Elizabeth Kindelmann OCDS(Secular Order of Discalced Carmelites)

Elizabeth Szántò was born in Budapest, a city of about 1.6 million people. Really, it is two cities, Buda and Pest, with the Danube River in the middle. She was the 13th child, preceded by six pairs of twins. Elizabeth alone survived into adulthood.

Elizabeth was orphaned at a young age. Her father died when she was about five. Because of her poor health, she lived for a time with her grandparents in the countryside. From ages six to ten, she attended elementary school. Then, she went to Switzerland, returned to Budapest, and later was supposed to be adopted by a Swiss family. However, she was late for the train and a young couple took her back to Budapest.

In Budapest began the struggle of a 13-year-old orphan who needed to find work so she did not starve. As a lonely orphan who was often taken advantage of, she had many different jobs. Twice she tried to enter religious congregations, but was rejected. Fortunately, she discovered Father Motray who became her confessor for many years.

The turning point came in August 1929 when she was accepted for the parish choir. There she met Karoly Kindelmann, a chimney sweeper instructor (a good paying position). She was married on May 25, 1930, at the age of 16. They had six children (1931–1942). In 1946, her husband died.

In 1948, the Communist Nationalisation of Hungary was harsh. She was fired for political reasons (having a statue of the Blessed Mother in her home). By May 1951, she was in a humanly hopeless situation. Fortunately, she became a technical supervisor at a foundry (alluded to in the diary). This saved her family from starvation. She worked at a number of factories. Her children married and, with their grandchildren, moved back in with Elizabeth.

And so the messages and writings of the Spiritual Diary began…

Elizabeth's diary begins on July 13, 1960, when she wrote about the beginning religious experience that introduced her to God's presence. It speaks of three years of spiritual darkness (1958-1961) that prepared her for the locutions. The decisive moment came on July 16, 1961, the Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel (Elizabeth was a lay Carmelite, OCDS).

During the years going from 1961 to 1983, Elizabeth Kindelmann received heavenly messages and Jesus and the Virgin Mary addressed her with internal locutions, words which she heard clearly in her soul. These messages are recorded in her Spiritual Diary and offer all who read and reflect on the writings profound insights into the true value of redemptive suffering and how 'a torrent of grace', which is the Flame of Love, can plunge a soul into a furnace of Divine Love.

On April 11, 1985, Elizabeth Kindelmann died at the age of 72, after a long illness that she bore with patience and was comforted by the Sacrament for the Dying. She was buried in Erd/Ofalu, about 24 kilometers South West of Budapest, on the banks of the Danube.

In 2001, the remains of Elizabeth were transferred to the family crypt located in the Church of the Holy Spirit in Budapest, a place she used to visit every day.

His Eminence Péter Cardinal Erdő, Primate of Hungary, established The Flame of Love Movement as a Private Association of the Faithful with Juridic Personality in Hungary on June 6, 2009; Pope Francis offered his Apostolic Blessing; and the Critical Edition of the Diary in Hungarian and the Simplified English translation have received the Imprimatur.