Emanuela Maria Maddalena Kalb

In 1927, she entered the Congregation of the Sisters Canonesses of the Holy Spirit in Krakow under the name Sister Emanuela. She held numerous responsibilities there: novice mistress, house superior, school principal, and secretary general. Afflicted by a progressive loss of hearing that left her completely deaf in 1957, she withdrew into contemplative prayer and spiritual correspondence in Krakow, where she died on January 18, 1986.

The cause for beatification of Sister Emanuela Kalb was opened in the Archdiocese of Krakow, with a diocesan inquiry conducted from 2001 to 2003. Her spiritual diary was examined by the Congregation for the Causes of Saints. On November 28, 2013, the theological consultants highlighted the heroic nature of her life within the context of Nazi and Communist persecutions in Poland.

On December 14, 2015, Pope Francis authorized the promulgation of the decree recognizing the heroic nature of her virtues, conferring upon her the title of Venerable. For her beatification, the official recognition of a miracle attributed to her intercession is required, none having yet been approved to this day.

Sister Emanuela's spirituality is marked by her dual Jewish and Christian heritage. She offered her life for her people of origin in 1941, during the Shoah, so that they might recognize Christ. She also offered her deafness, experienced as a union with the Crucified One, and prayed intensely for the sanctification of priests. Her Spiritual Journal bears witness to her mystical life. She rests in the Church of Saint Thomas the Apostle in Krakow.