CONVERTS AND CARDINAL VIRTUES | KAIROS GLOBAL | FEBRUARY 2022

Author: Steffi Siby, Blackpool, UK

The following are saints who converted to Catholicism. This article shows how these saints imitated the four cardinal virtues as outlined in the Catechism of the Catholic Church. 

Saint Teresa Benedicta of the Cross - Prudence

Edith Stein was born in 1891 in Breslau, Poland, the youngest child of a large Jewish family. She was an outstanding student and proficient in philosophy. Eventually, she became interested in the Catholic faith, and in 1922, after reading the works of St Teresa of Avila, was baptised. Eleven years later, Edith entered the Carmelites and was sent to the Carmel at Holland. 

The Nazis rounded up all Catholic Jews in Holland on 2 August 1942 and Teresa Benedicta was arrested by the Gestapo while she was in the chapel with the other sisters. Her last words to be heard in Echt were addressed to Rosa, her sister: ‘Come, we are going for our people.’ Most of the women and children were sent to Auschwitz-Birkenau where they died in the gas chamber soon after their arrival. Eyewitness accounts of Teresa in the transit camps describe her as calm and composed, practical, compassionate, a peaceful influence on all around her.

Teresa commented, ‘I never knew that people could be like this, neither did I know that my brothers and sisters would have to suffer like this. ... I pray for them every hour. Will God hear my prayers? He will certainly hear them in their distress.’ 

When she was canonised in 1998, St Pope John Paul II called Edith Stein a passionate ‘seeker’ of and devotee to freedom and faith. He said, ‘The love of Christ was the fire that inflamed the life of St Teresa Benedicta of the Cross. Long before she realised it, she was caught by this fire.’  

‘Prudence is the virtue that disposes practical reason to discern our true good in every circumstance and to choose the right means of achieving it; “the prudent man looks where he is going.”’ (CCC 1806) 

St Teresa was dedicated to finding the truth, sharing the truth and living out the truth even though this ultimately led to her death. 

Saint Josephine Bakhita - Justice

Saint Josephine Margaret Bakhita was born around 1869 in Sudan. As a child, Josephine was kidnapped by Arab slave traders. For many years, she would be bought, sold and given away numerous times. She spent so much time in captivity that she forgot her original name. She was brutally abused and left with 114 scars on one occasion.

In 1883, the Turkish general sold her to the Italian Vice Consul. He was kind and she begged to be taken with him to Italy. She was given away to another family and became their nanny. When her mistress decided to travel, she placed her in the care of the Canossian Sisters in Venice. Josephine came to know about God and was deeply touched and discerned a call to follow Christ.

When her mistress returned, Josephine refused to leave and remained resolute. This led to a complaint to Italian authorities on her behalf. The court found that slavery had been outlawed in Sudan before Josephine was born, so she could not be lawfully made a slave. 

For the first time in her life, Josephine was free. She chose to remain with the Canossian Sisters. She was baptised on January 9, 1890, became a novice with the Canossian Daughters of Charity and took her final vows on December 8, 1896. 

She was known for her gentle voice and smile. She even went on record saying, ‘If I were to meet the slave-traders who kidnapped me and even those who tortured me, I would kneel and kiss their hands, for if that did not happen, I would not be a Christian and religious today.’

She always remained joyful. If anyone enquired how she was, her profound reply would be, ‘As the master desires.’

‘Justice is the moral virtue that consists in the constant and firm will to give their due to God and neighbour.’ (CCC 1807)

Justice was not upheld in St Josephine’s life as a slave. However, she was later set free and dedicated her life to God. Incredibly, she did not resent her slave traders but instead loved them for leading her to Christ thus rising above the world’s view of justice and extending forgiveness.

Blessed Bartolo Longo - Fortitude

Bartolo was born to a devout Catholic family in Italy but began to lose his way after his mother died. In his confusion, he got involved with the occult. Soon, he was consecrated a satanic priest. He began to conduct satanic services and to preach against the Church.

His family tried to change his mind without success. Professor Pepe, a Catholic professor, began to meet with Bartolo and forced him to confront the state he was in. He eventually convinced him to see a Dominican priest, who after many discussions, on the feast of the Sacred Heart in 1865, was able to welcome Bartolo back into the Church and give him absolution.

After that, as a voluntary penance, Bartolo worked in the Neapolitan Hospital for Incurables. He prayed, making a promise of celibacy to serve God with all his heart. He tried to do reparation by returning to his satanist hangouts, holding up the Rosary and publicly renouncing his old ways.

‘I heard an echo in my ear of the voice of Friar Alberto repeating the words of the Blessed Virgin Mary: “One who propagates my Rosary shall be saved.”’ After hearing this, his life was dedicated to promoting and imitating the mysteries of the Rosary. He built Pompeii’s famous Basilica of Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary, founded elementary schools and orphanages, and wrote books on the Rosary. It was from Blessed Bartolo’s writings that Pope John Paul II found the idea of the Luminous Mysteries. 

‘Fortitude is the moral virtue that ensures firmness in difficulties and constancy in the pursuit of the good. It strengthens the resolve to resist temptations and to overcome obstacles in the moral life.’ (CCC 1808)

Despite completely losing his way and becoming a satanic priest, with the grace of God, Blessed Bartolo was able to not only return to the faith but also persevere and become a beautiful witness of God’s mercy. 

Saint Kateri Tekakwitha - Temperance

St Kateri Tekakwitha was born in 1656, in the Mohawk village of Ossernenon. She caught smallpox at four which scarred her skin, a source of humiliation. Her whole family died during the outbreak. Kateri was then raised by her uncle, who was the chief of a Mohawk clan. She was known as a skilled worker, who was diligent and patient. 

At age 19, Kateri Tekakwitha converted to Catholicism, taking a vow of chastity and pledging to marry only Jesus Christ. Her decision was very unpopular with those around her. They could not understand why she refused to work on Sundays and so they would not let her eat on Sundays. Some would throw stones at her and insult her as she would walk to the chapel. On one occasion, her uncle even sent a warrior to frighten her, as he pretended to attack her with a hatchet. To avoid persecution, she had to travel to a Christian native community south of Montreal.

According to legend, Kateri was very devout and would put thorns on her sleeping mat. She fervently prayed for the conversion of her fellow Mohawks. She often fasted and when she would eat, she would taint her food to lessen its flavour. 

Only a year after making her vow, she became extremely ill. On April 17, during Holy Week, Kateri Tekakwitha passed away aged 23. Those who assisted at her death were honoured to witness a miracle, the first of many that would be credited to her. Although St Kateri’s face had been scarred by smallpox her whole life, as her soul ascended to heaven, her skin became clear and radiant. 

‘Temperance is the moral virtue that moderates the attraction of pleasures and provides balance in the use of created goods. It ensures the will's mastery over instincts and keeps desires within the limits of what is honourable.’ (CCC 1809)

St Kateri practised extremely severe fasting as penance for the conversion of her nation. It was remarkable that she managed to do these things not just for her own good but for the good of others.