St. Zdislava
Jan 01
Patron Saint of Difficult marriages and People Ridiculed for their Piety
Zdislava was born to a Bohemian noble family. Her mother, born in Sicily, was very devout. Taking after her mother, Zdislava grew to be a precociously pious child, giving money away to charity at a young age. When she was seven years old, she ran away from her home into the forest to pursue a life of prayer, penance, and a solitary life as a hermit. Found shortly thereafter by her family, she was forced back to a life at court, where she continued to practice what austerities she could.