April 19: Saint Emma of Lesum (of Saxony)

A noblewoman with abundant charity toward the poor

Emma was the daughter of the noble Saxon count Immed IV and Adela of Hamaland. Born in 982 in Saxony [modern day Germany], she married Liudger, son of the Duke of Saxony, Hermann Billung. In 1001, Emperor Otto III granted the couple the royal palace of Stiepel.

Filled with zeal for divine worship, Emma sought to build a church in Stiepel dedicated to the Virgin, but the Archbishop of Cologne opposed the plan, as the area fell under his jurisdiction.

Thanks to the mediation of Kunigunde, the emperor’s wife, Emma persuaded Henry II to intercede with the Archbishop. Thus, in 1008, Archbishop Heribert of Cologne granted Emma permission to build the church in honor of Our Lady of Sorrows. Stiepel quickly became a highly frequented pilgrimage site.

After the premature death of her husband in 1011, Emma withdrew to her estates in Lesum. She made generous donations to the Cathedral of Bremen, where one of her relatives had been Archbishop since 1013. She also gifted her properties and the church of Stiepel to the cathedral chapter. Throughout her life, Emma distinguished herself by her care and charity toward the poor, granting them large amounts of land to cultivate. She also acted as a mediator of peace among warring factions, reconciling many disputes.

She died on December 3, 1038, and was buried in the Cathedral of Bremen.