Joseph Savelberg

After his ordination, Father Savelberg first taught at the Episcopal College (Bisschoppelijk College) in Roermond from 1853 to 1856. In 1856, he became rector of the Franciscan Sisters of Heythuysen and exercised his ministry at the girls' boarding school in Nonnenwerth, near Bonn, Germany. Recalled by his bishop in 1863, he was appointed vicar in Schaesberg, and then, in 1865, vicar of the Saint Pancras parish (Sint-Pancratiuskerk) in Heerlen.

Confronted with the growing poverty of the rural population of Limburg, alcoholism, and the seasonal exodus of workers to Germany and Belgium, he first founded a branch of the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul. In 1867, he opened a hospice (gasthuis) in Heerlen to welcome destitute orphans and the elderly.

To perpetuate and develop this work of charity, he founded two religious institutes: 1. The Little Sisters of Saint Joseph (Kleine Zusters van de Heilige Joseph), founded on June 21, 1872. This Franciscan-inspired female congregation is dedicated to the care of the elderly, the sick, the mentally disabled, and the education of orphans. 2. The Brothers of Saint Joseph (Broeders van de Heilige Joseph), founded in 1874 to perform similar tasks for men and boys.

Inspired by German religious fleeing the Kulturkampf, Savelberg structured his foundations according to the rule of the Third Order of Saint Francis. Released from his parish duties in 1879, he devoted himself entirely to the direction of his congregations. In 1904, in collaboration with the physician Frans de Wever, he initiated the creation of the Saint Joseph Hospital (Sint-Jozefziekenhuis) in Heerlen, whose nursing care was entrusted to his sisters. That same year, he was named a Secret Chamberlain to the Pope (Monsignor) by Pope Pius X.

After his death on February 11, 1907, in Heerlen, the reputation of holiness of Joseph Savelberg continued to grow. The beatification process was opened at the diocesan level by the Diocese of Roermond in 1932. The informative process officially began on February 15, 1934, and concluded on May 29, 1936. The decree on his writings was approved on March 1, 1955, and the cause was officially introduced in Rome on April 29, 1959. After the examination of the Positio submitted in 1980, the heroic virtues of the Servant of God were recognized.

On November 28, 1988, Pope John Paul II promulgated the decree recognizing the heroic virtues of Joseph Savelberg, thereby conferring upon him the title of Venerable. For his beatification to be pronounced, the official recognition of a miracle attributed to his intercession is required by the Catholic Church. To this day, the cause is still ongoing at the stage of venerability.

The spirituality of Joseph Savelberg is based on an active and humble charity, summarized by his motto: "Helpen waar niemand helpt" ("Helping where no one helps"). His foundations are characterized by simplicity of life, manual labor, and absolute dedication to the most marginalized (orphans, the elderly, people suffering from dementia or epilepsy). Under his impetus and that of his successors, the congregations developed internationally. As early as 1887, a first establishment took place in Belgium (notably in Lanaken in 1888). Subsequently, the sisters and brothers extended their missionary work to China, Indonesia (Irian Jaya from 1938), Kenya (from 1963), and Tanzania. Although numbers have declined sharply in Europe at the end of the 20th century, the congregations remain active in Africa and Asia. In Heerlen, his original room is preserved within the former monastery on Gasthuisstraat, and his tomb, initially located in a chapel built in 1959, was transferred to the Saint Pancras Church in Heerlen, where it continues to be the object of local devotion.