I was so otuched by Helen's story, especially her huge suffering as a child and young woman. I trmeinded me in a way of St Patrick who used to keep pigs as a slve on Slemish Mountain . gain and again we see this huge suffering in the lives of the saints, it is almsot like an annointing or setting apart. Helea reminded me at once , in appearacen of Julie Andrews in the Sound of Music.
It takes an Irishman to point out the saint who lived under my nose. I live in Ohio, but this might be the first time I've heard of Helen. This isn't to say I haven't heard of other holy Buckeyes. For instance, I've recently been getting to know Rhoda Wise. http://rhodawise.com/
I live like 15 minutes from her gravesite. I have never heard of her either. She is amazing. I will have to begin asking for her intercession.
I couldn't get this song out of my head all day , thinking of Helena. So apt for a lady who suffered so very much.
Yep. Having heard of a home-bound lay mystic, Rhoda Wise, who bore the stigmata, Rita [who would later be known as Mother Angelica] befriended her — behavior that wasn't, in the 1940s, typical for a Midwestern teenager. Wise’s intercessory prayer led to the cure of Rita's debilitating illness and launched her on the road to a religious vocation. https://www.ewtn.com/library/MARY/diligmother.htm
As far as I recall Rhoda's holiness made quite an impression on the young Mother Angelica. One thing I notice about saints when they were children, they very often met adult saints who inspired them. The obvious example if St Dominic Savio and St John Bosco. St Benedict Joseph Labre is said to have vistied the home of St John Vianney and so on... I believe Mothe Angelica mentions meeting Rhoda here:
http://www.mysticsofthechurch.com/2010/03/rhoda-wise-american-mystic-stigmatic.html The most beautiful face, but full to the brim with suffering.
We made a pilgrimage to Rhoda Wise shrine about a year ago. We live 2 hrs away. My young adult sons experienced healing from devastating anxiety/depression/lostness. One is about to begin pilgrimage on El Camino! Both have a deep and lively faith in God now and as they say "we have already been through 'The Storm'! Bring it on!" Thank you Rhoda Wise and St Therese! Blessed be God forever! Hail Holy Queen Mother of Mercy Our Life Our sweetness and our hope!
Thank you, Padraig for the blessing of sharing the life of this saintly stigmatic. If I ever make it to Ohio, I would love to make a pilgrimage to her grave and hear her song. How she suffered!
I rember an account of a saintly nun who died in Europe, I forget her name but the nuns in herconvent still here here joining them in song sometimes at Holy Office, I must see if I can recall her story.
