Pilgrimage of Honor

a travelogue by sisters lorita kristufek & roselyn kuzma

Sisters Lorita Kristufek and Roselyn Kuzma traveled to Prague in May 2018 to attend the International Conference for the Beatification of Sister Eliška Pretschnerová. Prior to her death in 1993, Sister Eliška served as a multi-term general minister of our international congregation, seeing our sisters through the horrors of Communism in Europe. Here, Sisters Lorita and Roselyn share the highlights of their time abroad.

As soon as we arrived in Prague in May 2018, we were warmly greeted by our sisters and, that very evening, joined a group of young men and women to pray for vocations, as they do every Monday. The next few days found us at gravesites and churches, including the Capuchin Monastery and the Infant of Prague. At the Vltava River in Prague, the Charles Bridge and all its beautiful statues made for wonderful sightseeing.

In the early morning of May 19, we boarded a bus to Hradec Králové, where the International Conference for Beatification was held. Sister Zdislava Nosková, postulator for Sister Eliška’s cause, warmly greeted us. In the current stage of the lengthy and intense beatification process, Sister Zdislava is charged with collecting from those who encountered Sister Eliška testimony to serve as evidence of her holiness.

The large room was filled with lay people and many sisters from the Czech and Slovak Provinces. A Sister from Gratz, Austria, also attended and shared her testimony.

There were many speakers and also a play of Sister Eliška’s life presented by young professional actors. As witnesses of Sister Eliška’s process, we were asked to share our personal stories with members of the Tribunal. It was a real honor to share in the cause of our dear Sister Eliška.

The next day, we traveled to Slatiňany for a special Mass and brunch on the Feast of Pentecost. On a long hall were pictures depicting Sister Eliška’s life. Sister Roselyn was delighted to see among the artifacts a letter and card she’d received from Sister and seven pictures she took while visiting with her in 1987 in Hoješín, Czech Republic.

The group then went to Sister Eliška’s gravesite, where the sisters prayed and sang. We drove to the churches of her Baptism and First Communion, as well as to the primary school she attended. We then said our goodbyes, and the Slovak sisters took Sister Roselyn to Slovakia to visit her cousins. Her grandmother came to America in 1902 before her baby brother John was born. Her grandmother never returned to Slovakia, and John never came to America so the siblings never met. Sister Roselyn bridged the gap more than a century later by staying at the family home of John’s son, Stefan.

Sister Lorita did some visiting, as well, with family in the village of Blatnička in Moravia. Sister first spent time with Sister Eliška in 1974 while Sister Eliška was under house arrest during Communism. At that time, Sister Lorita took her grandmother, Agnes Marek Kristufek, to visit family she hadn’t seen in 61 years!

Living and praying with our sisters and family members and taking part in the beautification process of Sister Eliška will always be a gift to remember. We will always be deeply grateful to our congregation for this privileged time of pilgrimage with our sisters in the Czech and Slovak Provinces.

Who Was Sister Eliška?

Born in 1911 in Czechoslovakia, Anna Pretschnerová made vows in 1932 and was given the name Sister Eliška. Her education was halted in 1945 when Communist forces closed the Second World War College, but she managed to continue her studies by other means. During the rise of Communism and the forced internment of religious and seizure of their properties, Sister worked openly as a nurse and clandestinely as a leader to help others keep faith. When interrogated by the occupying regime, she accepted all blame for forbidden religious activities.

Sister was appointed provincial leader in 1954 and, during temporary liberation in the late 1960s, she helped to establish the Secretariat of the Religious Communities and pioneer liturgical reform. In 1970, she began two terms as General Superior of our international congregation and, upon return to her home country, again was subjected to humiliating interrogations. The Vatican managed to convince state officials to let her return to Rome to serve. Sister died in 1993, and the beatification process began in 2001.