Today Is Also ‘St Gertrude’s Day'; Celebrate The Patron Saint Of Cats

[KamaAina]

http://junkee.com/today-is-also-st-gertrudes-day-celebrate-the-patron-saint-of-cats/53228

Everyone knows March 17 is St Patrick’s Day, when we are all supposed to be wearing green, eating raw potatoes with the skin on, drinking Guinness, making stereotypical and demeaning assumptions about an entire nation, and harassing women by asking if they have any Irish in them.

But March 17 is also the feast day of St Gertrude of Nivelles, the patron saint of cats. She’s also the patron of travellers and gardeners, and protects against rats and mental illness. Basically, she’s a saint that Simpsons character Eleanor Abernathy, MD JD could really get behind....

Statues, illuminated manuscripts, church fresco paintings and stained glass windows commonly depict Gertrude in a garden setting, surrounded by cats, rats and mice – often with a mouse running up her staff. The animals are often held to represent souls in purgatory, for whose salvation Gertrude fervently prayed when she was alive. As recently as 1822, pilgrims left offerings at her shrine in the form of golden and silver mice. More prosaically, Gertrude and her nuns also kept cats to combat the vermin problem at Nivelles abbey.

Several other saints can also be considered in charge of cats. St Francis of Assisi is the patron saint of all animals, including cats; while cats loved St Mary Bartholomew Bagnesi, a 16th century Dominican nun from Florence. “At least once when the cats knew Maria was hungry and hadn’t been looked after they went and fetched cheese for her,” says Catholic Daily.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

1. Happy St. Gertrude's Day!

I have a small statue of St. Gertrude. I suppose I should light a candle, but I won't, on account of the cats; the little buggers are likely to set something on fire.

[shenmue]

2. Hooray, St. Gertrude!

I love kittehs!

[riqster]

3. Kick!

Seems like it should be Saint SalmonChantedEvening, not Gertrude, but that's just me.

[niyad]

13. awwww, that gif is adorable!!!!!

you are correct, sce should definitely be honoured!!

oh, wait, we celebrate him every LOLCATS catturday!!

[meow2u3]

4. Happy St. Gertrude's Day, patron saint of crazy cat ladies

...and not-so-crazy cat ladies....and cat daddies, etc., and so on, and so forth.

St. Gertrude, please protect my cats. Ruby and Max need you.

[brer cat]

5. Happy St. Gertrude's Day,

KamaAina. How long do you think it will be before Skinner et al. have to rename this joint Kitteh Underground?

[niyad]

12. can't happen soon enough!!

[Yonx]

6. I have 2 cats

I will say Happy Gertrude to each.

[roguevalley]

7. My radiant Queen (black long hair with a tiny face and a big mouth, officially in catnip

induced heat right now) and my elegant Spike, a beautiful black and white Tuxedo cat with the soul of a soaring bird bid this lady a happy saint's day. St. Francis is my fave but this sweet looking woman looks worthy of praise.

[LiberalElite]

8. Thanks! I never heard of St. Gertrude -

and I went to Catholic School.

[2naSalit]

9. I'm not Irish

and I refuse to wear green on 3/17.. but I'll now go find a kitty to pet!

[stage left]

10. Good Saint Gertrude.

I love cats. why don't we have a cat smily.

[KamaAina]

15. Well, we do have a cat avvie

<----

and if you get sick enough of SC politics, you can always turn to it.

[stage left]

16. Yeah, nice avatar.

I'm pretty much sick to death of SC politics and in dire need of a vomit smily. I thought it involved colons and the word vomit, but I tried it and all that showed up was the word, vomit. :vomit:

[KamaAina]

17. Try :puke:

[stage left]

19. ah of course!

Thank you.

[niyad]

11. k and r and thank you. I do not celebrate the other individual, so nice to know

there is something worthwhile to celebrate today.

[riqster]

14. Yep.

[clarice]

18. We should all paws and show our respect. nt