Today, January 18, is the memorial of Blessed Regina Protmann.
Foundress of the Sisters of Saint Catherine.
Regina was born to wealthy merchants Peter Protmann and Regina Tingels in 1552 in modern-day Poland. She grew up aware of the political and religious situation of her time, which were the years of the Protestant Reformation and the Catholic Counter Reformation.
At age 19 she gave up her wealth and fortune to live in a community that devoted itself to the care of the sick and the poor. With her like-minded companions, Regina lived in an abandoned house and earned a living with her community doing housework.
This led to the foundation of the Sisters of Saint Catherine, Virgin and Martyr which expanded its mission to educating the young. Regina initially wrote the congregation’s rule and placed them under the patronage of St. Catherine of Alexandria. Since then, Regina and her group cared for the sick, especially the victims of the European plague, and even trained nurses. The Sisters continue their work today with 120 communities in Europe, Africa and South America.
She died of natural causes in 1613. Pope St. John Paul II beatified Regina in 1999.