Marie Vojtěcha Hasmandová

During the Second World War, Sister Marie Vojtěcha taught in Třeboň and Frýdlant, then worked as a nurse at the hospital in Slaný, caring for wounded soldiers with dedication. After the war, she became a school principal in Brno-Líšeň from 1945 to 1949. In 1950, she was appointed superior of the Neumanneum house in Prachatice, in Southern Bohemia. It was during this time that the Czechoslovak communist regime launched a violent campaign of repression against the Catholic Church and religious orders. Showing immense courage, Sister Marie Vojtěcha agreed to hide a Franciscan priest sought by the secret police (StB), Father Remigius Janča, within the convent. Betrayed, she was arrested on September 10, 1952. After a year of pre-trial detention, she was sentenced on September 19, 1953, by the regional court of České Budějovice to eight years in prison for "espionage on behalf of the Vatican" and "high treason." She served her sentence in the prisons of Pardubice and Prague-Pankrác. Despite the extremely harsh conditions of detention and the tuberculosis she contracted there, she remained a spiritual and moral support for her fellow inmates, radiating joy and forgiving her persecutors. She was released on May 10, 1960, under a general amnesty. To avoid attracting the attention of the secret police, her superior sent her to Vidnava, in Northern Moravia, where she worked for ten years in a charity house. In 1969, she became the local superior there. On July 8, 1970, she was elected Superior General of her congregation. Reelected in 1976 and 1982, she led the institute for nearly 18 years. Under her leadership, she implemented the reforms of the Second Vatican Council while protecting the community from communist oppression, secretly fostering nearly 50 religious vocations and providing material and spiritual support to numerous priests and seminarians.

Afflicted with lung cancer, Sister Marie Vojtěcha passed away in the odor of sanctity on January 21, 1988, in Znojmo-Hradiště. Her funeral, celebrated on January 28, 1988, under the surveillance of the secret police, brought together more than 500 people and 120 priests, becoming a silent demonstration of the vitality of the Church. On November 26, 1996, the Bishop of Brno, Msgr. Vojtěch Cikrle, officially opened the diocesan process for her beatification. The Roman phase began in 2004 when the file was transmitted to the Congregation for the Causes of Saints at the Vatican.

On December 6, 2014, Pope Francis authorized the promulgation of the decree recognizing the heroic nature of her virtues, thus conferring upon her the title of Venerable. The cause for beatification is currently underway, awaiting the official recognition of a miracle attributed to her intercession.

The spirituality of Marie Vojtěcha Hasmandová rests on an absolute trust in Divine Mercy and a total submission to the will of God. Her prison letters, published under the title Jsem v dlani Boží ("I am in the hand of God"), bear witness to an extraordinary inner freedom and a profound joy that never left her, even in the darkest trials. She leaves a strong spiritual testament, summarized by her famous words: "Do not disappoint the expectation of heaven and earth! Persevere in love and sacrifice! God is worth it..." (Vytrvejte v lásce a oběti! Bůh stojí za to!). Her legacy endures through the works of her congregation and the testimony of her heroic fidelity in the face of the totalitarianisms of the 20th century.