St. Ita

St. Ita was an Irish holy woman of the sixth century, honored as one of the greatest of the early saints of Ireland after St. Brigid. Of noble birth in the region of the Déisi in what is now County Waterford, she refused a worldly marriage to consecrate her virginity to God, and settled at Killeedy in County Limerick, where a community of religious women gathered around her under her guidance.

Renowned for her austerity, her gift of prayer, and her deep wisdom, she is remembered above all as a teacher and spiritual mother, and tradition holds that she fostered and educated many who themselves became saints — most famously St. Brendan the Navigator, who is said to have sought her counsel throughout his life. Beloved for her tenderness toward the young and her care for the poor and sick, she came to be called the foster-mother of the saints of Ireland. She died around the year 570, and her memory is kept on 15 January.