Marge Van Lierde, the niece of Blessed Zdenka Schelingova, will be in Holy Cross Chapel, 1500 O’ Day Street, Merrill, on May 5 at 2 p.m. to tell the story of this courageous and faith-filled woman.
She’ll take you back to 1916, to the Slovak village and the large family into which Blessed Zdenka was born one Christmas Eve, and explain how she came to make her decision to become a Sister of Mercy of the Holy Cross at the age of 15.
Caught up in seeing the church persecuted by the Communists, she began her perilous journey in an effort to save a priest she was caring for at the hospital from possible death. Van Lierde who lives in Northern Virginia will give examples of Sister Zdenka’s courage and strong faith during three years of brutal torture and imprisonment. In 2003, Sister Zdenka was beatified by Pope John Paul II in Bratislava, Slovak Republic.
There will be time for questions and a display of artifacts and prayer leaflets. For more information contact Russ Mancl, Director of Communications for the Holy Cross Sisters at 715-539-1464. The presentation is made possible by a FAME Grant through the Holy Cross Sisters as part of their centennial celebration.