Founder of a Dynasty

Here, we see the first King of the Belgians, Leopold I (1790-1865). Born Leopold Georg Christian Friedrich, Prince of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfield (later, Saxe-Coburg-Gotha), he was the youngest son of Franz Frederik Anton, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfield and Countess Augusta Reuss-Ebersdorf.  At the age of five, Leopold was appointed honorary Colonel of the Ismailovski Regiment of the Imperial Guards; at 12, he became a General. When, in 1806, Napoleon occupied Coburg, Leopold traveled to Paris, and became well-known at the Imperial court. Napoleon, in fact, wanted to make him an aide-de-camp, but Leopold declined the offer. He pursued a career in the Russian army, in the service of Tsar Alexander I, and distinguished himself in the war against Napoleon. Handsome, intelligent, and accomplished, Leopold rose rapidly to high rank.

In 1815, Leopold moved to England. He acquired British nationality and became a Field Marshal in the British army. In 1816, he married Princess Charlotte, daughter of the Prince Regent (the future George IV), and heir to the British throne. Leopold was preparing himself for the role later played by Prince Albert, consort of Queen Victoria. (Albert and Victoria were actually his nephew and niece). Leopold's happy and promising marriage, however, ended tragically, the following year, when Princess Charlotte died in childbirth, along with her infant son. Charlotte was deeply mourned by her husband and people.

Despite this disappointment, fortune would favor Leopold. In 1830, he was offered the throne of Greece, but refused to accept. The following year, he was offered, and accepted, the Belgian crown. At the Congress of Vienna, the Belgian provinces, formerly ruled by the Austrian Habsburgs, had been joined with the Dutch provinces, in a united Kingdom of the Netherlands headed by the House of Orange. For different reasons, however, Catholics and Liberals in Belgium developed grievances against the heavy-handed and fiercely Calvinist King William I. In 1830, a pragmatic alliance of the (normally mutually hostile) Catholics and Liberals had overthrown Dutch rule. The emerging Kingdom of Belgium was now seeking a Sovereign. Prince Leopold was considered exceptionally capable, and his British connections were highly desirable. (Great Britain was one of Belgium's main supporters in her struggle for independence, and, of course, later, during World War I). Thus, although a Protestant prince, Leopold became the first King of a predominantly Catholic country. He swore his accession oath on July 21, 1831; this date has been commemorated, ever since, by the celebration of Belgium's National Day. 

Soon after his accession, Leopold confronted a Dutch invasion, aiming at the re-conquest of Belgium. Leopold personally commanded his forces, setting a precedent for future Belgian kings Albert I and Leopold III. Unimpressed by his followers, Leopold remarked, with the caustic irony of the Saxe-Coburgs: "Half of the army betrayed me, the other half fled" (quoted by Queen Marie-José of Italy in her memoirs, Albert et Elisabeth de Belgique, mes parents, 1971). Nonetheless, he made himself loved by sharing the life of his troops. With the aid of the Great Powers, Belgium maintained her independence, but was compelled to make territorial and economic concessions to the Netherlands. The Treaty of London, in 1839, guaranteed Belgium's status as a sovereign and neutral state.

In 1832, Leopold married Princess Louise Marie of Orléans (1812-1850), daughter of King Louis-Philippe of France. The couple had three surviving children: Leopold (1835-1909), future King Leopold II of the Belgians, Philippe (1837-1905), Count of Flanders, father of King Albert I of the Belgians, and Charlotte (1840-1927), later Empress Carlota of Mexico. Despite the Orléans' association with liberalism, freemasonry and revolution, Louise-Marie (pictured below) was a devout Catholic. The royal children were also raised in the Catholic Faith. 

Leopold devoted the rest of his reign to consolidating the young state and quietly furthering its development. He managed to maintain a balance between the Catholic and Liberal parties. In 1835, he saw the culmination of one of his long-nurtured projects: the inauguration of the Brussels-Malines railway line, the first in continental Europe. In 1842, in the face of rising industrialism in Belgium (a process he encouraged), the King attempted to introduce legislation regulating the labor of women and children. Unfortunately, however, his enlightened ideas did not find fertile ground. In 1848, a republican revolution dethroned Leopold's father-in-law, Louis-Philippe, but the upheavals spared Belgium, largely due to Leopold's skillful diplomacy. He was widely admired for his political wisdom; a number of European monarchs, including his niece, Queen Victoria of England, sought his advice. His prudence and tact won him the title "Nestor of Europe." 

On December 10, 1865, after successfully establishing Belgium as a sovereign nation, and founding a new royal dynasty, Leopold died. He remained firmly Protestant to the end; despite the earnest appeals of his entourage, he refused, on his deathbed, to convert to Catholicism. He was succeeded by his son, King Leopold II of the Belgians. 

King Leopold I with Queen Louise-Marie and their children

Pentecost

Today the Church celebrates the Feast of Pentecost, commemorating the Descent of the Holy Ghost upon the Apostles, fifty days after the Resurrection of Christ. 

And when the days of the Pentecost were accomplished, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a mighty wind coming, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. And there appeared to them parted tongues as it were of fire, and it sat upon every one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with divers tongues, according as the Holy Ghost game them to speak. Now there were dwelling at Jerusalem, Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven. 

And when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and were confounded in mind, because every man heard them speak in his own tongue. And they were all amazed, and wondered, saying: Behold, are not all these, that speak, Galileans? And how have we heard, every man our own tongue wherein we were born? ...

...And they were all astonished, and wondered, saying to one another: What meaneth this? But others mocking, said: These men are full of new wine. But Peter standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and spoke to them: Ye men of Judea, and all you that dwell in Jerusalem, be this known to you, and with your ears receive my words. For these are not drunk, as you suppose, seeing it is but the third hour of the day.

But this is that which was spoken of by the prophet Joel: And it shall come to pass, in the last days (saith the Lord), I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams. And upon my servants indeed, and upon my handmaids will I pour out in those days of my spirit, and they shall prophesy. And I will shew wonders in the heaven above, and signs on the earth beneath: blood and fire, and vapor of smoke. The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and manifest day of the Lord shall come. 

And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord, shall be saved. Ye men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you, by miracles, and wonders, and signs, which God didst in the midst of you, as you also know: This same being delivered up, by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, you by the hands of wicked men have crucified and slain. Whom God hath raised up, having loosed the sorrows of hell, as it was impossible that he should be holden by it. For David saith concerning him: I foresaw the Lord before my face, because he is at my right hand, that I may not be moved.

For this my heart hath been glad, and my tongue hath rejoiced, moreover my flesh also shall rest in hope. Because thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, nor suffer thy Holy One to see corruption. Thou hast made known to me the ways of life: thou shalt make me full of joy with thy countenance. Ye men, brethren, let me freely speak to you of the patriarch David; that he died, and was buried; and his sepulchre is with us to the present day. Whereas therefore he was a prophet, and knew that God had sworn to him an oath, that of the fruit of his loins one should sit upon his throne.

Foreseeing this, he spoke of the resurrection of Christ. For neither was he left in hell, neither did his flesh see corruption. This Jesus hath God raised again, whereof all we are witnesses. Being exalted therefore by the right hand of God, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath poured forth this which you see and hear...

Therefore let all the house of Israel know most certainly, that God hath made both Lord and Christ, this same Jesus, whom you have crucified. Now when they had heard these things, they had compunction in their heart, and said to Peter, and to the rest of the apostles: What shall we do, men and brethren? But Peter said to them: Do penance, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ, for the remission of your sins, and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost...

They therefore that received his word, were baptized; and there were added in that day about three thousand souls. And they were persevering in the doctrine of the apostles, and in the communication of the breaking of bread, and in prayers. And fear came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were done by the apostles in Jerusalem, and there was great fear in all...

And continuing daily with one accord...and breaking bread from house to house, they took their meat in gladness and simplicity of heart; praising God, and having favor with all the people. And the Lord increased daily together such as should be saved. 

(The Acts of the Apostles, ch. 2, Douay-Rheims Bible)

(Image: Pentecost by El Greco, ca. 1600. Courtesy of Olga's Gallery)

The Belgian Capitulation, 1940

On May 28, 1940, after 18 days of courageous fighting, the Belgian army was compelled to surrender to the invading Nazis. King Leopold III became a prisoner of war. He issued the following Order of the Day to his officers and men:

Officers, Non-commissioned Officers, and Men,

Plunged unexpectedly into a war of unparalleled violence, you have fought to defend your country, step by step. 

Exhausted by an uninterrupted struggle against an enemy far superior in numbers and strength, we have been forced to surrender. 

History will relate that our Army did its duty to the full. Our Honor is safe. 

This violent fighting, these sleepless nights, cannot have been in vain. I enjoin you not to be discouraged, but to conduct yourselves with dignity. May your attitude and your discipline win the esteem of the foreigner.

I shall not leave you in your misfortune, and I shall take care to watch over you and your families. 

Tomorrow, we will set to work, with the firm intention of raising our country from its ruins. 

(French original cited by Col. Rémy in Le 18e jour: la tragédie de Léopold III, roi des Belges; translation based on that of Roger Keyes in Outrageous Fortune)

Tragedy & the Queen

The life of Italy's last queen, Marie-José, daughter of King Albert I and Queen Elisabeth of Belgium, was marked by many tragedies. She experienced two world wars, an unhappy marriage, political turmoil, and exile. From 1934-1944, she lost her father, King Albert, and her sisters-in-law, Queen Astrid of Belgium and Princess Mafalda of Savoy; in 1992, she lost her grandson, Rafael, and, in 1999, her son-in-law, Luis Reyna Corvalan. All died in an untimely and tragic manner.

Marie-José's first, and probably most traumatic, personal tragedy was the death of her father, King Albert I on February 17, 1934. The terrible news reached Marie-José the next morning. She and her husband, Prince Umberto, were enjoying a pleasant conversation over breakfast; the couple were exceptionally happy, as Marie-José, after four years of marriage, was finally expecting her first child. Suddenly, Umberto was called to the telephone. When he returned, grave and pale, he told Marie-José that her father had suffered a serious mountaineering accident. He did not, at first, dare to tell her that Albert had actually been killed. Faced, however, with her anxious, insistent questioning, Umberto finally let his wife know, with great tenderness, that all hope was lost (Regolo, p. 140). "Struck by the suddenness of the shock," Marie-José would later write, "I could not take in the extent of my misfortune. Immobility was intolerable to me, I kept walking up and down. Umberto remained at my side, trying to comfort me." Yet she was too shocked to attend to his words, or even to weep.

To many, it seemed incredible that King Albert, one of the most prudent and accomplished alpinists of his generation, a man who had conquered high peaks, should have been killed climbing the modest "Cliff of the Good God," at Marche-les-Dames. In her memoirs, Marie-José recalled her reaction: "A mountaineering accident in Belgium- how was this possible?" The inquest concluded that a rock grasped by the King had unexpectedly given way, hurling him into the void, and that he had shattered his skull against the rocks below.

Albert's death was a terrible human tragedy - the grisly destruction of a noble man. It was also a political tragedy. The Belgian royal house lost one of its most gifted and prestigious members. Only six years later, political figures would unleash a storm of calumny against Albert's son, the younger, less well-known, less experienced, and more vulnerable Leopold III, eventually forcing his abdication and permanently weakening the Belgian monarchy. Since the monarchy was one of the chief unifying strengths of the country, this seriously harmed Belgium.

While Marie-José surely appreciated the political aspects of Albert's death, she lost, above all, a father she had, from childhood, deeply loved and admired. Their relationship had been close; in addition to a tender family affection, they had shared a profound intellectual friendship rooted in common historical, political, and philosophical interests. For these reasons, the blow was especially cruel.

Another tragic aspect of the situation was the proliferation of malevolent (and surprisingly persistent) rumors concerning Albert's death. Suspicions of foul play rapidly arose, and these were turned against the dead King and his grieving family. The unfortunate lack of clarity in the judicial inquest gave rise to insinuations that the royal family had prevented a thorough investigation in order to suppress a damaging truth. What might this be? A host of theories sprang up. Some insidiously attacked Leopold, by contending, for instance, that Hitler had arranged Albert's assassination because he judged his son more pliable. Others subtly undermined, or openly assaulted, Albert's own reputation. For example, some claimed he had committed suicide in a fit of depression. Others suggested that the French secret service had murdered him, suspecting him of disloyalty to his French allies. Still others, without any proof, claimed he was a multiple adulterer, killed by a jealous rival.

Marie-José must have been deeply pained by the rumors, which repeatedly flared up through the decades. Leopold, for his part, was certainly annoyed, although he admitted, and regretted, the inadequacies of the inquest into his father's death (Verwilghen, p. 286). In her memoirs, Marie-José recalls the grief and indignation of her aunt, Princess Henriette, when scandalous stories were spread about Albert's (and Henriette's) older brother, Baudouin, following his own untimely death. "How could they launch... these tragic and painful lies?" Henriette had written. Marie-José must have been similarly outraged by the attacks upon her father's reputation.

In any case, they were certainly outrageous. No mere propagandist, but, rather, the heroic and saintly Abbot of Orval, an intimate of King Albert, praised him, in the highest terms, as a good head of the family, devoted to inculcating, in his children, integrity and abnegation, as a noble head of state, deeply concerned for justice, and, most importantly, as a great Christian, who strove, at all times, to maintain a clear conscience. To launch treacherous, cruel and vulgar attacks against such a man, especially after he had died so tragically, seems horrible.

Sadly, Albert's death was followed, on August 29, 1935, by that of his daughter-in-law, Queen Astrid, in a car accident in Switzerland. On a mountain road in Küssnacht, Leopold lost control of the vehicle, which plunged down a ravine. Both Leopold and Astrid were hurled out of the car, and the Queen's skull was shattered, just as King Albert's had been. Astrid's death, like Albert's, weighed heavily on the history of the Belgian monarchy. Again, the royal house lost one of its most beloved members. During her life, Astrid's popularity had been a tremendous asset to her husband; after her death, propagandists would manipulate her image to discredit him.

Her sister-in-law's tragic death, occurring so soon after that of her father, was certainly a terrible blow to Marie-José. She later told the touching story of her visit to the Italian mystic, Padre Pio, shortly before World War II. Still grieving over the loss of her father and sister-in-law, Marie-José was comforted by her meeting with Padre Pio. They spoke at length about Albert and Astrid, and the priest, "as if he could see them," said: "They are close to God" (Regolo, pp. 172-173).

Astrid was not the only sister-in-law Marie-José would lose tragically. During the fascist period, Umberto's sister, the lovely and kind-hearted Princess Mafalda, had been married to Prince Philip of Hesse, who served as an intermediary between Mussolini and Hitler (although it is said that he also aided Jewish friends to escape to the Netherlands). Mafalda, for her part, incurred Hitler's enmity by attempting to defend the Jews. During World War II, after Italy joined the Allies, Hitler took revenge on the unfortunate Princess. Deported to the Buchenwald concentration camp and fatally wounded in an air-raid, she died in August, 1944. Her family were devastated, and Marie-José was deeply grieved; Mafalda had been her dearest friend in the House of Savoy."What a cruel destiny!" she later recalled, "Poor Mafalda!" (Regolo p. 145)

Marie-José's old age was marked by more family sorrows. On April 24, 1992, she lost her favorite grandson, Rafael, who fell to his death under mysterious circumstances. The son of her youngest daughter, Maria Beatrice, and her husband, the Argentinian diplomat, Luis Reyna Corvalan, Rafael was a talented, intellectual young man, studying at the University of Boston. Marie-José and Rafael had enjoyed an exceptionally close relationship; they shared deep philosophical interests. "He was a unique boy, extraordinarily sensitive", the Queen sadly remembered, "like my father, he had an innate sense of the religious and the transcendent. Why did everything have to end? He was so young" (Regolo p. 186). According to Maria Beatrice, "(my mother) suffered greatly over my son's death...Perhaps, only when her father... died, did she suffer in the same way. With both, she had a deep, visceral bond. And, by a tragic destiny, my grandfather, too...died falling from a great height" (Regolo, p. 185).

On February 17, 1999 ( by a sad coincidence, the 65th anniversary of King Albert's death), Luis Reyna Corvalan was murdered in the family's Mexican villa. The killing was brutal and obscene; the circumstances were unclear. "It is a very sad moment for our family," Marie-José remarked, "I remember Luis as a kind and sensitive man; I hope he is happy, in the other life." Of her daughter, Maria Beatrice (affectionately called "Titti" in the family), who was shattered by her double loss, Marie-José remarked that the "three crosses" in her name were harbingers of sorrow.

Marie-José, too, bore many crosses; and, by all accounts, with great dignity and fortitude. May she, and her tragically lost loved ones, rest in peace.

References:

Marie-José, Queen, Consort of Umberto II, King of Italy. Albert et Elisabeth de Belgique, mes parents. 1971.

Mallieux, René. Le Roi Albert Alpiniste. 1956.

Regolo, Luciano. La regina incompresa: tutto il racconto della vita di Maria José di Savoia. 2002.

Sparre, Anna. Astrid mon amie. 2005.

Vanwelkenhuyzen, Jean. Les gâchis des années 30: 1933-1937. 2008.

Verwilghen, Michel. Le mythe d'Argenteuil: demeure d'un couple royal. 2006.

Weber, Patrick. Amours royales et princières: mariages, liaisons, passions, et trahisons de la cour de Belgique. 2006.

Prayer Request

Please pray for a relative of mine, who seems to be dying.  

God bless. 

Memorare

Memorare, o piissima Virgo Maria,

non esse auditum a saeculo, quemquam ad tua currentem praesidia,

tua implorantem auxilia, tua petentem suffragia, 

esse derelictum.

Ego tali animatus confidentia,

ad te, Virgo Virginum, Mater, curro,

ad te venio, coram te gemens peccator assisto.

Noli, Mater Verbi,

verba mea despicere,

sed audi propitia et exaudi.

Amen.

Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary,

that never was it known that anyone who fled to Thy protection,

implored Thy aid or sought Thy intercession,

was left unaided.

Inspired by this confidence, 

I fly unto thee, Virgin of Virgins, my Mother;

to Thee do I come, before Thee I stand, sinful and sorrowful,

despise not my petitions, but in Thy clemency, hear and answer me.

Amen. 

The Belgians' Last Stand, 1940

On May 24-25, 1940, the last, desperate phase of the Belgians' 18-day campaign against the invading Nazis began. Despite rapidly diminishing resources, and (due to the Allies' own desperate situation), inadequate support, the Belgians mounted, on the River Lys, a valiant resistance to the final, brutal wave of German assaults. On May 28, the Belgians would be forced to capitulate, but their heroism had nonetheless played an important role in enabling the British to evacuate many of the troops through Dunkirk. 

As the Belgians prepared for their last stand, King Leopold III issued an inspiring order of the day to his army. It became famous, especially for the King's promise to share the fate of his troops. Although he foresaw the Belgians' imminent capitulation, Leopold refused to follow his government into exile. Rather, hoping to assist his army and people, he insisted on remaining in Belgium. 

Soldats,

La grande bataille qui nous attendait a commencé. Elle sera rude. Nous la conduirons de toutes nos forces, avec une suprême énergie. 

Elle se livra sur le terrain où, en 1914, nous avons tenu victorieusement tête à l'envahisseur. 

Soldats, la Belgique attend que vous fassiez honneur à son drapeau. 

Officers, Soldats,

Quoi qu'il arrive, mon sort sera le vôtre. Je demande à tous de la discipline, de la fermeté, de la confiance. Notre cause est juste et pure. La Providence nous aidera.

Vive la Belgique! 

Soldiers,

The great battle that awaited us has commenced. It will be brutal. We will conduct it with all our forces, with a supreme energy. 

It will take place on the ground where, in 1914, we victoriously resisted the invader. 

Soldiers, Belgium expects you to do honor to her flag. 

Officers, Soldiers, 

Whatever happens, my fate will be yours. I ask of everyone discipline, firmness, and confidence. Our cause is just and pure. Providence will aid us. 

Long live Belgium! 

A day-by-day account of the Belgian campaign, by the British liaison officer, Admiral Roger Keyes, may be found here. 

War Stories of Albert I

Many anecdotes illustrate the noble and endearing personality of King Albert I. Here are a few, from 1914-1918.

In 1917, the heroic Flemish army chaplain, Father de Groote, wounded many times during World War I, was eagerly returning (without authorization) to the front after a period in the hospital. On his way, he met the King. Later, in 1934, the priest told the story: 

Après plusieurs mois passés à l'hôpital, nous nous en étions evadés pour rejoindre nos régiments. On nous porta en déserteurs pour avoir quitté sans permission! En passant devant le Quartier Général de la Division Jacques, nous y entrâmes tous joyeux. "Mon Général, me voilà rendu à la liberté!" quand nous aperçûmes le Roi dans un coin de la chambre. Confondus nous nous excusâmes et bien vite nous nous rendîmes dans le parc. Le Roi avec le Général nous y rejoignit et nous prenant familièrement par le bras fit avec nous quelques tours du jardin. "Mon Père, je vous défend d'être encore blessé, vous l'avez été cinq fois, cela suffit. Du reste, la reine doit vous l'avoir déja dit. Mais je voudrais vous demander quelque chose, me promettez-vous de me l'accorder?

Comme le Roi venait de parler de prudence nous nous disions interieurement: "si on me demandait de passer à l'arrière, de quitter le front... alors...alors...je serais obligé de refuser."

"Cela dépend Sire, de ce que Sa Majesté me demandera. Si elle parlait d'abandonner le front..."

"Oh! Soyez tranquille, mon Père, vous pouvez m'accorder ce que je vous demande. Je suis du reste certain que déjà vous le faites. Je voudrais vous demander de dire tous les jours une prière spéciale pour moi, pour la reine, et pour les enfants.""Evidemment Sire, c'est accordé." 
***

After several months spent at the hospital, we escaped to rejoin our regiments. We were taken for deserters, for leaving without permission! As we passed by the General Headquarters of the Jacques Division, we went in, full of joy. "General, here I am, restored to liberty!" Suddenly we caught sight of the King in a corner of the room. Embarrassed, we excused ourselves and quickly withdrew into the park. The King, with the General, rejoined us there, and, taking us familiarly by the arm, took several turns with us about the garden."Father, I forbid you to be wounded again, you have been injured five times, that is enough. In any case, the Queen must have already told you so. But I would like to ask you for a favor, do you promise you will grant it to me?"

As the King had just been speaking of prudence, we thought to ourselves: "if I were asked to retreat, to leave the front...then... then... I would be obliged to refuse." 

"That depends, Sire, on what the King may ask. If he spoke of abandoning the front..."

"Oh! Rest assured, Father, you may grant me what I ask. In fact, I am sure you already do it. I would like to ask you to say, every day, a special prayer for me, for the Queen, and for the children." "Of course, Sire, that is agreed." 

In her diary, the Belgian nurse Jeanne de Launoy described a fire at the Ocean military hospital. A number of officers, including the King, arrived to aid in the evacuation of the facility. A comic incident occurred when a stretcher-carrier, his hands full, caught sight of Albert. In the rush and the darkness (the fire broke out during the night), he did not recognize the King, and, with the words: "You have nothing to do - take these," handed him a pile of plates! Albert kindly performed his task. 

Jeanne also told of a tragic Mass at La Panne, at a chapel near the Ocean hospital. A bombardment started during the liturgy. As people fled in panic, officers tried to maintain order. Jeanne turned instinctively to the King, who was present. Although pale, he remained immobile. 127 people were killed or injured in the bombardment; the ambulances and the hospital were filled to overflowing. I am always impressed by Albert's courage on this tragic occasion. 

Just a few stories illustrating his character...

Litany To St. Joseph

Here is a lovely litany to St. Joseph, who happens to be the patron saint of Belgium. 

Lord, have mercy on us.

Christ, have mercy on us.

Christ, hear us.

Christ, graciously hear us.

God the Father of heaven, have mercy on us.

God the Son, Redeemer of the world, have mercy on us.

God the Holy Ghost, have mercy on us.

Holy Trinity, one God, have mercy on us.

Holy Mary, pray for us.

Saint Joseph, pray for us.

Illustrious descendant of David, pray for us.

Light of the patriarchs, pray for us.

Spouse of the Mother of God, pray for us.

Chaste guardian of the Virgin, pray for us.

Foster-father of the Son of God, pray for us.

Careful defender of Christ, pray for us.

Head of the Holy Family, pray for us.

Joseph most just, pray for us.

Joseph most chaste, pray for us.

Joseph most prudent, pray for us.

Joseph most courageous, pray for us.

Joseph most obedient, pray for us.

Joseph most faithful, pray for us.

Mirror of patience, pray for us.

Lover of poverty, pray for us.

Model of laborers, pray for us.

Ornament of home life, pray for us.

Guardian of virgins, pray for us.

Pillar of families, pray for us.

Solace of the miserable, pray for us.

Hope of the sick, pray for us.

Patron of the dying, pray for us.

Terror of demons, pray for us.

Protector of the Holy Church, pray for us.

Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world, Spare us, O Lord.

Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world, Graciously hear us, O Lord.

Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world, Have mercy on us.

V. He hath appointed him master of his house.

R. And the ruler of all his possessions.

Let us pray.

O God, who by an ineffable providence hast deigned to choose Blessed Joseph as the spouse of Thy Most Holy Mother, grant, we beseech Thee, that him whom we venerate on earth as our protector, we may merit to have as our intercessor in heaven: who livest and reignest for ever and ever. Amen.

"Mon devoir, mon métier est d'aider..."

Queen Elisabeth of Belgium was famous for her heroism during World War I. The tragedies of this period weighed heavily on her, yet she remained calm, courageous, cheerful. She was a splendid moral support to her husband, King Albert I, and spared no effort to relieve the sufferings of the war's victims. As she confided to an intimate friend and collaborator, the Countess van den Steen de Jehay: "My duty, my place is to help..." ("Mon devoir, mon métier est d'aider...")

The war was especially tragic for Elisabeth as it divided her from her Bavarian relatives. The strong, affectionate unity that had always characterized her family must have made the separation all the more bitter. Some of the Queen's close relatives, including her brother-in-law, Prince Wilhelm of Urach, were involved in the invasion of Belgium.. One day, when talking to one of her ladies-in-waiting, Elisabeth sadly recalled her wedding in Munich in 1900. The officiating Archbishop had proclaimed: "Today, the hearts of Bavarian people beat in unison with those of the Belgian people..." "So far away- those happy days," the Queen remarked, with tears in her eyes. She reportedly told the French writer, Pierre Loti: "An iron curtain has fallen between my family and myself."

Elisabeth had a sensitive and sympathetic heart, and suffered terribly, quite independently of the familial divisions, from the tragedy of the war itself. Her son, Leopold, many years later, recalled her emotion, on the morning she woke her children with the news of the German invasion. The royal couple watched, in impotent horror, as the invading armies conquered most of Belgium, overwhelming the brave, but greatly outmatched, Belgian defenders. Elisabeth was especially distressed by the often brutal treatment of Belgian civilians. Tales of German atrocities, were, of course, greatly exaggerated in Allied propaganda, but undeniable crimes were committed. According to the American writer Mary Roberts Rinehart, who met the Queen during the war, Elisabeth cried in horror: "It is the women and children! ... It is terrible! There must be killing. That is war. But not this other thing."

Driven from city to city by the invading armies, the royal couple finally settled at La Panne, near the French border, on the sea, in the tiny part (5%) of Belgium free of German occupation. By means of extensive flooding operations, the Belgian army had managed to halt the German advance on the River Yser. In cooperation with the Allies, the Belgians now took up a war of position which would last four years.

 It was an agonizing period for the King and Queen. On the other side of the front, their people suffered under a harsh occupation; and, on their side, the horrors of trench warfare were constantly before their eyes. King Albert came to disapprove not only of German but also of Allied war aims; rather than the total victory sought by many in both camps, he favored a negotiated peace. Yet it was not to be. The King devoted himself to the war, while taking care to avoid unnecessary casualties. The Queen threw all her energy into his support, and into the care and consolation of war victims. The Belgian Chief of Staff, General Galet, praised the Queen's role in striking terms: 

We can admire her inventive zeal, which immediately discovered a field of initiative which was her very own, and from which she never departed, namely, that of providing care to the wounded and moral support to the combatants. 

But, in addition to this helpful activity of a general character, the Queen exercised upon the King, and upon us all, an influence of the most felicitous kind, above all, on bad days. She never lost confidence or good humor, and, however grim the situation was or the future appeared, she always found the words of encouragement capable of bringing comfort. 

After the Battle of the Yser, Elisabeth arranged for the renowned Belgian surgeon, Dr. Antoine Depage, to establish a surgical hospital at La Panne, at a former seaside resort, the Ocean hotel. In his later years, the Queen's father had become a ophthalmologist and opened a clinic, and, as a young girl, Elisabeth had assisted him in his medical practice. Her early training was put to good use at the Océan hospital, where she took an active part in the nursing (on one occasion, she made such an effort in the operating room that she collapsed from exhaustion; the incident only served to increase her popularity among the other nurses). Through her combination of gentleness and valor, Elisabeth became a wonderful support to the patients. She comforted them through her compassionate visits and tender attentions, and made a specialty of caring for the most severely wounded soldiers. She was a very competent nurse, with an exceptionally delicate touch; she became known as la reine aux mains de lumière (the Queen with the hands of light).

Fearlessly brave, the Queen refused, throughout the war, to take refuge far from the front lines. On the contrary, she often visited the trenches. Her life was in danger even at the hospital, exposed to enemy bombardments. Yet she was always impatient of attempts to hurry her out of danger. "I do not know what it means to feel afraid," she declared, adding that those she admired were people who felt fear, yet persevered in their task.

In addition to her work on behalf of combatants, Elisabeth strove to alleviate the sufferings of the children caught up in the war. At her personal expense, she created a children's refuge at Vinckem, where war orphans and other displaced children were welcomed. Down to the slightest details, she took great care over their living quarters, education, and health care. She insisted that they receive a religious education, that Flemish (rather than simply French) be spoken, and that the strictest hygiene be practiced. Orphanages in Belgium tended to dress children in black, because they were "in mourning," but the Queen insisted that the orphans at Vinckem be allowed to wear cheerful colors. Thanks to her, they could play happily.

These are only a few of the Queen's humanitarian initiatives during World War I. Wherever possible, she strove to help those in need and in anguish, and, by all accounts, she did so with rare modesty and simplicity. Belgium owes a great deal to this heroic woman.

The Queen on her way to the trenches