Anna Maria Katherina Scherer

Called to manage a hospice in Näfels and later the Planaterra Hospital in Chur, she participated in 1855 in the establishment of the motherhouse in Ingenbohl. In 1856, the charitable branch became autonomous under the name Sisters of Charity of the Holy Cross of Ingenbohl, and she became its first Superior General in 1857. She overcame severe financial crises after the death of Father Florentini in 1865 and preserved the active identity of the congregation in the face of an attempt to transform it into a contemplative order in 1872-1873. Under her leadership, the institute expanded massively in Switzerland, Germany, and Austria.

Afflicted by a stomach tumor in 1887, she endured her sufferings with patience before passing away on June 16, 1888, in Ingenbohl. Her reputation for holiness led to the opening of her cause. Her spiritual writings were approved in 1942, and the informative process opened in the Diocese of Chur in 1949 under Pius XII, conferring upon her the title of Servant of God. She was proclaimed Venerable by John Paul II on April 2, 1993.

Following the validation in 1992 of a scientifically inexplicable healing obtained through her intercession, the decree of the miracle was signed on December 23, 1993. On October 29, 1995, Pope John Paul II celebrated her beatification in St. Peter's Basilica in Rome, alongside Maria Bernarda Bütler and Marguerite Bays. Her liturgical feast is set for June 16.

Nicknamed the "Mother of the Poor," her spirituality rests on union with the crucified Christ and abandonment to Providence, illustrated by her maxim: "One must have one's hand at work and one's heart near to God." She lived according to the spiritual testament of Father Florentini: "In necessary things, unity; in doubt, liberty; in all things, charity." Today, the Sisters of Ingenbohl continue her mission of mercy throughout the world.