BL. MARIA RESTITUTA KAFKA, VIRGIN AND MARTYR - 30 MARCH

 

ALL SAINTS CELEBRATED IN MARCH

Saints celebrated on the 30th of March

Prayer to the Angels and the Saints

Heavenly Father, in praising Your Angels and Saints we praise Your glory, for by honouring them we honour You, their Creator. Their splendour shows us Your greatness, which infinitely surpasses that of all creation.

In Your loving providence, You saw fit to send Your Angels to watch over us. Grant that we may always be under their protection and one day enjoy their company in heaven.

Heavenly Father, You are glorified in Your Saints, for their glory is the crowning of Your gifts. You provide an example for us by their lives on earth, You give us their friendship by our communion with them, You grant us strength and protection through their prayer for the Church, and You spur us on to victory over evil and the prize of eternal glory by this great company of witnesses.

Grant that we who aspire to take part in their joy may be filled with the Spirit that blessed their lives, so that, after sharing their faith on earth, we may also experience their peace in heaven. Amen.

BL. MARIA RESTITUTA KAFKA, VIRGIN AND MARTYR 

(Also celebrated on October 29.) 

"All my consolation lies in this His holy will, and every day I say 'yes, Father', and everything is going well." (Bl. Maria Restituta)

SHE JOINED THE FRANCISCAN SISTERS OF CHRISTIAN LOVE

Maria Restituta Kafka grew up in Vienna, Austria, and joined the Franciscan Sisters of Christian Love at the age of 19. She worked as a theatre sister until her arrest in February 1942. 

THE LOVE OF GOD

She passed on the love she felt from God to her fellow human beings and stood up for justice and human dignity for everyone, regardless of their heritage. She did not beat about the bush. That ultimately led to her conviction. 

SHE WAS DENOUNCED

One of the doctors in the hospital denounced this annoying Franciscan nun who had refused to remove the crucifixes in the sickrooms, as the new leadership had requested. Because she spoke out against the practices of the NS political regime, she was sentenced to death for "preparation for high treason". 

"FOR CHRIST I LIVED. FOR CHRIST I WANT TO DIE"

"For Christ I lived. For Christ I want to die." These were her last words before she was beheaded on March 30, 1943. She was beatified by Pope John Paul II on June 21, 1998.