Elisabeth Hesselblad
Encyclopedia
Blessed
Elisabeth Hesselblad, religious name Maria Elisabetta Hesselblad, (June 4, 1870 – April 24, 1957) was a Swedish
nurse, nun, and beatified woman
.
She was the fifth of thirteen children born to August Robert Hesselblad and Cajsa Pettesdotter Dag – a Lutheran family in Fåglavik, Herrljunga Municipality
, Sweden. By 1886, she had to work to help them make ends meet. At first she looked for work in Sweden, but eventually sought work in the United States
as a nurse. Her work in the US started her interest in Catholicism
and in 1902 she converted. She later joined the Bridgettines
on a visit to Rome
. She attempted to revive interest in the order and its founder. She also worked at efforts at inter-religious dialogue and against racism, and became known as "the second Bridget
".
She was beatified by Pope John Paul II
on April 9, 2000, and in 2004 she was recognized by Yad Vashem
as one of the Righteous Among the Nations
for her work in helping Jews
during World War II
.
Beatification
Beatification is a recognition accorded by the Catholic Church of a dead person's entrance into Heaven and capacity to intercede on behalf of individuals who pray in his or her name . Beatification is the third of the four steps in the canonization process...
Elisabeth Hesselblad, religious name Maria Elisabetta Hesselblad, (June 4, 1870 – April 24, 1957) was a Swedish
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
nurse, nun, and beatified woman
Beatification
Beatification is a recognition accorded by the Catholic Church of a dead person's entrance into Heaven and capacity to intercede on behalf of individuals who pray in his or her name . Beatification is the third of the four steps in the canonization process...
.
She was the fifth of thirteen children born to August Robert Hesselblad and Cajsa Pettesdotter Dag – a Lutheran family in Fåglavik, Herrljunga Municipality
Herrljunga Municipality
Herrljunga Municipality is a municipality in Västra Götaland County in western Sweden. Its seat is located in the town of Herrljunga....
, Sweden. By 1886, she had to work to help them make ends meet. At first she looked for work in Sweden, but eventually sought work in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
as a nurse. Her work in the US started her interest in Catholicism
Catholicism
Catholicism is a broad term for the body of the Catholic faith, its theologies and doctrines, its liturgical, ethical, spiritual, and behavioral characteristics, as well as a religious people as a whole....
and in 1902 she converted. She later joined the Bridgettines
Bridgettines
The Bridgettine or Birgittine Order is a monastic religious order of Augustinian nuns, Religious Sisters and monks founded by Saint Birgitta of Sweden in approximately 1350, and approved by Pope Urban V in 1370...
on a visit to Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
. She attempted to revive interest in the order and its founder. She also worked at efforts at inter-religious dialogue and against racism, and became known as "the second Bridget
Bridget of Sweden
Bridget of Sweden Bridget of Sweden Bridget of Sweden (1303 – 23 July 1373; also Birgitta of Vadstena, Saint Birgitta , was a mystic and saint, and founder of the Bridgettines nuns and monks after the death of her husband of twenty years...
".
She was beatified by Pope John Paul II
Pope John Paul II
Blessed Pope John Paul II , born Karol Józef Wojtyła , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church and Sovereign of Vatican City from 16 October 1978 until his death on 2 April 2005, at of age. His was the second-longest documented pontificate, which lasted ; only Pope Pius IX ...
on April 9, 2000, and in 2004 she was recognized by Yad Vashem
Yad Vashem
Yad Vashem is Israel's official memorial to the Jewish victims of the Holocaust, established in 1953 through the Yad Vashem Law passed by the Knesset, Israel's parliament....
as one of the Righteous Among the Nations
Righteous Among the Nations
Righteous among the Nations of the world's nations"), also translated as Righteous Gentiles is an honorific used by the State of Israel to describe non-Jews who risked their lives during the Holocaust to save Jews from extermination by the Nazis....
for her work in helping Jews
Jews
The Jews , also known as the Jewish people, are a nation and ethnoreligious group originating in the Israelites or Hebrews of the Ancient Near East. The Jewish ethnicity, nationality, and religion are strongly interrelated, as Judaism is the traditional faith of the Jewish nation...
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.