Every November 20, the Church commemorates Blessed Anna Kolesárová, a young laywoman born in Vysoká nad Uhom, Michalovce, Czechoslovakia (now Slovakia), in 1928. Anna is the patron saint of youth, victims of sexual assault and abuse. of all kinds. She has been named “Martyr of Chastity.”
The most beautiful flower
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Anna grew up in a Catholic family in which piety and care of the spirit were instilled in her, especially through frequent communion. Her life was very brief – she was murdered at the age of 16 – but, at the same time, full of spiritual intensity, purity and meekness. This is evidenced by the numerous testimonies collected to carry out the cause of his beatification.
Anna was the youngest of the children in the family. His older siblings were María, his half-sister, and Michal, his brother. The Kolesárová led a simple and modest life, dedicated to farm work.
The horrors of war
Unfortunately, at the age of 10, Anna lost her mother and with that the responsibilities of taking care of the house fell on her. Anna, however, would always reserve her best time for God: the little girl adopted the beautiful habit of going to mass every day with her friends after having finished household chores.
In the autumn of 1944, during the bloody campaign on the Eastern European front, in the days of the Second War, the village of Michalovce became one of the scenes of confrontation, so local farmers were forced to converting the basements of their homes into shelters due to intense bombing.
“In defense of chastity“(in defense of chastity)
On November 22 of that same year, a column of the Red Army (the official name of the army of the former Soviet Union) entered the town of Anna. Jan, his father, and his brothers were hiding in the basement of their house, when suddenly a drunk Soviet soldier burst into the property heading towards the kitchen.
After the soldier toured the rooms, he found the family hiding. It was then that Anna’s father, trying to keep the situation from getting out of control, asked the young girl to bring some water and food to the soldier. Far from recognizing the offer as a friendly gesture, he reacted in a violent and dishonest manner: he lunged at Anna with the intention of insulting her.
She, on the advice of her neighbors, was dressed in black, as was recommended for all women, so that they could avoid the outrages of the invading soldiery. However, the measure was of little use to him. In the midst of the struggle that had occurred, Anna managed to escape from her attacker’s arms, but he, feeling rejected, pursued her to the basement – rifle in hand – and murdered her with two shots. One fell on his face and the other on his chest. In front of the cruel scene, his father and brother stood helplessly.
In her agony, Anna, held in her father’s arms, managed to say: “Goodbye dad… Jesus, Mary and Joseph!” A second later, he died peacefully. A few hours earlier, Anna had attended mass, confessed and received the Eucharist.
Process heading to the altars
The beatification process for Anna Kolesárová was opened in 2004, the year in which she was declared a “Servant of God.” This process ended in March 2018, when Pope Francis stated that Anna had died “in defense of chastity“(“In defense of chastity”), that is, in the condition of “martyr of virginity.”
Anna Kolesárová was beatified on September 1, 2018 in her native Slovakia. Around 30 thousand people attended the ceremony.
Central Editorial
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