Historic St. Mary's Church

06/07/2026

06/07/2026

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06/06/2026

St. Norbert founded the Premonstratensians, also known as the Norbertines, in France during the 12th century.

He based the Norbertines on principles of both the Rule of St. Augustine and the Cistercians, blending the pastoral practices of the Rule, with the austere practices of the Cistercians.

Later in his life, he became Archbishop of Magdeburg, where he combined his ministry with personal contemplative prayer to renew faith in the diocese.

06/05/2026

St. Boniface was a Benedictine monk who dedicated his life to building the Catholic Church in Germany in the 700s. Originally from England, he was sent to continental Europe to serve as a missionary in the eighth century.

Boniface came to Germany in the middle of many regional wars, a situation that he would try to stabilize in his preaching. While he worked to convert the pagans in Germany, many sects vied for Boniface’s loyalty, but he remained loyal to the pope and the Church.

In 754, he was martyred by one of the groups he had worked with for years. Every year there are celebrations for his feast in Germany, Netherlands, and England.

06/04/2026

St. Elizabeth Hesselblad was born into a Lutheran family in Sweden in 1870. In 1888, she moved to the United States to study nursing, and in 1902, she converted to the Catholic faith while living in Washington, D.C.

After her conversion, she returned to Europe, and during a pilgrimage to Rome, she visited the house of St. Bridget of Sweden. From this experience, she decided to start a new branch of the Briggitines that focused on Christian unity and caring for the sick.

This community was founded in the 1930s and remains the largest group of Briggitines in the world today. They remain dedicated to the charisms which Elizabeth emphasized in her establishment of a new branch of Briggitines: Christian unity and caring for the sick.

During World War II, Elizabeth helped shelter Jews and other racially-oppressed peoples. For her actions during the war, she is now recognized as one of the Righteous Among the Nations: a list of non-Jews who provided care to Jews during World War II at the risk of their own life.