Saint Maria Katharina Kasper

Biography

Saint Maria Katharina Kasper, also known as Catalina Kasper, Catherine Kasper, or Maria Caterina Kasper, was born on 26 May 1820 in Dernbach, Westerwaldkreis, Germany. She was the third of four children born to Heinrich Kasper and Katharina Fassel, who were poor but devout peasants. Maria had four half-sisters from her father's first marriage. From an early age, Maria showed a keen interest in religious life. She was a happy and outgoing child who loved reading, particularly the Bible and The Imitation of Christ by Thomas a Kempis. Unfortunately, health problems often kept her home from school. During this time, she learned to spin and weave while working with her parents in the fields. When she had the opportunity, she also earned extra money by breaking stones for road construction. Maria's desire for religious life grew stronger, and she began leading pilgrimages of other children to local Marian shrines. However, her father's death when she was 21 and her brother's death when she was 22 left the family in dire poverty. Maria had to stay and help support them by selling her weaving. After her mother's death, Maria finally felt that she could fully embrace her vocation. With the approval of the bishop of Limburg, Germany, Maria started a small house with several friends who also felt the call to religious life. In 1845, they became a formal association, and on 15 August 1851, they were established as the Poor Handmaids of Jesus Christ, a congregation dedicated to caring for the poor. Maria served as the superior for five consecutive terms, guiding the congregation with her strong leadership. Under Maria's guidance, the Poor Handmaids opened their first school in 1854. They soon spread to the Netherlands in 1859 and received a decree of praise from Pope Pius IX on 9 March 1860. Pope Leo XIII granted formal approval to the congregation on 21 May 1890. Throughout her life, Maria dedicated herself to serving the poor and marginalized. She and her sisters in the congregation worked tirelessly to provide care and support to those in need. Today, the Poor Handmaids of Jesus Christ continue their mission with 690 sisters in 104 houses spread across Germany, the Netherlands, the United States, Mexico, and India. Saint Maria Katharina Kasper died on 2 February 1898 in Dernbach, Westerwaldkreis, Germany, due to complications following a heart attack she suffered on 27 January 1898. Her remains were re-interred at the chapel of the motherhouse of the Poor Handmaids of Jesus Christ in 1950. Saint Maria Katharina Kasper was venerated on 4 October 1974 by Pope Paul VI, who declared her heroic virtues. She was beatified on 16 April 1978 by Pope Paul VI in Saint Peter's Square, Vatican City, Rome. The beatification miracle involved the instantaneous cure of Sister Mary Herluka, a member of the Poor Handmaids of Jesus Christ, from severe tuberculosis in September 1945. Finally, Saint Maria Katharina Kasper was canonized on 14 October 2018 by Pope Francis in Saint Peter's Basilica, Rome. The canonization miracle occurred in India in 2012. She is now recognized as the patron saint of the Poor Handmaids of Jesus Christ, an order that continues to carry out Saint Maria Katharina Kasper's mission of serving the poor and marginalized.