10 Saintly Heroines Newly Beatified in Poland are Nuns who were Martyred during the War and Mentioned by the Pope Today!

These 10 Saintly nuns who belong to the "Congregation of St. Elisabeth" took care of the elderly, the sick, and children, and remained faithful to their vow of chastity and to their vocation. They were murdered by soldiers of the Red Army in 1945.

Cardinal Marcello Semeraro, Prefect of the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints, celebrated Mass in Wrocław to beatify 10 Polish nuns who cared for the elderly, the sick, and children and were killed in hatred of the faith by Soviet soldiers in 1945. Pope Francis honored their witness during the Sunday Angelus saying: May their example of faith to Christ help us all, especially Christians who are persecuted in various parts of the world, to bear witness to the Gospel courageously. (Vatican News)

Their beatification took place on the 11th of June in the Cathedral in the Polish city of Wrocław. The Mass was presided over by the Prefect of the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints, Cardinal Marcello Semeraro, who compared their martyrdom to the current situation in Ukraine.
The sisters of the "Congregation of St. Elisabeth" took care of the elderly, the sick and children. They were murdered by Red Army soldiers in 1945 and remained true to their vows of chastity and their vocation.
The ten nuns beatified yesterday took care of the elderly, the sick and children. They were murdered by Red Army soldiers in 1945 and remained true to their vows of chastity and their vocation. The beatification of the ten Sisters of St. Elizabeth took place on June 11th in Wroclaw Cathedral.
The ceremony was presided over by Cardinal Marcello Semeraro, Prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints. The Prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints compared this martyrdom with the current situation in Ukraine.
Cardinal Semeraro said in his homily: “The whole life of these sisters was a true self-giving at the service of the sick, the little ones, the poor, the most needy. Their selfless love was heroic in that they chose not to flee from the approaching Red Army in late 1944-45, despite news of their brutality and the atrocities committed by their soldiers against the residents of East Prussia.”
He pointed out that the martyrdom of the ten Sisters of St. Elizabeth was a reminder of the violence, cruelty and hatred now plaguing Ukraine. In his sermon, he noted that gestures of unselfish love and concern for others create peace and are a response to the violence that occurs in the face of war.
In the face of ongoing war conflicts, the Prefect of the Vatican Congregation encouraged fervent prayer through the intercession of the new blessed. “We ask the Lord through her intercession that the world may never again lack respect for womanhood, equality in the dignity of men and women, and protection of motherhood. (...) Today we commend to them in a special way the Ukrainian people, migrants and our pursuit of peace," he said in his sermon.
The prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints quoted Pope Francis' words in which the Holy Father thanks Poles for being the first to support Ukraine by "opening their borders, their hearts and the doors of their homes for Ukrainians fleeing the war opened”.
Sister Maria Paschalis Jahn was born on April 7, 1916 in Neisse (today: Nysa). After taking her religious vows, she stayed in Kluczbork, Glubczyce, Nysa and then in the Czech Republic. On May 11, 1945, Sister Paschalis was brutally attacked and shot by a Soviet soldier for defending her chastity and faith. Like the other nine sisters, although they lived in different places and had different professions, she remained faithful to her vocation to the end, giving her life to defend her protégés.
The Sisters of St. Elizabeth emphasize that the beatification of the ten nuns is a symbol of remembrance of the tragic death of all the nuns who died in 1945 at the hands of the Red Army. They estimate that over 100 sisters died in similar circumstances in their congregation alone.
The Congregation of the Sisters of St. Elizabeth was founded in Nysa in 1810. The main goal of the Congregation is selfless service to those in need, especially the suffering and sick. Currently, the Sisters of Elizabeth are active in 19 countries in Europe, Asia, Africa and South America. About 1000 sisters are currently working in hospitals, kindergartens, schools and parishes. The sisters run community centers, nursing homes, orphanages, educational institutions and boarding schools.
In the future, on May 11th, the Church will celebrate the liturgical commemoration of Sister Paschalis Jahn and her companions, martyrs of the Congregation of St. Elizabeth.
Edited from Polish Bishops' Conference/Elizabethan Sisters and Vatican News