Zdenka Schelingová, martyr (1916–1955)

Biography

Slovak nun and nurse, Zdenka Schelingová suffered imprisonment and torture for helping priests persecuted by the communist regime. As a Sister of Charity of the Holy Cross she cared for the sick with competence and tenderness in Bratislava. In 1952 she facilitated the escape of a hospitalized priest and, after a police trap, was sentenced to twelve years in prison. The mistreatment destroyed his health; Released so that she would not die in prison, she died shortly after, forgiving those who had made her suffer.