Maria Crescentia Höss

In 1707, the election of a new superior put an end to her mistreatment. From 1709 onwards, Maria Crescentia was entrusted with important responsibilities within the monastery. She was first appointed portress (tourière), a position in which she displayed immense charity toward the poor and visitors.

From 1726 to 1741, she served as mistress of novices. There, she demonstrated great spiritual discernment and profound wisdom in guiding young candidates. In 1741, despite her reluctance and attempts to refuse, she was elected superior of the community.

During her three years as superior, she acted as a true "second founder" of the Mayerhoff monastery. She undertook a profound reform of community life, centered on poverty and virtue. Very selective regarding new vocations, she stated: "God wants a convent rich in virtues, not in temporal goods." Her program of renewal was based on absolute trust in Divine Providence, the love of silence, fidelity to common life, and a fervent devotion to the Eucharist, the Virgin Mary, and Jesus crucified.

Maria Crescentia Höss was favored with numerous mystical experiences and visions that she revealed only out of obedience to her spiritual directors. Her most famous vision is that of the Holy Spirit, who appeared to her as a young man of great beauty, dressed in a white robe and surrounded by seven flames. In 1727-1728, her superiors had this representation painted by an artist, and the image spread rapidly throughout the region, sparking great popular devotion. (Although in 1745, after her death, Pope Benedict XIV prohibited anthropomorphic representations of the Holy Spirit in the form of a young man through the bull Sollicitudini Nostrae, this in no way tarnished the nun's reputation for holiness).

Her wisdom and sound advice extended far beyond the walls of her convent. She maintained a vast correspondence and advised people of all conditions, including bishops, cardinals, and princes, such as the Elector and Archbishop of Cologne, Clement Augustus of Bavaria.

Afflicted with serious health problems and paralysis at the end of her life, she endured her sufferings in union with the Passion of Christ. She passed away on April 5, 1744, on Easter Sunday, in Kaufbeuren. Immediately after her death, an immense pilgrimage movement developed around her tomb, attracting up to 70,000 pilgrims per year.

The process for her official recognition began after her death, supported by testimonies of numerous healings and by the insistence of prominent figures of the time. Maria Crescentia Höss was beatified on October 7, 1900, by Pope Leo XIII during a solemn ceremony in Rome. A century later, after the recognition of the required miracles, she was canonized on November 25, 2001, by Pope John Paul II in Saint Peter's Square in Rome. During her canonization, the Pope emphasized that she is a "banner" for the Church in Germany and a model of unwavering trust in God.

The spirituality of Saint Maria Crescentia Höss is deeply rooted in the Franciscan tradition of contemplation and evangelical poverty. For her, the true teacher of religious life is "Jesus on the Cross." She left a legacy of peace, silence, and active charity. Her legacy is particularly alive at the monastery of Kaufbeuren (today Crescentiakloster), where her relics are still venerated. Her tomb has become a place of ecumenical gathering, where Christians of different denominations (Catholics and Protestants) come to pray together, perpetuating her role as a counselor and peacemaker.