Selige Ehrwürdige Mutter Maria Theresia von Jesu Gerhardinger, SSND
(Karolina Gerhardinger)
Blessed Mother M. Theresa of Jesus Gerhardinger, SSND
{Born Carolina Gerhardinger)
Gründerin und erste General-Oberin
der armen Schulschwestern de Notre Dame
1833 bis 1879
Foundress and First Superior General
School Sisters of Notre Dame
1833 to 1879
Seliggesprochen
am 17. November 1985
Beatified
November 17, 1985
Blessed M. Theresia Gerhardinger founded the Congregation of the School Sisters of Notre Dame on October 24, 1833. The daughter of a shipmaster and his wife, Karolina (her baptismal name) was born in the town of Stadtamhof, Bavaria.
Believing social conditions would improve if girls were educated, Karolina, under the spiritual direction of Bishop Georg Michael Wittmann of Regensburg, founded a Congregation of Sisters to teach the daughters of the poor. She sent her Sisters in twos and threes to the towns of southern Germany first, and then throughout Europe.
In 1847, fearing a new wave of secularization and heeding calls from German immigrants, Mother Theresia personally led the first group of School Sisters to North America. For the next year she lived in Baltimore, Maryland, where she saw first hand the challenges facing immigrants in this New World. Aided by John Neumann, CSsR, Redemptorist Vice-Provincial in Baltimore (and later Bishop of Philadelphia, canonized in 1977), she opened 3 parish schools and bought property connected to St. James Church on Aisquith Street from the Redemptorists for a motherhouse. In the spring of 1848 Mother Theresia and Father Neumann made a tour of inspection of the Redemptorist parishes. He placed all the schools in those parishes into her hands to be staffed as soon as there were Sisters. Sending back to Munich, site of the main Motherhouse of the Congregation, for more Sisters, she saw them settled in the first US missions before returning to Munich.
The 1850s were a time of struggle for Mother Theresia. She wished to have Rome approve the SSND Rule. However, she was opposed by the Prince Archbishop of Munich, Karl August Cardinal von Reisach. In the Rule, as proposed by Mother Theresia, the Congregation was to be under the direction of a Superior General, who was herself a member of the Congregation. All houses of the Congregation, regardless of diocese, country, or continent, would be under the main Motherhouse. This was a radical concept in the mid-19th century Roman Catholic Church. Cardinal von Reisach believed the Congregation should be under his direction -- certainly never under the direction of a woman! To achieve his end, he placed Mother Theresia under "interdict" from April 1852 until June 1854. In humility and obedience, Mother Theresia lived as required by the Archbishop, but she remained steadfast in her belief that the Congregation was to be under the direction of an SSND Superior General. Ultimately, she won out and Rome approved the Rule as requested by Mother Theresia. She remained Superior General until her death, having been appointed Superior General for life by Pope Pius IX. She was succeeded by Mother M. Margaritha v. Cortona Wiedemann.
By the time of her death in 1879, there were more than 2000 Sisters in Europe and North America. Mother Theresia was beatified by Saint John Paul II on November 17, 1985. She is the first citizen of Munich, Germany, to be so honored.
In 1998 Blessed Theresia Gerhardinger was inducted into Walhalla, located near Regensburg, Germany.
(http://www.schulschwestern.de/Walhalla.htm - in German)
Walhalla was erected by King Ludwig I as a place to honor "laudable and distinguished Germans." The initial honorees, chosen by King Ludwig, were inducted prior to 1847. (Modern inductees are chosen by the Bavarian government.) Since 1847 just twenty-one persons have been inducted, Mother Theresia being the first woman since the original group.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walhalla_temple)
In 2010 some 3600 School Sisters of Notre Dame were ministering in 36 countries around the world.
School Sisters of Notre Dame
Eternal rest grant unto her, O Lord!
Selige Ehrwürdige Mutter Maria Theresia von Jesu Gerhardinger, SSND
(Karolina Gerhardinger)
Blessed Mother M. Theresa of Jesus Gerhardinger, SSND
{Born Carolina Gerhardinger)
Gründerin und erste General-Oberin
der armen Schulschwestern de Notre Dame
1833 bis 1879
Foundress and First Superior General
School Sisters of Notre Dame
1833 to 1879
Seliggesprochen
am 17. November 1985
Beatified
November 17, 1985
Blessed M. Theresia Gerhardinger founded the Congregation of the School Sisters of Notre Dame on October 24, 1833. The daughter of a shipmaster and his wife, Karolina (her baptismal name) was born in the town of Stadtamhof, Bavaria.
Believing social conditions would improve if girls were educated, Karolina, under the spiritual direction of Bishop Georg Michael Wittmann of Regensburg, founded a Congregation of Sisters to teach the daughters of the poor. She sent her Sisters in twos and threes to the towns of southern Germany first, and then throughout Europe.
In 1847, fearing a new wave of secularization and heeding calls from German immigrants, Mother Theresia personally led the first group of School Sisters to North America. For the next year she lived in Baltimore, Maryland, where she saw first hand the challenges facing immigrants in this New World. Aided by John Neumann, CSsR, Redemptorist Vice-Provincial in Baltimore (and later Bishop of Philadelphia, canonized in 1977), she opened 3 parish schools and bought property connected to St. James Church on Aisquith Street from the Redemptorists for a motherhouse. In the spring of 1848 Mother Theresia and Father Neumann made a tour of inspection of the Redemptorist parishes. He placed all the schools in those parishes into her hands to be staffed as soon as there were Sisters. Sending back to Munich, site of the main Motherhouse of the Congregation, for more Sisters, she saw them settled in the first US missions before returning to Munich.
The 1850s were a time of struggle for Mother Theresia. She wished to have Rome approve the SSND Rule. However, she was opposed by the Prince Archbishop of Munich, Karl August Cardinal von Reisach. In the Rule, as proposed by Mother Theresia, the Congregation was to be under the direction of a Superior General, who was herself a member of the Congregation. All houses of the Congregation, regardless of diocese, country, or continent, would be under the main Motherhouse. This was a radical concept in the mid-19th century Roman Catholic Church. Cardinal von Reisach believed the Congregation should be under his direction -- certainly never under the direction of a woman! To achieve his end, he placed Mother Theresia under "interdict" from April 1852 until June 1854. In humility and obedience, Mother Theresia lived as required by the Archbishop, but she remained steadfast in her belief that the Congregation was to be under the direction of an SSND Superior General. Ultimately, she won out and Rome approved the Rule as requested by Mother Theresia. She remained Superior General until her death, having been appointed Superior General for life by Pope Pius IX. She was succeeded by Mother M. Margaritha v. Cortona Wiedemann.
By the time of her death in 1879, there were more than 2000 Sisters in Europe and North America. Mother Theresia was beatified by Saint John Paul II on November 17, 1985. She is the first citizen of Munich, Germany, to be so honored.
In 1998 Blessed Theresia Gerhardinger was inducted into Walhalla, located near Regensburg, Germany.
(http://www.schulschwestern.de/Walhalla.htm - in German)
Walhalla was erected by King Ludwig I as a place to honor "laudable and distinguished Germans." The initial honorees, chosen by King Ludwig, were inducted prior to 1847. (Modern inductees are chosen by the Bavarian government.) Since 1847 just twenty-one persons have been inducted, Mother Theresia being the first woman since the original group.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walhalla_temple)
In 2010 some 3600 School Sisters of Notre Dame were ministering in 36 countries around the world.
School Sisters of Notre Dame
Eternal rest grant unto her, O Lord!
Inscription
Karolina Gerhardinger
Mother Theresia von Jesus
born 20 June 1797 in Stadtamhof
died 9 May 1879 in Munich
Foundress of Congregation of
Poor School Sisters of Notre Dame
"All the works of God proceed slowly...."
Beatified 17 November 1985
(translation)
