With the Beatification of Helena Stollenwerk, Co-Founder of the Missionary Servants of the Holy Spirit, on May 7, 1995, the Church proclaimed that this 19th century woman has a message for us today.

If we want to deepen in the spirituality and charism of the SSpS Missionaries, we must allow ourselves to be inspired by the life and spiritual legacy of the missionary life of Maria Helena Stollenwerk, cofoundress, together with Josefa Hendrina Stenmanns, of the Missionary Sisters Servants of the Holy Spirit, under the direction of Arnoldo Janssen, the founder of the Steyl Missionary family.

As we come into contact with her life story, we sense a fascinating personality, with an openness of heart and a warmth of love that surpass the moralizing spirituality of the last century. This woman, who did not have high studies, trusted her own intuition despite the opposition of those who tried to lead her away from her path. As she remained faithful, walking in fidelity, she experienced more and more the breadth of the heart and the immeasurable love of God. .

May the reading and reflection of this material encourage us to live and radiate the spirituality of Sr. Maria Helena Stollenwerk, in the here and now of our time.