Saint Who?
Saints Who Cared for the Sick
Blessed Maria Theresia Scherer
Foundress († 1888)Feast: June 16
Katherina was born into a poor family of farmers in Meggen, Switzerland. After her father’s sudden death, she was raised by relatives. She was an intelligent and faithful child, but she was also (according to her own description) irritable, disobedient, and preoccupied with pretty clothes.
At the age of sixteen, Katherina was sent to work as a nurse’s aide. At first, she found the rigid schedule, long hours, and constant reminder of death overwhelming, and she was disgusted by her work. But she continued to pray and to persevere, and after three years, caring for the sick became a joy to her.
A pilgrimage helped her realize that God was calling her to religious life. When a priest invited her to enter his new order of religious sisters, she agreed and became Sister Maria Theresia. While the order served the needy through both teaching and nursing, Maria Theresia’s ministry was always more focused on healing. When the priest died, she became the superior general. Maria Theresia faced many obstacles as superior, including debts, a lawsuit, and a meddlesome priest. But by the time of her death, she and more than 1,500 sisters were caring for the sick and needy in Switzerland and other countries.
God of love, help us persevere as
we perform difficult tasks.
