Saint Mary Elizabeth Hesselblad
Fifth of thirteen children born to Augusto Roberto Hesselblad and Cajsa Pettesdotter Dag. Raised in the Reformed Church of Sweden. Due to economic hard times, the family moved regularly.
Maria emigrated to New York at age 18 to seek work to support her family back in Sweden. She studied nursing at Manhattan's Roosevelt Hospital where she worked as a nurse from 1888, and did home care for the sick and aged. Her work took her into the large Catholic population of New York; her interest in the Church grew, and she came to see it as the place closest to Christ. She converted to the Faith , receiving conditional baptism on 15 August 1902 by the Jesuit priest Giovani Hagen at Washington.
Pilgrim to Rome, Italy in late 1902, receiving Confirmation there. She returned briefly to New York, but then sailed back to Rome to start a religious life. Settled at the Carmelite House of Saint Bridget of Sweden on 25 March 1904. In 1906 she got permission from Pope Pius X to take the habit of the Brigittines (Order of the Most Holy Saviour of Saint Bridget).
She worked to restore the Order in Sweden and Italy, especially in Rome. She returned to her homeland in 1923, ministered to the poor, and tried to revitalize the Brigittine movement there. Received control of Rome's Brigittine house and church in 1931. Established Brigittine foundations in India in 1937. Saved Jews and others persecuted by the Nazis by giving them refuge in Rome; in 2004 she was recognized by Yad Vashem as one of the Righteous Among the Nations for this work.
Died
24 April 1957 in Rome, Italy of natural causes
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