beatification date

31.05.2025

the RC Pope Leo XIVmore on
ordynariat.wp.mil.pl
[access: 2025.08.19]

function

nun

creed

Latin (Roman Catholic) Church RCmore on
en.wikipedia.org
[access: 2014.09.21]

congregation

Congregation of the Sisters of st Catherine the Virgin and Martyr CSCmore on
pl.wikipedia.org
[access: 2013.05.19]
(i.e. Sisters of St Catherine)

diocese / province

Warmia diocesemore on
en.wikipedia.org
[access: 2018.09.02]

nationality

German

date and place
of death

30.05.1945

Ornetatoday: Orneta gm., Lidzbark Warmiński pov., Warmia‐Masuria voiv., Poland
more on
en.wikipedia.org
[access: 2022.01.28]

alt. dates and places
of death

30.06.1945

details of death

cause of death

extermination: rape and murder

perpetrators

Russians

sites and events

Mass rapes in 1945Click to display the description, Ribbentrop‐MolotovClick to display the description, Pius XI's encyclicalsClick to display the description

date and place
of birth

02.09.1918

Wola Wilknickatoday: Lelkowo gm., Braniewo pov., Warmia‐Masuria voiv., Poland
more on
en.wikipedia.org
[access: 2022.01.28]

parents

STEFFEN Anthony
🞲 ?, ? — 🕆 ?, ?

GRAF Claire
🞲 ?, ? — 🕆 ?, ?

religious vows

26.10.1939 (temporary)

positions held

others related
in death

ABRAHAMClick to display biography Mary (Sr Mary Rolanda), ANGRICKClick to display biography Rosalie (Sr Mary Sabinella), BOLZClick to display biography Mary (Sr Mary Generosa), BÖNIGKClick to display biography Agatha Euphemia (Sr Mary Adelgarda), DOMNIKClick to display biography Mary (Sr Mary Liberia), FAHLClick to display biography Hedwig (Sr Mary Caritina), KLOMFASSClick to display biography Martha (Sr Mary Christophora), MARGENFELDClick to display biography Mary (Sr Mary Mauritia), MISCHKEClick to display biography Cecilia (Sr Mary Tiburtia), MÜLLERClick to display biography Catherine Elisabeth (Sr Mary Leonis), PESTKAClick to display biography Anne (Sr Mary Bona), RAUTENBERGClick to display biography Barbara (Sr Mary Secundina), ROHWEDDERClick to display biography Mary (Sr Mary Xaveria), SCHRÖTERClick to display biography Mary (Sr Mary Gebharda), SKIBOWSKAClick to display biography Claire Anne (Sr Mary Aniceta)

sites and events
descriptions

Mass rapes in 1945: During capture in 1944‐1945 of pre‐war German territories and territories incorporated into Germany in 1939 after German invasion of Poland Russian soldiers committed mass, often multiple, rapes on mainly German, but also Polish, women. Up to 2 mln women might have been violated, from 8 to 80 or more years old. Many were murdered as a consequence. Rapes were prob. tolerated if not encouraged by Russian military and civilian NKVD commanders. (more on: en.wikipedia.orgClick to attempt to display webpage
[access: 2015.03.01])

Ribbentrop‐Molotov: Genocidal Russian‐German alliance pact between Russian leader Joseph Stalin and German leader Adolf Hitler signed on 23.08.1939 in Moscow by respective foreign ministers, Mr. Vyacheslav Molotov for Russia and Joachim von Ribbentrop for Germany. The pact sanctioned and was the direct cause of joint Russian and German invasion of Poland and the outbreak of the World War II in 09.1939. In a political sense, the pact was an attempt to restore the status quo ante before 1914, with one exception, namely the „commercial” exchange of the so‐called „Kingdom of Poland”, which in 1914 was part of the Russian Empire, fore Eastern Galicia (today's western Ukraine), in 1914 belonging to the Austro‐Hungarian Empire. Galicia, including Lviv, was to be taken over by the Russians, the „Kingdom of Poland” — under the name of the General Governorate — Germany. The resultant „war was one of the greatest calamities and dramas of humanity in history, for two atheistic and anti‐Christian ideologies — national and international socialism — rejected God and His fifth Decalogue commandment: Thou shall not kill!” (Abp Stanislav Gądecki, 01.09.2019). The decisions taken — backed up by the betrayal of the formal allies of Poland, France and Germany, which on 12.09.1939, at a joint conference in Abbeville, decided not to provide aid to attacked Poland and not to take military action against Germany (a clear breach of treaty obligations with Poland) — were on 28.09.1939 slightly altered and made more precise when a treaty on „German‐Russian boundaries and friendship” was agreed by the same murderous signatories. One of its findings was establishment of spheres of influence in Central and Eastern Europe and in consequence IV partition of Poland. In one of its secret annexes agreed, that: „the Signatories will not tolerate on its respective territories any Polish propaganda that affects the territory of the other Side. On their respective territories they will suppress all such propaganda and inform each other of the measures taken to accomplish it”. The agreements resulted in a series of meeting between two genocidal organization representing both sides — German Gestapo and Russian NKVD when coordination of efforts to exterminate Polish intelligentsia and Polish leading classes (in Germany called «Intelligenzaktion», in Russia took the form of Katyń massacres) where discussed. Resulted in deaths of hundreds of thousands of Polish intelligentsia, including thousands of priests presented here, and tens of millions of ordinary people,. The results of this Russian‐German pact lasted till 1989 and are still in evidence even today. (more on: en.wikipedia.orgClick to attempt to display webpage
[access: 2015.09.30])

Pius XI's encyclicals: Facing the creation of two totalitarian systems in Europe, which seemed to compete with each other, though there were more similarities than contradictions between them, Pope Pius XI issued in 03.1937 (within 5 days) two encyclicals. In the „Mit brennender Sorge” (Eng. „With Burning Concern”) published on 14.03.1938, condemned the national socialism prevailing in Germany. The Pope wrote: „Whoever, following the old Germanic‐pre‐Christian beliefs, puts various impersonal fate in the place of a personal God, denies the wisdom of God and Providence […], whoever exalts earthly values: race or nation, or state, or state system, representatives of state power or other fundamental values of human society, […] and makes them the highest standard of all values, including religious ones, and idolizes them, this one […] is far from true faith in God and from a worldview corresponding to such faith”. On 19.03.1937, published „Divini Redemptoris” (Eng. „Divine Redeemer”), in which criticized Russian communism, dialectical materialism and the class struggle theory. The Pope wrote: „Communism deprives man of freedom, and therefore the spiritual basis of all life norms. It deprives the human person of all his dignity and any moral support with which he could resist the onslaught of blind passions […] This is the new gospel that Bolshevik and godless communism preaches as a message of salvation and redemption of humanity”… Pius XI demanded that the established human law be subjected to the natural law of God , recommended the implementation of the ideal of a Christian state and society, and called on Catholics to resist. Two years later, National Socialist Germany and Communist Russia came together and started World War II. (more on: www.vatican.vaClick to attempt to display webpage
[access: 2023.05.28], www.vatican.vaClick to attempt to display webpage
[access: 2023.05.28])

sources

personal:
gross-kleeberg.deClick to attempt to display webpage
[access: 2013.05.19], newsaints.faithweb.comClick to attempt to display webpage
[access: 2013.06.23], katarzynki.org.plClick to attempt to display webpage
[access: 2015.03.01], www.studiawarminskie.uwm.edu.plClick to attempt to display webpage
[access: 2014.03.21]
original images:
katarzynki.org.plClick to attempt to display webpage
[access: 2015.03.01]