Bl. Maria Theresa Scherer
On October 31, 1825, Catherine Scherer was born in Meggen, Canton Luzern, Switzerland. She was the fourth of Charles Scherer and Anna Maria Sigrist’s seven children. “My parents were poor, but they were good and Christian,” Mother Maria Theresa said of her parents. Her father passed away in 1833, forcing her family to confront the harsh facts of life. Owing to financial difficulties because of his death, she moved in with her relatives, the Sigrist family, where she was cared for by an elderly woman.
Catherine’s character was shaped by her religious upbringing, her seven years of education, and the routine of farm life.
She spent a few years working at the town hospital, which was managed by the Sisters of Mercy of Besancon.
At the age of 19, Catherine joined a newly established Holy Cross congregation founded by Fr. Theodosius Florentini OFM. Cap., deciding to dedicate her life to helping the children, the ill, and the impoverished. She took her first vow as Sr. Maria Theresa on October 27, 1845, and was one of the original five members. She started out as a teacher. God had a different purpose for her, even though she enjoyed teaching. She was summoned to Chur by Fr. Theodosius in 1852, where she was given the duty of hospital administration.
The community was split into two groups in 1856 according to their apostolates, which mostly involved teaching and healing. In 1857 at their Motherhouse in Ingenbohl, Sisters of Mercy of the Holy Cross chose her as the first Mother General.
Mother Maria Theresa, the co-founderess, provided life and growth to an endangered institute with her vibrant personality after the founder’s untimely death.
After a torturous illness that she endured with remarkable fortitude, she passed away in Ingenbohl on June 16, 1888. On October 29, 1995, Pope John Paul II beatified her.