On Christmas Day 1850 Elisabeth Fedde was born on the south coast of Norway, and on Christmas Day 1873 she was reborn a deaconess at the Lovisenberg motherhouse under the leadership of Mother Katinka Guldberg, who herself had been trained at Theodor Fliedner’s motherhouse in Kaiserswerth, Germany.

Although Elisabeth was an orphaned servant girl without prospects, her destiny as a deaconess was by no means inevitable. The first time a wellwisher suggested she join the ranks of these proto-nurses, her disdainful response was, “What is that? Do you mean those women we see on the streets wearing the peculiar dress? No, thank you, I shall not join them.” And in any event, she had a sweetheart, Ole Slettebø. But despite her initial resistance, there was something about the strangely dressed women devoted to the sick and suffering that drew her.

They also brought out the best in her. Elisabeth proved herself to be extremely adept at medical care and knowledge at a time when nursing did not exist as a distinct profession and assistants to doctors, women especially, were not expected to know anything about health and hygiene. She was additionally gifted with a blessed persistence. Putting the needs of her patients first, Elisabeth would do whatever was necessary—even to the point of setting fire to lice-infested mattresses so that the hospital had no choice but to replace them—to get the sick what they needed…