St. Elizabeth of Hesselblad’s life was marked by tireless service to the sick and the poor, placing her life in mortal danger to save innocent lives and fostering dialogue between Catholics, Jews and Protestants.

Born the fifth of 13 children during difficult economic times in Sweden, Elizabeth began working by age 16, and at 18 she emigrated to the United States to train and work as a nurse for the sick and aging in New York, sending money back to her family in Sweden. Although baptized and raised in the Reformed Church of Sweden, her nursing work in the U.S. exposed her to the Catholic faith through the care of many poor Catholics. She began to devote herself to study and prayer, and developed a devotion to the Mother of the Redeemer. In 1902, Elizabeth was received into the Church, receiving the sacraments and dedicating her life wholly to Christ.

In 1906 she professed vows in Rome to the religious order of the Most Holy Savior, or the Bridgettines, the order founded by St. Bridget of Sweden in the 14th century. Soon after, Elizabeth established a new branch of the Bridgettines, whose mission was to unify Scandinavian Christians with the Catholic Church, all while continuing to serve the sick and poor. In the convent-hospital she founded, patients with no money were treated with compassion and dignity. Today, her order consists of 50 houses on three continents.

During World War II, Elizabeth tirelessly performed works of charity for the poor and marginalized, and continued her work promoting Christian unity. She hid 60 Jewish families in her convent during the Holocaust, earning her the recognition as a “Righteous Among the Nations,” an honor bestowed by Israel on non-Jews who risked their lives to save Jews. 

Elizabeth succumbed to lifelong poor health in 1957. She was beatified by Pope John Paul II in 2000 and canonized in 2016 by Pope Francis. 

St. Elizabeth Hesselblad, pray for us!