St. Waltrude of Mons

St. Waltrude of Mons was born about 621, of a noble Frankish family, and belonged to a remarkable household of saints: her parents, her sister St. Aldegonde, her husband St. Vincent Madelgarus, and all four of their children came to be venerated as saints. She married Vincent, a nobleman at the Frankish court, and lived for years the life of a Christian wife and mother, esteemed for her charity and her care of the poor and sick.

When her husband, by mutual consent, withdrew to become a monk, Waltrude also embraced the religious life, first as a solitary and then founding a convent about which grew the settlement that became the city of Mons, in present-day Belgium, of which she is honored as the foundress and patroness. She gave herself to prayer, penance, and works of mercy, and was reputed for miracles. She died about 688, and is venerated as a saint, her memory kept on 9 April.