SAINT OF THE DAY - St. Crescentia Hoess

St. Crescentia Hoess

She was born at Kaufbeuren, in Bavaria, Germany on October 20, 1682 to Matthias Hoss and Lucia Haermann. She is the sixth child of eight children of her parents. Her father was a very poor weaver. Her birth name was Anna Hoss. Crescentia wanted to join a monastery to lead a religious life. But the monastery did not allow her since she could not contribute anything to the monastery due to her poor status. But however a Protestant Mayor of Kaufbeuren purchased a tavern adjacent to the monastery and presented it to the monastery with a request to admit Anna Hoss into the monastery in return for the presentation. The mother superior of the monastery reluctantly admitted Anna Hoss into the monastery. She received the religious habit and took a new name Maria Crescentia. First she was not treated well by the superior and other older nuns. She was asked to do work in the kitchen and also to weave for the monastery. After the election of a new superior Crescentia was given the office of the Portress and later in 1717 she was appointed Mistress of Novices. She was later elected as the Mother Superior in the year 1741. After leading a pious and religious life of poverty and charity she died on April 5, 1744 (Easter Sunday).

She was beatified by pope Leo-XIII in 1900 and canonized by Pope John Paul-II on November 11, 2001. After her canonization her monastery was renamed St. Crescentia Monastery in her honor.