While much darkness occurred during World War II, there were also numerous pockets of light.
One such ray of light was the heroic action of Mother Riccarda Beauchamp Hambrough.
On January 27, Pope Francis recognized her "heroic virtues" and officially declared her, "venerable."
Who was Mother Maria Riccarda?
The Dicastery of Saints' website explains that she "was born in London on September 10, 1887, and was baptized into the Anglican religion, but after a short time her family, of noble origins, converted to Catholicism."
She was educated in a Catholic school and had a desire at an early age to join a religious order.
Her spiritual director referred her to St. Elizabeth Hesselblad, who was reconstituting the Order of the Most Holy Savior founded by St. Bridget of Sweden.
She then traveled to Italy in 1914 with St. Elizabeth and entered religious life that year, making perpetual vows in 1918.
For several years she traveled with St. Elizabeth to found new communities, with their motherhouse remaining in Rome.
During World War II, Maria Riccarda protected many Jewish families by hiding them in the convent.
Maria Riccarda also had a deep devotion to the Eucharist and was elected superior of her religious order after St. Elizabeth's death.
Mother Riccarda served as the superior for many years, dying in 1966.
Her life and heroic virtues remain an inspiration to many.
Righteous Among the Nations
Meanwhile, St. Elizabeth was recognized in 2004 by Yad Vashem as one of the Righteous Among the Nations.
Mother Elizabeth died April 24, 1957, in Rome, of natural causes. She was beatified April 9, 2000, by Pope John Paul II, and canonized by Pope Francis in 2016.
She too was instrumental in saving Jews from the Nazi terror.
For the 12 members of the Piperno and Sed families, salvation came through a little wooden door, attached to the church of St. Brigid in Rome’s Plaza Farnese. And it came because of the courage of Mother Elizabeth.
“When she welcomed us in this house,” Piperno told Aleteia in a interview, “Blessed Mother Elizabeth told us that we should follow our religious traditions. It was uncommon in that time for a representative of the Church to say that.”
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