September 8th, St. Adele.

St.Adele

Leaving the pomp and glory of the Duchess and the countess of Normandy, a woman in 1067   went
in search of serenity in the tranquility of a Benedictine convent of Messines, near, Ypres. She is St.Adele, of Messines.
Welcome to the Saint of the Day. Today the 8th of September the Church celebrates the feast of St. Adele.
Adèle was the second daughter of Robert II , the King of France and Constance of Arles. In January 1027 she married Richard III, Duke of Normandy. This marriage lasted only for a few days. In the same year she married Baldwin V, Count of Flanders.
She had an eventful political life as the Countess of Normandy. The husband of Adele, Baldwin, was a great reformer of the church. As his wife Adele often fuelled these reforms ultimately benefitting the church in a big way. One of the contributions of Baldwin was the foundation of what is known as the collegiate churches, which was the system of pastoral service popular before the parish churches became common.

Adele’s influence was evident in the establishing the Colleges of Aire, Lille, and Harelbeke as well as the abbeys of Messines and Ename. Some of the pitched battles of the First World were witnessed by Flanders and many an ancient Abbeys and Churches were raised to the ground.

 After Baldwin’s death in 1067, she went to Rome, took the nun’s veil from the hands of Pope Alexander II and retired to the Benedictine convent of Messines, near Ypres. There she later died and was buried at the convent