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Beatification of Fr. Engelmar Unzeitig, CMM

“Yes, God does not need us, only our love, our devotion, our sacrifice.”

These were the words of Fr. Engelmar Unzeitig, CMM who was beatified at the Cathedral of Würzburg, Germany on  24 September 2016.  Over thirty Missionary Sisters of the Precious Blood (CPS) joined our brothers, the Missionaries of Mariannhill (CMM) and hundreds of people in the glorious celebration of the life and witness of Fr. Engelmar, the Angel of Dachau.

Click here to view photos of the celebration.  (Source: Fr. Engelmar Unzeitig website)

Fr. Engelmar was only 30 years old and 2 years ordained when he was arrested by the Nazis in 1941 for preaching against the Third Reich, particularly against their treatment of Jews. As punishment, Fr. Engelmar was sent to the Dachau concentration camp near Munich, the so-called “largest monastery in the world” renowned for the number of ministers and priests within its walls.  “Under the inhuman conditions of the concentration camp Fr. Engelmar went about his daily chores with incredible equanimity and at the same time, constantly looked out for any opportunity to help and support his fellow prisoners.  He secretly learned Russian to be there for Russian prisoners of war and shared portions of his small food ration with others who needed it more… and so it was no surprise to the others that he was one of the first ones to volunteer to move into the infected barracks where hundreds died of untreated typhus and where also Fr. Engelmar eventually died in 1945.  He was just 34 years old and a priest for six years. Four of those six years he spent in the Concentration Camp of Dachau.” (Source: Fr. Damian Weber, CMM)

Fr. Engelmar found his hope and his joy in his faith, as evidenced in letters he sent to his sister Regina from Dachau.  In January 1942, he wrote: “I hope to be able to make here a little contribution in bringing the world home into the Father’s house”.  Two of Fr. Engelmar’s sisters became Missionary Sisters of the Precious Blood (CPS): Sr. Huberta Maria Unzeitig (1909-2001) and Sr. Adelhilde Regina Unzeitig (1914-2002).

On 3 July 2009, Fr. Engelmar was declared Venerable by Pope Benedict XVI  in recognition of his heroic virtue.  Pope Francis officially declared Fr. Engelmar a Martyr on 21 January 2016, which opened the path for his beatification, the next step in becoming a canonized saint.

At the Sunday Angelus on 25 September 2016, Pope Francis said:  Yesterday in Würzburg, Germany, Engelmar Unzeitig was beatified, a priest of the Congregation of the Missionaries of Mariannhill (CMM).  He was killed in hatred of the faith in the concentration camp at Dachau, where he responded to hate with love, to ferocity with meekness.  May his example help us to be witnesses of love and hope even in the midst of tribulation. Click here to watch the video  (Source: Fr. Engelmar Unzeitig website)

Photo: Gertraud Christ / Fr. Andreas Rohring, CMM

During the Fourth Week of Lent,

the Gospels show Jesus Christ healing

the sick and giving sight

to the blind, and revealing His unity with the Father,

emphasising that faith in His word brings life

and spiritual light. At the same time, growing

opposition to Jesus and the example of Saint Joseph

highlight the contrast between those who

trust God’s plan and those who resist it.

Third Week of Lent
God’s call to conversion
God patiently calls us to conversion. He invites us to bear fruit through humility, forgiveness, and faithful love.
As we continue our Lenten journey, we are encouraged to trust in God’s mercy, forgive others, and live our faith sincerely each day.

We give thanks for the gift of women in the world.
As religious women, we are called to witness God’s love through service, compassion, courage, and fidelity to our mission.

May our lives continue to be a sign of hope, justice, and dedication, especially to those who are most in need.

Happy Women’s Day.

The Second Week of Lent 2026
emphasizes that true transformation
begins within. Just as Jesus revealed
His glory after inviting the disciples
to climb the mountain and listen to the Father’s voice, Lent calls us to step out of comfort and grow through prayer, silence, and honesty. It is not an escape from reality but a preparation to face it with faith and courage. This season invites us to open our hearts, listen more deeply, trust more fully, and walk faithfully toward Easter.

We are invited to follow
Christ more closely.
In His humanity, Jesus
was tempted but did not give in.
The devil presented every
possible option to make
He succumbed, yet He remained
steadfast and faithful
to the Father. This reminds us
that we are not called to
rely on ourselves or to
gratify our own abilities.
Instead, we are invited to
trust in God’s constant
help and His faithful
presence, especially in
moments of temptation.

Lent provides us with a perfect opportunity to
“begin again” in our lives as religious women.

Our lives as CPS are rooted in the
continual flow of life, death and resurrection
– the continual dying
and rising with Jesus –
in our own lives and in the lives of those
to whom we minister and meet daily.
But before we can be women of reconciliation
for those to whom we minister and encounter,
we must first be women of reconciliation
among ourselves.

“If no one goes, I go!”
These courageous words of our Founder,
continue to echo in our hearts today.
They remind us that our vocation as
Missionary Sisters of the Precious Blood
is rooted in availability, sacrifice and love
without limit.

In this lent season, we are invited to
renew our personal response to Christ,
to go where we are needed, 
to serve even in difficulty and 
to offer ourselves more
deeply to God’s service.

lent is our time to say again,
with faith and courage…

Lord, I go!

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