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Chapter III

New Beginnings

Aline had now reached the age of twenty-nine. During the past nine years she had repeatedly sought to enter a religious community, but her plans were always thwarted. The year 1859 brought for her a turn in events although not in decisions. Seemingly it had never occurred to her to found a religious order of her own, although in those days the idea was not a strange one. The Catholic Church in Germany at that time enjoyed a spring-like blossoming of foundations in religious orders. Every year new ones came into being. Frequently the founders were quite ordinary people. They all knew themselves called to serve the needs of the church and of mankind. Often enough the only basis for a foundation was a generous heart ready for all sacrifices. Aline certainly knew of many of these foundations. But her endeavors of entering religious life were always directed toward an established congregation. In 1859 she was faced with a fact of becoming a co-foundress of a new community of women.

In the Olpe circle of Aline’s friends was Regina Loeser, who also harbored the thought of entering religious life. The idea of joining the religious state was circulated among the group of friends and was instrumental in bringing together Aline and a Sister of the Congregation of Christian Charity, Sister Clara Pfaender. Sister Clara was born on December 6, 1827, in Hallenberg, Sauerland, and was baptized as Anna Theresia. Later her family settled in Liesen in the vicinity of Hallenberg. Soon after her completion of elementary school, she felt an ardent desire to become a teacher. In this she was strongly supported by the young and energetic pastor, Rev. Loeser. She even lived for a period of time in the parish residence. Here she became acquainted with the pastor’s younger sister, Regina Loeser, and formed a close friendship with her. In 1848, the Rev. Loeser was summoned to Paderborn as Seminary Procurator. Because of his influential position, he was able to do much for Anna Theresia Pfaender. She pursued her vocation and on November 4, 1850, was invested in the Congregation of the Sisters of Christian Charity in Paderborn under the religious name of Sister Clara Pfaender.

She had been troubled for some time with thoughts as to whether the Congregation of Christian Charity was the right one for her. Entering a stricter order also occupied her thinking for she was attracted to adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. Shortly after, she felt a strong urge to found a congregation of her own with the objective of combining the adoration of the Blessed Sacrament with deeds of charity.

In the summer of 1859 the two friends in Olpe, Aline Bonzel and Regina Loeser, decided definitely to enter the religious life. The community each had in mind, or whether both had planned to enter the same community, is not known. It is probable that Regina Loeser wrote to her friend Sister Clara Pfaender regarding their plans. Sister Clara somehow had the information and considered it as providential, a sign from heaven. Here she had two willing souls with whom she could perhaps start a new community. She invited her friend, Regina Loeser, to Witten for a discussion and begged her to postpone for several weeks her decision to enter the convent. Most likely she had also invited Aline Bonzel. At all events, Aline Bonzel and Regina Loeser drove to Witten. How extensively Sister Clara divulged her plans to the two at that time is not known. Regina Loeser was prepared immediately to join in the plan. Aline Bonzel was more conservative. The whole idea was still too new, too uncertain. She promised only that she would support the project financially as far as it lay in her power.

Upon the return of the two friends to Olpe, their plans were naturally discussed with relatives and acquaintances. Aline’s uncle advised her that a foundation in Olpe would be unsuccessful, for the Vincentians, a charitable congregation, were active there. As a foregone conclusion, Regina Loeser conferred with her brother, the Rev. Loeser. He not only knew Sister Clara Pfaender well but had always encouraged her. His reaction to the plan was positive. Thereupon Aline’s doubts seemed to have vanished. A second discussion took place in Witten, in which their plans took on concrete form. On September 9, 1859, Sister Clara received an answer to her request from the major superior, Mother Pauline of Mallinckrodt. Approbation for withdrawal was granted her. She was to leave Witten for Paderborn on September 20, and from there travel to Olpe on September 23.

In the meantime, the two in Olpe who had joined with her drew the spiritual Rector Hesse into their confidence. In their behalf he wrote to the Bishop of Paderborn, Dr. Konrad Martin, on September 11, 1859, as follows:

Your Excellency (Grace) Most Reverend Bishop:

Two young ladies have for a long time been determined to enter the convent. After several years of investigation and preparation, they were at the point of fulfilling their desire, when an urgent request was received from a certain nun, Sister Clara Pfaender, that they should postpone their entrance for a few weeks. The two women came to me for advice. As the respective Sister had given no further information, I thought they should not consider the non-motivated request as weighty, but ask her for an explanation. A second, still more urgent request, was the answer with the following information. She was planning a project and these two women seemed to be just God’s instruments for its accomplishment. The two traveled to Witten and brought back the following communication from Sister Clara, namely that she intends to found a new congregation and has presented her plan to the Most Reverend Bishop who gave his approval most graciously. Thus far Sister Clara’s project has a secure basis and a hope for success.

The answer of the bishop to this letter came only later with a copy of the decision (decree) sent to Sister Clara upon her request for September 22, 1859. Also her statements upon her withdrawal from the Congregation of the Sisters of Christian Charity, made to the bishop, are as follows:

Your Excellency, I am taking the liberty of presenting the following to you with great reverence and in deep submission and obedience:

After I have worked peacefully in God for nine years in the Congregation of the Sisters of Christian Charity and devoted my energies, both spiritual and physical, to the service of the blind, especially in their instruction and education, I have experienced for several years a calling to a stricter and more perfect way of life for the greater glory of God and the salvation of souls. After earnest prayer and mature deliberation, I have often sought permission from my superiors for withdrawal from this congregation although very dear to me. The superiors after several years of investigation have granted the permission. It is now my desire to follow this long-recognized will of God, and together with several other young women of similar mind to live under the Rule [name not given], based upon a Constitution approved by the bishop, to lead a life of perfection in the religious state, to pray fervently for the needs of Holy Church, and to care for poor, neglected, and orphaned children. We wish to offer our weak prayers according to the will of God for the propagation of the Faith, for the Holy Father, for bishops and priests, for all the clergy, for the conversion of sinners, for unbelievers and those wavering in faith, for the poor souls, and especially for our bishop and his cherished diocese. In this our age, we also with to venerate the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary with deep devotion and to further these devotions as much as possible. Likewise we wish to serve our dear Lord in his poor, neglected and orphaned children and devote our energies for their instruction and education. In deep acknowledgement of our nothingness we shall place our complete trust in Almighty God who is the strength of the weak and who with his supporting grace will be our help. To maintain an intimate union with the Church, we beg Your Excellency to take us under your protection. With deepest humility we ask in the Hearts of Jesus and Mary that Your Excellency will give us your most gracious approval to our plans and your episcopal blessing.

The answer of the bishop came the same day:

Concerning your request of September 22, 1859, I reply that regarding your plan of forming a congregation with other pious women by leading a secluded life, and devoting your energies to orphaned children, I see no objection, provided that at all times you let yourselves be guided by the norms of genuine piety and Christian wisdom. Ecclesiastical approbation of your way of life will depend upon the favorable progress made in accordance with the requirements of the church.

This decision of the bishop was also sent to Rector Hesse of the secondary school in answer to his letter of September 11, 1859. Thus all preliminaries in the first steps of making a new foundation of a religious community in Olpe had been completed.

If at this point an inventory were taken of the objectives given for the new foundation, one would come to the following conclusions. The outlines for its future were not very clearly drawn. Regarding the apostolate as spelled out, one could readily ask if the new foundation was really necessary. The care of orphans, as Sister Clara mentioned in her letter of September 22 to the bishop, was likewise possible in the Congregation of the Sisters of Christian Charity. The same holds true for all prayer intentions given as purposes of the congregation. Every religious community offers its prayers for the intentions of Holy Mother Church. However, a justification could exist if these were carried out in a special way, such as, perpetual adoration. But perpetual adoration was not mentioned. In the new foundation, however, it became a reality. Why did Sister Clara not mention it in her letter to the bishop? The character of her whole letter will probably give the answer. The letter was most likely written during the last moments she spent in her previous congregation. Under existing conditions, the necessary calm for drawing up an orderly and consistently organized program for the new foundation was lacking. There are quite clear indications that is was Sister Clara’s will that the new community be characterized by a special austerity of life. A statement as to the spiritual life of the foundation is missing. However, its importance was not so great in those days. During the same era similar foundations flourished which at first simply set up the activities and objectives of the apostolate and later wrote the rule and constitutions. Often enough at the very beginning it was purely accidental rather than a conscious effort that one or the other rule took hold. That the situation was quite different with Mother Maria Theresia Bonzel, who from the beginning thought only of Franciscan spirituality and consequently of the Franciscan Rule, the following events will show.

Of the three persons involved in this new undertaking, Sister Clara Pfaender was assumed to be superior from the very beginning. She had brought much with her of incalculable value to a new foundation. She had experience in religious life, had held the office of superior in Solingen and in Witten, had practice in teaching and ability to impart knowledge to others. She had exercised the initiative. Although unable to contribute financially, she was recognized as great spiritual capital. That her experience in religious life could be a disadvantage was not conceived at that time. One must bear in mind that in the Congregation of the Sisters of Christian Charity, under the leadership of the great Mother Pauline of Mallinckrodt, Sister Clara had received a very distinctive education emanating from the Augustine Rule. Such impressions cannot be shaken easily. It is therefore difficult to change over to a spirituality of another characteristic religious community. That was expected in this situation.

The town of Olpe was chosen for the foundation. It was given preference because both Aline Bonzel and Regina Loeser were natives. Their families were wealthy and could provide the necessary financial security. Religious are poor in their own private lives. To care for others, however, they must have a sound economic basis. On the other hand, Olpe presented some difficulties as a foundation site. The Vincentians had operated St. Martin Hospital since 1856. Could the small town of Olpe cope with two active religious orders of women? Would not one community prove a detriment to the other? Many of these questions which in themselves foreshadowed the future development were probably seen at that time. But as a whole there was much rejoicing among all who shared the longed-for beginning. Such joy is adapted to dull the sensibilities of foreboding difficulties encountered in such an undertaking.

On September 23, 1859, Sister Clara withdrew from the motherhouse of the Sisters of Christian Charity at Paderborn. Before departing for Olpe, she visited the Franciscans at Paderborn and had herself enrolled as a tertiary in the Franciscan Tertiaries for the laity. From this it can be judged that she was willing, if possible, to switch over to a Franciscan way of life. She arrived in Olpe on September 24, 1859.

One can readily imagine that the following days were well filled. Aline and Regina certainly did not await the event with hands in lap. With the arrival of Sister Clara, the little community was complete in numbers. All that had been discussed and weighted previously could now take definite form. It was under stood that as a new community, they should approach the pastor and mayor of the town.

To give their new foundation the correct impetus, it was necessary for the candidates to prepare themselves spiritually. For this a retreat was the proper means. The character of the retreat should be adjusted to the religious life and likewise to the locality and the surrounding areas. This was scarcely possible in Olpe. Hence the three journeyed to Aix-la-Chapelle, now called Aachen. Why Aix-la-Chapelle? This city had two communities of women founded just recently and living under different rules: Sisters of the Poor Child Jesus founded by Mother Clara Fey, and the Poor Sisters of St. Francis founded by Mother Francis Schervier. It would seem advantageous to seek counsel from both orders. But the probable reason for going to Aix-la-Chapelle was that Aline had an acquaintance, Sister Laurentia (Pauline Deimel), in the community of the Poor Child Jesus. She could question her more readily than the other.

Mother Theresia reported on the trip to Aix-la-Chapelle:

In 1859 on the feast of St. Michael, three young women from Olpe journeyed to Aix-La-Chapelle to make a retreat in preparation for the foundation of a new congregation in Olpe, diocese of Paderborn. They celebrated the feast of the holy seraphic Father Francis in Aix-la-Chapelle, and by a sermon on the happiness and tremendous value of holy poverty were deeply inspired to follow the poverty of Christ. After a previous discussion with Bishop Laurent, Mother Frances, superior of the Poor Sisters, and a Jesuit priest, Sister Clara, Regina Loeser, and Aline Bonzel, commenced their retreat in the convent of the Poor Child Jesus. Sister Alphonsa directed the retreat.

Bishop Laurent of Luxemburg had counseled them to adopt the Rule of the Third Order of St. Francis for their foundation. During a visit with Mother Francis Schervier, the three received their first equipment as religious. As a gift, she presented each with a book of the Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Mother Maria Theresia Bonzel cherished this book to the end of her life; the book is still preserved in the motherhouse of the Olpe Franciscans.

Mother Maria Theresia commented further that the Sisters of the Poor Child Jesus endeavored to win Regina and her for their community. Sister Laurentia especially tried hard to influence them, for she herself, Pauline Deimel, was also from Olpe and sincerely interested in securing more girls from her native town. Undoubtedly one does not know all that was discussed among them at that time in an endeavor to persuade the two Olpe girls to enter the community of the Poor Child Jesus. Mother Maria Theresia has made clear the readily understandable situation. Sister Laurentia at that time reacted to Sister Clara Pfaender, the future superior, very critically and spoke accordingly to Regina and Aline. Could pride in her home town have aroused unknowingly an unconscious antipathy toward Clara Pfaender? That could have been possible, for with persons deeply conscious of home, it is not easy to see a stranger come in to found a new community with the home girls. To them it seemed an enigma that Clara Pfaender had entered a community and then withdrew to found another one.

The first obstacles, even before the actual start of the foundation, were the hardest to bear. Later on it became apparent that difficulties had their good points, because every detail was examined more carefully, haste was prevented, and blind idealism eliminated. To the above difficulties others were added, as Mother Maria Theresia mentioned in her later record that “even the father confessor pointed out how dangerous it is to found something new, for all is already provided for in the church; he advised us to enter an established community of which there are many with excellent reputations. He referred to Aix-la-Chapelle as an example.”

The hearts of Regina and Aline were heavy. They were tortured with many doubts. One of them determined to drive to Witten on the next morning to enter the congregation of the Liguorians where she could find rest and tranquility in the cloister. Apparently, the “Witten” referred to is in Holland and not in the Ruhr. It is not mentioned directly which one had decided to enter a contemplative order to evade all difficulties in the way of their new foundation. But one can say with certainty that it was not Aline. In her honesty she would have mentioned her discouragement as she did in the beginning of this brief chronicle. Here her name was not omitted where disagreeable things were concerned. Also, it was not consonant with Aline’s character to give up readily, for she had the firm support of her family for the Olpe foundation.

At all events, Mother Theresia wrote about their leaving Aix-La-Chapelle and the overcoming of their difficulties:

Almighty God willed otherwise. He gave strength and courage to their souls to overcome all kinds of hardships in the fulfillment of his Holy Will. After a stay of three to four weeks in Aix-la-Chapelle, which time was devoted chiefly to spiritual exercises, they returned by way of Cologne to Olpe. In Cologne they celebrated the feast of St. Ursula and were encouraged by a Jesuit priest to continue in their plan of a new foundation. They arrived in Olpe by post chaise about five o’clock in the morning and took up residence in a rented portion of the private home of widow Schuerholz.

During their absence the people of Olpe were not idle. The Bonzels and other benefactors rented the required space for living quarters, where the small group began their new life. Special concern was exercised to find quarters for a convent near the parish church of St. Martin:

Within a few days all was arranged for conventual living as much as was possible in a private residence and Sister Clara appointed superior. As no constitution existed, they lived according to the Rule of St. Francis, the determined order of the day and the directives of Sister Clara. No mortification was too severe and the practice of penance was sweet and agreeable. During the month of November a brief devotion was held for the Poor Souls which was attended by the people of Olpe. By means of alms from the Loeser and Bonzel families, several weeks passed in relative peace and quiet during which the three Sisters prepared for investiture through prayer and good works.

These sketches by Mother Maria Theresia of the first days in the newly founded religious community are certainly not abundant. One ardently desires far more particulars. Still something previous lies in this treasured background of their first days in Olpe. The beginning was established. Now they had to prove themselves; with wholehearted zeal they undertook to prepare themselves worthily. They were able to begin their apostolate for the care of orphans immediately. At first their charges numbered four children. The Sisters provided for their care and educational development. Later as the children attended the city schools, they had charge of them outside school hours. The number did not remain at four but increased rapidly.

It must have been a great consolation for the three to see their apostolate flourish so well in the very beginning of the foundation. Success in their sphere of work proved the necessity for a new community in the active life. On this point we have an evaluation by Dean Goerdes of Drolshagen in a request he wrote to the bishop of Paderborn on October 25, 1860. Among other items was the following:

Views in regard to the new foundations vary. Many are in favor; many others are in opposition. Their objectives certainly are good and praiseworthy, provided they are carried out in a suitable and prudent manner. To my knowledge not a single institution exists in the whole of Sauerland for the care of orphans. Here a great need could be served. Such children are often obliged to earn much money for their upkeep under poor conditions. Their education is almost entirely neglected. They are employed to herd cattle or like jobs. Their school and church attendance is poorly provided for. There is no question that the orphans of this locality could be placed in their institutes, as I have learned from the Land and Administrative Councilor Meeting in Freusberg several days ago.

Here a great need is pointed out in a few brief sentences. Without doubt the parishes were responsible for the poor conditions that existed for the care of orphans. It is true that some families carried out their responsibilities toward these children very conscientiously. Others, however, just used these children. Child abuses were lessened considerably after the passage of the child labor laws. It would be an advantage basically for child placement in the home, if the respective families fulfilled their duties toward the child. But it happened too often that orphans were adopted for ruthless use in labor; their educational development and religious instruction were sorely neglected. The oft reiterated complaint of the sorry plight of orphans could not be denied. Thus it meant much for Olpe to have a group of idealistic minded women form a new community and dedicate their services to the care of orphan children.

Prospects for the new foundation in Olpe were favorable not only with respect to the apostolate but also to the increase in numbers. Following is a quotation from Mother Maria Theresia’s Chronicles:

Soon the daughter of Widow Schuerholz entered the small community as lay-sister and as postulant was called Miss Louise. Then Miss Lisette, a small foster-sister of Sister Clara was admitted. As seamstress she helped in the sewing room to make clothes for investiture. She herself was determined to remain a postulant. A young girl from Paderborn, who had previously been granted admission from Sister Clara, now entered. The entrance of Fredericka Boehmer, who had sought admittance, was postponed because of lack of space. In the following year, a house that had served as quarters for the soldiers, but was now vacated was remodeled as a convent for the Sisters. They moved into these quarters several weeks after Easter. Since this location had only a small space for a garden, the sisters utilized the garden of Widow Schuerholz near their present location. Fredericka Boehmer from Paderborn, Theresa Eisenbach from Olpe, and Anna Clemens from Rueblinghausen soon entered.

The new house into which the Sisters had moved was called the Zimmermann house, located on the street known today as the Railroad Station Street. The residence was acquired by Aline’s mother and placed at the disposal of the Sisters. Secured in early March, the house was remodeled and ready for occupancy by the Sisters several weeks after Easter. Since it was more spacious, it could accommodate the admission of additional candidates. One wonders whether by admission of the candidates, the new foundation wished to show its importance and give evidence of its purpose and vitality? Perhaps relative to Clara Pfaender, the bishop’s approval to occupy the new convent was a foregone conclusion. Otherwise, if there were not some certitude regarding the future, the simple acceptance of girls into the new foundation would be beyond comprehension.

It was evident to the energetic superior, Sister Clara, that the time of probation should not be filled just with prayer and work. While awaiting the final results, she endeavored in the interim to engage in some undertaking. Therefore, in 1860, before Pentecost, she went to Paderborn to report to the bishop on the progress of the new foundation and at the same time beg for investiture for herself and the other Sisters. Bishop Dr. Konrad Martin explained that first they must choose a Rule and then write a constitution. After that investiture would be in order.

Of the deliberations that must have gone on in the community, nothing is known. Discussions were held regarding the Rule to be adopted as a basis for community living. Aline Bonzel wanted the Franciscan Rule by all means. But seemingly she was not well acquainted with the basic Rules of religious orders, for with the exception of Aix-la-Chappelle, she had not come in contact with the Third Order Regular of St. Francis. Besides her stay with the Schervier-Sisters was more in the character of a visitor than otherwise. Clara Pfaender knew the Augustinian Rule from her convent days with the Sisters of Christian Charity. She felt she could write a constitution based on that Rule. Since she was the superior and responsible for admitting candidates into the community, it seemed advisable, in this very beginning, that she have the liberty to employ her full experience in religious life. Only on this basis, can one explain how a community which uniformly desired to live according to the Franciscan Rule, began with the Augustinian Rule, but with the intention of later converting to the Franciscan rule. In this procedure the character of the times can readily be detected. Many most likely saw basically little difference whether one lived according to the Augustinian or the Franciscan Rule. The development of a specialized spirituality came later and in many instances very much later. As mentioned before there might have been good reasons for the action at that time, but these are lost on the present generation. Still that decision was the source of very many difficulties in the future. Therein lay the cause why in a few years two communities developed from the one.

In the summer of 1860, in the joys of a successful and flourishing beginning one never thought of the sorrows to set in later. The constitutions were drafted and sent to the bishop for approval. That happened in August. The days passed quickly and foundation day was drawing nearer. But the approval of the constitutions and the permission for investiture still awaited a reply. With great impatience, Clara Pfaender wrote to the bishop on September 29, 1860:

… although for several weeks I have twice daily sent to the post office for the mail, I have thus far not received your gracious reply relative to the approval of the constitutions and the happy day of our investiture.

In all, three letters dated September 29, 1860, were sent to the bishop with the same request and with the probable idea that the request would carry more weight if the three first candidates — Clara Pfaender, Aline Bonzel, and Regina Loeser — would write the bishop simultaneously, individually, and in the same tenor. The letter bearing Aline Bonzel’s signature is of special interest to us. It is as follows:

His Excellency the Bishop!Most Reverend Bishop!

Your Excellency will graciously permit me to venture to write to you also to make known my most urgent requests and humbly to explain them.

One year has now elapsed since we engaged in our well-known work for the honor of God, under the leadership of our dear Sister Clara, who came here for the happiness and welfare of many. As our venerable Mother we obey her in childlike and sincere love. We have overcome many difficulties by the grace of God, for He often answered the tears and burning petition of his beloved daughter and spouse (Sister Clara). Through her pious and saintly life she has won the hearts of the well-disposed for this good cause. Through steadfast confidence in God and in your pastoral support, she founded and furthered a community here in Olpe, without all human support and assistance under all sorts of difficulties and far from that fatherly care bestowed so lovingly upon the community established close to you.

Long have we felt sincerely grateful to God and to Your Excellency for the treasure shared with us and our native town through and in our beloved Sister Clara. She is the instrument of God, the grain of mustard seed. She willingly permitted herself to be trodden on and here under the loving protection of Your Excellency, now blossoms, grows, and renders the fruit of Catholic love and joy for the glory of God and the good of the Church. At the least sign of Your Excellency, we are prepared to leave our native town with our dear Sister Clara and to reside wherever you in your goodness will determine.

With an ever increasing longing, we have waited for Your Excellency’s ecclesiastical approbation of our constitutions and the appointment of the blessed day on which we shall have the happiness of receiving the holy habit from your hands. Not only we, the small group of your least servants, but also our families, after some minor obstacles from their side have been eliminated with the help of God, are now in most favorable frame of mind and ready to support us as much as lies within their power. All Olpe is of the same opinion with the exception of a few to whom the pious life of our dear Sister Clara and our seclusion and contempt of the world are a constant reproach.

Without our suggesting it, there is among all the expressed desire that Your Excellency, after the completion of your confirmation schedule in October, honor our native town with your august presence and officiate at our investiture.

We also have a firm confidence in God that the many prayers, fasts, and mortifications offered daily by us and others will ascend to our good Father in heaven and be received graciously. With your kind cooperation may our work soon be crowned. All preparations have been made. The chapel is furnished, the vestments are on hand, the religious habits are in readiness. The only thing missing is a set day for the investiture and our joy will be complete.

The ending of our trial period is especially important to our dear Sister Clara for the repeated delays are proving detrimental to her health; and we fear lest a longer and painful postponement will undermine it completely.

Also, Your Excellency, the confidence now engendered in this work for the greater glory of God the Father and also its support could be weakened very much and result in impaired development. It could also create a new hardship for my family in regard to succession of property.

Up to this time we have limited our activity to the care of six orphan children and are unwilling to increase this number before our investiture. Strengthened through ecclesiastical consecration and vested with the blessed habit of the order, we shall with the help of God fulfill our obligations with great courage, deep humility, and intense love, and thus bring honor to the diocese and joy to your fatherly heart.

May we humbly ask Your Excellency to honor the feast of St. Theresia or a beautiful feast of the Blessed Virgin in October by granting us the happiness of receiving the long-desired religious garb. We shall be grateful to you throughout our lives and pray for you daily as we have done for a long time.

Please forgive my liberty, Most Reverend Bishop, brought on by the great desire of investiture, and pardon it kindly. Again I plead for it most earnestly with a worthy desire for the development of our work.

With deep respect and confiding reverence

Your ExcellencyYour leastAline BonzelOlpe, September 29, 1860

This letter is informative in more respects than one. Whoever must wait is easily subjected to fears for he endeavors to seek reasons why no reply has come. Was it wise to make the new foundation in Olpe? Olpe is relatively a great distance from Paderborn. Whoever lives in Paderborn can readily clarify a situation through personal contact. Could the bishop even harbor the thought that the new foundation should be made elsewhere? Olpe is not the only place where the foundation could be made.

Noticeably, Aline Bonzel’s letter revolves strongly around the person of Clara Pfaender. Is it the expression of implicit obedience that Aline also at this time offered her superior? That well may be assumed. For somehow all beginnings center in reverence around the personality of the leader. Still the letter gives a very individualistic impression. Written according to the established usage of the times, it naturally went farther in its submissiveness than is customary today. But upon closer scrutiny, many turns of expression appear that stand out as rules. Relative to what has been known of Mother Maria Theresia heretofore, the letter as a whole is rather strange. It is not in her style of writing. She wrote in a more straightforward manner, more naturally. One cannot but surmise that the letter was not written by her alone. Deliberations as to content were most likely considered in common. United action was probably taken regarding the best approach for such an affair. For, since three letter writers sent letters to the bishop of Paderborn on September 29, 1860, it can be readily determined that they were not of a spontaneous character. Only in that light can one understand this letter of Mother Maria Theresia, so different in style and feeling from all her other known letters.

Before the bishop answered the requests, he took the last steps to clear the way for the new foundation. He did not wish to rely solely on the good will of the petitioners. Thus on October 8, 1860, he asked Dean Goerdes in Drolshagen to make a confidential investigation concerning the successful prospects for the community in Olpe. On October 25, 1860, he reported to the bishop. In this report he stressed the necessity of an orphanage. In regard to the prospect of the institute, he continued:

To the question as to whether Olpe can maintain the institute, I can only answer, yes. Two Franciscan communities (Attendorn and Friesenhagen), in this vicinity have had sufficient sustenance, why not this one? If in the beginning, the care of orphans will gain prominence, consideration will need to be given to the financial resources of candidates admitted (other things being equal) at least for the time being. Then the industrial demands will be unable to harm them.

A calm and thinking religious also considers the domestic economy of the whole without which a new foundation cannot be made.

Whoever neglects this phase runs the danger of wrecking the whole idealism of such an undertaking, for not only the livelihood of the Sisters must be maintained but also that of the orphan children. After Dean Goerdes had given the above information, he posed the question of superiorship for the new foundation:

Sister Clara has been described to me as an energetic, talented person, one fully capable of directing a community. Also very capable are Regina Loeser and Aline Bonzel, who besides have significant wealth. Therefore, I cannot oppose the wish of the petitioners for investiture.

The bishop replied on October 30, 1860, as follows:

Upon reading your revered report of October 25, 1860, I am not unwilling to approve that Clara Pfaender and the young women associated with her bind themselves into an ecclesiastical congregation. I also grant further that they may live under the title of Sisters of St. Francis, Daughters of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary, according to the Constitutions submitted to me and which I have reviewed carefully.

I intend to appoint Your Reverence superior of this newly founded congregation and my representative. Therefore I desire that you contact the proposed Clara soon, acquaint yourself with the Constitutions, and examine the young women who wish to join the congregation and be invested with Clara Pfaender, in regard to their vocation, using the questions outlined in the requirements. Report the results to me immediately that I may grant you faculties deemed appropriate and worthy as my representative to officiate at the investiture in the parish church of Olpe.

By the end of November, Dean Goerdes had completed the canonical examination of the candidates required by the bishop. Regina Wurm had joined the group in November; her name had been added to the list mentioned previously. Then on December 10, 1860, Bishop Konrad Martin granted faculties to Dean Goerdes to invest the first nine Sisters of the new congregation. The date of investiture was left to the decision of the Sisters. They set it for December 20, 1860, and chose St. Martin Parish church as the place for the reception of their religious habits. Clara Pfaender drew up a rite for the reception ceremonies and submitted it to the bishop. He rewrote it and according to this rite the investiture ceremonies took place on December 20, 1860.

After the celebration of Holy Mass in which the postulants received Holy Communion, the celebrant Dean Goerdes gave a brief talk. Thereafter, he asked, “Dear daughters, what is your desire?” The nine postulants answered, “We desire to be admitted to the novitiate of the Sisters of St. Francis.” The celebrant asked further, “What is your purpose in desiring this admission?” The answer: “We cherish the wish to perfect ourselves more and more in this way of life to be able to serve God and the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Francis more intimately and to become more serviceable to our neighbor through prayer and good works.” Thereupon the celebrant continued: “Let us, dear daughters, plead in prayer that God ratify your purpose and bless it.” The singing of the Litany of All Saints followed during which the postulants lay prone. After the invocation Veni Creator, the postulants approached the altar singly while the choir sang Jesu Corona Virginum. After this, each in turn had her hair cut, and she received the blessed religious habit. All clothed in the habit returned to the chapel and again approached the altar. The celebrant read the list:

In order to remind you that from now on your whole way of life must be new since you have died to the world and live only for Christ, you shall receive a new name today. Thus:

Miss Clara Pfaender shall be known as: Sister Maria Clara of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary.

Miss Aline Bonzel shall be known as: Sister Maria Theresia of the Blessed Sacrament,

Miss Regina Loeser shall be known as: Sister Maria Antonia of the Immaculate Conception,

Miss Fredericka Boehmer shall be known as: Sister Maria Franziska of the Five Holy Wounds,

Miss Theresia Eisenbach shall be known as: Sister Maria Magdalena of the Precious Blood,

Miss Lisette Pfaender shall be known as: Sister Maria Agnes of the Sweet Name of Jesus,

Miss Luise Drexelius shall be known as: Sister Maria Josepha,

Miss Anna Marie Clemens shall be known as: Sister Maria Margaretha,

Miss Regina Wurm shall be known as: Sister Maria Gertrudis.

(The three last named were invested as lay sisters; the first six, as choir sisters. Mother Maria Theresia abolished the institute of lay Sisters immediately after the separation of the congregation.)

After each Sister was crowned with a wreath of flowers, benediction with the Most Blessed Sacrament was given. The Sisters were then conducted to their convent. There Dean Goerdes announced that Sister Clara had been appointed as superior by the bishop for a period of two years. Thus a new congregation had in reality been brought into being. The Sisters approached their superior and kissed her hand as a sign of willing obedience. The remainder of the day they passed in quiet and recollection. No visitors were permitted lest the tranquility be disturbed. The work had begun. Perhaps in the stillness throughout the convent the motto that Dean Goerdes gave them at the opening talk that morning burned itself into their souls: “Leave all to God! If this work is of God, it will endure; if it is not of God, it will of itself fall into ruin.”

In the December 10, 1860, letter giving permission for investiture, the bishop also wrote:

In virtue of the faculty granted me by the Holy See, I will allow the congregation to have a private oratory (provisional for one year) and permit the Blessed Sacrament to be preserved in this oratory with the stipulation that a perpetual light be kept burning, the key of the tabernacle be in the custody of a priest, and that Holy Mass be celebrated in the oratory at least three times a week.

It is significant for a religious community, at its very beginning, to be permitted to have the Blessed Sacrament preserved in its midst and Holy Mass celebrated in the convent oratory. Thereby a community is given a real heart center. That is probably the reason why the Sisters wished to spend the remainder of investiture day in quiet and recollection. They wished to prepare themselves for the following day, December 21, when Holy Mass would be celebrated for the first time within their convent home.

Mother Maria Theresia gives a graphic account of the significance of this day in a later chronicle:

The next morning, the feast of St. Thomas Apostle, Holy Mass was celebrated for the first time in the beautifully decorated chapel and the Blessed Sacrament was placed in the tabernacle for adoration. Touching and festive was the singing of the Sisters. Their desire and yearning rose ever higher and higher manifesting itself in sobbing as at the Sanctus the hymn, When Will You Come, My Redeemer was intoned — no heart remained untouched — no eye dry, when at the consecration the tremulous voices of the Sisters began: Welcome, Consolation of the Devout, You Sweet Jesus. After the Communion of the priest, the Sisters received Holy Communion. Filled with joy and gratitude to God, their Savior in their hearts, the Sisters began the Perpetual Adoration of the Most Blessed Sacrament in hourly rotation, day and night, after Holy Mass. Adoration is the chief objective of the congregation.

And this last paragraph added later to the chronicle — “Adoration is the chief objective of the congregation” — has a very special significance. One of the main objectives was attained in the Perpetual Adoration to which the congregation had pledged itself. It had now begun. After the investiture this was their most important accomplishment. The care of the orphans had started earlier. Now as it were, the crowning of the whole was acknowledged. Everyday life according to their high ideals had now begun.