I Had to Fight My Faith
In 1953, Sister Edigna spent eleven month in solitary confinement in České Budějovice prison, waiting for her trial. The several-month lasting complete isolation was extremely difficult and due to severe illness and insufficient diet, Sister Edigna was very close to death. “It was very cruel; I wouldn’t wish that to anybody. If I could choose between ten years in the Pardubice jail and that time in České Budějovice, I would certainly choose Pardubice. I had to fight my faith. Who would have imagined that, to argue with Christ? But I have to admit that sometimes I was yelling at Lord. But on the other hand, it is a miracle that I am still here.” In September 1953, Sister Edigna was sentenced to six years in prison and transported from České Budějovice to Pardubice. Her condition was so critical though, that she was immediately taken to a prison doctor, who diagnosed her with tuberculosis. She weighed only little over forty kilograms.
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S. Edigna Terezie Bílková
Sister Edigna Terezie Bílková was born in 1916. In 1938, she entered the congregation of St. Carlo Borromeo as a female novice. During the war, she worked as a nurse in České Budějovice. During the Allied air raids, she often worked non-stop which was a hardening experience. After the war, she took vows and became a nun. In 1952, Communists closed down the Prague Borromeo convent, stating that more labour force in the textile industry was needed. The congregation was also persecuted because of the trial with the Mother Superior, who was hiding persecuted Christian priests in the convent. Sister Edigna was one of those who participated in the hidings, for which she incurred severe consequences. After the Prague convent was closed down, she moved along with other Sisters to Prachatice, where another priest, Rudolf Remigius Janča, was already hiding. He was later unluckily discovered and arrested. A month later Sister Edigna and other nuns were arrested. For nine months, she was held in solitary confinement in České Budějovice and almost lost her life as a consequence of severe illness. On September 16, 1953, she was tried in the Jarolímek and company trial and sentenced to six years in prison. Her sentence was reduced, however, and after a year in Pardubice prison, she was released. After that, Sister Edigna lived for many years in Určice by Prostějov, where she took care of the elderly.
