Saint Gertrude the Great

Gertrude (1256–c. 1302) was entrusted as a little girl to the monastery of Helfta in Saxony, where she grew into a brilliant student of Latin and the liberal arts. At about 25 she had a vision of Christ that turned her from her studies to a life centered on Scripture, the liturgy and prayer. Her book The Herald of Divine Love describes Jesus' tender love and his Sacred Heart, centuries before Saint Margaret Mary. She is the only woman saint traditionally called "the Great."

A popular prayer attributed to her, offering the Precious Blood of Jesus for the souls in purgatory, is prayed by many Catholics, especially in November. Spanish missionaries spread her devotion in the Americas, and she was long honored as patroness of the West Indies.