Saint Helena Stollenwerk

Helena Stollenwerk, SSpS (28 November 1852 - 3 February 1900) was a German Catholic religious sister who collaborated with Arnold Janssen and Hendrina Stenmanns and co-founded the Missionary Sisters Servants of the Holy Spirit. Pope John Paul II presided over the beatification celebration for Stollenwerk in 1995 after naming her a Servant of God on 2 April 1982 and as Venerable in 1991. Helena Stollenwerk was born on 28 November 1852 to Hans Peter Stollenwerk and his third wife Anna Bongard (b. 1827). Her sole sibling was Caroline (1855 – 13 August 1859). Her father died on 27 May 1859. On 24 November 1860, her mother married Hans Peter Breuer. Breuer had three daughters by his first marriage, and the youngest became a close friend of Helena. Her childhood saw her occupied with the thought of joining the missions and going to China. She tried to find a convent that sent missionaries around the world, but her search was in vain. In 1882 she met Arnold Janssen, who was in the Netherlands at the time, and he supported her idea of the establishment of a new religious congregation of dedicated women. For a time she served in the kitchen of Janssen's "St. Michael the Archangel Mission House" in Steyl. In 1884, she was joined by Hendrina Stenmanns. On 8 December 1889 Stollenwerk became of postulant of a women's congregation established by Janssen, the Missionary Sisters Servants of the Holy Spirit, and on 17 January 1892 assumed the religious name Maria Virgo. She made her vows on 12 March 1894 and later became abbess on 12 August 1898. Stollenwerk also had a hand in preparing sisters that went out on missions across the globe; she sent the first missionaries in 1895 to Argentina and others to Togo in 1897. At Janssen's request she resigned from being Superior General on 8 December 1898 having been in that position since 1890. In autumn 1899 she was diagnosed with meningitis. She died in 1900 and her final words were "Jesus: I die for You".