Helena Guerra

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The blessed Helena (Elena) Guerra (born June 23, 1835 in Lucca , Italy , † April 11, 1914 in Lucca) was a nun and founder of the order. She is nicknamed: "Missionary of the Adoration of the Holy Spirit in the Modern Age".

Life

Blessed Sister Helena Guerra

She was the daughter of wealthy aristocratic parents, three of her siblings died at an early age. Helena grew up well protected with her siblings and enjoyed a very Christian upbringing.

Calling and training

She first turned to the St. Vincent Community and caring for the poor and the sick, at the same time she started studying Latin and showed great interest in the teaching of the Church Fathers . In 1866 she became a member of the “Association of the Daughters of St. Agnes ”, who in later years was given the name“ Admirers of the Holy Sacrament ”.

Founding of the order

She founded the first house of the “ Oblates of the Holy Spirit ” on December 9, 1872 in Lucca with the aim of promoting the worship of the Holy Spirit and the education of young girls. In 1873, this community placed them under the special protection of the “Mother of God of the Upper Room” of St. Joseph and the patroness of Lucca, St. Zita . In 1882 she received permission to wear the religious dress. In 1906 she was withdrawn from running the institute; she now lived as a simple sister in humility and modesty.

Act

At the age of fifty she asked Pope Leo XIII in several letters . to renew the Church through a return to the Holy Spirit. Between 1895 and 1903 she sent twelve confidential letters to the Pope, calling for a renewal of sermons on the Holy Spirit. With the encyclical " Divinum illud munus " of May 9, 1897, Pope Leo XIII. finally responding to these requests and suggestions. Sister Elena was satisfied, but disappointed the low response from the bishops in the Catholic Church.

Adoration

In the following years of the new century, exactly since 1901, reports of a "pouring out of the Holy Spirit" were reported from several parts of the world. On the first day of the twentieth century there was an event in Topeka, Texas that marked the beginning of a great revival in the power and gifts of the Holy Ghost. Likewise, a student is said to have been given the power to pray in different languages while praying to the Holy Spirit, which is said to have passed on to the other students and priests .

Pentecostal churches

In 1906 there were reports of further "outpourings of the Holy Spirit", particularly in the USA . The later “ Pentecostal Churches ” were derived from this “Pentecostal illumination ”, for them the blessed Helena is the starting point of a charismatic renewal in the Catholic Church.

Name and Beatification

The first name Helena, derived from the Greek, means "the shining one" or "shining one", her feast day is April 11th (day of death). The Pope John XXIII. The first beatification carried out on April 26, 1959 was of Helena Guerra, at the same time he called her " Apostle of the Holy Spirit" and " Missionary of the worship of the Holy Spirit today".

literature

  • Beate Beckmann-Zöller: Women move the Popes: Hildegard von Bingen, Birgitta of Sweden, Caterina of Siena, Mary Ward, Elena Guerra, Edith Stein. Life and letters . Sankt-Ulrich-Verlag, Augsburg 2010, ISBN 978-3-86744-145-2 ; therein the chapter Elena Guerra. The “Maid of the Holy Spirit” as a harbinger for the new Pentecost in the 20th century , pp. 185–203.
  • Ekkart Sauser :  Guerra, Elena. In: Biographisch-Bibliographisches Kirchenlexikon (BBKL). Volume 16, Bautz, Herzberg 1999, ISBN 3-88309-079-4 , Sp. 633-634.  ( Article / beginning of article in Internet archive )
  • Vinson Synan: Voices of Pentecost: Testimonies of Lives Touched by the Holy Spirit . Vine Books, Ann Arbor 2003, ISBN 1-56955-283-5 , pp. 67-69.
  • Renata Taddioli: Sel Elena Guerra the pearl from Lucca - Apostle of the Holy Spirit - The wife of the New Pentecost and the Upper Room (translated from Italian by Franca and Ignaz Gruber) . Ed .: Ekkehard Edel. 1st edition. Danielis Verlag, Alzenau / Ufr. 2005, p. 15-116 .

Footnotes

  1. ↑ Vinson Synan: Voices of Pentecost: Testimonies of Lives Touched by the Holy Spirit . Vine Books, Ann Arbor 2003, p. 67.
  2. ↑ Beate Beckmann-Zöller: Women move the Popes: Hildegard von Bingen, Birgitta of Sweden, Caterina of Siena, Mary Ward, Elena Guerra, Edith Stein. Life and letters . Sankt-Ulrich-Verlag, Augsburg 2010, p. 198.

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Guerra, Helena
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Guerra, Elena
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Italian sister and founder of the order
DATE OF BIRTH June 23, 1835
PLACE OF BIRTH Lucca , Italy
DATE OF DEATH April 11, 1914
Place of death Lucca