Hesselblad Elisabetta

Hesselblad, Elisabetta Maria (Mother) Mother Elisabetta Maria, b.1870, was the Mother Superior of the Monastery of the Order of Salvatore di Santa Brigida in Piazza Farnese in Rome. In that Monastery, which she founded, she offered refuge to twelve members of the Piperno-Sed families, from December 1943 until June 4, 1944, when Rome was liberated. After the German occupation of Italy on September 8, 1943, the Piperno-Sed families left the capital and wandered in the countryside surrounding Siena. They were absent from Rome on October 16, 1943 when the Germans seized Jews to be deported to Auschwitz. Nevertheless, after several weeks away, they decided to return to their hometown, hoping to find there a safe place to hide. A friend of the family recommended the Monastery of Salvatore di Santa Brigida. The nuns were cooperative and the first members of the family moved in on December 5th, with the rest to follow a few days later.In January 1944, one of the members of the family, Wanda Sed, born in Rome in 1901, was summoned to Mother Superior Hesselblad’s office, and questioned about her family and its real reasons for seeking refuge in the monastery. Wanda revealed the truth, and this meeting was a turning-point since from that moment on all the nuns treated the family with special care and affection. They were also very discreet and respectful. Mother Superior Elisabetta Maria Hesselblad revealed herself as a charismatic personality who took great risks in saving them and helping other persons in need. At the monastery, Mother Elisabetta Maria organized a center of assistance for the needy, using her connections to obtain extra food provisions and clothing and other necessities of life. She cooperated with the Vatican and the director of the Swedish Institute in Rome. Among the fugitives she assisted were two Gentiles, a painter and a Naval officer, who needed refuge for political reasons. The children of the Piperno-Sed families were then 18, 16 and 8years-old and were impressed by the openness of Mother Elisabetta Maria who never tried to convince them to convert, on the contrary, insisting that they their Hebrew prayers and fulfill other obligations of their religion. After the war, the rescued Jews retained a vivid memory of their benefactor, regarding themselves very fortunate to have met such an outstanding person. Many still lived to witness with great joy the beatification of Mother Elisabetta Maria by the Catholic Church in April 2000. On August 9, 2004, Yad Vashem recognized Mother Maria Elisabetta Hesselblad as Righteous Among the Nations.