Sister Maria Hummel Day – May 21, 2027

History of Sister Maria Hummel Day

Sister Hummel was born Berta Hummel in Germany on May 21, 1909, to an affluent merchant. Right from early childhood, she had an artistic temperament. Over time, she became a well-known local artist. In her early twenties, she became a Catholic nun and officially adopted the name, Sister Maria Innocentia, on August 22, 1931.

After completing one year as a novice, Sister Hummel was assigned to teach art in a convent school where she started to create paintings of children in her free time. Her fellow Sisters loved her art and sent copies to Emil Fink Verlag, a publishing house in Stuttgart, that specialized in religious art. The publishing house released copies of Hummel’s works in postcard form, which were a hit. Later, in 1934, her paintings appeared in book form. Sister Hummel was unafraid to address political themes despite the brutal Nazi rule. In 1937, she published “The Volunteers,” a painting that drew the attention of Nazis, who condemned it as derogatory for depicting German children with oversized heads. Sister Hummel also included the Star of David in her work, which further agitated the Nazis, who banned her art in Germany.

In 1940, all religious schools were shut down, and the nuns became jobless. Hummel resided and created her art in a tiny cell. The Nazis took half of the earnings she made from her artwork. The remaining amount was paltry but was the only source of income for the Sisters. In 1944, Sister Hummel contracted tuberculosis and was admitted twice to a sanatorium in Isny im Allgäu, but she could not recover fully. She died on November 6, 1946, at the age of 37, and was buried in the convent cemetery.