Robert Spiske

After his ordination, Robert Spiske taught liturgy at the seminary before becoming a vicar at the Church of Saint Mary on the Sand in 1848. Faced with social misery, he founded the Saint Hedwig Association for Catholic women and young girls in order to assist orphans. In 1858, he was received in an audience by Pope Pius IX, who encouraged his project. On June 14, 1859, he officially founded the Congregation of the Sisters of Saint Hedwig in Wrocław. At the same time, he served as pastor of the Saint Dorothy parish from 1864 to 1883, fostering numerous conversions. Appointed archpriest in 1875 and then canon in 1883, he had to face the Kulturkampf and transfer the novitiate of his congregation to Nezamyslice in Austria-Hungary.

Nicknamed the "Angel of Charity" or the "Apostle of Caritas," Robert Spiske passed away on March 5, 1888, in Wrocław following a stroke. Initially buried in the cathedral crypt, his remains were transferred on March 5, 1984, to the chapel of the motherhouse of the Sisters of Saint Hedwig in Wrocław under the direction of Archbishop Henryk Gulbinowicz. The diocesan process regarding his life and virtues was officially opened on March 5, 1993, and concluded on December 30, 2000, the date on which the documents were transmitted to Rome.

On January 17, 2009, Pope Benedict XVI authorized the Congregation for the Causes of Saints to promulgate the decree recognizing the heroic virtues of the Servant of God Robert Spiske, thereby conferring upon him the title of Venerable. His cause for beatification is currently underway, awaiting the official recognition of a miracle attributed to his intercession.

The spirituality of Robert Spiske is based on the love of God manifested through humble service to one's neighbor, particularly orphans. He chose Saint Hedwig of Silesia as patroness to inspire his sisters to active charity and contemplation. Today, the Congregation of the Sisters of Saint Hedwig continues its educational and social work in Poland, Germany, Austria, the Czech Republic, and Denmark. Since 1959, the congregation has been affiliated with the Order of Saint Augustine and follows its rule.