennes
egen biografi ikke sier noe om det, er hun blitt kalt «fostermor for de irske
helgenene», spesielt den hellige Brendan av Clonfert («Navigatøren»),
selv om kronologien knapt synes mulig. Den hellige biskop Erc av Kerry skal ha
overgitt Brendan i hennes varetekt, og han skal ha vært fem år hos henne. Han
skal ha spurt henne hvilke tre ting Gud virkelig elsker, og til det svarte hun:
«Sann tro på Gud av et rent hjerte, et enkelt liv med en religiøs ånd og
gavmildhet inspirert av kristen nestekjærlighet». Hun la til tre ting som Gud
hater: «En munn som hater mennesker, et hjerte som er fullt av bitterhet og for
mye tiltro til penger».
Den keltiske Kirken hadde
en annen holdning til kvinner enn andre kirker på den tiden, og den oppmuntret
dem til å bli ledere, både av menn og kvinner. Itas kloster kan ha vært et
dobbeltkloster for både nonner og munker, og hun skal ha vært en fryktløs
«skriftemor» for begge og påla harde botsgjerninger, selv om hun var både
tilgivende og medfølende. Som abbedisse kan hun ha utøvd betydelig innflytelse.
Den keltiske Kirken var hovedsakelig konsentrert i landsens områder, og
avsidesliggende steder ble søkt som en form for eksil fra hjemmet, basert på
historien om Abraham. Monastiske ledere kunne ofte være mektigere enn biskoper,
men Ita aksepterte bare 16 mål land for å dyrke grønnsaker til kommuniteten, og
hun avslo tilbud om større landområder som ville ha ført til verdslig makt.
Hennes åndelig liv lignet
på andre irske asketer, med mye bønn og faste. I hennes tilfelle ble det hevdet
at hengivenhet til den iboende hellige Treenighet var karakteristisk for henne.
Som andre monastiske skikkelser i Irland tilbrakte hun mye tid i komplett
ensomhet og var også svært etterspurt for råd og hjelp. En irsk voggevise for
Jesusbarnet blir også tilskrevet henne. Ita døde i sitt kloster i Killeedy i
Limerick, trolig i 570, og ble gravlagt i sitt kloster «i nærvær av store
menneskemengder fra fjern og nær». Hun er bortsett fra den hellige Brigida den
mest berømte kvinnelige irske helgen, og hun er også kjent som «Munsters
Brigida».
Hennes biografi ble
skrevet flere århundrer etter hennes død og har flere elementer felles med
Brigidas biografi. Den har også en rekke av de tradisjonelle trekkene som er
forbundet slike biografier, ved at hun gis kongelige aner, avviser et
prestisjefylt ekteskap for et liv i jomfruelighet og askese, samler disipler
rundt seg, og selv om hun vier seg til et liv i ensomhet, kan hun ikke hindre
at folk flokker seg rundt henne for å få råd. Men selv om biografien er full av
en mengde mytiske og ekstravagante mirakler, er det ingen grunn til å tvile på
hennes historiske eksistens.
Legenden er mer en
lovprisning av tradisjoner som er assosiert med stedet enn en biografi, og den
er svært farget av lokale eventyr. Den bruker den stilistiske effekten å
personifisere åndelige krefter i form av engler og demoner, som leder henne
eller forsøker å hindre henne og som viser seg for henne i drømmer. Hennes
drømmer og visjoner uttrykkes i form av symbolske tall og elementer, for
eksempel ser hun tre kostbare steiner, som en engel forklarer representerer
Treenigheten. Begivenheter i hennes liv beskrives på lignende måte, for
eksempel blir hennes rom omgitt av ild som verken skader det eller henne -
den representerer Guds makt og nærvær. Hennes helbredende krefter vises i det
vannet hun velsigner for å hjelpe den hellige Aengus til himmelen mens hun selv
lå på dødsleiet. Blant miraklene som ble tilskrevet henne, var at hun skal ha
satt sammen kroppen og hodet til en mann som var halshogd slik at han levde
videre, mens en annen legende forteller at hun utelukkende levde av mat fra
himmelen.
Det eksisterer
kirkededikasjoner og stedsnavn som minnes henne både i hennes hjemtrakter og
rundt hennes kloster. Hun nevnes også i den salige Alkuins dikt om irske
helgener. Hennes minnedag er 15. januar, og hennes kult er fortsatt levende i
dag. Minnedagen feires over hele Irland som en valgfri minnedag. Hennes kloster
ble i likhet med så mange i Irland trolig ødelagt av vikingene på 800-tallet.
Hennes grav er nå i ruinene av en romansk kirke som ble bygd på stedet for
hennes kloster. Den er fortsatt et valfartssted og er ofte dekorert med
blomster.
Kilder:
Attwater/Cumming, Farmer, Bentley, Butler, Butler (I), Benedictines, Delaney,
Bunson, KIR, CSO, Patron Saints SQPN - Kompilasjon og oversettelse:
p. Per Einar
Odden - Sist oppdatert: 2001-08-26 21:42
SOURCE : https://www.katolsk.no/biografier/historisk/ita
Íde (ook Deirdre, Ita, Meda, Mide of Ytha) van
Killeedy (ook van Clúaincredal, van Hy-Connall, van Ierland, van
Limerick, van Munster of van Waterford), Ierland; abdis; †
570 (ook wordt gegeven: 650).
Feest 15 januari.
Geschiedenis
Naast Sint Bridget van Kildare († 525; feest 1 februari) is zij een van de
populairste vrouwelijke heiligen van Ierland. Haar levensbericht werd pas
enkele honderden jaren na haar dood opgetekend.
Zij werd geboren in het
Ierse Waterford als Deirdre, dochter van een plaatselijke bevelhebber. Al op
zeer jonge leeftijd wijdde zij zich aan het kluizenaarsleven in dienst van
Christus. De plaats waar zij zich vestigde, heeft zijn naam aan haar te danken:
Killeedy betekent eenvoudig 'cel (of 'klooster' of 'kerk') van Ida'. Toen zich
volgelingen bij haar aansloten, kwam zij aan het hoofd van de gemeenschap te
staan. Zo werd zij abdis in West-Limerick, Ierland. Lange periodes van het jaar
trok zij zich terug in absolute eenzaamheid om het leven van kluizenares te
leiden in al zijn ruigheid, met boetes, verstervingen en geharde
gebedspraktijken.
Haar klooster deed -
zoals in die tijd gebruikelijk was - meteen dienst als school voor adellijke
jongetjes. De nonnen voedden hen op 'in Godsgeloof met een zuiver hart; in
eenvoud van leven met godsdienstzin; in edelmoedigheid met liefde', aldus een
oude levensbeschrijver. Onder haar leerlingen telde zij verschillende heiligen,
zoals Quivox of Kevoca van Schotland (onwaarschijnlijk gezien de sterfdatum: †
7e eeuw; feest 1 mei). Zij stond in contact met de grote abten van haar tijd,
zoals Brendan († 575; feest 16 mei), Colman (er zijn vele heiligen van deze
naam: wellicht Colman van Elo? † 610; feest 12 oktober) en Louthiern († 6e
eeuw; feest 28 april).
In het leven van Comgan
(niet Colman) van Gleanussen († vóór 569; feest 27 februari komt een Ytha voor.
Op zijn sterfbed zou hij gevraagd hebben aan de H. Ytha (Itha van Killeedy? †
570; feest 15 januari), of zij hem de laatste sacramenten wilde toedienen. Zij
schrok ervoor terug, maar Comgan stelde haar gerust door haar te zeggen dat
haar heiligheid hem was geopenbaard door een engel.
Volgens de overlevering
zou Brendan haar ooit gevraagd hebben welke drie dingen God het meest dierbaar
waren. Zij moet geantwoord hebben: "Oprecht geloof in God met een
zuiver hart, een godverbonden leven van eenvoud, en een liefdevolle mentaliteit
van open handen."
Er is een lieflijke Ierse legende die vertelt hoe het kind Jezus aan Ita
verscheen. Zij zou een slaapliedje hebben gezongen voor 'Jesukin', zoals zij
Hem noemde.
Verering & Cultuur
Overal in de streek Cornwall werden kerken en kapellen aan haar gewijd. Haar
naam komt regelmatig voor in oude litanieën. Zij werd aangeroepen en bezongen
met mooie titels, zoals bv. 'Geestelijke Moeder van alle Heiligen van Ierland';
'de Brigida van Munster' (verwijst naar de grondlegster van de Ierse
kluizenaressen Bridget van Kildare, naast Saint Patrick één der grootste
patroonheiligen van Ierland). Deirdre kreeg de koosnaam 'Ita', omdat die zoveel
zou betekenen als 'dorstig naar Gods liefde'.
Tot op de dag van vandaag
is er nog een bron en een oude ruïne op de plaats waar vroeger het klooster
Killeedy gelegen moet hebben. Ita's graf is er nog altijd te bezoeken; vaak
liggen er verse bloemen op. Een paar kilometer verderop ligt Boolaveeda (=
'melkplaats van Ita').
[Atw.1978»Ita; D'A.1985p:40; EnE.1951»Ida-Ierland;
Frm.1996»ItaGby.1991p:444Lin.1999; Mül.1860»Ida-Ierland; Rge.1941»Ita;
Rge.1989»Ita; Rgf.1991»Ita;Spt.1983p:221; Vce.1990; Wfe.z.j.; Wmm.1966; Dries
van den Akker s.j./2008.07.03]
© A. van den Akker
s.j. / A.W. Gerritsen
SOURCE : https://heiligen-3s.nl/heiligen/01/15/01-15-0570-ide.php
