Maria of the Apostles
| Blessed Maria Therese von Wüllenweber | |
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c. 1900.
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| Nun; Virgin | |
| Born |
19 February 1833 Mönchengladbach, Düsseldorf, German Confederation |
| Died | 25 December 1907 (aged 74) Rome, Kingdom of Italy |
| Venerated in | Roman Catholic Church |
| Beatified | 13 October 1968, Saint Peter's Basilica, Vatican City by Pope Paul VI |
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Blessed Maria Therese von Wüllenweber (19 February 1833 – 25 December 1907) was a German Roman Catholic nun. She established the Sisters of the Divine Savior – also referred to as the Salvatorian Sisters – with the assistance of the priest Venerable Francis Mary of the Cross Jordan, founder of the Salvatorians. She later assumed the name of "Maria of the Apostles" following her solemn profession as a nun.
She was beatified on 13 October 1968 after Pope Paul VI recognized two miracles attributed to her intercession.
Maria Therese von Wüllenweber was born in 1833 as the eldest of five daughters to Baron Theodore von Wüllenweber. She was a spiritual child and felt drawn to religious life with a desire to join the missions. The Benedictines of Liege in Belgium as well as private tutors oversaw her education until the age of fifteen. She also desired to learn the Italian language.
She entered the convent at the age of 24 in Blumenthal - against the wishes of her father but with the assent of her mother - and held positions in such convents in Warendort and later in Orleans in France. She soon realized her vocation was not as that of a teacher and so left religious life in March 1863 to return home where she cultivated a devotion to the Sacred Heart. She was later involved for a brief period with the Sisters of the Visitation but it was not until 1868 that she became a member of the Congregation of Perpetual Adoration in Brussels. It was there that she began to work with the poor. Throughout her travels she also met Arnold Janssen - future saint.
In 1870 she returned home after a long period of work where she met Johann Baptist Jordan in mid 1882. With him she established the Sisters of the Divine Savior on 8 December 1888 as the new order's first superior in Tivoli.
She died on Christmas in 1907 in Rome.
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