Maria Merkert
Superior General of the Congregation of St Elizabeth (1817–1872)
Feast: 14 November (not on the universal Roman calendar; kept in the Roman Martyrology or local calendars)
Who they were
Maria Luisa Merkert was born at Nysa in Silesia on 21 September 1817 into a very Catholic middle-class family.
She co-founded the Sisters of St Elizabeth and was their first Superior General. Called 'the dear Mother of all' and 'the Samaritan of Silesia', wholly given to works of charity, she died with a reputation for holiness on 14 November 1872, aged 55.
The miracles
The Dicastery's biography does not describe the miracles approved in the cause.
Why that counted as sanctity
The 'Samaritan of Silesia', a mother to her sisters and to all in need.
- Dicastery for the Causes of Saints - biography: Maria Luisa Merkert
- Wikidata Q448748 — dates, feast day and identifiers (CC0)
- English Wikipedia — Maria Merkert (CC BY-SA)
Checked against the sources listed on 21 September 2026. Corrections welcome.