Blessed M.Elisabeth Hesselblad

 

1. Of Swedish origin, Mother M. Elizabeth Hesselblad (1870-1957) converted from Lutheranism to Roman Catholicism in the United States. III and with little hope of recovery she journeyed to Rome to the house of her great compatriot Saint Bridget, where she was able to remain thanks to special permission given by Pope Saint Pius X. It is his Secretary of State, Cardinal Merry Del Val, who we have to thank for the phrase which so perfectly describes Mother Elizabeth: “The most extraordinary woman in Rome ".

Tolerance, boldness in her instincts, a heart burning with affection and a delicate sense of humour all went together to form the person behind her deep, dark eyes.
She was called “the second Bridget "; and after a gap of six centuries the spirit of Saint Bridget once again flourished in Rome and elsewhere thanks to the courage, strength and perseverance of Mother Elizabeth.
2. It was not her intention originally to found a new Order, only to revive the ancient Order in the same house where Bridget had lived and died.
She cherished the dream of taking the Bridgettine Sisters back to Sweden once more and of letting the Order take root in any country desired by God, so that the true spirit of Christian unity and service of others would be spread, just as it had been spread by the ancient Order of Saint Bridget.
The communities founded by Mother Elizabeth under a central authority without Papal en-closure, and her insistence that they are an integral part of the ancient Order of the Most Holy Saviour, commonly called Bridgettines, gave rise to much criticism and sometimes to controversy.
However after thirty years of continuous trials and persevering through difficulties of all kinds, her Order was canonically approved and on 7th July 1940 it was recognized as being under Cannon Law. Today, the Order of the Most Holy Saviour of Saint Bridget, founded by the Blessed Elizabeth Hesselblad, consists of fifty houses spread over in three continents, working ever faithfully to the charisma given to them by Mother Elisabeth.
In fact, following its proper charisma, the Order is dedicated above all to re-living the religious spirit of Saint Bridget, particularly in the liturgy and to spread this spirit, revised and adapted to the needs of the apostolate, to the contemporary world.

3. Just as our blessed mother Saint Bridget, given the desperate situation of her time, concerned herself, both spiritually and be means of her activity within the Church, with the unity of all Christians together with the one legitimate Vicar of Christ, the Pope; so too the Bridgettine Order revived by Mother Elizabeth retains as its principle objective, both spiritually and by means of its apostolic activity, the re-establishment of the unity of all Christians together with the Roman Pontiff and the implementation of the teaching of the Second Vatican Council regarding Ecumenism.
But the Order is also involved in missionary work, with its members being present and active in many areas which are not yet Christian.

4. Hospitality enjoys first place amongst the activities of the Order, above all hospitality in an ecumenical sense: both for individuals and for various groups.

5. The Bridgettine Sisters keep and practice those devotions which were particularly dear to Saint Bridget: Contemplation and Veneration of the humanity of the Word of God; filial devotion to the Mother of God; meditation on the crucified Christ and the suffering Virgin. These devotions, together with the adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, are the hallmarks of their piety. The Charisma of Mother Elizabeth can be summed-up by the following three words: “Contemplation, Adoration and Reparation ".
Indeed, following the example of Saint Bridget, Mother Elizabeth deeply felt the need for “reparation ", practising it her-self and desiring that all her spiritual daughters should do the same, dedicating them-selves to " Reparation " for all those sins committed against God by Christians and non-Christians alike. " Contemplation and Adoration " contain " Reparation ", they are, however, but one expression of it.

6. Pope Paul VI, who knew Mother Elizabeth and the work of the Order, many times expressed his delight in the Apostolate of the Bridgettines whom he affec¬tionately addressed as follows: " May you always be thought of as a bridge between the countries of Scandinavia and Rome. Your Order is a pledge of God's care for his Church ".
This ecumenical spirit guides the Order in its apostolic en¬deavours.

7. On April 9th 2000 has been beatified in Rome by the Servant of God, John Paul II:
This privileged soul burning with love for God and for his Church; this woman of exceptional talent; this humble yet great Sister, transfused the treasures of her spirit, her faith and her love to the Institute she founded, with the sole intention of making it a humble instrument for the spreading of the Kingdom of God on earth.

“I thank you oh Lord for my whole life and for all that you have given me!
Grant that I will continue to find you in all that happens in my life and in all mankind! "

Oh my God, I thank you for all that you give me, for all that you deny me and for all that you take from me.

The unity of Christians in His love is my unceasing prayer.
A soul which truly loves God does not desire to pass through roses, but through thorns.

Let us thank the good Lord for having called us to serve him so intimately. Let us strive to be ever faithful to his inspiration, persevering even if at times our path may be sown with thorns. Where God has called us, there we will find all that we need to attain perfection.

I commend recollection and silence to you as the only way of achieving union with Jesus and becoming his worthy spouses.

Engaging the soul in constant union with God is the true and effective art of prayer.
Our good God desires great things from this Order in the future, for his glory and the salvation of souls. Let us strive ever harder to maintain a spirit of simplicity and love, with righteousness first amongst ourselves and then with all whom we meet outside.

Hasten, oh Lord, the unity of Christians. Hear the prayers of your humble Bridgettine daughters who for this intention consecrate themselves to you in love and sacrifice.

The most perfect act of which we are capable, containing all the other virtues, is the complete giving of ourselves to God, by the equally total renunciation of ourselves.

Suffering is one of the greatest gifts God can ever give to a soul.
I trust in the Sacred Heart. All day long I pray, "O Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place my trust in you.”
All the beauty of the earth seems like something of the past, like a dream of long ago, the only holy desire capable of filling my soul is the vision of Him, as we shall see him face to face at the dawn of eternity.

My only desire is to do the will of God: With resignation and thankfulness I kneel before it.

 

On haring of the death of her father, even before her conversion, she prayed to Our Lady.
As soon as I had closed the door, a marvellous sweetness filled my soul and kneeling down, I raised my arms to one who I knew to be with me saying, " Mary, my mother, I entrust him to your care. Take him oh Mother and give him happiness ". This was my prayer to Mary who came to me immediately. “I now know what is important dear Mother, that nothing in life nor in death can ever separate us. I am your daughter oh Mary, my mother ". When I look back over many long years since that day all I can say is: "What a wonderful mother you have been to me” (autobiography).

By 1905 Mother Elizabeth had written and published a prayer for Christian unity:
"With confidence in our hearts we turn to you, blessed Bridget, to ask your intercession in these times of darkness and unbelief, for those who hope in the Church of Jesus Christ. By your under-standing of the suffering of our crucified Saviour, the prince of our redemption, we ask you to obtain the graces of faith for those who are outside the one fold, so that the scattered sheep may be gathered together in the one flock through Christ Our Lord. Amen!

Saint Bridget, fearless in the service of God, pray for us.
Saint Bridget, patient in suffering and humiliation, pray for us.
Saint Bridget, outstanding in love for Jesus and Mary, pray for us."

Her great love for Saint Bridget lead her to write: "The Holy Mother is closer to me than my own body, it is a love which words cannot express. It is as though it would be easier to cut off an arm, a leg, or my head than to take the holy mother away from me. It is as though my soul were chained to hers... "