Make Way for Cats, St. Pat!
We love to celebrate the guy who inadvertently became the patron saint of green beer, but there is another saint with the same feast day who offers an alternative approach to St. Patrick's Day bawdiness—St. Gertrude from Nivelles, Belgium, who also died on March 17.
There's always room for another party, festival, or parade in NOLA, so there are some purrs of support for creating a way to honor this cat-loving, garden-loving, and traveler-loving saint. Maybe more of a green thumb or green tea celebration, complete with catnip—and cat naps—is in order?
St. Gertrude was born in 626 in what is now Belgium. When she was 10 years old, the king asked her to marry the son of a duke. She refused him, stating she would neither marry him nor any man but would take Christ alone as her bridegroom. She co-founded the Abbey of Nivelles with her mother and dedicated her life to prayer and charity.
Over time, she became associated with cats, which were commonly used to control rodents—particularly in monasteries. She was invoked during the Middle Ages to protect homes and crops from rodent infestations. Eventually, artistic representations of her began to include imagery of mice and cats.
A few hundred years later, the Metropolitan Museum of Art's 1981 catalog, titled Metropolitan Cats, presented her as the patron saint of cats and the moniker stuck. Although also known as the patron saint of widows, sailors, pilgrims, the mentally ill, and gardeners, kitties became her claim to pop culture fame.
"Cats are the most amazing creatures on this planet. St. Gertrude and cats deserve March 17 as a day all about them. As much as I'd love to see a parade of cats, I know they'd rather be curled up on the sofa at home. The second-best celebration I can imagine would be a parade of feline enthusiasts with cat-themed floats tossing treats for the cats and their humans," suggested Holly Dodson, DVM, of the Cat Practice on Magazine Street in New Orleans. "Perhaps it's time for us to start the Krewe of St. Gertrude in New Orleans."
But there's more reasons than just local feline fanaticism to celebrate her. She is considered the patron saint of travelers because of her association with hospitality and care for pilgrims, especially Irish monks.
"Widely recognized as a patron saint invoked against suriphobia (fear of mice and vermin), it likely follows that Gertrude is also venerated by cat lovers," commented Rob Clemenz, founder of SaintsforSinners.com. "But her patronage of travelers, especially seafaring ones, is attributed to a famous legend. It was on a voyage of Gertrude's Irish monk friends that a sea monster was ready to attack their ship. The captain asked for St. Gertrude's intercession and soon their ship was saved. Henceforth, many began imbibing a Sinte Geert's Minne to assure their safe passage on sea. A Gertrudenminte cocktail drink—containing Chartreuse, citrus, and rum—soon became a ceremonial toast for safe sea voyages and people began holding onto their glass while entering the ships. The St. Gertrude's go-cup was born."
A saint with her own cocktail that stops storms deserves our respect, and as a port city historically welcoming immigrants, pilgrims, and travelers from around the world, the spirit of hospitality championed by St. Gertrude naturally resonates here.
"In my 50+ years of working in the New Orleans tourism industry, I truly have experienced a multitude of St. Gertrudes over the years. From the front-line workers at hotels, restaurants, attractions, and major places such as the N.O. Convention Center, I have seen with my own eyes the warmth of our Southern hospitality come beaming through when they welcome and give assistance to our visitors. I've heard countless accounts of individuals who go above and beyond to help the person who lost a priceless item to them or find themselves stranded or feeling ill and they need an angel to help them," said Bobbi Manni, membership manager of Midsouth Women in Tourism.
Speaking of angels, Executive Director of the Catholic Cultural Center of New Orleans Christopher Wiseman, Ph.D., focuses on the roots of St. Gertrude's sainthood when he considers the importance of honoring her. Like so many saints that are rediscovered and revised to suit modern times, she may be loved more for what people want to see in her than for who she truly was:
"In the lore of St. Gertrude, one of the first things we learn about her is her decision to say 'no,' firmly and with purpose—'no' to the betrothed life envisioned for her by her father. But that 'no' proceeded from a much deeper 'yes,' her intention rooted in love for God and a certain kind of life. Today, technology pushes us daily and repeatedly to choose what or whom to like or not to like. Our culture nudges us to divide our choices into dozens of shallow 'yes's.' A saint like Gertrude reminds me about the importance of the deepest 'yes'—and the many 'no's' that a singular 'yes' implies."
Since cats say "no" more than "yes," it should be so on St. Gertrude's Day. Until required to get costumed and organized, curl up on the couch in a patch of sunlight or spend the day in the garden. You've already lived nine lives if you live in NOLA. On March 17, just say "no" to the crowds and "yes" to the cats.
