Hildegard Burjan

In Vienna, Hildegard Burjan discovered the social doctrine of the Church through the encyclical Rerum Novarum. In 1912, she founded the Association of Christian Home Workers to fight against the exploitation of female workers and child labor. In 1918, she became involved in politics and became the first woman elected to the Vienna City Council for the Christian Social Party. In 1919, she was elected to the Austrian Parliament, becoming one of the first female deputies. Nicknamed "the conscience of Parliament," she fought for equal pay, maternity protection, and social security. She retired from active politics in 1920. On October 4, 1919, she founded the Congregation of the Sisters of Caritas Socialis, an innovative community integrated into society to help the most destitute (homes for single mothers, the homeless, home care), of which she remained the director general for life.

Suffering all her life from the aftereffects of her kidney disease, Hildegard Burjan passed away on June 11, 1933, in Vienna at the age of 50. Her final words expressed her trust in God for the future of the Caritas Socialis. She was buried in the Vienna Central Cemetery. In 1953, the Caritas Socialis decided to introduce her cause for beatification. The diocesan process was opened on June 6, 1963, by Cardinal Franz König. In 2005, her remains were transferred to the Hildegard Burjan Chapel in Vienna. On July 6, 2007, Pope Benedict XVI recognized the heroic nature of her virtues and declared her Venerable.

On June 27, 2011, Pope Benedict XVI approved the decree recognizing a miracle attributed to her intercession: the scientifically inexplicable healing of a sterile woman who was able to conceive and give birth to three healthy children. The beatification ceremony was celebrated on January 29, 2012, at St. Stephen's Cathedral in Vienna, presided over by Cardinal Angelo Amato. It was the first beatification celebrated in this cathedral. Her liturgical feast is set for June 12.

Hildegard Burjan's spirituality is based on a "mysticism of action," uniting contemplation and social engagement. She saw the face of the suffering Christ in every destitute person and affirmed that true charity consists not only in giving alms, but in restoring human dignity by giving the poor back confidence in their own capabilities. Today, the Sisters of Caritas Socialis continue her work in Austria, Germany, Hungary, Italy, and Brazil, particularly in palliative care, dementia support, and family assistance. She remains a model of dialogue and social justice for laypeople and political actors, who gather each year at St. Stephen's Cathedral in Vienna to celebrate her memory.