Maria Restituta Kafka was an Austrian nurse and Franciscan nun born in Husovice in 1894. After joining the Franciscan Sisters of Christian Charity, she worked in hospitals in Vienna and Mödling. She became known for her vocal opposition to the Nazi regime following the annexation of Austria, specifically through her refusal to remove crucifixes from hospital rooms. This defiance, along with her criticisms of the government, led to her arrest by the Gestapo. She was executed in Vienna in 1943 and is recognized as a blessed in the Catholic Church.
Life and resistance
Born Helene Kafka, she moved to Vienna as a child and later trained as a nurse. She entered her religious order at age 20, taking the name Maria Restituta. While serving as a surgical nurse in Mödling, she resisted Nazi policies, including the Nuremberg Laws. Her refusal to comply with orders to remove religious symbols from hospital wards resulted in her being charged with high treason. She remained steadfast in her faith even while imprisoned.
Martyrdom and veneration
After being denied clemency, she was executed by guillotine in 1943. She was beatified by Pope John Paul II in 1998, becoming the first virgin martyr of Vienna. Her legacy is honored through a park in her birthplace, a street in Mödling, and a church dedicated to her. A relic of her cross is kept in a Roman basilica dedicated to the martyrs of National Socialism.