2

SERVANT

AND

INSTRUMENT

BIOGRAPHY

of the

REVEREND FOUNDRESS AND SUPERIOR GENERAL

of the

CONGREGATION OF THE DAUGHTERS OF DIVINE CHARITY

MOTHER FRANZISKA LECHNER

Vienna, 1905

Published by the Congregation

====================================================== Z 10474 Imprimatur From the Ordinary of Vienna Nov. 10, 1905 Dr. G. Marschall

English translation from the German original by: Sister M. Caroline Bachmann, FDC

Library of Congress Control Number: 2008907148 ISBN: 978-0-615-24044-2

3

FOREWORD

According to God’s adorable designs, Mother Mary Franziska Lechner,

Foundress and Superior General of the Congregation of the Daughters of Divine

Charity was called from this world on April 14, 1894. Her memory is not

extinguished, however, but lives on in the hearts of her spiritual daughters, in

the countless charges who benefited from care in the institutions she built, the

friends and benefactors of the Congregation, and the many people who came

to learn of the work, so richly blessed by God, done by this great woman. These

simple lines should serve first the glory of the Almighty and show how God

chooses the weak to do great things, they should also, however, as is proper

and fitting, keep alive the memory of Mother Franziska for the future. At the

same time this book is a sign of gratitude to the noble patrons and benefactors

of the Congregation for their assistance in its work, To all the Daughters of

Divine Charity especially, however, is presented the life of their Foundress that

they may always have before them the glorious virtues of their spiritual Mother

and endeavor, in her spirit, to devote themselves with zeal to the tasks of

Christian love of neighbor, working according to the motto of Mother Franziska

“FOR GOD, FOR THE POOR, AND FOR OUR CONGREGATION”

Vienna, May, 1905

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Foreword to the 2008 edition and translator’s note

The foreword to the 1905 edition glows with the affection and the intimate

knowledge of an eye witness. There is nothing to add to those words of

admiration and love. The original author’s name remains hidden but the spirit

shining from the pages seems to indicate a relationship of friendship. With

each reading of these pages we bring her our praise and gratitude.

Many expressions and titles of the time, as well as spellings that required

specific symbols have been simplified for today’s reading of the English

language.

Sister M. Caroline Bachmann, FDC

Staten Island, New York

July 7, 2008

5

TABLE OF CONTENTS

CHAPTER I Mother Franziska’s Childhood and Youth ............................................................ 8 CHAPTER II Franziska’s Activities after Completing her Education until the Founding of the Congregation of the Daughters of Divine Charity ................... 14 CHAPTER III Foundation of the Congregation of the Daughters of Divine Charity ............... 20 CHAPTER IV Founding of Marian Institutes in Troppau, Brunn and Budapest ...................... 33 CHAPTER V Events during the years from 1871 to 1874 and the Founding of the Refuge St. Joseph in Breitenfurt ........................................................................ 40 CHAPTER VI Foundation in St. Georgental, Foundations in Toponar and Berzencze ............ 54 CHAPTER VII Foundation of the Convalescent House in Breitenfurt, the houses in St. Andra and Prague and other note-worthy happenings in the years from 1877 to 1882 .............................................................................................. 66 CHAPTER VIII Foundations in Bosnia, Recognition by Rome ................................................... 82 CHAPTER IX Foundations in Biala and in Zone XVIII of Vienna, Foundations in Foherczeglak, Trip to Rome .................................................... 105 CHAPTER X Founding of the Convent St. Joseph’s in Doinja-Tuzla, the Foundations in Crakow and Hirschtetten, enlargement of various branches of the Congregation ................................... 121

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CHAPTER XI The Purchase of a New Mother House, Foundation in Szt. Ivan ..................... 130 CHAPTER XII Construction and Dedication of the Church, Approval by Rome ................... 139 CHAPTER XIII Foundations in Kis-Czell, Nagy-Levard (Grossschutzen), and in IX. District of Vienna, Eye Operation .................................................... 149 CHAPTER XIV Foundations in Leopoldsdorf in Marchfelde and Legrad Foundation of the Convent of St. Augustine in Sarajevo ........................................................ 158 CHAPTER XV The twenty-fifth Anniversary of the Founding of the Congregation, and, on November 21, 1893, the double Silver Jubilee of Mother Franziska in Religion and in office ...................................................... 171 CHAPTER XVI Mother Franziska’s Maternal Love and Concern for the Congregation .......... 179 CHAPTER XVII Mother Franziska’s Piety, Humility and Trust in God ..................................... 195 CHAPTER XVIII Mother Franziska’s Last Illness, Bestowal of the Gold Cross of Merit with Crown, Initiation of the Foundation in Stossing, her Death. ........................................ 207

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Edling

Stossing

8

CHAPTER I

Mother Franziska’s Childhood and Youth

Franziska Lechner was born on January 2, 18332 in the friendly

village of Edling situated near Wasserburg in Bavaria. Her parents, Xaver and

Marie were a truly God—fearing Christian couple who lived on the income from

their considerable property. Her father was also occupied with transporting

food and goods for the farmers of his village to the capitol, Munich, because at

that time there was still no rail line. Because of this, he and his family were well

known far and wide. He was also well liked because of his honesty, goodness

and outgoing friendliness.

These beautiful qualities were soon evident in Franziska, called

“Franzi” at home, who soon became the darling of her parents and her sisters,

among whom she was the fifth in order of birth. From her earliest childhood,

she had a special joy in learning little prayers. It was her old nurse, Resi, who,

also considering Franzi her special darling, taught her these and had the little

one recite them daily. She did this, not mechanically, but with devotion and

zeal so that the nurse thought that surely something great would become of

her Franzi. She enjoyed praying these childhood prayers also later, especially

while traveling, when during the journeys she had enough time to pray.

Franzi never had to be reminded of morning and evening prayer

and usually performed these devotions in front of the crucifix which is still in

the sisters’ choir of the Mother House of the Congregation of the Daughters of

Divine Charity in Vienna. Earlier this was the property of the Benedictine

Monastery of Attel near Wasserburg in Bavaria, where it was hung in the

oratory of the cloister. At the suppression of the monastery the cross came into

the possession of Franzi’s grandfather. He, as well as his family and

descendants, always considered it a family treasure. Later, after Franziska

founded the first institute of her congregation in Vienna the crucifix was

brought at her request and hung in a place of honor in the convent chapel,

from where it was later brought to the choir of the new Mother House. Franzi

2 Parish records cite January 1, 1833

9

participated at Mass with such attention that those present were deeply

touched by the sight of this “angel in human form”.

Her intelligence developed unusually early. Her father’s

cleverness contributed to this. When she was permitted to accompany him on

the drive to the market, she had to, among other things, tell him the name of

this and that town and relate what she had seen here and there. He paid strict

attention that his children did not just make the trip in a mindless way and this

was a great advantage for the very precocious little one. She also had to re-

count the money taken in and, later, under his direction, help with the business

accounts, helping Franzi to acquire an unusual ability in arithmetic. In school

she was first in industry and good behavior. From the very first year of school

she always brought her parents the first prize from the examinations held,

according to the custom of the time in city and country schools, in the presence

of school and civil authorities. She had great influence on and enjoyed the trust,

yes, even the respect of her classmates,--boys and girls were instructed

together--which tells of her model behavior and all the virtues of a good

student. Therefore she was sought out by her classmates before confession to

help them with their examination of conscience and she did this willingly and

successfully.

When she was nine years old a priest came to Edling to preach a

mission. In one sermon, at which the little one was present, he described the

misery of the pagan children and asked his listeners to give small sums to

rescue them. Young people, however, who might have a vocation to the

religious state, and who wanted to offer their lives for the welfare of the

pagans, he encouraged to report to Rosenheim which was some distance from

Edling. The result was that Franzi immediately felt herself called to this heroic

sacrifice and, keeping it a secret, was determined also to go to the savages with

her nine year-old cousin, “Xaverl”. The two children outfitted themselves with

the necessities, tied these into two large handkerchiefs and, without telling

anyone of their plans, set out the next day. Late at night and totally exhausted

they arrived at their Uncle’s house in Seiding where they wanted to spend the

night in order to continue their journey the next day. Naturally, the Uncle

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informed himself about the reason for their coming and the children told him

very honestly what had brought them. He calmly let them go to sleep, but

immediately sent a messenger to the parents of the fugitives to prevent their

further worry and search. The next morning, securely accompanied, Franzi and

Xaverl began the trip home.

The good memory and speaking talent of the student, hardly out

of the delicate years of childhood, aroused great admiration. She retained very

well the sermons and conferences she heard and she often and gladly made

use of this special grace. In front of her father’s house was a stately tree with a

natural projection which served her as a pulpit from which she repeated the

Word of God she had heard and encouraged her listeners, not only children,

but also adults, to do good. Such a sermon from the mouth of a child not only

won the respect of the older people, but also produced satisfying fruit among

the young, especially since Franzi preceded her contemporaries with good

example. Once, in school, the pastor explained that love of neighbor must be

turned into deeds. At the next opportunity Franzi was seen supporting an old

lady as she was walking, then taking a heavy basket from the arm of another

woman to carry the load for her, and really being helpful wherever there was

need. At her encouragement, the other children also did such little acts of love.

They valued praise from her very highly, as well as feared correction from their

little mistress almost more than a scolding from their parents. Therefore, when

one of the boys or girls did some mischief they would say “If only Franzi doesn’t

find out, otherwise I will have a hard time on Sunday!” It was on Sunday

afternoons that the children gathered at the “carter’s” as the Lechner house

was known in the village and environs, for innocent fun. In good weather they

met outside. In bad weather or in winter, Franzi knew how to provide a suitable

place where all could devote themselves to their childish activities undisturbed.

Nearby was a roomy house belonging to the Lechners and originally built for

the retired parents. Since Franziska’s grandparents were already deceased

during her childhood, the house was given over to an old couple for their use.

Naturally, the little one was also their darling, and so, whenever she needed a

meeting place, the two old people would go to church and leave the house for

her use. The entire group of children willingly obeyed Franzi’s commands so it

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rarely happened that the planned recreation was disrupted by the bad behavior

of an individual. Franzi selected, and herself arranged, the various games, held

little lectures and reprimanded those about whom she had heard complaints in

the past week. So attractive was Franzi’s example to all that, those who

received correction from her amazingly demonstrated neither spite nor

unfriendliness to their strict little superior but tried to repair the fault

committed and the next week appeared again at the “carter’s”.

According to custom, the inhabitants of Edling gathered in the

church each Saturday after the evening bells’ tolling to recite the rosary. Many

children, however, taking no pleasure in this religious practice, often stayed

away entirely or disturbed, and even angered those present during their

devotions by their unsuitable behavior. Talking and punishment by parents and

teachers helped little here. Then Franzi tackled the case. She assigned each boy

and girl to a specific place and herself supervised them as the entire community

of Edling watched with amazement and admiration, the happy consequences of

the energy and influence of this little girl over the lively youths. In a short time

none of the children was missing from the rosary, Mass or other public

devotions, and order was always preserved in a most praiseworthy manner.

The little one showed a special preference for religious things

and convent practices. Her Father often took her along to Wasserburg where

there was an institute run by the “English Ladies”3 so she had several

opportunities to see Sisters and to attend the solemn Clothing and other church

ceremonies. One of her favorite games came to consist in imitating what she

had.seen on such occasions. She made herself a habit according to her childish

fantasy and then with admirable earnestness set about the clothing of her

companions. For the members of her community she built houses and chapels

or churches whose blessings were usually held in very solemn ceremonies.

Nearby, her father had a brickworks, and there the little foundress went with

her subjects to gather building material for her purposes. Naturally, this always

resulted in some disorder and damage, but the father’s strictness toward this

3 A Roman Catholic religious congregation.

12

activity achieved little with his usually so obedient darling. Franzi, with the help

of her faithful following continued to build as she would later do in her richly

blessed work for the good of the young and the welfare of so many of the poor.

She dressed the boys as Capuchins by tying cords around their

waists and hanging rosaries from them. Why, as a child, she preferred this

order can be traced back to the fact that, every year after the harvest, a

Capuchin brother came to Edling to collect alms. It was always Franzi and her

little cousin, Xaverl, who attached themselves to him and accompanied him

from house to house. Franzi, carrying a basket, and Xaverl a sack, they

announced the arrival of the religious and talked the owner or housewife into

giving him a generous amount. They both had great joy as Franzi’s father then

rewarded the charity of the children by carting all the collected things to the

Capuchin monastery in Rosenheim the next day.

Even at that time they thought something special would become

of this child so richly endowed with wonderful gifts and graces. And it was to

be! God wanted to show in this way to the inhabitants of Edling that He

intended to use this graced child to do great things for His own glory and the

welfare of humanity. In the neighboring State of Austria-Hungary He later

permitted Franziska to fulfill in a glorious way all those things, which in childish

play and zeal for good, she had practiced in her youth.

Once, Franzi was allowed to go to Altötting to visit the famous

image of the Virgin. She went to confession there and the confessor permitted

the pious child to go to Holy Communion twice. For Franzi this was an almost

unimaginable good fortune; she recounted later that she hardly dared to look

up as she walked, because she wanted to keep her heart very pure for this

grace. In Altötting she also had an opportunity to see the “English Ladies” and it

made a great impression on her to watch them greet the Mother of God with

“Ave Maria” whenever they passed her image in the hallway. Soon after

returning home she made her decision; she wrote secretly to the Superior in

Altötting and asked to be admitted as a candidate, The response, however, fell

13

into her father’s hands and now Franzi received a real scolding for her secret

correspondence. Rightly, her father considered her too young for such a

decision, and kept strict watch over her to prevent any further secret attempts

to request admittance. He took her with him on almost all his trips, and when

he couldn’t keep her near him, her elder sister, Caroline, had to watch her.

None of this could dissuade Franzi from her desire and yearning for religious

life. She assaulted her father with pleading to be allowed at least to go to a

convent as a boarding student. Since he had to admit to himself that his little

daughter was called by God to something greater, he finally decided to give in

to this eager desire of hers and brought her, after completion of her thirteenth

year, to the School Sisters of Notre Dame in Munich “an der Au” for further

education. Here Franziska made shining progress and was, in a short time, the

darling of her teachers as well as the most sought-after and trusted friend of

her companions. Unfortunately, details from this time were not preserved; only

that her companions often asked her, in the free time, to tell them a story.

Fanni—as she was called in the institute—told not only of personal experiences

or from her reading, but her creative spirit knew how to compose the most

moving tales, for example, of travelers on the sea, who were very near sinking;

of oppressed people who found themselves in great need, and who were aided

by God’s providential help and so forth. Her fellow students listened with

suspense-filled attention and were often moved to tears even though they

knew that Franziska usually made up the stories herself. We can imagine that

here, too, as with her classmates at home, her popularity with her companions

was a good influence on them. After completing the prescribed study time,

Franziska brought home to her parents a certificate which permitted her to

teach. With this a long-held wish was fulfilled.

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CHAPTER II

Franziska’s Activities after Completing her Education until the Founding of the

Congregation of the Daughters of Divine Charity.

Unfortunately not as many dates as we would like to have are

available from this part of Franziska’s life. Especially unknown is the length of

time she spent in this or that employment. What is available, though, also gives

witness to her noble character, to her restless striving for the glory of God and

the salvation of souls, and shows by what wonderful ways and through how

many trials the Lord often leads those whom He has chosen as special

instruments for His purposes and to fulfill His plans.

After a short stay in the home of her parents, Franziska returned

to Munich to the Institute of the School Sisters to work there as a teacher. She

soon had the total love of her students and achieved the best results as a

teacher. Gladly would Franziska have been accepted in the Congregation of the

School Sisters of Notre Dame, but in spite of her preference for religious life,

she could not make up her mind to enter.4 As she herself often mentioned

later, it was as if an inner voice were saying that this is not the destiny to which

God had called her. Of course, she did not as yet know where this destiny

would be found. The desire she had since childhood to work with poor pagan

children, and which still inspired her, was to be at least partially fulfilled. At that

time, as already noted earlier, public examinations were the practice in schools.

On the occasions of such examinations, His Majesty King Ludwig I of Bavaria

often came to the Institute of the School Sisters. His Daughter-in-Law, Queen

Marie, also frequently honored the Institute with her visits. Both soon noticed

the young, talented teacher so gifted with many wonderful qualities and

deigned to show her special favor. King Ludwig cherished the intention of

buying a number of black children at his own expense, bringing them to Europe,

and letting them be educated and instructed in the Catholic Faith by the School

Sisters in Munich. No one seemed more suited to take charge of the education

of these little black children than Franziska, more so after he knew of her wish

4 Translator’s note: She did enter but left sometime later.

15

to work with the poor pagan children. Black children actually were bought in

Khartoum, brought to Munich through a priest, and then entrusted to the

overjoyed Franziska. The exact number of children is unknown but it must have

been about 24 girls of various ages. Franziska devoted herself with complete

attention to her little black ones; Her time belonged to them, she sacrificed

even rest and recreation for them. Above all, she strove to achieve a knowledge

of their mother tongue, as well as to give them the most necessary minimum of

the German language in order to make possible an understanding and

instruction. It was no small task to civilize these little ones for, initially their

inborn wildness often broke through. Franziska often mentioned later, that she

was her most pious at this time, since she, in the fear that her charges could

attack her, kept herself constantly prepared for death. In spite of this, she

spared no effort and so, after a while, was richly rewarded, as she won the love

and attachment of the children. These soon called her nothing but “Mamma”.

In later years Franziska frequently and gladly told of her dear black children

who so appreciatively opened their unspoiled little hearts to the holy truths of

the Faith. The following little episode is an example of this. Some of the older

European born students of the Institute had become guilty of a lie; so the little

black children came very shocked and upset to Franziska and said, “Mamma,

Mamma, eating Jesus and making lies!” It was simply incomprehensible to

these simple children of nature that one could lie with the same tongue that

had touched the Holy Body of Jesus. With longing and holy joy Franziska

awaited the day when her little darlings would be reborn in the water of Holy

Baptism as children of God. This day was for her one of the greatest happiness

and purest heavenly delight. Unfortunately, Franziska was not to have her dear

Black ones very long; It was soon obvious that these could not tolerate the

European climate. One child after the other became ill and almost all pined

away in spite of the best medical efforts and the most careful nursing. If

Franziska had been a mother to the little ones before, now, in illness she was

even more so and cared for them until the last moments with the sacrifice of

her own strength. How painful it was for her heart as an unrelenting death once

again took one of her charges! And yet she felt comfort and joy at the thought

that these had gone into eternity enlightened with the true Faith and in the

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white dress of Baptismal grace. How many blessings for her later work will

these little black ones, in Heaven shining white angels, have interceded for their

loving foster mother! Of the few black girls who remained alive, one entered

the Congregation of the School Sisters; One married, but, unfortunately,

unhappily. This former pupil often wrote to her former foster mother in order

to seek consolation in her troubles.

After the death of most of her dear black children, Franziska took

a position as teacher in the Deaf and Dumb Institute in Munich and stayed

there some years. This position gave her again a fitting outlet for her charity

and she gave of herself to the poor deaf and dumb with the same devotion as

she had earlier to her little black children. Here also Franziska enjoyed general

love and respect, though this position also did not seem to be the one to which

she felt herself innerly driven. More and more she was confirmed in the

thought of founding her own congregation for the honor of God and the

welfare of the poor. How and where this was to happen she, of course, did not

yet know. Then a priest with the name Depozzo from Sett in the Canton

Graubunden in Switzerland came to know Franziska. He had a similar intention

as she and therefore encouraged her to found jointly with him, a Congregation

which would actualize her ideas. So Franziska decided to give up her position in

Munich and traveled to Illanz in Switzerland, where, in July, 1865, with the

Reverend Depozzo, she founded an educational institution. Here Franziska was

employed as directress, since only by and by would they attempt to organize a

Congregation with the members who joined them. The Institute, also,

flourished under Franziska’s leadership and in August, 1867 she already

founded a branch in Dornbirn in Vorarlberg, which opened on September 6 of

the same year with 64 students and gave reason for the most beautiful hopes.

At the wish of Rev. Depozzo, Franziska was also supposed to found a similar

educational institution in Ebersberg in Bavaria and it seemed to promise a

beautiful field of activity. Unfortunately, the above named priest was very

inconsistent and had once this, another time that, idea which were obviously

not realizable. Convinced that she would not achieve the desired results in this

situation, Franziska, after mature deliberation decided to give it up and to

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follow independently the goal that hovered before her. Still, she wanted to

weigh carefully how she could reach this in conformity with the will of God. In

order not to be idle during the time she clarified this for herself, she rented an

apartment at the carpenter Kerschels and began a private school attached to a

kindergarten and vocational school. She did not want to do this for herself, but

for Miss Karoline Tschofen (died as a member of the “Englischen Fraulein”

Institute in Brixen on September 23, 1897) who was employed with her as a

teacher in Dornbirn and had come to Ebersberg. By the time this institute was

functioning, she expected to have achieved clarity concerning her own plans.

With God’s help the above named school, conducted by Franziska as Principal,

made a good start. She employed some teachers and wore with them a kind of

religious habit. In the meantime her spirit worked uninterruptedly on her ideas

and in continual fervent prayer she pleaded for enlightenment from above. Her

prayer was not in vain, the goal which she would follow stood with increasing

clarity before her eyes. During her sojourns in larger cities she had had the

opportunity to see the many dangers to which unemployed girls were exposed;

how these, during their time of unemployment often not only had to use up

their meager savings, but also could be ruined in body and soul. This touched

her heart profoundly and she regarded it as absolutely necessary that institutes

be brought into existence, especially in large cities, which would help remedy

this evil by accepting without cost and providing care and employment services

for unemployed girls. At the same time, these institutes should provide them

with useful work and give them opportunity to gain the necessary knowledge

and skills for their position, as well as confirming them in their holy religion and

instructing them in their duties as Christians and good servants. Franziska

wanted to found such an institute, and, if it thrived, to found various branches.

Since she rightly recognized that servants had much influence on the children in

the families and therefore on the coming generations, she saw the education of

good servants as necessary as their protection during their time of

unemployment. She therefore conceived the further intention of accepting

poor orphaned girls and educating them as worthwhile, good servants who

later could find an honest advancement in the world and do good in families. If

God would bless these undertakings, her institutes would later be devoted to

18

the education and instruction of youth generally, but the main goal of caring for

poor servant girls would always be kept in view. Franziska wanted to name the

congregation to be founded: “Congregation of the Daughters of Divine Love,”

because the members whom she hoped to receive through God’s help, besides

striving for Christian perfection and personal holiness, would, for the love of

God, devote themselves to works of charity. It is easy to see how well Franziska

recognized the needs of the times and how deeply the carrying out of her plans

would penetrate the social question. Queen Marie of Bavaria to whom

Franziska traveled from Ebersberg to inform Her Majesty of her plans, also

grasped this. The noble Queen, who herself had such a kind heart for the poor

and who still had good memories of Franziska from Munich, recognized

immediately that here was a work of great significance and did not miss giving

Franziska lively encouragement to fulfill her plans. Even later, her Majesty

retained a lively interest in her and her undertakings and when, on occasion

Franziska’s spiritual daughters made short trips to Bavaria to collect alms and

asked for an audience with Queen Marie she always received them most

graciously, gave them gifts and treated them, so to say, as friends. Her Majesty

showed them the palace, entertained them, and finally let them be taken by

carriage to the next place that they wanted to visit. Queen Marie always sent

gracious greetings to Mother Franziska and once even sent, after she had

personally signed her name under each picture, her portrait taken in two

different poses. These same are still preserved as precious souvenirs of the

noble Queen as well as of Mother Franziska.

Franziska was now indeed herself clear on the purpose of the

Congregation to be founded, but did not yet know where its birthplace would

be. On a trip she made in 1867 to Hungary, to collect alms for her institute in

Ebersberg, she went through Vienna and met Dr. Theodor Wiedemann. As he

heard of Franziska’s plans, he told her that His Highness Archduke Albrecht had

reserved a sum of 300,000 florins for the foundation of an institute for

servants, and only the capable hand to carry out the project was missing. This

was a ray of hope for Franziska. After she had corresponded with this man for a

longer time and he had given her hope of support from important people, she

19

decided to go to Vienna in the spring of 1868 in order to convince herself

personally whether or not there was a possibility of a foundation; But the time

determined by God had not yet arrived. As she went, totally prepared for

departure, to the coach in Ebersberg at dawn, she neglected to notice a stone

in her path, fell and sprained her hand so badly that the thought of the trip had

to be put temporarily aside. Therefore she returned home. The sprain caused

her much pain and it was a long time until the hand was again completely

sound. Meanwhile, her thoughts were often on the intended foundation and in

continual prayer she pleaded with God that His holy will might be fulfilled in

and through her. After healing was completed, Franziska traveled to Innsbruck

in September, 1868, to strengthen herself with a retreat before beginning her

work, and at the same time, to weigh everything once again with the assistance

of the Holy Spirit. She made the Spiritual Exercises with Father Jung, a priest of

the Society of Jesus, to whom she also revealed her plans and who

strengthened her in this intention. After finishing the retreat, she returned to

Ebersberg, gave the direction of her institute to the temporary care of Miss

Karoline Tschofen, said farewell, and began the journey to Vienna on October

24.

20

CHAPTER III

Foundation of the Congregation of the Daughters of Divine Charity

On October 25, 1868, Franziska Lechner arrived in Vienna.

Besides a firm trust in God’s help and the sincere will to work for God’s glory

and assist poor serving girls as much as possible, she had only the small sum of

200 guldens. In these circumstances, the task Mother Franziska had set for

herself was no easy one, and her trust would soon be put to a hard test. On her

arrival she roomed at the Hotel of the Golden Lamb on Wiedner Hauptstrasse

and took the necessary steps to insure for herself the promised help for her

work. Unfortunately she learned that Dr. Wiedemann had been very

misinformed and that no grant existed for an institute for serving girls; Likewise

she soon saw her hopes for benefactors and co-founders disappointed and

herself alone and abandoned in the large city. This affected Franziska so

strongly that for two weeks she was severely ill and bedridden in the apartment

she had in the meantime rented in the JohannesgasseNr. 13, in the First

District. It wasn’t enough that she had insufficient care-her landlady, who

apparently didn’t trust her, also mistreated her in various ways. To this was

added the anxious thought that her efforts in Vienna might remain fruitless.

Earlier, Franziska had asked God that He might allow her to die during the trip

to Vienna or shortly after her arrival, if her work would lead her away from His

commandments or not serve the salvation of others, and now she believed her

last hour was near. God did not want Franziska’s death but only wanted to use

her as an instrument, through which many would be saved from temporal and

eternal downfall. He only wanted, as with all great souls, to educate her in the

school of suffering, thereby showing her, by taking away at the beginning all

human help, that the great and blessed work to be born through Franziska, was

done only and alone thanks to Him.

During this difficult probation she had not lost her trust in God’s

help, however, and as soon as Franziska felt somewhat better, her thoughts

were again occupied with the intended work. On November 12, as she was able

21

to leave her bed for a few hours, her first task was to enter a request for

permission to found the planned society, with which she included a draft of the

statutes clarifying the purpose of the same, to the Ministry of the Interior. On

the 13th and 14th of November, Franziska looked, as far as her weakened body

would allow, for a suitable lodging and finally found this at Taubstummengasse

5, auf der Wieden with a police official’s widow. The apartment was on the

third floor, consisted of a vestibule and one room and had its own entrance. It

was furnished in the simplest way and was available on the next day, the 15th.

The first things that Franziska purchased from her small savings were a crucifix,

a statue of the Blessed Virgin and two candlesticks.

On November 17 Franziska went to the Ministry with her request

and was cordially received by Section Chief, Baron Rudolf von Breisky. This kind

man immediately understood the significance of things and the value such an

institute would have for poor servant girls in the large city, encouraged

F’ranziska to found it, promised his help, and gave her a recommendation to

the Governor, Baron von Weber. Consoled by this cooperation, she went to the

gentleman named and was there too, received with great kindness. The

Governor also promised to take her noble plan under his protection. He, as well

as Baron von Breisky, stayed faithful to their word and remained also in the

future, faithful friends and protectors of the Congregation.

As soon as November 21st these two well-meaning gentlemen

shared with Franziska the news that she would, within a few days, receive the

permit to found the Congregation and the permission to collect alms for the

new work. In this she saw that her trust in God was not disappointed and

thanked Him with her whole heart for His help. she expressed this gratitude by

determining November 21st the Feast of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin

Mary, as the birthday of the Congregation; As such it is celebrated annually and

marked by the Sister’ renewal of vows as well as connected with Clothing and

Profession celebrations. The fact that she received notice of permission for the

foundation on a Marian feast, was for Franziska a comforting sign that the

beloved Mother of God, under whose special protection she had placed her

22

work, would always be Mother and Guide for the congregation, as the future

also demonstrated. On November 27th the awaited permit for the foundation

arrived as well as the permission to collect alms in Lower Austria, but

collaborators were still missing. Franziska went, therefore, to various

monasteries to ask confessors to send her those young girls that they might

have among their penitents who had a call to the religious life and the

necessary courage to help in the founding of the intended work. As early as

December 5th , the first fellow worker, Katherine Benda, later Sister Luzia, born

in Buckau in Bohemia, came requesting admittance. Mother Franziska accepted

her with joy and gratitude to God and began collecting with her on December

7th in Vienna. The first benefactor was Mr. Anton Lang, manufacturer in

Fünfhaus, Kranzgasse 14, who gave 20 florins. He and his brother later became

trustees of the Congregation and showed themselves to be constant friends

and benefactors. The Congregation owes much to these noble gentlemen.

Franziska also tried to find a zealous priest with a known

reputation who could intercede for the Congregation. She found this in the

Reverend Anton Steiner, of the court parish church of St. Augustine. He was a

good speaker, talented with the pen, and he, as well as his family (his father

was Privy Councilor), were loved and universally respected. The Reverend

Steiner very gladly agreed to be Director and Co-founder of the Congregation

and was zealously concerned to be of service.

Franziska was unable to continue the difficult work of collecting

in Vienna because her body was still too weakened by the recently endured

severe illness and climbing stairs was too strenuous. Since she had neither time

nor means for the necessary convalescence, she decided to continue her

collecting in the country, in the hope that the fresh air would strengthen her.

So Franziska and her companion went to Kroneuburg, Stockerau, Brunn,

Modling, Baden, Neunkirchen, Gloggnitz and other nearby towns. God

strengthened her so much that she could collect all day even though her

weakened stomach was able to take only little nourishment, and sometimes

could not even digest this little. Those acquainted with the many efforts and

23

sacrifices demanded by soliciting can imagine what self-denial was required to

carry this out in this debilitated condition. Even at that time, Franziska, with

almost manly courage and total self-forgetfulness, pursued the goal that she

recognized as her God-given life task to advance His glory and the salvation of

her fellow man. Both of the beautiful qualities, cited above and rooted in an

unshakable trust in help from above, an intimate love for God, and a winning

love for neighbor, were apparent during the remainder of her life and made it

possible to bring so many richly blessed institutes into existence in the

relatively short time of 26 years.

In Stuppach near Gloggnitz Franziska was to find another

collaborator. There she met a nice, dear girl named Juditha Kock, who taught

younger girls knitting and sewing. Juditha was an orphan and had for a long

time felt a preference for the religious life. She had hardly seen Franziska in the

semi-religious dress, than she was attracted by her friendliness, asked for

admittance and wanted to go with her immediately. Franziska told her to put

her affairs in order first and then to come to enter upon her new situation. So,

on January 27, 1869, Juditha entered and was a strong helper in the endeavor.

She worked later with the name Sister Josefa as superior in various, especially

new, foundations of the Congregation where there were usually still obstacles

and difficulties to overcome, and she survived the Foundress by six years.

Juditha’s entrance was tied to a disappointment which did not frighten her or

the other Sisters. When she asked to be admitted, she hadn’t taken the time to

ask about the circumstances in detail, and therefore expected to find a fully

equipped convent with a number of members. When she arrived in the

Taubstummengasse therefore, and asked about the presumed convent, she

received no information. When she reached number 5 and repeated her

question, she was told, “There’s no convent here, but on the third floor there

lives a woman who wears a black dress and white bonnet. Maybe you want to

go to her.” Juditha, half disappointed, half expectant, climbed the stairs and

rang. As Franziska opened the door, welcomed her with a winning friendliness,

and, while serving her a little snack, explained things in more detail, the

newcomer’s courage and trust reawakened and she said determinedly, “If God

24

wants that I should work along from the very beginning, so be it!” As Sister

Josefa, so the other older sisters unanimously tell of the kindliness with which

Franziska welcomed each one so that they forgot the anxiety they felt at this

beginning religious life and the dire poverty and soon became totally inflamed

with zeal for the work.

Mother Franziska now had to think of acquiring her own house

for the Congregation; but where would she get money? The Reverend Director

Steiner and the Lang brothers advised her to buy the house belonging to Privy

Councilor, Mr. Friedrich Raimann, in the third district of Vienna on Fasangasse

Nr. 4. This purchase actually did take place on January 24, 1869. As down

payment, Mother Franziska could pay only the negligible sum of 1,000 florins

and even this wasn’t all from her own means. She had only the little gained

through the collecting, so that the Lang brothers willingly lent her an amount

needed to complete the 1,000 florins. The feelings of Mother Franziska

therefore, as she closed the sale and signed the contract, can hardly be

described. It was no small thing to buy a house without money. With God’s help

it was later possible to get the amount of the sale as a bank loan. Then there

was, of course, the great worry about paying the interest on the capital, but it

was a help for the time being. With the purchase of the house the beginning

was made and God continued to help. On the day the sale was completed,

Mother Franziska was with His Eminence, Cardinal Rauscher, Archbishop of

Vienna, who received her kindly, encouraged her in her work and gave her 100

florins.

On February 1st, the sisters could move into a small apartment

in the purchased house which was to be the Mother House of the Congregation

for twenty years. The remaining space was still occupied by the tenants who

only little by little moved out. The entire property of the sisters when they

moved in consisted of a crucifix, a statue of Mary and one of St. Joseph, two

glass candlesticks, a hand-held candlestick, two old suitcases, two sheets, two

blankets, a pillow, a hot-plate, three spoons, two knives and two forks. The two

statues mentioned, of Mary and of St. Joseph, are still preserved in the

25

community room of the present Mother House as precious souvenirs of the

blessed Foundress and the first days of the Congregation. In addition to these

few things, Mother Franziska bought, at a very good price, the furniture

belonging to the military chaplain who had lived in the apartment and was

forced to dispose of the things because of being transferred. The sisters

considered themselves fortunate to now have two beds and some furniture. It

was exactly at the time of the move that Mother Franziska heard the news that

a newspaper had accepted an article written against her. This seemed to her to

be a hard blow to herself and the new work only just begun. With God’s help

the things were soon calmed down because His Eminence, Cardinal Rauscher

and the Auxiliary Bishop Kutschker came strongly to Mother Franziska’s aide.

The newly purchased house was called “Marienanstalt” (tr.

Marian Institute) to point out that it was placed under the special protection of

Mary. In March, when another apartment was vacated, the renovations could

be begun. In order to promote the collections, Mother Franziska took on

women as collectors. The sisters, also, whose number had now increased by

three, diligently continued collecting to gain means for the work begun. A few

words from Mother Franziska were sufficient to rekindle their zeal, and they

would gladly have gone to the ends of the earth, as the sisters now often say,

to gather together something to promote the beautiful undertaking. Evenings,

the sisters went out one-by-one to buy for a few cents, wood and the most

necessary food, and Mother Franziska, because there was no kitchen available

yet, cooked a wine soup on the hot-plate for them. As a reminder of these early

days, she later, on the eve of Candlemas day, for many years, cooked a wine

soup on a hot-plate and each sister received a spoonful, while she told them of

the beginnings of the Congregation and the sacrifices entailed in it. Although

tired herself, Mother Franziska, during these meager suppers tried to cheer

everyone and with her kindness rekindled the courage of her companions.

During the evening recreations and on Sundays and holidays, she also

instructed the sisters in reading, writing, arithmetic, etc. After supper, in spite

of fatigue, they also were often busy with washing and ironing of their own and

other people’s laundry, which they accepted in order to earn something. It was

often 12 midnight before they got to rest. Mother Franziska helped, supervised,

26

encouraged, and occasionally returned pieces to the wash tub which to her did

not seem done properly enough; For her goodness to the sisters did not

infringe upon her authority or the strictness she could show when necessary.

Always, however, in such moments, her motherly love was felt and made

obedience easy.

From Holy Thursday until Easter Sunday, Director Father Steiner

held the first retreat, at which the soliciting ladies also were present. All were

very happy about it, especially Mother Franziska, for whom it was very

important that her little community resemble more and more convent living

and be introduced to the spiritual life. Even then, every day, besides morning

and evening prayer, they prayed some short liturgical hours out of the book

“HIMMLISCHER PALMGARTEN” and a litany in common. The Litany of St. Joseph

was assigned to Wednesday because Mother Franziska had a special devotion

to this Saint. she considered him the “Father of the House” and brought him all

her intentions, especially the financial worries. They tell the story that, long

before the Marian Institute was paid for, she carried the statue of the Saint

from room to room and, in a childlike way, showed him everything that was

necessary here and there, and presented all her needs. She said to him, “look,

St. Joseph, you are our father; You know what we need and you will help us. I

promise that I will place all the houses of our Congregation under your special

protection, and that all the sisters will give you special honor”. In the company

of the sisters she promised him also that his litany would be prayed every

Wednesday in the entire Congregation, in gratitude for the help that was sure

to come. This promise is kept right up to today and St. Joseph has consistently

shown himself to be a faithful protector and father for the Congregation. In the

meantime Mother Franziska chose for herself and her companions a religious-

type uniform dress, that is, a simple black dress, with a white bonnet worn in

the house and a black hat for going out. Later, the hat was discarded and the

bonnet, with a black veil added, was used also for going out. Even later the veil

was worn also in the house. During the early years, because of the great

poverty that reigned, it often happened that the sisters had to lend each other

the better clothes for going out.

27

On Easter morning 1869, Mother Franziska had a great shock. As

she wanted to wake the sisters in the morning, she found that they were all

unconscious because gas had leaked out during the night. God had sent the

caring Mother in time as a guardian angel. By the time they had to go to Mass

they were all pretty much recovered.

On April 30th the Statutes of the Congregation received the

approval of the royal Governor which was a very important and joyful step

toward its continuing existence. In May all the remaining tenants except the

former owner, who stayed in his apartment until August, moved. The

renovations began immediately and the rooms were ready to be blessed on

May 26th. Unfortunately, at that time Mother Franziska had been ill for a

month, but, because of the renovations, was able to spend very little time in

bed even though rest would have been necessary. Recovered with God’s help,

her first care was to furnish a room on the courtyard side as a chapel and an

adjoining room as a sacristy. Girls seeking employment were also already

accepted, cared for and provided with suitable positions, as is still the main

purpose of all Marian Institutes of the Congregation. The great number of girls

who soon came demonstrated how correctly Mother Franziska had recognized

the need for such an institute in the metropolis. The girls, like the sisters, felt

themselves attracted by the charming kindness of the Foundress. Soon she was

generally addressed by all simply as “Frau Mutter” because, in her modesty she

would not let herself be addressed as “Reverend Mother, and this dear title she

kept among her own as well as others with whom she came into closer contact,

until the end of her life. Mother Franziska had a special gift, the ability to

communicate with all, whether within the highest circles or the lowest classes.

Her simple, natural charm attracted all. In contacts with those who were higher

placed she was modest, yet unconstrained and was able to say some candid

words or make some requests that others would not have dared so easily to do.

Toward simple and poor people she showed a motherly kindness and had a

friendly, consoling word for the poorest little old lady. She quickly understood

hearts and could adapt to their moods, rejoicing with the joyful and giving

heartfelt sympathy to the sorrowful and depressed, whom she encouraged,

28

consoled and helped with advice and deeds. All kindness and charity had

become as second nature to her. Therefore, it often happened that outsiders,

even important persons, sought counsel and comfort with Mother Franziska

and poured out their troubled hearts to her.

In the meantime, God’s providence had sent once again, new

members to the young Congregation, among them the present Superior

General, Sister M. Ignazia Egger. Since the permit for soliciting alms had come

for other imperial territories of Austria such as Moravia, Salesia, Upper Austria,

etc., Mother Franziska could send partly sisters, partly soliciting ladies, there to

receive charitable donations to promote her work. In the early years she wrote

herself to the sisters who were away soliciting, and her letters were as loving as

she herself was in her manner. The sisters were always happy with them and

forgot all efforts and sacrifices in the face of the encouraging and cordial words.

On August 9 Mother Franziska traveled to Ebersberg in Bavaria,

in order to turn the institute she had founded over completely to Miss Karoline

Tschofen, now that the future of the work in Vienna was almost assured. After

a short stay, she returned to Vienna.

On October 9, 1869, in the presence of the Father Director

Steiner and all the sisters, Mother Franziska made the Solemn Promises of

Poverty, Chastity and Obedience, as well as that she would do everything to

promote the goals of the Congregation. It is easy to imagine with what fervor

she did this. October 10 was a great feast day for the sisters. The first clothing

and profession was held. Five candidates received the religious dress and six

sisters made promises of Poverty, Chastity and Obedience. Vows were not yet

permitted since His Eminence, Cardinal Rauscher at first allowed only promises

to be made. Only the following year were real vows made. Clothing and

profession were made in the greatest simplicity. The sisters received the dress

and bonnet without ceremony and only the prayer, “Under your protection...”

was recited. In spite of this, all were filled with the greatest happiness and

firmly strengthened in their courageous offering. This was necessary for the

29

first sisters of the Congregation who had not yet any postulancy and no real

novitiate, but usually had to be sent out soliciting the day after clothing. At

about this time, at the request of Mother Franziska, the Director, Father

Steiner, began to write a rule for the sisters which, under the title, “House

Regulations” was approved in 1871 by the Archbishops of Vienna, Gran and

Olmutz. Upon completion this rule was read and explained to the sisters every

Sunday and holiday. From the time of their clothing all the members made an

annual retreat and Mother Franziska did everything with the Reverend Father

Steiner, to help the sisters be introduced into and confirmed in the spiritual life.

December 29 was another day of great happiness for Mother

Franziska and her own. Holy Mass was celebrated for the first time in the house

chapel and all the sisters as well as the soliciting ladies received Holy

Communion. Later Mother Franziska talked about that day in this way: “What

we felt then is not to be described. These feelings, as at the Consecration, for

the first time, Jesus descended to the altar in this house in which the members

of the Congregation would be formed, in the chapel where they would say their

prayers and receive the holy sacraments, cannot be understood except by

those who were witnesses to this happiness.” Shortly before this happy day the

sisters had received from the bookstore of Mr. Mayer a Missal and altar

picture, representing the adoration of Jesus in the crib by Mary and Joseph, as

gifts. At the sight of this latter, the sisters jumped for joy. Later, when a larger

chapel was furnished in the Mother House, this beautiful picture came as altar

picture to the “Zufluchtshaus” St. Joseph in Breitenfurt and is still there as such

today.

On January 8, 1870 the sisters were surprised and gladdened by

the exalted visit of her royal Highness the Archduchess Maria Annunciata, wife

of the Archduke Karl Ludwig, brother of His Majesty, Franz Joseph I. the royal

lady inspected the institute carefully, expressed her pleasure at its furnishing

and the work of the sisters and deigned to agree to accepting the protectorate

of the Congregation. As Her Majesty inquired how large the foundation fund

was, Mother Franziska responded in her straightforward way, “We have a very

30

large fund, that is, Divine Providence!” The great lady, a very pious woman,

smiled, and agreed that God would certainly help. From this day onward, her

Imperial Majesty proved herself a true protectress of the Congregation. On

March 9 she sent a contribution of 300 florins as well as two valuable Mass

vestments and was influential that the Marienanstalt receive the profits from a

charity presentation given by the ladies of the nobility.

The rooms of the Marienanstalt soon proved themselves too

small, as the stream of girls seeking employment steadily increased and Mother

Franziska had already taken in some children to be educated. In her burning

zeal for the glory of God and the good of neighbor she thought of enlarging the

institute through the construction of a right wing. Trusting in God’s continued

help the cornerstone for this was laid on June 15, 1870. The sisters were most

happy about this progress, the more so, because it was foreseen to erect a

larger chapel in this addition. In the short recreations granted them, they

carried stones for the building and Mother Franziska led them all, even climbing

aboard the wagon to unload stones and tiles. Just as her example on the one

hand encouraged the sisters, so also was she very consoled by their willingness

to sacrifice. With the advance of the work, the concerns also grew and often

they worked all night through, some at desks, some with handicrafts, some in

the laundry with the wash taken in. There were so many requests to be made

to authorities, the compilation of the Rule, the house schedule, and the

program for the erection of a section for boarders, all required great work and

then they had to care about working to earn means of support. Through all

these efforts, the health of Mother Franziska, already weakened from the last

illness, suffered and the Countess Friess offered her a convalescence and use of

the baths at Voslau and gave her the use of an apartment in her palace there.

Care for the growth of the Congregation allowed Mother Franziska only six days

in Voslau, then she returned to Vienna, and allowed another sister who needed

recuperation to use up the rest of the offered time.

In July three sisters took the examination as handicrafts

teachers, since Mother Franziska was concerned to have sisters educated for

schools as soon as possible in order to enlarge the work of the Congregation

31

and make it useful in this area also. This was all the more possible because the

number of members increased rapidly. For this reason also, from August 1870

on, almost all the alms collecting could be taken care of by the sisters and soon

thereafter, the help of the secular solicitors was no longer necessary.

On September 8, 1878 two statues, one of the dear Mother of

God and one of St. Joseph, were placed over the door of the house to give it a

convent appearance even from the outside. In the meantime, the addition was

visibly advanced and nearly completed to the greatest joy of Mother Franziska

as well as the sisters. In October preparations could already be begun for the

dedication of the rather spacious chapel, outfitted with a choir. Of course,

some parts of the furnishings were still missing, primarily an altar picture

because that from the old chapel was too small and in their poverty they could

not even imagine purchasing one of fitting size. Father Director often asked,

“Frau Mutter, where are you going to get an altar picture?” Mother Franziska

always replied with confidence, “One will come, God will provide!” She gave

the same assurance also to the sisters. And it happened! God helped in a

wonderful way. On October 2 Mother Franziska learned through Mr. Lang that

a large altar painting representing the Glory of St. Joseph, painted by Johann

Michael Rolssma in the year 1727 would be available from the parish of “St.

Josef ob der Leimgrube” on Mariahilferstrasse, if Cardinal Rauscher and the

Governor would give permission to move it. Without hesitation, she went to

both gentlemen with her petition and was granted the gift, not only willingly

but also even joyfully, because now the beautiful painting, no longer necessary

in the parish church which was receiving a new one, would once again find a

worthy place. The Pastor also was very happy about this circumstance. It is easy

to imagine the joy of the sisters; They saw the trust of their spiritual mother not

only rewarded, but surpassed beyond all expectations. That the picture just

happened to be of St. Joseph, seemed also to be this Saint’s confirmation of his

kind acceptance of the promises made and the office given him as the “Father

of the House” by Mother Franziska. He also immediately showed his

providence. On October 23 Mother Franziska received a monstrance and a

lamp for the sanctuary light from benefactors, and on the 26th Mr. Lang

32

donated a small organ, which was very old, but for the sisters, nevertheless, a

treasure. The solemn dedication of the chapel could be held on November 4.

This was undertaken by the Rev. Auxiliary Bishop Dr. Kutscher. Countess Goss,

private tutor, came as representative of the Protectress, Archduchess Maria

Annunciata. Members of the Community Council and police officers were also

present. The pupils of the Institute for the blind beautified the uplifting

ceremony with their singing. Mother Franziska and the sisters, who numbered

27, received Holy Communion from the hand of the Auxiliary Bishop during the

Holy Mass. All were filled with the most blessed joy. Interesting is the

circumstance by which the sisters came on this day to the happy possession of

the Blessed Sacrament. The permission for permanent reservation in this

chapel had not yet been given. Accidentally, however, the sister who had

charge of the sacristy prepared more hosts for consecration than there were

communicants and so, after the distribution of Holy Communion, some

consecrated Hosts remained, which the Auxiliary Bishop then had to place in

the tabernacle. After the celebration he jokingly told Mother Franziska that she

and the sisters were very clever to have captured the Lord in this way. This

intention of course, had not been present, but still, Mother Franziska and the

sisters were most happy about this unexpected grace, and saw the oversight

that had occasioned it, not as a simple coincidence, but rather as a providential

arrangement of God and a sign that the Divine Savior gladly wanted to dwell

with them under their poor roof. Following this Mother Franziska often knelt

before the tabernacle, in order there to bring all her intentions and cares, and

to beg in fervent prayer, God’s blessing for herself and her own and where she

drew power and strength to continue her work. This last she also needed

because Mother Franziska had many struggles to withstand and the young

Congregation had some crosses and trials ahead of it, as we will hear in the

following. A visitation came as soon as November 27. A terrible wind storm tore

the tin roof off the chapel and shattered the windows in the glassed-in half of

the house, which, considering the poverty of the sisters, was a hard blow.

However, God once again helped so that Mother Franziska was soon able to let

the damage be repaired.

33

Now we must go back a little in our narrative to share the

founding of the first branch of the Congregation, which took place in the

meantime. The occasion showed very pointedly that the good God willed the

continuation and spread of the work begun by Mother Franziska and to confirm

her words which she so often told the sisters, “If it is not God’s work it will

collapse, but if it is God’s work, it will continue!”

CHAPTER IV

Founding of Marian Institutes in Troppau, Brunn and Budapest.

On October 9, 1870 Director Father Steiner brought Mother

Franziska a letter from Mr. Benda in Troppau in which he asked if and to what

degree the Congregation of the Daughters of Divine Charity is involved in the

foundation of a Marian Institute in Troppau, if they had given a commission to

do so to a certain Scholastica Vladar. She had come to him with the request for

help in founding such an institute. The person mentioned had been taken on by

Mother Franziska as a collector but after a few months had to be dismissed as

incapable of this work. Thereafter she traveled to Troppau, began to collect

alms for the establishment of a Marian Institute and rented a ground floor,

34

three-room apartment in Poppen Street. Then she took in three servant girls,

two of whom were to be her assistants and the third, novice directress. It was

apparent from all this that Vladar wanted to imitate Mother Franziska although

she lacked the necessary ability to do so. She soon recognized this herself and

therefore had already written a number of times to Mother Franziska who was

unable, however, to decipher the letters. As Mother Franziska heard of this

situation it became clear to her that she would have to bring a halt to the

events if the reputation of the young Congregation was not to be endangered

and so she set out that same evening with Sister Aloisia Argauer for Troppau.

After Mother Franziska consulted, with the Superior of the Order of German

Sisters5 and the honorable Mr. Benda she called Scholastica Vladar to herself.

She was very happy that Mother Franziska had come because the three co-

workers in her project had already retreated in the meantime and she had no

idea what to do with the dream foundation already begun. She repeatedly

asked for forgiveness and said she did not, anyhow, want to begin it for herself,

but only for the sisters. “Everything begun by God, I nothing at all, everything

by God!” she added in her broken German with Bohemian pronunciation. And

truly it was permitted by God, since this insignificant beginning was the basis of

the Marian Institute now working with such rich blessing in Troppau, where so

many poor servant girls have already found free board, instruction and job

placement, so many orphans and other pupils have received education and

culture. Mother Franziska believed she saw here the finger of God and, in her

zeal for His glory, her decision was soon made. She went to the State

Government and to the mayor, explained everything, and these gentlemen

asked her to take things firmly in hand and also did not fail to assure her of the

necessary support. That same day Mother Franziska took possession of the

apartment Scholastica had rented, left Sister Aloisia in Troppau and returned to

Vienna. Having arrived, she sent Sister Bernardine Wank to the new post and

the two Sisters, in the direst poverty, began their work. This was at first still

small, of course, because the apartment had space for only a few servant girls

and, for a time, Scholastica was also allowed to remain. Soon two more Sisters

came from Vienna and now, because of the many girls who applied for

5 Seems to be a title, translated literally.

35

admission, the little apartment was no longer sufficient, a larger one was

rented at the so-called “kiosk” until it was possible for Mother Franziska to

acquire a house of its own for the “Marian Institute”.

By November 1870 the young Congregation was again to receive

another branch. Sister Luzia Benda, Mother Franziska‘s first co-worker told of

the many requests she received during a soliciting trip in Brunn, that a Marian

Institute should be established there also. Mother Franziska’s zeal was

immediately enkindled for the new foundation and with her characteristic

decisiveness she soon traveled to Brunn, to see if there was the possibility to

fulfill the stated wishes. She was inspired by the principle of following every call

of God immediately and wherever He wished, in order to work for His honor.

Mother Franzjska consulted with the Reverend Bishop Nottig, the Mayor von

Elvert, and the Chief of Police; Everywhere she was met with friendliness and

encouragement for the foundation of a Marian Institute and assurances of

protection. Now Mother Franziska was without all doubt that these things were

the will of God. The Prelate Kaliwoda in the Benedictine Abbey at Raigern near

Brunn, who had already helped the Sisters very much during the collections,

now also took a great part in the foundation. He ordered his bookkeeper, Mr.

Gerstner, to look for a suitable house and offered Mother Franziska an

apartment for the Sisters in a house belonging to the Abbey in Petersberg near

Brunn until she could purchase one. Mr. Gerstner soon found a fitting house

with a nice, large garden in Neugasse 24. This belonged to the wife of a textile

craftsman, Mrs. Marie Waniek. Mother Franziska walking around Brunn for this

reason for four days, looked at many houses, but she found none more suitable

for the purposes of the Congregation than the house mentioned above; also

nowhere were the payment conditions arranged more practically, so she did

not hesitate longer with the decision to buy. On December 16, Mother

Franziska traveled for the second time to Brunn, this time accompanied by

Sister Stanislai Fuss, the Superior designated for the new foundation, and Mr.

Lang to finally close the sale of the house. The price was set at 20,000 florins

though Mother Franziska could pay only 1,500 florins as down payment of

which the greater part, 1,200 florins, was loaned by Mr. Lang, and in the final

hours, Sister Luzia went collecting to some families to obtain the sum of 300

36

florins which was still missing. On March 1, 1871, the Sisters were able to move

into a room, a bathroom and a kitchen in the purchased house; and, trusting in

God’s help, they began the renovation of the house. Until this was completed,

the ten sisters really crowded into the small apartment, had much discomfort

to endure. Usually during the day they went collecting for contributions for the

foundation. At this time Mother Franziska was sick in bed in Vienna, but the

concern for the new foundations did not let her rest and she traveled again to

Brunn just as soon as she had recovered just a little. This was on March 7. Of

course, because of her weakened condition this trip brought her great

discomfort but she paid it little attention and thought only about the necessity

of her presence in Brunn because of the construction. On May 1 it was already

possible to hold the solemn dedication which was attended by His Excellency

the Governor, Earl Thun, many high officials and ladies of the aristocracy.

Because of the Solemn High Mass in the St. Thomas Parish Church followed by a

procession of priests, sisters and guests to the Marian Institute, a large crowd

of people had gathered and fifteen guards had to maintain order. Mother

Franziska wanted to give each of them a gulden but she had no money and had

to borrow the sum from Director Steiner and the Lang brothers who had both

come for the dedication in Brunn. In this way also this foundation began in the

greatest poverty. On the day of the dedication there were already thirteen

servant girls in the institute and the Sisters soon had a richly blessed field of

activity. Later here, as in Troppau, a section for orphans and other pupils was

also erected.

Almost at the same time of the foundation in Brunn, Mother

Franziska had begun erecting another Marian Institute, this in the capital of

Hungary. She judged correctly that such institutes were needed especially in

capital cities. On January 25, 1871 she traveled with Sister Augustina d’Armaille

to Budapest to find out if the establishment of a Marian Institute were possible

there, and, in case of the affirmative, to begin immediately with the steps to

acquire a house. Mother Franziska and her companion were complete strangers

in Budapest and knew no one, thus making this foundation doubly difficult.

They lived fourteen days in the Hotel Tieger and looked in the meanwhile for a

37

suitable house. During this time they had to live very frugally because their

small sum of money allowed them to have only one meal a day, and that was

usually mutton as the cheapest food available. After a long search they finally

found the house belonging to Mr. Joppich on Soroksarergasse 36 which seemed

suitable for the foundation. Even though without funds, Mother Franziska,

trusting in God’s help, closed the deal for purchase of the house on January 28

for 58,500 florins. Naturally, as she herself often said, this morning was a

frightening one for her in this position. Since no apartment in the newly

purchased house would be available soon, Mother Franziska went in search of

one and found it at Waaggasse 5 on the third floor. She immediately sent for

four Sisters from Vienna who collected funds for the Marian Institute to be

erected in Budapest because the other branches as well as the Mother House in

Vienna needed her presence. She had to go here and then there, and since her

time was too short, she used the nights for travel in order to have the day for

work.

On May I the Sisters in Budapest could move into a small

apartment in their own house and the renovations began immediately. These,

with furnishings, cost 12,400 florins and Mother Franziska had to send all the

sisters that could in any way be spared in the houses soliciting to meet all the

obligations entered upon for the new foundations. In these difficult times she

herself collected contributions among the nobility in Budapest and shared in

the privations of the sisters there. These, because they still had no kitchen, had

to use an ironing stove for cooking, but, because of the collecting and the work

in the house they had only very little time anyway for kitchen concerns. On July

2, 1871 the Marian Institute in Budapest was dedicated and opened. The City

Supervisor Thaiss and Mayor Gempi and many other high officials and also

Director Steiner and Mr. Lang from Vienna were present. During this

celebration there were again various financial embarrassments for Mother

Franziska in which, however, God helped her in noteworthy ways. After Mass

the guests were to receive a breakfast, but the poor sisters were not able to

buy the needed baked goods until some benefactors had placed some offerings

in the box under the crucifix in the hallway. Through God’s providence they

38

gave so much that not only the baked goods, but also the guards needed to

maintain order, were paid for. But now there remained the payment for the

carriage that had brought the Abbot Rath who had presided at the dedication,

and Mother Franziska had nothing left. Just at the right moment Canon Pribek,

later Auxiliary Bishop of Vesprem, approached her and gave her a gift of two

ducats. So there was help for this embarrassment. However, in the evening,

when Mother Franziska wanted to go back to Vienna, she again had nothing

and Mr. Lang had to help her again by lending her the fare. She and her

companions had to endure a fright on this trip because near Neuhause their

train almost collided with another one. This misfortune was prevented in time

by God’s special protection.

Now the beginning of a third branch of the Congregation which

was to become one of its largest institutes was made. Today, besides the busy

section for servant girls, there is in the Budapest house also a boarding school,

a section for orphans, an eight-grade elementary school, the last also for day

students, a vocational school and a kindergarten. Some one who reads about

the quick erection of this and also the other branch foundations of Mother

Franziska might begin to think that she entered hastily upon such widespread

and difficult-to-fulfill obligations. This was absolutely not so. Her quick, almost,

so to speak, masculine, decisiveness was not hasty, but rather she always

consulted God in intimate prayer before she began a new work and seriously

weighed the reasons for and against. When she then, however, recognized

something as the will of God, there was no hesitation and no more turning back

and no matter what difficulties rose in opposition, she pressed on to the goal

ahead. “All for God, for the poor and for our Congregation!” was the key which

she later designated as the motto of the Congregation. As a matter of fact, even

people who wished the Congregation well sometimes reproached Mother

Franziska that she founded her institutes too quickly and thoughtlessly one

after the other and thereby put too great a burden upon the Congregation.

When she mentioned this she usually said, “I am doing it, after all, for the glory

of God and for the poor; I cannot believe that this is wrong and that our loving

God will punish me for that which is done for His glory!” She also liked to say,

39

“Our loving God will surely help us to fulfill our obligations; He knows, after all,

what we need and already holds the means in his hand. If He withdraws it, it is

only we, with our limited trust who are to blame!” Love for God and neighbor,

paired with a rock-like trust in God, was the motive of all her actions and the

loving God showed with notable blessing how pleasing to Him her striving and

working were.

40

CHAPTER V

Events during the years from 1871 to 1874 and the founding of the Refuge St.

Joseph in Breitenfurt.

In order not to interrupt the narrative, two events which were

very painful for Mother Franziska were omitted and must now be recounted.

On May 4, 1871 the Protectress of the Congregation, her Royal Highness,

Archduchess Maria Annunciata who had been a protectress of the young

community in the truest sense of the word, passed away. For the community

and especially for Mother Franziska this was a hard blow; She and the sisters

took turns during three days and three nights holding vigil at the wake. On the

29th of the same month Mother Franziska received a new hurt in the death of

Sister Luzia Benda, who was her first spiritual daughter and co-worker in the

founding of the Congregation, leaving it now to go into eternity. Unfortunately

Mother Franziska did not have the consolation to see her before her death

because Sister Luzia caught an inflammation of the brain as a result of

overexertion during a collecting trip in Bohemia and was no longer able to be

brought home. She died in Prague with the Elizabethans and was also buried

there. Everywhere she went collecting, but especially in Moravia and Hungary,

Sister Luzia was much loved and when, without the initiative of the

Congregation, her death was announced in various newspapers many priests

said Masses for her.

Since the Congregation had lost its protectress so soon, Mother

Franziska thought of requesting the Empress Elizabeth to deign to overtake the

protectorate. Therefore she requested an audience with her Royal Highness the

Archduchess Sophie, the Mother of His Majesty the Emperor, Franz Joseph I, to

ask her intercession with Her Majesty. The great lady granted the request. Her

Imperial Majesty spoke with Mother Franziska as with a friend and told her

much about the Bavarian royal family and about the sad death of her son,

Emperor Maximilian of Mexico. This respectful condescension was a great

encouragement and special consolation for Mother Franziska.

41

On July 22, 1871 she had the grace of an audience with His

Majesty, Emperor Franz Joseph I and requested a tax exemption for the Vienna

MARIENANSTALT. His Majesty deigned to receive this request respectfully and

expressed interest in the Congregation. At this opportunity Mother Franziska

also told how the Congregation had been orphaned through the death of the

Archduchess Maria Annunciata and she and the sisters had the joyful hope that

Her Majesty the Empress Elizabeth would deign to take over the protectorate

herself. His majesty mentioned then that he would be very happy if Her

Majesty would agree because the Congregation does so much good for his

people and works in a truly charitable way. He also would be very ready to help

wherever he could. Mother Franziska left the audience hall very happy about

this graciousness and respect. The request she made was granted promptly

because His Majesty had deigned to affix his signature to it. The day after the

audience Mother Franziska sent two sisters to collect in Ischl in upper Austria

and told them to request an audience with Her Majesty, the Empress Elizabeth

who was staying there. The next day at 10 o’clock Mother Franziska received a

telegram from the sisters saying that Her Majesty had deigned to receive them

and at the same time had agreed to take over the protectorate. This was a

great joy for herself and her spiritual daughters and at the same time an

encouragement which they really needed at that time. July 28, 29, and 30 had

been very bitter days for Mother Franziska and the Congregation. Because of a

loan against the Marian Institute, made to meet the obligations which became

urgent in taking over the house in Budapest, something had to be changed in

the Statutes of the Congregation and Mother Franziska had to go from one

official to the other, to the governor, the police, to district and even the state

judges with the most urgent requests in order to see this matter quickly and

successfully taken care of. While she was received in a friendly way

everywhere, one official was very tactless and rude and had only spiteful words

for her presentation and requests. Mother Franziska was all the more sensitive

to this since she had received several worrisome telegrams from Budapest

saying that the former owner of the house would wait not one day longer for

payment. In all this she did not lose her trust in God and was rewarded after

these difficult days by having the loan come through successfully on August 2. A

42

false alarm which brought two fire trucks to the Marienanstalt added to the

excitement of these days.

On August 20 Mother Franziska traveled with Sister Borgia Uri,

her subsequent second General Assistant, to Wildbad-Gastein to solicit alms. In

Hallein their travel funds ran out, however, and they had to ask a coachman

who was going with an empty coach to Werfen to take them along free. He had

compassion and did as they asked. From there another kind man let them ride

along in his wagon with him as far as St. Johann. Now, however, Mother

Franziska and her companion, who had been riding all night and not eaten

anything in a long time, could go no farther because of weakness. But the Dean

of St. Johann received them kindly and after they had recovered somewhat

they solicited in that place the next day and were so blessed by God that they

had gathered the necessary fare and could continue on to Wildbad-Gastein. His

Majesty, the German Emperor, Wilhelm I was staying there and gave Mother

Franziska 100 florins. All the men of the court also gave donations and the

collection went well also in other respects. On August 27 she returned to

Vienna and in spite of the difficulties that the trip had entailed, was happy to

again have something with which to cover the many payments. Naturally,

compared to the many obligations that had to be fulfilled it was only a drop in

the ocean and Mother Franziska soon had to suffer money worries again. On

September 1 a payment of 5,000 florins for the house in Brunn came due, but

in spite of every effort, by August 30 only the sum of 3,800 florins could be

gotten together. The former owner had explained that she absolutely had to

have the money by September 1 because she wanted to take a long trip and

wanted to buy a house before she left. Good advice was here expensive.

Mother Franziska sent Sister Borgia on a trip to Brunn, to give the 3,800 florins

to Mrs. Waniek and to ask her for a postponement. Just before Sister Borgia

wanted to leave on August 30, however, came the news that Mrs. Waniek had

died suddenly. So the difficulty was taken care of, naturally in a way that the

sisters neither expected nor desired.

43

In spite of the fact that Mother Franziska had so many worries

with payments, she still had to think about getting a house for the foundation

in Troppau in order not to have any obstacles in the way of its flourishing.

There the sisters were still living in the rented apartment and because of the

lack of space had to turn away many of the servant girls who applied for

admission. A house across from the parish church on Pechring in a quiet spot

was offered for sale to Mother Franziska; earlier it had been a Greek Catholic

monastery. On December 15 she traveled to Troppau and looked at the one

mentioned and a series of other houses. However, none was as suitable as the

first. On December 18 the purchase took place for the sum of 29,000 florins.

Mother Franziska again could close the deal only with trust in God’s help; she

had no more than 1,000 florins for down payment. In this need Mother

Franziska thought again about making a collecting trip, this time to Germany.

Therefore on February 20, 1872 she traveled to Dresden to gain permission for

collecting and to ask for a financial support from the nobility. At the time she

was sick, having, as often in her life, severe headaches and also stomach

discomfort, and only the zeal for her work and the needs of the Congregation

would not let her rest. Mother Franziska had in fact an extraordinary self-

control and unselfishness and considered concern for her own welfare the least

and the last. This time, too, God visibly rewarded her for her sacrifice. Mother

Franziska had only enough means that she and her companion could reach

Dresden. They could not eat in the hotel where they had taken a room for they

would not have been able to pay the bill. With God’s help they received

permission to collect in Dresden. At court Mother Franziska was received with a

condescension such as she had never expected. Their Majesties, the widowed

Queen Marie, King Johann, Queen Amalie and Crown Princess Karola were

extremely respectful to her and all the other nobles at court were very kind and

all supported her noble work. Her Majesty Queen Marie also let Mother

Franziska and her companion stay at the Josephine Institute at her cost,

thereby removing the worry about paying the hotel bill. Then Mother Franziska

sent for two more sisters to help with the collecting in Dresden. Before she left,

Queen Marie came to the Josephinum to visit her. Mother Franziska could

hardly trust her eyes and ears as she saw Her Majesty and heard that she had

44

come especially to see her. Later she expressed it so, “I will never forget this

blessed soliciting; I myself couldn’t understand why God had granted me so

much joy. The nobility received me with such love and condescension as if I

myself were a princess. This was a great embarrassment for me!” Though, to

the joy, God sent a small drop of bitters in the fact that one of the sisters who

followed became ill. Also Mother Franziska’s stomach troubles did not improve.

The sisters in the Josefinum were from Westfalen and cooked only Wesfalen

cuisine. They meant well with their guests, especially so since the Queen was

paying the bill, and added much sugar and red wine to the meat soup and many

raisins and plums in the sauce. Those coming from Vienna however were not

used to this and suffered discomfort because of it. The later recounting of this

often caused much laughter. Mother Franziska traveled from Dresden to Leipzig

and from there to Weimar and Gotha, everywhere collecting alms for the

foundation from the nobility with good result. From the last place Mother

Franziska and her companion made a detour to Eisenach and the Wartburg to

get to know these historically famous places. In Gotha Mother Franziska

experienced a memorable night; It was from the 8th to the 9th of March.

Directly under their window she and her companion heard lovely music and

wonderful singing. At least forty times they opened the window and looked out

but no one was to be seen on the street and everything around was in deepest

peace. Mother Franziska who was far removed from any superstition, was

forced to think at this occurrence that something must have happened in the

Congregation and this intuition gave her no peace. On March 9 she was to have

an audience at noon with the Duchess von Coburg-Gotha, but her worry would

not let her wait any longer and she rode back to Leipzig. There was waiting the

telegram with the news that Sister Monika Dichristin had died in the same night

of small pox. Now the strange event was clear for Mother Franziska but now

also, she was filled with the fear that all the sisters in Troppau would be

infected with the illness and she traveled back to Vienna without delay to order

appropriate measures to be taken immediately. The trip seemed endless to her.

However, through God’s help further cases of illness were prevented. Sister

Monika became ill on a collecting trip in Galizia; Her traveling companion, Sister

Vincentia Seidl had brought her to Troppau where after the third day she

45

passed away so beautifully and well prepared that her death became a source

of the greatest edification to all the sisters. Just before her passing Sister

Monika had asked those standing around her to step aside because she saw the

lovely Mother of God in the company of angels nearing. For Mother Franziska

this beautiful death of her spiritual daughter was a great comfort in the pain

brought by her loss.

On April 8, 1872 she traveled to Budapest to ask Her Majesty the

Empress Elizabeth, who was staying there to pay a visit to the house in Pest.

Her Majesty deigned to agree to the visit by her Royal Highness Archduchess

Gisela in her stead and donated 200 florins. The visit took place on April 15;

This was a great honor for Mother Franziska and her institute because it was

the first visit Her Royal Highness had made since her engagement a few days

before to His Royal Highness Prince Leopold of Bavaria. Her Highness remained

an hour and a quarter in the Marian Institute, looked at everything thoroughly.

When the sisters were introduced she had a friendly word for each one, and

she praised the pupils on seeing their work. The Archduchess was especially

condescending to Mother Franziska; She invited her to sit beside her on the

sofa, expressed her satisfaction over the accomplishments of the sisters and

cordially thanked for the festive welcome they had prepared for her. This visit

was a great encouragement for Mother Franziska and the sisters.

On May 5 Mother Franziska had to again undertake a trip to Budapest, this time

to get money from a Hungarian bank to cover the payment of 10,000 florins

due on the house there. In Vienna she had gone from one bank to another but

none wanted to lend money for Hungary. In Budapest, too, Mother Franziska

made great efforts to get the needed sum without paying all too high an

interest; unfortunately, she did not succeed. A bank lent her the money, but it

was given out in mortgage bonds which had a value of only 87 florins, but

which were recorded for the Congregation at the face value of 100 florins. Since

the installments had to be paid absolutely, Mother Franziska could do nothing

else than accept the money on these oppressive terms, but the thought that

the Congregation which was so poor anyway would lose so much money was a

terrible one for her. Without her great trust in God this trial would have been

46

even harder to bear. A comfort during these difficult days was the kind

reception granted her by the Prince-Primate of Graz, to whom she went from

Pest for discussions concerning the school for the pupils there.

On May 15, 1872 the congregation received a new little

foundation in Dornbach near Vienna to which Mother Franziska gave sisters at

the request of the Pastor there to direct a commercial school and child care

institute which he founded. Unfortunately this foundation did not last long

since Mother Franziska had to recall the sisters on October 15, 1873 because of

various circumstances found there.

September 4, 1872 brought Mother Franziska the joy of the

dedication of the Troppau Marian Institute. About twenty priests, many

important officials, countless citizens of the city and many people from the

country took part. On this day, too, the first Holy Mass was celebrated in the

chapel there. Mother Franziska could never participate in such an uplifting

celebration without being greatly moved; For rightly, she considered it the

greatest grace to be able to set up once again a dwelling for the Divine Savior

and her heart, filled with fervent love for God and neighbor, had at such times

so much to thank and intercede for that the time of the mass was too short.

Her fervent prayers with which she always recommended the new house with

all the sisters and pupils to the Divine Savior is surely reason to thank for the

blessing which the good God so visibly bestowed on the houses of the

Congregation.

On November 20 Mother Franziska had an audience with Her

Majesty the Empress Karoline Auguste, Grandmother of His Majesty Emperor

Franz Joseph I. This was a very great joy for her since she had long wanted to

approach Her Majesty before whom she had been calumniated by evil

intentioned persons. Good projects usually have enemies; and so it was also for

her work. The lie had been spread that Mother Franziska with her foundation

wanted to destroy the “Marian Foundation for the Education of Good

Housemaids” erected in 1850 in the Fornergasse in Wien-Gumpendorf. Mother

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Franziska had not even had knowledge of the existence of this Marian

Foundation, much less had she any bad intentions toward it. The calumny that

was circulated was very painful for Mother Franziska, less for her own person

than for the young Congregation which suffered some damage because of it.

This lie was brought even to Her Majesty in such a way that she had to believe

it. Therefore Mother Franziska was deeply hurt by the refusal of her previous

request for an audience, since she greatly respected Her Majesty, not only as

the sister of King Ludwig I of Bavaria, but also because of her well known

nobility of character. However, just as nothing is woven so tightly that it doesn’t

sooner or later come to light, so after awhile, from other quarters, Empress

Karoline Auguste was enlightened about this calumny and now granted Mother

Franziska the requested audience without delay. Her Majesty received her with

the most cordial words and asked Mother Franziska, among other things, if she

knew she had thought badly of her. She responded in the affirmative and

added that she had wept much over it because she had a special respect for

Her Majesty as sister of King Ludwig. At this response Her Majesty embraced

and kissed her and said, “Oh you are a good patriot!” I am happy to have gotten

to know you and now on one may say anything against you. I would not believe

it, or rather, not even listen to it”. Mother Franziska also told her of a new plan

which her charity had conceived some time ago. She had heard of many old

servants who, having worn themselves out for minimum wages for many years,

were now abandoned in old age without a home. Even though she had so much

care and worry to bear for the institutes already founded, at the sight of this

misery her loving heart could not suppress the wish to found a refuge for the

lifelong care of old, poor servant women. Empress Karoline Auguste was very

interested in this plan and Mother Franziska had to explain exactly how she

thought to go about it. Also, Her Majesty said that she herself wanted to set up

with Mother Franziska the plans for the building and the daily schedule for the

asylum, or refuge as the latter wanted to call it, and asked her to come again at

a later time. With great joy and fervent thanks to God Mother Franziska

returned home and soon thereafter received from Her Majesty a contribution

of 1,000 florins toward the refuge to be founded. Unfortunately the above

mentioned intentions of the noble Empress could not be fulfilled because soon

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afterward she became seriously ill and died on February 9, 1873. Mother

Franziska always spoke of Her Highness with the greatest respect and gratitude

and in her own last illness still asked that her biography be read. She also saved

a simple embroidered purse as well as a book with the picture of the

Immaculate Conception in petit point on the cover and containing many

prayers and poems written in Her Highness’ own hand, as dear souvenirs of the

royal lady; so she also had a framed copy of the death announcement of the

Empress in her room. All of these items are carefully preserved in the Mother

House even now. The signs of honor which Mother Franziska received from so

many highly placed persons, even members of the ruling family, she considered

given not to herself but to the Congregation whose representative she was and

she was far from becoming vain about them. She often said to the sisters, “Lay

people do not honor our own person but only because of our Habit and state”.

That her own admirable qualities were likewise the object of the honor shown

her did not occur to her. She did not like flattering praise and when such was

given her she was more inclined to take offense than pleasure in it.

At the beginning of the year 1873 Mother Franziska made a trip

to Prague, Pressburg and Bavaria to obtain the permission to collect and

thereby get the means to support her charitable institutions as well as for the

construction of the Refuge already mentioned. Unfortunately, only in Prague

was she successful. In April she undertook a similar trip with Sister Augustina to

Berlin. She had received a recommendation for free travel on the Prussian

railroad from the royal Prussian embassy in Vienna. Having arrived in Roderau,

the border station between Saxony and Prussia, the stationmaster refused her

the free travel; this was a new embarrassment for Mother Franziska since she

did not have the money necessary to pay the trip. Only after long pleading did

the stationmaster allow the continuing travel free. In Berlin Mother Franziska

and her companion had to spend the first night in a hotel; although they had

eaten nothing all day, upon their arrival they did not dare to eat anything

before going to bed for fear that their meager funds would then not be enough

to pay for the night’s stay. The next day they found a kind welcome with the

Borromeo Sisters in the Hedwig Hospital. They went as soon as possible to His

49

Excellency Duke Karoly, the Austrian Ambassador in Berlin, for whom they had

a recommendation from the Austrian Foreign Minister. He, as well as his wife,

received Mother Franziska with extraordinary kindness and friendliness. His

Excellency personally took the steps necessary for obtaining the collecting

permit and so this was granted to Mother Franziska. With her companion she

also received audiences with Her Majesty Empress Auguste and the widow-

Queen Elizabeth. Their Highnesses received them very graciously, conversed in

the most casual way with them and gave donations. The Empress Auguste

instructed Mother Franziska to visit the charitable institutions in Berlin and to

say everywhere that it is the wish of Her Majesty that she be shown everything

thoroughly. Mother Franziska and her companion also received the kindest

reception and support from all the princesses of the Imperial family. Princess

Friedrich Karl even introduced her prince and princesses and showed their

rooms and their paintings. As the soliciting among the royalty was finished

Mother Franziska returned to Vienna on April 29 and Sister Augustina

continued the collecting in Berlin with Sister Gertrude Ridisser who had arrived

in the meantime.

In June 1873 Mother Franziska believed the time had come,

trusting in the continued help from God, to be able to begin carrying out the

beautiful plan regarding the foundation of the Refuge, especially since the

number of the sisters had increased significantly. She wanted for this, a house

in the country in a healthful situation so that the old people would have good

air and opportunity for movement outdoors; and she thought, at the same time

this house could be a place for recuperation for weak or sick sisters. On June 27

Mother Franziska drove to the region of Breitenfurt only a few hours distant

from Vienna and looked at several houses there. Because of its good situation

and beautiful surroundings, she liked Nr. 1 best, a mill for sale with some land

attached to it. She immediately inquired about the price and all the conditions

of the house. On July 3 the sale took place and on August 5 the renovation or

rather, the construction of the house was begun, for only the foundation wall

of the old mill could still be used. The construction brought many worries for

Mother Franziska and many irritations for the sisters living there. Until

50

November there were daily 50-60 workers in the house, and since they had to

be working everywhere, the poor sisters had no corner where they could find

peace. In the evenings when they were dead tired from work in the house or

fields, they first had to find themselves a place where they could rest. Besides

this they had a long way to go to the Church, which was especially difficult in

winter. During the construction, Mother Franziska stayed as much as she could

in Breitenfurt , supervised everything and with a wise insight gave necessary

instructions here and there. She shared the deprivations of the sisters and

encouraged them by enthusiastically speaking of the great good which could be

done through this refuge for the glory of God and for the poor. In November

the construction was completed and the dedication of the chapel and house by

Monsignor Sebastian Brunner of Vienna took place on December 27. On that

day there were already eleven charges in the house since Mother Franziska had

begun with receiving them just as soon as it was at all possible. She named the

refuge, “Refuge of St. Joseph”. In the beginning she wanted to call it “of Divine

Providence” because it all came about through trust in Divine Providence, but

the sisters asked her to name it after St. Joseph because this dear Saint had

proved himself to be up till now such a specially protective patron and Mother

Franziska agreed to the request.

So now the plan that Mother Franziska had conceived in her

generous love of neighbor had become a reality. Much good has since then

come about in the Refuge where countless poor servants found a peaceful

home and care in old age. This foundation remained a special care and favorite

of Mother Franziska and she appeared as often as she possibly could in this

place of charity. The old people always rejoiced at her visits because the good

“Frau Mutter” came also to them, kindly asked each one how she felt, told

them various things, comforted the sick and showed everyone her motherly

love. The Refuge for aged servants also became a place of refuge for the sick

sisters of the Congregation. Most of the deceased members ended their lives

there and found their last resting place in the cemetery at Breitenfurt where a

part is sectioned off especially for the sisters. Mother Franziska was filled with

true motherly love for all her spiritual daughters but most especially for the

51

sick. For this reason her first and last stop in visits to Breitenfurt were always in

the sick rooms where she asked about the state and needs of her dear

daughters, comforted and encouraged them to bear their sufferings patiently

by pointing toward heaven and their divine Spouse. It was a special joy for her

to bring some refreshments for the sick and to give it to them personally. The

joy this tender love of their spiritual mother brought them can hardly be

described. Since the Marienanstalt in Vienna did not have much room Mother

Franziska moved the candidacy for the future members of the Congregation,

especially for those candidates who would be employed in household and farm

work, to the refuge in Breitenfurt. She often and gladly spent time in this

candidacy, as she generally always showed special care for candidates as the

future of the Congregation. Those that had talent and liked to learn she had

educated for school and kindergarten and made sure that the others, too were

trained, according to their ability, for some work, but she never permitted the

candidates to be overburdened with work so that their strength would be

destroyed in their youth. She liked it when the candidates were very cheerful

during recreation, jumping around and playing happy games which she gladly

watched. She believed firmly that young people must exercise themselves and

Breitenfurt was the perfect place for this. For this reason, she had the

candidates from the other houses of the congregation come there also when

possible for vacation, especially the teacher training candidates. In general,

Mother Franziska liked to recommend a cheerfulness consistent with religious

life, not only to candidates but also to the sisters, since she herself was of a

cheerful nature and so easily surmounted difficulties; she couldn’t stand

hanging heads and sad faces, and one of the sayings she often repeated was,

“The devil has good fishing in sadness”. On the other hand, she found

cheerfulness in suitable limits to be an expression of inner peace and

contentment. She recommended that the sisters and the candidates take

sufferings that weighed them down in complaint to Our Lord in the tabernacle

as the best comforter, but then to be calm and save themselves unnecessary

tears and sighs. Mother Franziska also ordered that even those candidates who

were not destined for teacher training must still be educated in the required

school subjects, but above all, she was concerned about good religious

52

education. She was equally concerned that the candidates would have the Holy

Rule explained to them and that they would come to know the various

temptations and obstacles which they could encounter, especially at the

beginning of the spiritual life, and which could be dangerous for them. She

often questioned them about their knowledge and gladly told them useful

stories, some serious and warning and some with cheerful content. Much of

this Mother Franziska drew from her own experience. She had, as was already

mentioned in the account of her years at schools, a gift for telling stories; she

knew how to present things in such a lively way and with such appropriate

facial expression that her hearers were always spellbound. The sisters and

candidates were always happy when Mother Franziska would tell them of the

various things that happened concerning the Congregation or anything else.

With children too, whom Mother Franziska loved very much, she often made

use of this beautiful gift, to the great rejoicing of the young. When her visit was

announced in one of the houses of the Congregation, the charges and students

would happily cry out, “Frau Mutter is coming, she will tell us fine stories

again!” If time permitted the children naturally had to earn this pleasure with a

little test of their knowledge and, finally, the older ones received pictures from

her and the little ones rings with pretty stones which naturally completed the

fun.

Returning to the main thread of our story after this little detour,

we want to mention, at the end of this chapter, a joyful surprise which came to

Mother Franziska and the sisters at the Mother House on March 8, 1874. About

12 o’clock noon a court messenger arrived with the message, “Her Majesty asks

if there are any in the house who have the measles”. the portress thought Her

Majesty Queen Marie of Saxony was meant as she often visited Baroness

Sophie Stureder, a former lady in waiting at the court in Saxony who had been

taken in and cared for in the Marienanstalt. After the response that all were

well, the messenger left and after a while a carriage pulled up from which

descended Her Majesty the Empress Elizabeth and chief lady of court, Countess

Marie Goess. At the time Mother Franziska was in bed because she was very ill.

Sister Augustina, whom Her Highness immediately recognized, made apologies

53

when asked about Mother Franziska, and accompanied Her Majesty to the

sisters’ quarters. In spite of her illness, Mother Franziska immediately got up

and appeared in a short time to greet the important visitor and to express her

pleasure. Her Majesty deigned to view the entire institute, to be introduced to

some of the residents, and to express her greatest satisfaction with everything

she saw. At her departure the charges sang the national anthem. The sisters,

the pupils and the servant girls were very happy about the honor and

condescension of Her Majesty and the day on which the royal protectress

honored the house for the first time with her visit remained with Mother

Franziska and the sisters as a most happy memory.

Breitenfurt

54

CHAPTER VI

Foundation in St. Georgental, Foundations in Toponar and Berzencze.

In September of 1873 two sisters of the Congregation were on a soliciting trip in

German Bohemia. When they arrived in St. Georgental the Pastor, Reverend

Luttna, told them that a factory owner, Mr. Edward Wolf and his wife,

Magdalena, wanted to make a foundation for the good of poor children in

order to thank God for the blessing that had come to their businesses. Foreseen

for this was a house belonging to Mr. Wolf which should become an institute to

care for children and a vocational school, as well as a place for the education of

orphans. The Pastor asked the sisters to intercede with Mother Franziska to

send sisters to conduct the institute to be established in St. Georgental. Mother

Franziska was not against these plans and, after repeated exchanges of letters

with the Pastor and Mr. Wolf, she went in the company of Sister Xaveria Egger

to St. Georgental on November 27, 1873 to see the house. On this occasion she

traveled through the pilgrimage site of Philippsdorf. It was reputed that the

Blessed Mother appeared there in 1868 to a sick girl named Magdalena Kali and

healed her. During her stay in Philippsdorf Mother Franziska had opportunity to

speak with the favored one. In the shrine chapel she recommended all her

undertakings and intentions to the Mother of God with great devotion. Since

now, as was often the case, she was lacking funds, she placed her purse on the

spot where the Blessed Mother had stood during the apparitions and asked her

fervently to provide through her intercession the necessary money so that

many poor people could be helped. This request did not remain unheard,

because, even if Mother Franziska often had to struggle with great money

worries, she always received what was absolutely necessary, often in the last

minute and in almost mysterious ways. Mother Franziska was completely

satisfied with the absolute necessities and often admonished her spiritual

daughters to wish for no more than that so that holy poverty would be

preserved. She saw this as the protecting wall of the spiritual life and therefore

often said, When I die I will constantly ask God that the Congregation remain

poor.” Money and possessions she saw as mere means to do good. They had no

55

other value for her. Therefore, as soon as she received a larger donation she

could think only of how to use it as soon as possible for some good work.

After successfully completing the journey to St. Georgental,

Mother Franziska was greeted in a most friendly way at the station by the

Pastor and Mrs. Wolf. After viewing the house, Mother Franziska came to an

agreement with Mr. Wolf to first renovate it for the intended purpose since it

was not in especially good condition. Mr. Wolf was very prepared to have this

done. Upon his agreement to this, Mother Franziska, seeing how fervently the

inhabitants of St. Georgental desired the opening of the planned institute,

promised to send sisters as soon as the building was finished. She also thought

that these, by a good education of the children with a firm foundation of

instruction in the holy Faith, could limit the influence of the very widespread

‘Old Catholic’ sect in that populous region and so have a beautiful field of

apostolic activity. For Mother Franziska, for whom the holy Faith was above

everything else and whose greatest wish was to be able to save very many

souls, this was the decisive reason for taking over the planned institute, even if

various obstacles should present themselves. These did not fail to come, but

Mother Franziska overcame them all with her determination’ and so, on July

25, 1874, the bill of sale in which Mr. Wolf gave the house to the Congregation

for a nominal fee was signed. Mother Franziska had traveled again to St.

Georgental to close this deal. After finishing the business involved in the

purchase she went to Leitmeritz, the diocesan seat of St. Georgental to ask the

Bishop to accept the Congregation there as well as to obtain permission to have

a chapel and to have Holy Mass celebrated in the house at St. Georgental. This

good shepherd received Mother Franziska kindly, agreed to her requests and to

special protection for the Congregation and gave her and the new undertaking

his blessing. Then Mother Franziska traveled on to Prague to obtain the civil

permission for the foundation in St. Georgental and was received in a most

friendly way by the Governor’s Assistant, von Adar. The request was most

satisfactorily granted in a short time. After taking care of her affairs, Mother

Franziska passed through Brunn, to their great joy, visiting the sisters there and

then back to Vienna. On August 1 she sent the sisters to the new foundation

56

and on the 31st of the same month she traveled there again herself to prepare

for the dedication. The renovation was completed and so, after much effort

and work, this celebration could be held on September 10. The inhabitants of

St. Georgental participated enthusiastically. The day before they decorated the

houses with wreaths and lighted the windows at night. After a Pontifical High

Mass and moving sermon in the parish church there was a solemn procession

to the convent which was dedicated in honor of the Queen of Angels.

Thereafter the first Holy Mass was celebrated in the house chapel, at which the

sisters received Holy Communion. The celebration concluded with the singing

of the TE DEUM. Until evening the house was full of people who were very

happy about the foundation by the sisters. As name for this new house Mother

Franziska chose the one she had earlier wanted to give the Refuge in

Breitenfurt, “Divine Providence”. After all, she had great devotion to Divine

Providence to which she completely handed over all her undertakings, but the

action of Divine Providence was also wonderfully visible in the whole life of

Mother Franziska and the success of her endeavors witnessed the truth of the

saying: “Who trusts in God builds on sure ground.”

On January 19, 1875 Mother Franziska again gave her permission

to take over a foundation. Countess Festetics, by birth, Countess Zichy, had

opened a Kindergarten and vocational school on her properties in Toponar in

Hungary and turned to Mother Franziska to allow sisters to come and conduct

the institute. Joyfully she grasped this opportunity to widen the field of the

Congregation’s work and promised to send sisters to Toponar in the fall of the

same year. On June 28 this was confirmed by contract.

In February of 1875 the Rev. Father Steiner resigned from his

position as general director of Congregation. The loss of this deserving man so

bound up with her noble work hurt Mother Franziska deeply. To get a

substitute she asked the Reverend Monsignor Anton Horny, Cathedral Canon at

St. Stephen’s in Vienna, on March 11, to take over this position. He gladly

agreed, visited the Marienanstalt for the first time and expressed much praise

of its arrangement and accepted on March 21. For many years Monsignor

57

Horny filled this position as a blessing for the Congregation and, after the first

approbation of the Constitutions by the Holy See when the post of General

Director was dissolved he was appointed Vicar for the Congregation.

At the same time, to Mother Franziska ‘s great joy, the

Congregation gained still another friend who, ever since, has worked with

restless zeal for its welfare. This is Reverend Monsignor Friedrich Sixt, a priest

of the St. Stephen’s Cathedral, who on March 15, 1873 took over the

catechetical instruction of the pupils in the Vienna Marienanstalt and later,

became confessor for the novices and still later for the professed sisters in the

Mother House.

On April 20, 1875 Mother Franziska traveled with Sister Xaveria

Egger to Paris to arrange some family business for Sister Augustina d’Armaille

and at the same time to try to get permission to solicit in the French capitol.

Mother Franziska and her companion had to endure much discomfort during

the trip, especially suffering hunger and thirst because of the lack of money and

they finally arrived in Paris without a cent. If Sister Augustina, who was already

there, hadn’t picked them up at the station their situation would have been the

worst imaginable. The efforts to obtain permission to solicit were,

unfortunately, in vain. In order that the trip would not remain without profit for

the Congregation, however, Mother Franziska visited various humanitarian

institutes in Paris as well as in Strassburg on the way back, in order to learn how

they were run. She was especially interested in the shelters for servants,

though none of these met her expectations since none received the girls

without charging for room and board, most charging them two Francs a day.

This in no way satisfied Mother Franziska’s zealous love of neighbor. As on this

trip, so otherwise, Mother Franziska liked to use the opportunities to visit

charitable institutions to take what was good and practical to improve her own

institutes. In general she used her trips to enrich her knowledge and experience

and encouraged her spiritual daughters to do the same. She told these to buy

maps and geography books on their collecting trips, to study them thoroughly,

to visit the various places of interest, all for the purposes of learning something

58

and to use that which was learned for the good of the Congregation. On such

occasions she often said to the sisters, “Don’t travel like empty suitcases!” by

which she meant, “thoughtlessly”. One is immediately reminded of Mother

Franziska’s father, who never allowed little Franzi to ride absentmindedly with

him and we see the good fruits of his wisdom.

On the return trip from Paris Mother Franziska stayed one day in

the orphanage of the School Sisters in Augsburg. There were her former

teacher, Sister Margareta and many other sister acquaintances who had

worked earlier in the convent in Munich. The sisters were very happy to see

their former promising pupil, now a foundress of a religious Congregation,

again, and not less, was the joy of Mother Franziska to be even a short time

with her former teachers whom she so revered and of whom she always spoke

with such respect.

June 16, 1875, the Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, was a

meaningful day for the Congregation as Mother Franziska, in union with the

sisters in all the houses, consecrated the Congregation in a solemn way to the

Most Sacred Heart of Jesus. Mother Franziska had a truly glowing devotion for

this Most Sacred Heart as even the name she gave the Congregation

demonstrates. He was the object of her most intimate love. In this Most Sacred

Heart she placed all her cares and intentions, in Him she sought counsel and

consolation and she believed firmly that a sister who did not honor the Most

Sacred Heart of Jesus could not be a true Daughter of Divine Love. She

designated the Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus as the main Feast of the

Congregation and it is annually celebrated in the most solemn manner.

In August, 1875 Mother Franziska obtained Austrian citizenship.

This news was in the Vienna newspapers on the 27th of the month. Following

this many people expressed their recognition of the many good things which

had already come about through her work. So her noble work attacked at the

beginning by enemies from various sides, now, after a few years received

general public praise.

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September 22, 1875 was again a joyful day for Mother Franziska

because of the dedication of the institute honoring the Mother of God under

the name “Maria Schutz” (Mary’s protection) founded by Countess Festetics in

Toponar and given over to the direction of our sisters. Of course Mother

Franziska traveled to Toponar for this. At the conclusion of the celebration the

house was presented to the sisters. Unfortunately Mother Franziska became so

seriously ill in Toponar that she thought she would not see Vienna again. This

led to the great dismay of the sisters, but with God’s help she recovered since

the life work given her by the Lord was still a long way from completion.

On November 21, the foundation feast of the Congregation, the

Reception and Profession took place as each year, but now for the first time in

the solemn way according to the prescribed ecclesiastical ceremonial to the

great joy of Mother Franziska and making a moving impression on all those

present and participating. The candidates for Reception also wore white

dresses for the first time. After the conclusion of the celebration those received

were led into the novitiate and those sisters who had pronounced their holy

vows were conducted into the professed sisters’ room. In front of the

procession were three girls dressed in white, one carrying a palm and the other

two with candles. On this day all the sisters received the office books with the

imprimatur of the bishop, containing not only the Marian Office to be recited

daily but also all the rest of the prayers customary in the Congregation.

Previously the sisters had not had all the prayers used daily all together in one

book and therefore were very happy about the new books.

Mother Franziska liked strong prayers, composed many of them

herself or selected them with great care for the Congregation. She often

reminded the sisters of the devotional and punctual recitation of the obligatory

prayers and emphasized that these, because done in obedience, had far greater

value than self-chosen personal devotions. She also liked to explain the Marian

Office to the Sisters. She did this in such simple and yet enthusiastic words that

thereafter all prayed with a redoubled zeal. On such occasions she usually let

one sister after another read a psalm, asked what this or that verse meant,

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which psalm or which verse was preferred by the individual and such things. At

that time the Office was prayed in German, not yet in Latin as later. Mother

Franziska noted her favorite psalms as those which expressed praise to God or

called upon creatures to do so, for example, the TE DEUM, the song of Praise of

the Three Young Men in the Fiery Furnace: “Praise the Lord, all you works of

the Lord”, etc., the Psalms 148, “Praise the Lord in the Highest Heaven”, 149,

“Sing a new song unto the Lord”, 150, “Praise the Lord in His Holy Ones” among

others. She also strictly insisted that prayer in choir be beautiful, in the correct

even tempo, and exactly according to the prescribed ceremonial regulations.

She did not tolerate a careless attitude at prayer, leaning on one’s arms and so

on, neither did she accept an exaggerated piety. Her own piety was simple,

without singularity, but deep, and this is what she expected of the sisters, and

encouraged them to strive for the same among their charges. As with prayer, so

with the rest of the spiritual practices, Mother Franziska placed great value on

their exact and punctual performance, feeling rightly that it is here that the

sisters must take the spiritual nourishment needed for the exact fulfillment of

the obligations of their vocation. She valued meditative prayer very highly and

was very careful that this was explained to the candidates and novices so that

they could become practiced in it. She often did this herself. In the same way,

when it was possible, Mother Franziska herself gave the spiritual reading to the

sisters and candidates and in later years, when her time was much taken up by

the constantly growing Congregation, she often held a so-called “reading

without book”. She usually read one or other point of the Holy Rule or a few

sentences from a book appropriate for such reading and then began to explain

that which had been read. At these times her extraordinary eloquence was a

good help. She spoke fluently and easily, analyzed the point at hand with

simple, clear words clarified it with examples, usually taken from her own

experience, pointed out failures that had come about and showed how these

could be avoided in the future. Such a reading said more to the sisters than

many of the most beautiful thoughts found in a book, since Mother Franziska

knew exactly how to touch the spiritual needs of her daughters and, as the

saying goes, “What comes from the heart reaches hearts”.

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On special occasions, such as in Holy Week Or after times of

especially distracting work as, for example, is caused by the renovation of a

house, Mother Franziska liked to lead for this or other house or also for the

candidates, a three day spiritual renewal or so-called “little retreat”. As a

foundation for this she used excerpts from the book of Spiritual Exercises of St.

Ignatius Loyola, which consisted of loose pages, each one containing a

meditation. These were not fully written, but gave only single points which the

person meditating herself filled in. She jokingly called these pages her “wisdom

sheets”. She slowly read out the points and then completed them as she let her

own thoughts intermingle with them. She did this with such warmth that all

who listened felt themselves touched and at the same time became convinced

about their spiritual Mother’s familiarity with meditative prayer and the

intimate communion she experienced with God therein. In using these she

knew, as with the spiritual readings, how to touch the needs of her children.

She matched her conference and her words entirely to the meditation. These

last were sometimes terrifyingly serious during the meditations about the goal

and end of the human person, sin, death, judgment and hell, encouraging in

considering the divine mercy, enthusiastic when she spoke of heaven, the call

to religious life, working for the glory of God and salvation of neighbor. The

sisters liked best to hear the meditation about the sufferings of Christ, since she

knew how to present this with such warmth in the most glorious light of the

love of the Savior, that no heart could remain untouched. After all, she had a

most fervent devotion to the sufferings of the divine Bridegroom. The sisters

and candidates always came from these little retreats inflamed with a new zeal

and the best resolutions.

On February 15, 1876 during a fall in the hallway in the Mother

House Mother Franziska seriously injured a hand and had to wear it in a sling

for a long time, though she didn’t allow this accident to greatly interrupt her

restless activity and, since she could not work with her hand, her restless spirit

worked all the more. The Vienna Marienanstalt had long ago proved to be too

small for all the unemployed servant girls and the pupils who were registered

for acceptance. At the celebrations for Reception and Profession also, which

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were always attended by many relatives of the sisters, the lack of space made

itself felt and so Mother Franziska thought about enlarging the house through

an addition in the garden. Since the poor Congregation had no means for this,

she decided to turn to the Emperor, Franz Joseph I, with a respectful petition to

assign a sum from the income of the State Welfare Lottery. She requested an

audience with His Majesty for this purpose. His Highness graciously received

the request and Mother Franziska received 10,000 florins from the lottery for

the planned addition. The cost estimate was 19,000, but the beginning was

helped and for the rest Mother Franziska hoped in God’s continued help. So on

April 3, 1876 she let the preparations begin and the cornerstone for the

addition was laid on the 20th of the month. The Reverend Director, Dr. Horny

gave the sermon on this occasion on the text: “If the Lord does not build the

house, in vain do the builders labor”. The Lord did build the house since Mother

Franziska had placed Him in command as Master Builder by offering this up as

she did every undertaking and the dedication of the wing could be held as early

as September 11, 1876. Through this increased space Mother Franziska could

now follow the impulse of her benevolent heart and open the doors of the

house to more of the poor.

During the enlargement of the Mother House preparations were

being made again to take over a new foundation. The Reverend Pastor Johann

Kavulak in Berzencze in Hungary had the intention, using the capital carefully

saved over long years, to found an educational institute. Since he had heard of

the work of the Daughters of Divine Charity in Budapest, he went there to the

superior, Sister Borgia Uri, and offered the Congregation the ownership and

direction of the convent he would donate. When Mother Franziska heard of

this she sent Sister Borgia to Berzencze on March 2, 1876 to get to know the

situation there exactly. She reported to her that the house built by the Pastor

would serve the purpose and it seemed to offer a beautiful field of work for the

Congregation. Filled with the desire to work for the salvation of youth wherever

the Congregation would be offered opportunity to do so, Mother Franziska

gave her consent for accepting the institute to the Reverend Pastor Kavulak and

sealed this in a contract with him on July 30, 1876. On September 22 she

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traveled to Berzencze for the dedication of the house which was held on the

24th. This was celebrated by the Most Reverend Auxiliary Bishop of Vesprem

and the convent received the beautiful name, “The Divine Friend of Children”.

So now Mother Franziska had an additional foundation under her direction and

this blossomed to her credit and the joy of the worthy pastor, later Monsignor,

Kavulak. It contains an elementary school, vocational school and a

kindergarten.

Mother Franziska never forgot the spiritual progress of her

daughters during the visible development of the Congregation, but rather

directed her efforts toward confirming them more and more in their religious

life. Therefore, she entertained for a long time the thought of providing some

substitute for the candidacy and novitiate that the circumstances of the time

had not allowed to those sisters who had entered immediately after the

foundation. In October, 1876 her plan was fulfilled in that Mother Franziska

called the sisters concerned, twelve in number, together in the Refuge in

Breitenfurt and had them begin a so-called Profession Novitiate. This was

introduced by a retreat and the sisters had certain exercises to fulfill as novices

must do. Mother Franziska spent as much time with them herself and gave

them the necessary direction. This novitiate lasted four months and Mother

Franziska had the joy of seeing that the sisters involved used this graced time

given them very zealously. She would gladly have extended this to an entire

year but it was impossible since the Sisters were needed in the various houses

and for soliciting. Even so it was a great sacrifice to let them come to

Breitenfurt for so long a time, but Mother Franziska wanted to bring this

sacrifice because she knew well of the value of the novitiate and that the

outwardly most glowing works of the Congregation would have no value and no

endurance before God if at the same time there is no work done for the interior

perfection and stability of the same. Mother Franziska considered it a holy

obligation to provide them with the grace of a novitiate, since it was exactly

these sisters who entered first who brought so many and so great sacrifices.

Although much has already been told about the early years of the Congregation

and the efforts and sacrifices involved, it will still be interesting to hear Mother

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Franziska’s own words, in the Chronicle of the Congregation in connection with

the announcement concerning the Profession Novitiate. These are written

down in 1884 as the events of the first years are once again and more

thoroughly summarized. She says, “At the foundation of the Congregation

during the first years, it was not possible to have a candidacy and novitiate and

therefore those accepted could not be sufficiently evaluated. Also we could not

be too selective in accepting those who really had enough courage and trust in

God to enter a congregation whose continued existence was not yet assured! In

this way some slipped in who were not really called and this was demonstrated

only later. Therefore, in the early years some had to be dismissed. Those,

however, who, filled with the best spirit, were called by God to help in this

work, let nothing shake them in their holy vocation. Enough sufferings and

persecutions came. Many told the sisters that the Congregation was not viable

and would not endure; we had much opposition. The sisters, however,

faithfully remained with me. It was a life of love in community. I comforted

them by saying that God would surely help us and that our society would

certainly become a religious congregation. For me the saying of Gamaliel was a

constant comfort, ‘If it is God’s work no one can destroy it, if it is a human work

it will fall apart of itself.’ The thought that no enemy could destroy the

Congregation if God wanted it to exist strengthened me. I did as much as I

could in my poverty to educate the sisters in the spiritual life and the purposes

of the Congregation. I saw how concerned the sisters were to ennoble their

hearts and spirits. When these arrived home, weary from soliciting, or worn out

by some other work of the day, they still zealously studied, with an eagerness

for knowledge like good children, catechism, Bible history, church history,

geography etc. or also needlework. Spiritual counsels were accepted with joy. I

did not have to give any command in a severe way, it was enough if I said, ‘I

think this or that should be done or should be this way or that.’ I was very strict

but the sisters knew that I loved them. The first sisters who helped with the

foundation, tired themselves day and night and undertook the most difficult

trips in order to prove themselves useful to the Congregation. How often the

rail compartment was our dormitory, how often we wrote the whole night

through to make the changes in the Statutes, to write soliciting letters, etc. It

65

was a life of sacrifice and yet we did everything gladly. It was all meant to

establish our dear Congregation or to win benefactors for it. All joys and

sufferings were shared with the sisters because I knew how fervently they

participated in these. In principle I told the first sisters of all events so that

these could use these experiences if God would call them to be superiors.

When much bitterness came and I thought I would be crushed by worry and

cares, I took my little niece Theresia Rinauer (later Sister Gonzaga), who came

to me at age five as an orphan, with me to the chapel so that she could help me

pray. How many tears were shed before the tabernacle are known to God

alone. At night when I couldn’t sleep because of worry and pain I looked for

comfort and help in the chapel. A glance at the crucifix which hangs in the

chapel and the Sorrowful Mother strengthened me and then peace and

resignation returned to my soul. This crucifix with the Sorrowful Mother was in

our family for many years. We always had to say all our prayers before this

crucifix, therefore I had it brought here as my dearest treasure.

God gave me from childhood a cheerful disposition. I treasure

this as a special grace from the Lord. No matter how the storms blew, no one

noticed it from the outside. The good God was visibly with us. We very often

did not have even ten ‘Kreuzer’ in the house, but if a payment had to be made,

the money also came at the right time. A hundred cases could be cited, all the

sisters had an unlimited trust in our holy Father St. Joseph. He was and still is,

after the Mother of the Lord, our best intercessor and protector. May this faith

and this trust never become dormant among the sisters of the Congregation!”

Thus far we have the simple and yet eloquent words of Mother

Franziska which have given us a glance into her noble heart and surely form a

worthy conclusion to this chapter.

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CHAPTER VII

Foundation of the Convalescent House in Breitenfurt,

the houses in St. Andra and Prague

and other noteworthy happenings in the years from 1877 to 1882.

On January 30, 1877 Mother Franziska with her niece, Sister

Annunciata Vornberger, undertook a trip to Munich to try to get a soliciting

permit for Bavaria. In spite of the nice references from various high places

which supported her request, she was not granted the permission. From

Munich Mother Franziska went to Ingolstadt to a very ill sister, Karoline in order

to talk over some family affairs and then to Wasserburg to a relative. From

there she went with her companion to her home village of Edling. At this time

her parents had been long dead; and anyway, these sold their property and had

not spent their last years in Edling. Of the rest of Mother Franziska’s family

there remained no one except her old Godmother. Mother Franziska had told

the Pastor of Edling of her arrival. The old Godmother and all who had known

‘Franzi’ were joyfully gathered in the churchyard to await her. Even gray-haired

men and women did not neglect hurrying there; Each one wanted to see and

speak to her. Mother Franziska and Sister Annunciata arrived in Edling after

noon and were joyfully greeted by the Pastor and all those assembled. The old

Godmother, seeing her God- child again, as the Foundress of an order clasped

her hands again and again and said that now she would be prepared to die,

having seen “Franzi” again. The people said to each other, “We knew it, that

something special would become of our Karrer Franzi!” (Karrer was, as we said

before, the name of her family house.) The Pastor led Mother Franziska into the

parish church, dedicated to the Holy Family, where she had been Baptized and

received First Holy Communion. All the people came along and prayed with her

before the painting of the Holy Family which decorates the main altar and

which she still loved in a special way. They also all went together to the

cemetery to visit the graves of Mother Franziska’s dear departed ones. Many

old memories were reawakened on this walk. After they returned to the church

yard Mother Franziska told of the Congregation which God founded through

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her and about the goals she had set for it. All were unanimous in thinking that

God was with her and her undertaking. In the evening Mother Franziska

continued her journey, first in order to visit a relative living near Edling. Before

the departure the Pastor gave the benediction with the Blessed Sacrament. The

farewell with “Franzi” was very difficult for these good people and they would

have liked her to stay with them longer. Some tears were shed and the good

wishes of the inhabitants of Edling accompanied her. Mother Franziska also did

not forget, during her stay in her homeland, to visit the dear Blessed Mother in

Altotting, and commend herself and the whole Congregation to her. On

February 6 she again arrived in Vienna.

Now we must recount another event that demonstrates Mother

Franziska’s care for the interior development of the Congregation.

In 1877 she summoned the first General chapter which lasted

from July 20 to 24 and was attended by the superiors of the various houses and

their assistants. Mother Franziska thought it necessary to consult with them

about the interests of the Congregation, to take precautionary measures

against abuses, and make such decisions which would preserve the zeal and

spirit of sacrifice of the sisters. From that time on such a gathering was held at

determined intervals for the good of the Congregation, and upon approval of

the Constitutions by the Holy See, after every six years.

Since the house in Brunn had already proven to be too small, Mother Franziska

had to think about tearing down the back wing to make room for a new

addition in its place. She therefore undertook a trip to Brunn in February, 1878

and, trusting in God’s help, made the necessary arrangements with the builder;

it was decided to begin the work on April 1. On April 8 Mother Franziska went

to Brunn again because the cornerstone laying was to take place on the twelfth.

She took this opportunity to pay a visit to the Reverend Bishop Nottig, to show

him the plans for the addition. He received her in a kindly and fatherly way.

Unfortunately, the Pastor Kment was prevented from officiating at the

cornerstone blessing. Therefore, at nine in the evening Mother Franziska went

with all the sisters to the construction just begun, to pray there with them, that

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God would bring this beginning to a happy end and not permit that this house,

built for His glory, ever be used for any other purpose. Then Mother Franziska

made the sign of the cross on the cornerstone and sprinkled. the site with holy

water; after which each sister did the same. With God’s help the building

progressed so that the solemn dedication of the wing could take place on

September 9, 1878 in the chapel found therein. Mother Franziska naturally did

not miss the chance to be in Brunn on that day. All the guests, many from high

circles, who were present at the dedication were visibly surprised as they

entered the chapel; no one had imagined it to be so beautiful and all expressed

greatest satisfaction with the celebration.

During the enlargement of the Brunn house, Mother Franziska

again began a foundation. Soon after the foundation of the Refuge of St. Joseph

in Breitenfurt she set up, besides the section for the lifelong care of old

servants, a section for poor servant girls released from the hospitals. There they

were accepted and cared for without cost so that they could convalesce in the

good country air to regain their strength and be able once again to take on a

position. The rooms in the Refuge soon proved to be too small and so Mother

Franziska thought of caring for those convalescing in a house of their own,

because it caused her heart pain, because of lack of space, to have to turn away

these poor creatures who so badly needed a period of recuperation but could

not afford one from their own means. Therefore on May 18 and 19, 1878 she

viewed the beautifully situated house of Mr. August Schonwetter for sale in

Breitenfurt, which was only fifteen minutes away from the Refuge. It seemed to

be very suited to her intended purposes, since it was in the best of condition

and, with its twelve rooms and two kitchens, even if small, offered sufficient

space. A stable, a hay barn, 15 yoke meadow and 15 yoke pastureland* also

belonged with it. After careful negotiations with the owner the sale took place

as early as May 21 for 15,500 florins. The house was taken over on May 24, the

Feast of Mary, Help of Christians, and therefore was given the beautiful name,

Mariahilf (Mary-help). Mother Franziska made the note of this purchase in the

Congregation Chronicle in her own hand and added the words: “Yes, good

Mother Mary, do not abandon us”, remain always at our side with your

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powerful protection!” Mother Franziska surely didn’t sense as she wrote these

words, that it would be in this house that Mary would grant her the last help,

since, here, sixteen years later, her active life, lived for the glory of God and

welfare of neighbor, would close.

On June 1 the necessary repairs in the newly purchased house

were begun and as soon as the 22nd of the same month they were completed.

On June 21, the Feast of St. Aloysious, the sisters assigned to the convalescent

house moved in. Mother Franziska, who accompanied them, led them into the

already furnished oratory where they prayed the Litany of Perpetual Help.

Thereafter, the Spiritual Director of the Refuge, Father Leopold Endl, gave a talk

in which he motivated the sisters to an exact fulfillment of duties. After this

simple, yet beautiful introduction, they went happily to the setting up of the

house. Only on January 2, 1879 was the dedication of the convent of

“Mariahilf”, celebrated by Rev. P. Alfons, former Definitor of the Capuchins and

confessor for the sisters in the Mother House in Vienna. Mother Franziska had

intentionally postponed this celebration so long to allow the soliciting sisters,

so many of whom had never had the pleasure of being present at the

dedication of a house, to attend. Since these sisters had to bring so many and

often great sacrifices toward the foundation and maintaining of the houses

Mother Franziska wanted them on this day to enjoy one of the fruits of their

countless efforts. After the dedication of the chapel and the house, the first

Holy Mass was offered to the Heavenly Father by the Rev. P. Alfons, during

which the sisters of the convalescent house received Holy Communion. All

present were moved to tears as the most high Lord of Heaven and earth

descended for the first time to the altar in this newly dedicated house. The

feelings of gratitude and joy made a deep impression on all. The altar of the

little chapel was the same one on which the first Holy Mass was offered in the

Mother House in Vienna. Since that happy January 2 the convalescent house

has been shown to be a work richly blessed in that every year, in the most

beautiful season, so many poor servant girls find recuperation and strength

there, so that they can regain sufficient health to return to earning their living.

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The foundation of this house was really a work typical of the noble heart of

Mother Franziska.

It was a big concern of Mother Franziska’s that the Rules of the

Society, which had had the Episcopal approval since 1871, would also have

Papal Approval and that the Society would be recognized as a canonical

Congregation. Therefore she asked the Jesuit Fathers to look through and re-

work the Rules so that her wish could be fulfilled. This request was gladly

granted and as early as January 23, 1879 she received the revised Rule. Ever

since its foundation, indeed, the Jesuit Fathers have earned much gratitude

from the Congregation. Mother Franziska went carefully through each point of

the Rule with the Reverend General Director, Monsignor Horny, and found that

they were very well worked out, so that there were very few further wishes

regarding changes or additions that she wanted to express in their regard. After

the Jesuit Fathers had made these few changes Mother Franziska brought the

Rules to His Eminence Cardinal Johannes Kutschker with the request that he

study them and then send them, with his recommendation to Rome. His

Eminence spoke with them for an hour and then sent them away with his

blessing. The circumstances of the Papal approval gave Mother Franziska much

work and concern during the years 1879 and 1880.

She had the Rules printed and beautifully bound in order to

present them to all the bishops in whose dioceses the Congregation was active.

At the same time, with some sisters she did a report about the general activity

of the Congregation in the ten years of its existence. Then she traveled to each

of these bishops to present them with the report and the Rule and to ask them

to write the recommendations to the Holy Father which are necessary for

receiving ecclesiastical approval. Mother Franziska was very graciously received

by all the bishops and, in recognition of the great good already done by the

young society, assured by all of their fulfillment of her request and later, of a

very beautiful written recommendation. On November 3, 1880 things had

progressed so far that Mother Franziska could complete and send to Rome the

request to the Holy Father for approval of the Holy Rule as well as ecclesiastical

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recognition of the society. The efficient accomplishment of this request

happened in July 1884 as we will recount in the appropriate place.

In the two years during which the work and traveling mentioned

above concerning the approval of the Rule were going on, Mother Franziska

was busy in many other areas also. In April 1879 the Silver Wedding

Anniversary of the Imperial Couple was being celebrated in all parts of Austria-

Hungary in the most dazzling way. So Mother Franziska hurried to all her

institutes to order a worthy celebration, because, although not born in Austria

and loving her Fatherland, Bavaria, and its royal house above all, she still

cultivated a great respect and devotion toward the great Imperial House of

Hapsburg and always zealously worked to awaken and nourish patriotic feelings

in all those committed to her care. The reason for this was found not only in the

empathy which the Austrians and Bavarians, as peoples of related origins and

subjects of two such intertwined ruling houses felt with each other, but this

reverence counted mainly as an obligation of gratitude for the extraordinary

respect and graciousness which their majesties, Emperor Franz Joseph I and

Empress Elizabeth as well as other members of the Imperial Family deigned to

show herself and the Congregation. Mother Franziska wrote in the Chronicle of

the Congregation on the occasion of the Silver Wedding Anniversary of the

Imperial Couple: “In all our houses, especially here, the Imperial Festival was

celebrated in the most solemn way. In the morning there was a Solemn High

Mass and the sisters and candidates received Holy Communion, the house (she

meant here the Vienna Marienanstalt) was hung with flags and the names of

Emperor and Empress with their portraits and coats of arms to the right and

left decorated the front. Beautiful songs were sung and grand poems were

recited. All had the same sentiments, the same joy and each was striving to give

it expression. “God preserve, protect and bless our Imperial Couple! This was

surely the prayer of every honest heart to God today. God hear our prayer,

then we will all be happy!”

In the same year Mother Franziska received another proof of his

good will from His Majesty, which was at the same time a wonderful reward for

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her trust in God, she had presented His Majesty with a request that a grant

from the profits of the State Lottery would come to the Congregation. On

September 12, 1879 the sum of 10,000 florins which Mother Franziska had

borrowed six years before from the St. Joseph Savings and Loans in

Leopoldstadt near Vienna, would come due for repayment and she had,

unfortunately, no prospects for meeting this obligation, if the above mentioned

petition were not granted. His Majesty had received the request very

graciously, but September had come and the money was still missing. Mother

Franziska hoped steadfastly that her trust in God’s help would not disappoint

her, and so it was. On September 10, a servant from the Ministry of the Interior

came with a note saying that Mother Franziska could at any time come and

collect 10,000 florins from the Administration of the Imperial Lottery. As she

opened it the seal on the note was still moist because the messenger was told

to bring the note as fast as possible to the Marienanstalt because the sisters

needed the money very badly. One can easily imagine Mother Franziska’s joy

and gratitude, since she once again had a sign of the care of God and the power

of a rock- fast trust. The money came exactly at the moment of greatest need.

She immediately summoned all the sisters, charges and servant girls to the

chapel where the Te Deum was sung and prayers offered for the noble

Emperor, that God, through the intercession of Mary would reward him for this

good deed. On September 11 Mother Franziska picked up the money at the

Administration of the Imperial Lottery in order to immediately execute the

repayment of the loan. The officials were very friendly and told Mother

Franziska that a big exception had been made for her since none of the others

for whom a sum from the lottery had been determined had yet been given any

cash.

On September 17, Mother Franziska traveled with some sisters to Mariazell in

order to give thanks for the recently received help as well as all the other

graces that had come to her and to her Congregation and to recommend the

Congregation to the special protection of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary. After

she had brought forth all her intentions in the shrine chapel, she returned

home on the twentieth. Unfortunately, through the long time spent kneeling on

the stone floor, Mother Franziska caught a cold so that she had to go to bed on

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the day she arrived home. The doctor who was called confirmed abdominal

typhoid. The sisters were of course very shocked by this and prayed fervently

for the recovery of their dear spiritual mother. God heard their fervent prayer

and as soon as three weeks later Mother Franziska was restored to health to

the extent that she could go to Breitenfurt for recuperation. In the good air she

soon regained her strength and returned to the Mother House on October 27.

On November 27, 1879 Mother Franziska and Sister Ignazia

Egger were received in audience by His Majesty. She had requested this

audience to express her respectful gratitude for the substantial sum she had

received from the State Lottery. As she began her thanks, however, His Majesty

interrupted her with the question, “Now, how are you? I hear things are going

well out there with you, are things progressing swiftly for you?” Mother

Franziska tried again to thank, but His Majesty replied, “It gave me pleasure to

be able to do something for you. I will always do my best for you.” Mother

Franziska mentioned that it was exactly eleven years ago on that day that she

received the written permission from the city authorities for the foundation,

that she was at that time all alone, and that now there were already 155 sisters

working in ten houses. His Majesty greatly admired this rapid growth of the

congregation, and expressed his pleasure that the authorities are so well

intentioned toward it.

Mother Franziska and her companion returned home deeply moved by the

compliments of His Majesty and rejoiced over this gracious recognition of the

work of the Congregation.

The concern about repaying the debt of 10,000 florins for the

Refuge of St. Joseph in Breitenfurt was now over, but in the meantime, a new

worry about the same house confronted Mother Franziska. The refuge, too, had

long ago become too small. For this reason, Mother Franziska had an addition

built on the north side in 1878, but still there wasn’t enough space. It seemed

absolutely necessary to add two further wings on the east and south side to do

justice to all the demands made on the house according to its purpose. Again,

the irritating problem of money was the obstacle. Mother Franziska thought

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about receiving permission to solicit in the Tyrol to solve this problem, but the

trip two sisters took on October 1, 1879 to Innsbruck, especially for this

purpose remained without result. As often as she had tried, during two years,

for the soliciting permit in the Tyrol, Mother Franziska had received a denial.

Now, since she didn’t know where she should send the sisters to solicit and

how she should get the funds for building in Breitenfurt, she took refuge with

the Patron of that house and promised St. Joseph, that if she received help

through his intercession in this intention, she would immediately have it

published it in the Messenger of St. Joseph.

Trusting in the support of the dear Saint, Mother Franziska went

once more, on January 29, 1880, to the Ministry of the Interior to request the

soliciting permit for the Tyrol. She told her companion, Sister Henrika Albrecht

to put a tiny image of St. Joseph, the kind that come in little cases to carry in

the purse, under her glove and open with it the door to the Ministry, so that St.

Joseph would be leading them in. Wonder of wonders! Although it was usually

said, “For the Tyrol, absolutely nothing!” now, her petition was graciously

received. As Mother Franziska and her companion left the building in joyful

hope, the latter noticed that the image of St. Joseph had fallen out of her

handkerchief and so was left behind in the Ministry, as though the Saint wanted

to show that he would smooth the way for the request. It really happened

immediately, as Mother Franziska received the permit on the very next day. St.

Joseph had helped and at the same time given a sign that he desired the

enlarging of the house dedicated to him.

On February 1, Mother Franziska signed the final contract for the

addition in Breitenfurt with the builder, Mr. Friedl and the preparations began

on February 9. St. Joseph helped also with the construction so that by October

1880 the Refuge stood there as a beautifully complete quadrangle Over the

main entrance were placed statues of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, the

Mother of God and St. Joseph with the Infant Jesus, just as Mother Franziska

had promised would be the case if the addition would be realized. On October

9 the elderly residents could move in and on the 11th was the solemn

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dedication celebrated by the Rev. Msgr. Dr. Horny with many people present.

As the addition in Breitenfurt was progressing, the foundation of a new house

was in preparation. At the beginning of the year 1880 the sisters of the

Congregation were soliciting in Carinthia and came to the beautifully situated

town of St. Andra, in the Lavan valley. The St. Elizabeth Society had founded a

kindergarten and vocational school there and the Jesuit Fathers, who had a

foundation in St. Andra expressed the wish that sisters of the Congregation

would take over the administration of this institute. Mother Franziska was

ready, as the sisters brought this wish to her attention, to immediately extend

the work of the Congregation to Carinthia if the conditions there were suitable.

Therefore, she asked the Rev. Father Patiss, S. J. on February 14, 1880 in a

letter to inform her about these and on March 12 already traveled there with

Sister Xaveria Egger to discuss the contract with the head of the St. Elizabeth

Society. On the afternoon of the 13, they were cordially welcomed at the

station by the head of the society, a Mrs. Vetter and Vice President, Mrs.

Fischer. Upon closer examination, Mother Franziska saw that the conditions

were not especially suitable because the house offered by the society seemed

too small and they were able to give the sisters very little support. In spite of

this, Mother Franziska intended to bring this foundation about because she

thought this would provide a good field of work if, besides the kindergarten and

school, there could be also established an educational institute. Besides, she

and all the sisters had a special preference for St. Andra because it was here

that the Rules of the Congregation had been worked out by the Jesuit Fathers.

The Jesuit Fathers also promised to be of help to the sisters in everything and

to take over their spiritual guidance. Likewise, Mother Franziska received a

friendly receptiveness for her plan from the district chief of the nearby little city

of Wolfsberg, so she returned to Vienna with the decision to weigh the whole

thing once more very seriously with the Reverend Director and her Assistants.

These also agreed with Mother Franziska and so on March 25 she sent the

petition for permission for a foundation in St. Andra to the district chief in

Wolfsberg. On June 2 she traveled with Sister Josefa Kock, later to become the

first superior of the St. Andra house to Klagenfurt, to discuss details concerning

the foundation with the Governor, Count Lodron, as well as the Diocesan

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Ordinary and then to continue the trip to St. Andra. There Mother Franziska

looked at various houses, but found nothing suitable. After a long deliberation

she decided to buy an old Dominican convent, dissolved in 1782, which was

attached to the Church of Mary of Loretto and was in a beautiful location. This

house was more like a ruin and it was not easy to believe that it could be made

habitable. Doors, windows and floors were in terrible condition. Mother

Franziska, however, knowledge-able in such matters, soon noticed that the

walls and roof were good and that there was hope to be able to bring the

building back in order. Countess Herel from Wolfsberg promised to donate

boards and door and window jams for this purpose and the royal Danish

courtier von Schutt in St. Andra, promised lumber and tiles. Without these

prospects Mother Franziska would hardly have dared to think about the

purchase because of the large expenditures which the foreseeable repairs

would require. Mother Franziska and her companion prayed to the deceased

Dominicans interred in the crypt of the old convent under the Church of

Loretto, that they would ask God that this ruin would once again be changed

into a convent, and this prayer brought good results. On June 6, a Sacred Heart

Sunday, Mother Franziska came to a happy agreement with the seller and on

the very next day the deal was closed. This had hardly taken place than people

came from everywhere to express their joy about it to Mother Franziska; the

mayor and city council and a delegation of women came also for this purpose.

There was a general joy that sisters would come again to St. Andra. On July 11,

Mother Franziska moved into a room in the ruins with Sister Josefa and Sister

Ferdinanda Heiss who had come in the meantime from Vienna. It was the best

one in the house, but even this had no window unbroken. Their feelings while

moving in cannot easily be described. On the very same day the masons began

their work; On the 13 Mother Franziska signed the contract with the

professionals and on the 14 with the builder Urbani of Wolfsberg and then

returned, after giving all necessary instructions, to Vienna, followed by the

good wishes of the inhabitants. In the next few months Mother Franziska

traveled four times to St. Andra to look after the construction work and often

had to make some uncomfortable trips to Klagenfurt because obtaining

permission for the foundation also caused great difficulties. However, with her

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own decisiveness, Mother Franziska conquered all obstacles and, after the

completion of the construction work, the opening of the institute, retaining the

name, “Maria Loretto” which the convent had originally, could finally take place

on November 3. On that day Mother Franziska was not present in St. Andra but

on January 10, 1881, she went there and found the building and furnishing of

the house beautiful beyond her expectations. The old ruin was unrecognizable

in the now stately convent. After the permission for Holy Mass and reservation

of the Blessed Sacrament had arrived from Rome on January 26, the solemn

dedication could be held on February 9, for which Mother Franziska went again

to St. Andra. This was undertaken in the presence of 24 participants, by the

Reverend Monsignor Augustin Dudin, Abbot of the Benedictine Foundation in

nearby St. Paul. The house was most beautifully decorated, since the

inhabitants of St. Andra competed with one another in lending the sisters a

hand. The Jesuit Fathers, especially, did everything to have the chapel and

house beautifully decorated and fervently shared the joy of sisters. Everyone

who attended the dedication was moved by the dignified celebration. Since

then, in this house and in the boarding school and kindergarten, the vocational

and Sunday school, much good has already been done.

The events, one happy and one sad, which were passed over in

order not to interrupt the account of the St. Andra house, must now not remain

unmentioned. On May 25, 1880 the manufacturer, Anton Lang, the good old

friend of the Congregation who gave Mother Franziska the first contribution for

her work and constantly stood by her with help and advice, died. The death of

this noble man, mourned by the poor of Vienna, rightly, as one of the their

greatest benefactors, caused deep pain to Mother Franziska. She was present

with many sisters for his funeral and ordered that Masses, Holy Communions

and prayer should be offered for the eternal rest of the soul of this noble man.

In any case, Mother Franziska was always filled with great gratitude toward all

benefactors of the Congregation, and to awaken like sentiments in the sisters

and those in their care, talked about their noble qualities, presented lists of the

benefactors and, above all, ordered daily prayer for them, which is surely the

best expression of gratitude.

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The second event was the visit of his Imperial Majesty, Emperor Franz Joseph I

to the Marian Institute in Troppau, which took place in the afternoon of

October 21, 1880. Mother Franziska had traveled to Troppau especially for the

occasion and, with Count Attems, Mayor Martin Wojtech Edlen von Willfest,

the Reverend Director Neumann, both confessors of the house, etc. awaited His

Majesty at the entrance of the festively decorated building. At four o’clock loud

cheers announced the arrival of the Monarch. His Majesty immediately greeted

Mother Franziska with the respectful words, “Yes, you came from Vienna? I am

pleased.” His majesty deigned to visit the chapel and the other rooms of the

house, to graciously accept the greetings of the pupils, and to inform himself

extensively about the affairs of the house. He also expressed gracious words of

praise for the arrangement of the Institute and addressed the highest praise for

the rapid development of the Congregation in these words addressed to

Mother Franziska, “I am pleased that your Congregation has made such great

progress in such a short time. So much has happened in this time; you deserve

an award! But in the beginning you also suffered much worry and care!”

Mother Franziska responded to this, “Your Majesty, it is true, but I have also

experienced much joy, the officials were always good to us and have

consistently helped us.” Upon leaving the house, His Majesty repeated

expressions of the greatest appreciation. Mother Franziska never forgot this

joyful day. At the close of the detailed account written by one of her secretaries

in the Congregation’s Chronicle she added, “As His Majesty left the house,

many people poured into the place where our good Emperor had been. It was

touching to see the holy reverence with which many kissed the places where

His Majesty had stood. People kept coming for two whole days to look at

everything. It cannot be described what a blessing this visit was for our house!”

Soon after this happy event Mother Franziska undertook another

foundation. She had often received letters from Prague that she might also

open a Marian Institute there and many friends of the Congregation had been

looking for houses that would be fitting for this charitable purpose. After

extensive deliberation Mother Franziska decided to go there with Sister

Augustina d’Armaille on October 28, 1880, to see if the foundation were

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possible. In Prague she consulted with His Eminence Cardinal Schwarzenberg,

Jiricek, the Reverend Monsignor Probst Stule, the Police Chief, Steyskal, the

Mayor, etc. and found everywhere great joy at the reason for her coming and

ready willingness to help. Encouraged by this, she looked at several houses,

accompanied by the Bookseller Mr. Steinhauser and her companion. House

number 527 in Gerstengasse would have been especially suitable because of its

healthful, beautiful location, only the price 50,000 florins, seemed too high to

Mother Franziska. In spite of this, all the men with whom she spoke advised her

not to lose sight of this house. For the time being she rented, through Mr.

Steinhauser, an apartment with three rooms and a kitchen in Salmgasse for the

sisters until a suitable house could be found, and then, after a visit to the Brunn

Marienanstalt, returned to Vienna. As soon as November 23, Sister Augustina

d’Armaille, as superior, and two sisters traveled to Prague to take possession of

the rented apartment. Before their departure Mother Franziska said to Sister

Augustina, “I can’t give you anything to take along except my blessing, five

guldens and a kiss!” Even though this foundation also began in the direst

poverty, God continued to help and added His blessing to that of Mother

Franziska. The sisters wrote her often that all the friends of the Congregation

advised buying the house on Gerstengasse; if this happened soon, a percent of

the registration fees could be saved because the house had changed owners

not quite two years before. On December 8, Mother Franziska received word

that the final date for gaining this advantage would expire on the 9th. So

Mother Franziska traveled, quickly decided, to Prague on the same day with the

evening train. Three thousand florins should have been paid as down payment,

but she could gather only 2100 florins and therefore borrowed 800 florins

before her departure, as well as telegraphing to the sisters in Brunn to bring the

missing 100 florins to the train as she passed through. Unfortunately these had

only 50 florins in their savings which they gladly gave to Mother Franziska.

Arriving in Prague with a worried heart, she consulted once again with the

friends of the Congregation and then, trusting in God, closed the sale for 50,000

florins. The transfer of the title took place on the 11th and was announced to

the tenants. On this day the governor’s permit to establish the institute and the

permit to solicit in Bohemia also arrived. After Mother Franziska visited various

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friends and patrons to announce the purchase of the house and to recommend

the new foundation to their good will and protection, she returned home. On

February 14, 1881 the sisters moved from their rented apartment into their

new home to begin working there. On May 2 the renovations began, and on

June 26 when Mother Franziska came again to Prague she was happily

surprised to see the furnishing of the house so far advanced. She was especially

happy about the beautiful chapel. The sisters did everything to have the house

very beautifully arranged for the dedication. This was set for July 6th. Mother

Franziska had entered a request on May 31st, through Countess Zitta Nostitz, to

Her Imperial Highness, the Crown Princess Stephanie, that she take over the

protectorate of the Marian Institute in Prague, and had received a favorable

reply. Shortly before the dedication, on July 2, news also came from Countess

Nostitz that the acceptance of the protectorate by her Royal Highness may be

published in the newspapers. On July 6, the dedication of the Marian Institute

took place in a solemn way, through the Master General of the Knights of the

Cross--P. Schobel (now Bishop of the Diocese of Leitmeritz in Bohemia) in the

presence of many exalted guests. Mother Franziska left the house open to

visitors for three days and hundreds of people came to see the new institute.

On July 12, Mother Franziska and the Superior of the institute, Sister Augustine

d’ Armaille, were received in audience at 11 A.M. by Her Royal Highness Crown

Princess, Archduchess Stephanie, who happened to be in Prague at the time.

The exalted lady showed the greatest condescension and kindness to them

both, informed herself in detail about the affairs of the Congregation and

dismissed them with the gracious promise to visit the institute when she next

came to Prague. This audience was a special privilege since, during this visit, her

royal Highness had received no one except the ladies of the Bohemian nobility.

Since its foundation, the Marian Institute in Prague has enjoyed a steady

prosperity. Thousands of young women seeking employment found shelter,

board and placement, as well as instruction in the Sunday School, many

children have been educated and older girls trained in practical skills in the

domestic science school contained therein, so that Mother Franziska really

began a richly blessed work with this foundation. On August 27, 1881 she went

again to Prague, to make arrangements with the Reverend Director Bauer, now

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Bishop of the Archdiocese of Olmutz, about the sisters taking care of the

household in the Episcopal Residence in Prague as they had been requested to

do. After all the necessary arrangements, Mother Franziska sent sisters to the

seminary; for ten years these cared for the household there, but because of

various conditions, the contract for this was dissolved in 1891.

At the close of this chapter is still to be mentioned the joy shared

by Mother Franziska and the sisters at the visit of Her Royal Highness the Crown

Princess, Archduchess Stephanie to the Prague Marian Institute. At 7:30 in the

evening on January 9, 1882 a telegram brought the news that the exalted visit

would take place on the next day at 10 A. M. In ten minutes Mother Franziska

was ready to travel, hurried to the train and arrived at 9 A. M. on the 10th in

Prague, where she quickly took charge of the proximate preparations. At

exactly 10 A. M. Her Royal Highness drove up and deigned to greet Mother

Franziska from the carriage, to offer her hand as she stepped out and to

express joy at seeing her again. The exalted lady visited all the rooms, talked in

the most condescending way with the sisters and pupils and expressed her total

satisfaction with the practical arrangement of the house, and the order and

cleanliness found therein. Her Royal Highness especially conversed with Mother

Franziska in the most affable way, thanked her that she especially came from

Vienna, promised to send her portrait to her and Sister Augustina and gave her

most cordial farewell with the promise to come again soon. This mark of

recognition again gives evidence of the love Mother Franziska enjoyed, even in

the highest circles, because of her noble striving and her splendid qualities.

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CHAPTER VIII

Foundations in Bosnia, Recognition by Rome

When Bosnia and Herzegovina were occupied by Austria in 1878,

the wish was awakened in Mother Franziska to spread the work of the

Congregation there also where so much good could be done through the

confirmation and spread of the holy religion and civilization. This seemed to her

to be a partial fulfillment of the desire of her youth to be able to work in a

mission land. She often expressed this wish to the sisters, many of whom,

offered to go to Bosnia in case it should come true. The insight into the

situation in Bosnia, became, in the activity theoretically planned there, an

occasion for various jokes. These jokes were to become reality sooner than

expected. During Advent, 1881, the newly-appointed Archbishop Josef Stadler

came to Vienna where he visited the Jesuit Fathers and expressed the wish to

call sisters to the capitol of Bosnia, Sarajevo, at the very beginning of his new

work. The Jesuit Fathers brought Mother Franziska and her Congregation to his

attention and the Archbishop soon appeared at the Marienanstalt. Mother

Franziska was overjoyed when she heard the reason for his coming. Naturally,

nothing concrete could be agreed upon for the time being, because the

Archbishop had, himself, yet to become acquainted with the circumstances of

his new field of activity. On March 15, 1882 a telegram arrived unexpectedly

with the following message: “I will buy a little house with a garden for you if

you will agree to send sisters. Details in letter. Stadler, Archbishop”. On March

21 the greatly desired letter of the Archbishop arrived, wherein he recounted

that he had purchased a little wooden house with barn and a rather large

garden from a Turk for the price of 2,500 florins and would give the sisters an

additional 500 florins for the furnishings. He was able to use the 3,000 florins

from the Holy Childhood Association for this purpose. This letter of the

Archbishop was worded so kindly that Mother Franziska and the sisters were

moved to tears. On the next day, the 22nd, Mother Franziska requested an

audience with His Majesty the Emperor, to share with him the Archbishop’s

desire and ask if he would deign to grant this planned foundation his special

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protection. Since the 23rd was already determined as a day for audiences,

Mother Franziska was afraid her request for one would be too late. It was

granted to her, however, even though she really was the last on the list. On the

next day, when she appeared at the Hofburg, the adjutant on duty said to her,

“Now, Mother Superior, today you may come in immediately,” and she was the

fourth person to come to His Majesty although many important persons were

waiting. As she entered, His Majesty gave her a friendly smile and said, “I am

happy to see you again. What do you wish from me today?” Mother Franziska

then presented her desire and His Majesty listened with great interest and was

happy that the Congregation wanted to make itself useful also in Bosnia where

help was so very much needed. He promised his help to Mother Franziska and

said he would take the sisters under his special protection. Overjoyed, she left

the audience hall and, since it was known that the occupied territory stood

under the Imperial Finance Office, went directly to the Imperial Minister of

Finance, Slavy, who also received her graciously and expressed satisfaction with

her decision. When Mother Franziska returned to the Finance Ministry on

March 31, she heard that His Majesty had already talked with the Minister

about a support for the planned foundation, which was again evidence of how

much interest his Majesty took in it. With the sisters, who shared her

enthusiasm for the work of the Congregation in Bosnia, Mother Franziska now

was concerned with collecting the things that would be most necessary and

indispensable for the beginning of the foundation. She, herself, as she liked to

do at the beginning of a new foundation, searched the house to find what could

be dispensed with here and useful there. As soon as April 1, the first shipment,

consisting of two crates with various articles necessary for the household, and

four boxes, was on its way to Sarajevo. Mother Franziska also sent sisters to

Croatia, on the one hand to collect funds for the foundation in Sarajevo, and on

the other hand to acquire the Croation language so that they could then more

easily make themselves useful in Bosnia. She herself wanted to travel to

Sarajevo as soon as possible to inform herself directly of all the circumstances

and to help with the beginning of the foundation. However, before she

undertook this long journey, she made another trip on April 19, for a cause that

also was very close to her heart. This was the ecclesiastical recognition of her

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society as a canonical Congregation, since the secular authorities still saw it as

merely an association. She had already applied for this earlier and now went to

the Minister of Culture to speed the cause. He received Mother Franziska very

kindly and said he was happy to be able to do something for the Congregation,

adding that he had already arranged everything in the best way and thereby

gave her a hope that the matter would soon be settled satisfactorily. This

actually did come about, while Mother Franziska was in Bosnia and, on May 13,

1882, according to a decision at the highest level, the Society received

recognition as an ecclesiastical Congregation.

On April 22, Mother Franziska and Sister Helene Bonard who was appointed the

Superior of the new foundation in Sarajevo, said good-bye to Cardinal

Ganglbauer and the Auxiliary Bishop Angerer, both of whom expressed great

pleasure over the new field of activity of the Congregation and promised to

pray for it. On the 24th Mother Franziska went to the Ministry of Finance to

Section Chief von Merey, who told her, to her great joy, that on the very day

after her audience, His Majesty had called the Minister of Finance to himself

and asked him to write to the governor and commandant in Bosnia, Baron von

Dahlen, that it was his express wish and command that he give the sisters his

very special protection. This great interest coming form all sides, toward

Mother Franziska’s planned undertaking confirmed her in her resolve to work

as well as possible through her Congregation for the good in Bosnia. As soon as

April 24, with the prayers and good wishes of the sisters she began the journey

there in the company of Sr. Helene Bonard and Sr. Richarda Spaniol. On the one

hand, in the face of the largely unknown conditions in Bosnia and the

predictable difficulties, they experienced a feeling of anxiety, but on the other

hand, they were filled with courage and trust in God and ready for any sacrifice.

With God’s help the long journey went well. At the border station, Bosnia-Brod,

the railroad officials, who had been notified by the War Ministry, who had

charge of the railroads and mail in Bosnia, of their coming and found them

good places when they changed trains. At every larger station in Bosnia, the

travelers noticed that the railroad officials had been notified of their trip and

that all were happy about the arrival of the sisters. Since at that time the

railroad went only as far as Zenica, a good coach was provided there for Mother

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Franziska and her companions. At five in the afternoon of April 28 they arrived

safe and sound at Sarajevo and rode immediately to the Bishop’s palace. After

they had first greeted the Divine Savior in the Most Blessed Sacrament in the

house chapel, they were most cordially received by the Archbishop. After a

small refreshment they, with the Archbishop, immediately had to view the

Turkish house purchased for the Congregation. Mother Franziska and her

companions were especially happy about the beautiful garden attached. The

next day they went to visit the important officials of the city. They were

consoled by the friendly reception they experienced everywhere. On April 30,

the Archbishop appointed Canon Anton Jeglic, later Vicar General and Auxiliary

of the Diocese of Sarajevo and Bishop of Laibach, as director of the new

foundation. He always gave generously of himself to this office and was a

fatherly friend and counselor to the sisters and in his present position, to our

great joy, still has great good will toward the Congregation.

On May 1, Mother Franziska and the two other sisters were

invited to dinner by the sisters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul, who also had a

foundation in Sarajevo and found that here, too, they were cordially received.

In the afternoon, some of the Sisters of Charity went with their guests to view

the purchased Turkish house. The previous owners, two Turks name Turanovic

and their sister, very good people, still resided in the house for the time being.

The Turkish lady served coffee and, to drink it, the sisters had to sit, Turkish

fashion, on a carpet in the garden. Later, Mother Franziska remarked that the

Sisters of Charity, she herself, and her companions, the two Turks and their

sister, must have formed an interesting group.

Since the things--beds, etc,--sent from Vienna had not yet arrived, Mother

Franziska and the two other sisters lived in the Archbishop’s house. On May 8,

the Feast of the Discovery of the Holy Cross, they moved into their house on

Banjski brije, Nr. 8. They felt unique sentiments at this entrance. The Jesuit,

Father Xavier Slavic, who had come with the Archbishop and his secretary,

blessed the apartment. A part of the house was still temporarily occupied by

the two Turks and their sister. These then moved to Constantinople, in order

not to, as they put it, lose their faith among Christians, Mother Franziska felt

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great sympathy for these good, noble people. With her whole heart she would

have liked to bring them to the true faith. The first days after they moved in

were passed in making and receiving visits, since, according to the custom of

the place, Mother Franziska had to make introductions and receive the same

from all the better families of Sarajevo. On May 7 the two sisters summoned

later, Amanda Eberl and Emerana Zweck, arrived.

At first Mother Franziska wanted to renovate the house, but she

soon saw that this was not the way to meet the needs of the planned institute;

so she decided to immediately build a decent building from the ground up. The

demolition of the old building began as soon as May 8. On May 10 Mother

Franziska rented an apartment consisting of two and a half rooms and a kitchen

from a Turkish woman in a building across the street, at a cost of twenty

guldens a month. Although this was, relatively speaking, not a small sum, the

apartment was miserable and had an overabundance of mice. They built their

nests in the cushions that circled the rooms according to Turkish custom, and

which the sisters, lacking beds, used for sleeping. There was no possibility for a

decent night’s sleep after the countless activities of the day. In order to have a

little peace from the unwelcome guests who often used their freedom to run

back and forth over the sleeping sisters, the cat had to be enticed in at night

with the most delicate names, but then it was her hunting the mice which

disturbed their rest. This continued for eight months until the completion of the

building, while the sisters had to find their way in what were, from every point

of view, the most primitive conditions. During her presence Mother Franziska

shared all these difficulties with the sisters and encouraged them with her

example.

On May 12 she bought the adjoining house from the Turk,

Ibrahim Curcic for the price of 1,375 guldens. It was in very bad condition and

good for nothing except demolition, but Mother Franziska felt the purchase

was absolutely necessary to remove an unwelcome neighbor. It was her

general practice to remove irritating or unsuitable neighbors from the vicinity

of her convents, when at all possible, and she bought more than one house for

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this reason. Mother Franziska arrived at the idea to build, on the site of the first

Turkish house, an institute dedicated to St. Joseph for boarders and day

students, and to erect one dedicated to the Virgin Mary for orphans and other

poor girls on the site of the second house. On May 24, the demolition of the

two buildings began and Canon Jeglic also laid the cornerstone for St. Joseph’s

Institute. Among the construction workers present at this solemn ceremony

were many Turkish laborers who were visibly touched. Mother Franziska and

the sisters were overcome with deep emotion on seeing this since on that very

day the Church celebrated the feast of Mary, Help of Christians, the title by

which she was honored since the glorious victory of the Christians over the

Turks in 1683. Mother Franziska was often at the building site to supervise and

arrange things. Sister Richarda, who understood the language of the country

had to accompany her as translator. The remainder of the time Mother

Franziska became a real servant to her sisters. While they were running errands

or checking on the building, she cooked and did other household tasks for

them. It often happened that she was occupied with cooking or cleaning or

such things, when someone arrived asking for the Superior, and she had first to

remove her work apron before going to the visitor. She did not think it beneath

her to do humble work and she encouraged the sisters and candidates never to

consider any work done for the Lord as inferior. She would not tolerate

avoidance of work and insisted that the teachers also do some light household

tasks which would not interfere with their other activities, for example,

cleaning up the classroom, stoking its stove, etc, as well as taking part,

according to their strength, in the so-called big cleaning which was often done

during the school vacations. She considered such work to be very advantageous

for the preservation of humility as well as for health. She also showed no

preference for the sisters who taught over those who did only household tasks

and did not even want them to be called “teachers”, but rather, “the sisters in

the school”, “With us,” she often said, “all sisters are equal and all are teachers,

whether they are in school, with the boarders, servant girls, in the kitchen,

laundry or occupied with house cleaning.” In every activity the sisters come into

contact with those we care for, must give them some instruction or other, and

so relate to them as teachers. Besides this, before God, it doesn’t matter what

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one did, but how and with what intention it was done.” With these and similar

words and orders she sought to confirm the sisters in the spirit of humility,

which quality was hers in such a high degree.

Since food was so very expensive in Sarajevo, Mother Franziska

decided to buy land near the city in order to more easily support the future

convent with its produce; Although the sisters lived very simply, they already

were in need of much money, especially now while they were so few. She

thought, too, that the Bosnians could learn how to profitably work fields and

pastures from a model farm, run by the sisters and so this would be also useful

for the poor inhabitants and therefore a source of much good. On May 29

therefore, she looked at the property she thought suitable, and which was

owned by a Turk. On June 5 she went once again with Archbishop Stadler, his

secretary and Canon Jeglic, but it was to her regret not possible to agree with

the Turk who demanded a very high price. Mother Franziska used the 8th, 9th,

11th, 14th, 18th and 21st of June to look at various properties to find

something suitable and inexpensive. In these search forays she went in a circle

two hours distant from Sarajevo and was on the go with the sister

accompanying her for usually about four to six hours per day. Evenings they

came home so tired that the next day they could hardly move. The roads were

bad and often nonexistent, and their way could be described simply by the

saying “through thick and thin”. One day Mother Franziska and her companion

had to climb over nineteen fences, which often separate fields and pastures

there, cross eight streams which had only logs as bridges, and, in a carriage,

cross a river that ran so swiftly that it almost carried wagon, horses and

occupants away in the current. To top all these difficulties, Mother Franziska

also fell into a swamp from which she was extracted only with difficulty. None

of these efforts and difficulties could discourage her, however, or the sisters

who were encouraged by her example. On the contrary, these adventures often

gave them material for joking and laughter. On July 2 Mother Franziska looked

again at a piece of land with a little house three quarters of an hour distant

from Sarajevo in Slatina, which, to her seemed very suitable. On July 3 the

Archbishop left for confirmation trips and Mother Franziska spoke with him

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before his departure, to say good-bye and to give him a full report about this

last viewed piece of property. He strongly urged her to purchase it. On the

evening of the same day the sale was verbally concluded, as Mother Franziska

came to an agreement with the Turk to buy the property with harvest for 4500

guldens. As the woman did not speak German, a Franciscan priest, the Rev.

Daniel, helped with the purchase. Mother Franziska immediately sent a

telegram to Vienna to send her the necessary sum of money and the not less

needed sisters. On the same day, July 3, they began with the excavations for

the Marian Institute connected to the St. Joseph Institute, and as early as July 7,

the Reverend Canon Jagadic blessed its cornerstone. On July 8 two of the

sisters who had been summoned arrived and on the 13th another four came to

Sarajevo. On the 10th Sister Richarda Spaniol and Sister Ferdinanda Heiss

moved into the house in Slatina. In this regard Mother Franziska and the sisters

had still before them some difficult struggle to endure with the so-called Kmet.

This is a kind of co-owner of a property, having various territorial rights--a

common arrangement in Bosnia, The Kmet was a Serb, who was instigated by

his fellow believers and did not want to give his rights. All the persuading by

Mother Franziska and the various men who were helping her in this and who

talked with him for hours did not help. He would not sign the bill of sale. In any

case he hoped to extort money from the sisters and the Turkish woman.

Mother Franziska saw herself constrained on July 12 to word the contract in

such a way that the woman was obliged to have the Kmet removed by fall and

therefore immediately undertake the necessary action against him with the

authorities. On the following day Mother Franziska had eight Turks use all their

persuasive powers for three hours to get him to sign the deed. Only after one

of the Turks, whose property was larger than that at Slatina promised to take

him on as Kmet, did he finally sign the contract. In spite of all this, it was only

on May 4 of the following year and after the Congregation had paid 1,000

florins that they got rid of him, with the building in Sarajevo, also, Mother

Franziska had incalculable difficulties. She and the sisters had to be on constant

watch not to be cheated, since dishonesty seemed to be the order of the day.

On July 18 the building of living-quarters and stable began because the existing

house there was in extremely bad condition. On this and the following day

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Mother Franziska made her farewell visits since, now that the main work

necessary for the beginning was arranged, she had to return to Vienna. Doing

this, she again became convinced that the better classes, military as well as civil

officials were well intentioned toward the sisters which was a great consolation

in view of the many difficulties already endured and those still expected. On

July 20 Mother Franziska alone began her journey to Vienna where she arrived

safely. The sisters received her with the greatest joy and accompanied her to

the chapel where they together prayed the Te Deum in thanksgiving.

On the 25th Mother Franziska paid a visit to Cardinal Ganglbauer

to give a report about the reception and future work of the sisters in Bosnia,

and the great Prince of the Church expressed very great joy in this regard. On

the 27th she had an audience with his Majesty for the same purpose and at the

same time thanked him for the civil recognition of the society as an

ecclesiastical Congregation. His Majesty also was very happy about the

information given him. Mother Franziska brought joy also to the auxiliary

Bishop and at the Imperial Ministry with this report.

In August 1882 Mother Franziska received 1,000 florins from the

will of Countess Esterhazy who died in 1881 and this immediately went to

Bosnia. In fact, everything she could possibly spare went to this latest

foundation, as it was her custom to care for new houses in a special maternal

fashion. In October Mother Franziska had a steer, four -cows and a calf shipped

to Bosnia for the farm in Slatina, a farmhand from the Breitenfurt Refuge, who

was assigned to help with the field work in Bosnia, brought them there. In

September 1882 Mother Franziska again undertook the long journey to Bosnia

because the new foundation was so close to her heart and she wanted to be

present at the dedication of the almost completed houses. She again took four

sisters and a postulant who were assigned there. On September 14 all arrived

safely in Sarajevo and Mother Franziska remained there until mid-November.

She herself wrote the report of this stay in the Congregation’s Chronicle so her

own words can be added here. She recounts:

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“On September 29 we moved into the St. Joseph Institute--with what

feelings! On the 30th we began with the registration for the school. On

October 1, the Feast of the Holy Rosary, the house in Slatina, called

“Bethania”, was dedicated by the Reverend Archbishop. The

celebration was very simple, with only the secretary and the sisters

present. On October 4, the name day of our beloved Emperor, we

opened the school in Sarajevo with sixteen children. We took them to

the Imperial Office. On the eighth the first boarder, Hermine Kastner, a

captain’s daughter, entered the St. Joseph Institute. On October 25

there was the solemn dedication of our Institute. It was undertaken by

our Reverend Archbishop with the assistance of nine priests. The State

Commander Baron Appel with his wife and all the staff officers, His

Excellency Baron Nikolics with all the higher officials, the Mayor with

all the magistrate clerks, the heads of the Greek, Israelite and

Mohammedan cultural communities, the Consuls, etc. were present at

the ceremony. Until now, Bosnia had not seen such a celebration. All

the nations and creeds united to do it honor. On this day we already

had 52 pupils. The parents brought their children as boarders and

pupils. On October 12th we bought the neighboring Jewish house on

Sarajevosmaila Street Nr. 3. We found it necessary to purchase this

house because of its situation and because of the, for us, unwelcome

neighbors. It cost 1500 gulden. The Jewish (owner) absolutely did not

want to sell it for this price and there was a terrible struggle with him.

What I suffered from the moment of my arrival for the second time in

Bosnia is not to be described. The workers, professionals and delivery

men came from early morning until night, with advances, with bills,

then again with a settlement, etc. It was terrible to think how some of

these people wanted to cheat us. With each of them we had everything

in written agreements and yet they tried to work behind our backs in

every possible way. Only God knows the sleepless nights of worry and

pain endured by Sister Helene and I. How often were we without

money and the workers were due to be paid. On some Saturdays Sister

Helene went to the Archbishop to borrow money and often His

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Excellency as well as the Cathedral Canons gave us their last coin. The

resources at the Mother House were completely used up; All the

foundations did their best. The erection of the St. Joseph and the

Marian Institutes, their furnishings, the purchase of Bethania, the

building there, the renovation of the old

Turkish house, the implements for the farm, the furnishing of the

house, etc. cost the poor Congregation the sum of 41,000 guldens,

benefactors 7,000 guldens, the Reverend Archbishop 1,700 gulden

(besides the house and garden which he purchased for 2,500 guldens),

the State 600 gulens. To collect this money cost some tears. May God

reward all those who helped us!”

This short account, even though far from complete, gives us at

least a tiny insight into the many troubles and cares which the foundations in

Sarajevo and Slatina caused. In spite of this, the Bosnian houses remained, so to

speak, her pets, as parents often love their problem children most. The reason

was the large field of work offered the sisters there and the fact that their work

could, in many respects, be considered missionary work. The poor people of

Bosnia are in very great need of civilization and instruction, especially in the

holy religion even though the situation has improved in this respect compared

to how they were at the time of the occupation. From the tears of which

Mother Franziska speaks, grew truly glorious fruit. Since the foundation

hundreds of boarders and poor orphans were raised and thousands of students

educated in the St. Joseph and Marian Institutes. The orphanage, the Bosnian

school for poor children, and the kindergarten proved to be special blessings

for the Bosnian children, while the section for the boarders and the German

school are useful to the children of the military and civil officials. The German

school and the kindergarten were later transferred, as will be recounted in the

proper, place to another house founded by Mother Franziska, St. Augustin, and

this made room in the St. Joseph Institute for the Normal School founded by

her in 1884 where hundreds of teachers have already received their training.

Mother Franziska’s zeal for the effectiveness in Bosnia, her gratitude to God for

being allowed to work, through the congregation, in a mission land, and her

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humility, with which she ascribed all success to the Almighty, have surely all

won such great blessing for the effectiveness of these foundations, The

following reflections are expressed in a circular which she sent to her spiritual

daughters upon her return from Bosnia on November 27, 1882. She writes:

“To my spiritual daughters!

Since it was not possible to see and greet all of you after my return

from Bosnia, I would like by means of this letter to greet you with these

words: ‘The Lord has done great things for us!’ Although we are the

youngest in His holy Church, He still has chosen us for such a great and

sublime work. Come, let us in spirit fall before the Lord, the merciful, to

thank and praise Him for His grace! Yes, dear Sisters, in Sarajevo we

experienced God’s loving and fatherly care and have seen the

wonderful ways of Divine Providence. We wanted to begin our work

there in the poorest and most humble conditions because we were very

conscious of the poverty of the Congregation. But the Lord had other

plans for the least of His handmaidens, for He prepared a double field

for the work of our sisters there. In the school for the poor and the

Sunday School in the orphanage (Marian Institute) they try to serve the

children and poor girls. In the Institute of St. Joseph they teach the

children of the military and civil officials and from middle-class

families. This is a great field of work for the sisters. The ignorance of

the truths of our holy religion among the Bosnian children is

unbelievable. If the sisters understand how to educate these children

entrusted to them by God in a true love of virtue, genuine zeal in

fulfilling the duties of our religion, and joy in work, they will have

fulfilled the duty given them in God’s wise plan, because these children

will become a blessing for their own families and also edify others by

their lives.

Where in May there stood two Turkish houses there are now

two convents and we are so happy to have Holy Mass every day in our

chapels--still more--the Most Exalted Lord of Heaven and Earth has

taken up His residence there. The best care has been taken for the

spiritual needs of the sisters. A third Turkish house with fifty yoke of

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land is the property of the Congregation. Next to this a house named

“Bethany” was built. The main purpose of this is that the sisters may

teach the Bosnians to unite work with the service of God, how to

cultivate a field and to plant a garden. There, too, the sisters have a

little house chapel where Jesus can be enthroned in the tabernacle and

where Holy Mass will be celebrated. Before my departure I was forced

to buy another house. It is attached to the Marian Institute, takes a

corner from our garden and, what determined me even more to the

purchase was that the Jewish owner constantly harassed us. This house

now has the name ‘Bethlehem’. Eighteen sisters are now divided

among these four houses and in the spring others must join them.

Now, my dear Sisters, has not the Lord done great things? Not only the

special protection and blessing which we experienced in Bosnia, obliges

us to give thanks to God, but today, as I write these words, all the good

things the Lord has done are vividly before my eyes, since it is the day,

on which I received, fourteen years ago, permission to found the

Congregation. Poor, alone and helpless I stood with the document from

the authorities in my hand, in my poor rented room, praying and

considering what I should now begin to do with this permission. Today I

praise the Lord and speak from the innermost part of my soul, ‘Lord, I

thank you with my whole heart, because you have listened to the

words of my mouth.’ Now there are 237 consecrated virgins at my side

who want to serve God in the Congregation. May they all work in such

a way as to be pleasing to God and of service to neighbor!

In closing I ask all to pray most fervently that our good God

may always grant His Fatherly blessing to our Congregation and that in

his fatherly goodness He may ordain that the collecting sisters may find

sympathetic hearts who will support us with alms. May the Most Holy

Trinity, God Father, God Son and God Holy Spirit bless you! May Mary

be your Mother, St. Joseph your protector, God’s Angel your

companion! If the Lord grants this petition no one will be happier than

your, faithful mother,

Sister M. Franziska Lechner.”

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On February 16, 1883 the foundation in Sarajevo, and therefore

also Mother Franziska received a hard blow. At 6:30 in the evening, because of

the open fireplace, a fire broke out in the house, named “Bethlehem”

purchased in the Saramaila Street, and it and all it contained became victim to

the flames. It is true that at the customary shots which constitute a fire signal

there, officers, clerks--people from everywhere--came to help, but as they

opened the door to get into the building raging flames broke out so that in two

or three hours everything lay in ashes. Shortly before the fire started the sisters

had brought freshly laundered linens into the house for folding and besides

this, eight beds were there also, making the damage even more painful for the

poverty-stricken sisters. This news brought Mother Franziska great distress.

One consolation was the way all Sarajevo shared a sympathy for the sisters

stricken by this misfortune. A similar sympathy was expressed to Mother

Franziska from all the friends of the Congregation who had been interested in

the foundations in Bosnia, and ordained that support came from various places

to cover the cost of the damage. Soon after this accident Mother Franziska had

to undertake a building project at the foundation in Brunn, where the lack of

space demanded it. She had decided to demolish and rebuild the front wing.

Therefore she traveled to Brunn on March 2, 1883 and held the necessary

consultations and signed the contract with the builder Arnold. As soon as end

of August the building was completed and on the 31st Mother Franziska

returned to make plans for the dedication of the new house. It was undertaken

in the most solemn way by Bishop Franz Salesius Bauer on September 5, in the

presence of many important guests.

On September 24, 1883 Mother Franziska again undertook a

journey to her beloved Bosnia. This was the occasion for two additional

foundations in this needy land. She received extraordinarily friendly greetings

from the religious as well as the civil authorities. Archbishop Stadler and Baron

Nikolics expressed the wish that Mother Franziska would also establish a

foundation in Dolnja-Tuzla and the three-hours distant Breske. She immediately

received this wish with enthusiasm, since Tuzla, the largest district town of

Bosnia, having a salt mine, iron and coal mines, seemed to her to offer a good

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field of work, especially so because, though the inhabitants were mostly Roman

Catholics, only Greek-Catholic schools existed. She felt the desire expressed

was the finger of God and thought that such a promising field of endeavor had

to be taken into consideration. Therefore, she resolved to stop in those places

on her way back in order to see the conditions first hand. On October 11 she

traveled with the Superior of the institute in Sarajevo, Sister Augustina

d’Armaille and the Rev. Canon Jeglic to Dolna-Tuzla, where they arrived at 12

noon. Most of the inhabitants of the town had never seen nuns and so became

very excited at the sight of Mother Franziska and her companion and asked one

another what kind of persons these could be. The travelers found the

friendliest welcome both with the Pastor Ikic as well as district chairman

Horawitz, district leader von Wiener-Welten and other influential persons. All

were overjoyed with the plans and promised to do their best to be helpfully

supportive of the sisters. Of course this reception confirmed Mother Franziska

even more in her decision. On the 13th she drove with Canon Jeglic and her

companion also to Breske, only a few hours away from Dolna-Tuzla where news

of her arrival and its purpose had preceded her. Mid-way the Pastor, six

mounted members of the community and other inhabitants of the place met

and greeted them in a most cordial manner. Some of the party were assigned

to cut away the fences that separated the fields and pastures so that the guests

could travel comfortably. At the border of the community of Breske they were

offered Turkish brandy and wine in greeting. There were speeches and the

greeters broke out in cheers. And so the journey continued. Since the road was

bad the farmers invited the sisters to drive through their fields, even though

this destroyed much grain. Seven fences had to be cut to make a comfortable

path. Mother Franziska and her companion were very touched by this reception

on the part of the poor Bosnians. At the cemetery about sixty women were

awaiting them, who, at the sight of the sisters, did not know quite what to do.

They thought they were in the presence of superhuman beings, fell to their

knees, crossed themselves, and followed them to the parish house. The first

stop of the new arrivals was in the parish church to thank God that He opened

for them the way to the hearts of these poor people. Here happened a touching

interval which may not be omitted. While Canon Jeglic, Mother Franziska and

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Sister Augustina were praying in the church a child was brought in for Baptism.

At first Mother Franziska took the poor woman who carried it to be a Gypsy

because she, as well as the child, were wrapped in rags. Later she learned that

she was Bosnian and the Godmother of the child. Immediately Canon Jeglic

offered to baptize the child and as soon as it had received the Holy Sacrament,

Mother Franziska who did not take note of the poor exterior, but thought only

of the child’s soul, radiant with the baptismal graces, made the sign of the cross

on its forehead and kissed it. When the Bosnians saw this they were almost

beside themselves with joy and gave Mother Franziska a gift of ten Kreuzers,

although, for performing the baptism Canon Jeglic had received only four. This

little episode caused much merriment in the party and was often

enthusiastically retold on various occasions.

Mother Franziska, upon returning to the parish house, conferred

with the pastor about the setting up of a school, envisioning also a model farm

such as at Bethania, obtained some parcels of land and returned, on the 14th to

Dolnja-Tuzla, with the firm determination to send sisters to Breske soon. A

similar escort as at the welcome accompanied them a good part of the way

back. On October 15, the feast of St. Teresa, Mother Franziska discussed in

greater detail with the Pastor and the authorities of Dolnja-Tuzla the

foundation planned for there, and finally decided to send sisters by the end of

November to begin a school. The municipality provided the building for this and

Mother Franziska decided to rent a small house for the sisters to live in. This

foundation would be named to honor the Queen of the Holy Rosary and placed

under the special protection of St. Teresa and the holy Apostle of the Faith, St.

Francis Xavier. On October 15 Mother Franziska began the journey home to

Vienna. This trip to Bosnia was one of the most difficult for her. For seven

nights she was unable to sleep, added to this, many stretches had to be

traveled in miserable coaches since the network of railroads in Bosnia was by

far not so extensive as it is today. As with the sleeping quarters during the trip,

so also the meals gave opportunity for various acts of mortification. The

furnishings in the Bosnian inns are rather primitive, and besides the poverty a

great lack of cleanliness reigns there. Mother Franziska often recounted that

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the food in the inns was often stored on the bare earthen floor, was prepared

with soiled hands, and other such things. Once she and her companion watched

as a Turk, preparing to bring them coffee, spit into the cups, wiped them with

his soiled apron and halved the sugar cubes with his teeth. Naturally, Mother

Franziska as well as her companion were not encouraged by these

preparations, but to avoid giving offense, she calmly drank the coffee. In any

case, the Turk meant well, someone other than the sisters might well have

received “unwashed” cups. None of these difficulties were too much for

Mother Franziska. Her heart was happy and at peace with the thought of once

again being able to do something for the glory of God, whose unworthy

instrument she considered herself to be.

On December 3, 1883 Mother Franziska sent three sisters from

Vienna for the foundation in Dolnja-Tuzla, who were then followed by two

more from the foundation in Sarajevo. On the 12th she received permission

from the finance ministry to found, the schools in Dolnja-Tuzla and Breske and

the news that the Ministry of the Interior was granting the Congregation a

piece of 30 yoke of land for cultivation in Breske. Mother Franziska was

overjoyed by this, all the more so because this piece bordered on a 20 yoke

parcel which the Regional Director of Wiener-Welton had purchased in the

meantime for the sisters to facilitate the foundation in Breske. On December 17

the school in Dolnja-Tuzla was opened with 23 Bosnian and 6 German children.

This school has brought a rich blessing up until now for the Catholic inhabitants

of Dolnja-Tuzla who no longer must give their children to persons of a different

faith for their education. The German school for the better class, that is, the

children of military and civil officials, as well as the Bosnian school for the poor

and the kindergarten, enjoy good attendance. Even people of other faiths

entrust their children to the sisters. As will be recounted later, after Mother

Franziska had built a suitable building for the schools in Dolnja-Tuzla and, as

living quarters for the sisters in 1888, she added quarters for boarders.

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In mid-January, 1884 Mother Franziska had a visit from

Archbishop Stadler of Sarajevo who told her that at the audience he had just

had, the Emperor expressed great pleasure at the work of the sisters in Bosnia

and encouraged him to do everything that the Congregation grow there more

and more. When the Archbishop was invited to dinner on the 20th with His

Majesty, he once again heard praise for the Congregation and soon Mother

Franziska was to hear this honor and praise herself from the lips of the beloved

Sovereign. She had requested an audience on February 18th, and on entering

immediately heard His Majesty say, “It is a pleasure to see you.” Mother

Franziska thanked for the grant received for the Marian Institute in Budapest

from the State Lottery and presented a summarized report of the work of the

Congregation, compiled on the occasion of its fifteenth anniversary of

existence, whereupon His Majesty said, “You have an honorable history and

beautiful accomplishments to show. You can be pleased.” Mother Franziska

mentioned also that she planned to go to Bosnia in the coming week to begin

the fifth foundation (she counted the foundation in Sarajevo as two, because it

consists of two institutes), which pleased His Majesty who said, “Where do you

get the means?” Mother Franziska responded that soliciting was done to

support the foundations. This great recognition was for her a new impetus for

continuing her activities in Bosnia, On the 23rd she left for Bosnia with her

niece, Sister Gonzaga Rinauer, and Sister Eleonora Muller, destined to be

Superior in Breske. In Dovoj she was met by Canon Jeglic and Sister Richarda

Spaniol from Sarajevo. In Dolnja-Tuzla Mother Franziska had the joy of hearing

that the sisters were well liked by people of all faiths and that the children

gladly came to their schools. On February 28 Mother Franziska drove to Breske

with Canon Jeglic and Sisters Eleonora and Richarda in order to introduce the

latter into the little hut which a farmer had lent to them as a temporary home.

She later often said that her feelings at this were indescribable. Her loving

maternal heart well considered the sacrifices and privations the sisters here

would have to endure before the completion of their house. On the other hand,

it was surely a great consolation that they had joyfully declared themselves

ready for anything. After a three-day stay, during which the site for

construction of the school and farm building was selected, and the donated

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land was viewed, Mother Franziska returned to Dolnja-Tuzla and from there,

with the Canon and Sister Gonzaga, back to Sarajevo in the most unfavorable

weather. She said about this trip, “I will not easily forget this trip. It was the

most difficult I have made until now”. The travelers reached Sarajevo on March

3. Mother Franziska had come with the determination to have the Marian

Institute enlarged, so that so many children would not have to be turned away.

Of course, the material circumstances of the Congregation would not permit

this, but Mother Franziska trusted in God’s help and this was not lacking. The

officials in Sarajevo were very friendly, since the finance minister von Kallay had

asked them to be helpful in the construction of the building. Finally, the district

government also gave free wood, stones and sand, so Mother Franziska signed

the contract with gratitude to God and trust in His continued help in closing the

various agreements concerning the construction. The result was that the same

year saw the completion of a two-story, double tract addition, gaining also a

suitable and worthy space for the house chapel. On March 20 Mother Franziska

and Sister Gonzaga arrived in Vienna.

The cornerstone for the convent in Breske was laid on April 7. In

June Mother Franziska went there to check on the construction, and,

unfortunately, had to admit that some unconscionably pocketed their high daily

wages, doing very little to earn them, and she therefore had to dismiss some of

the workers. Of course, this caused great worry, but all the greater was her joy

to hear, in the following month, about the completion of the building which

was solemnly dedicated on July 17 by Archbishop Stadler. Mother Franziska

named this convent “Emaus” and always had a special interest in it. She was

always happy to hear how the boys there would make the two-to-three hour

walk, even in the cold and dark of winter, to attend the sisters’ school. Actually,

the school is intended for boys and girls, but the Bosnian farmers are of the

opinion that girls don’t need education and so it is very difficult to persuade

them to send them to school.

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On June 21, 1884 Mother Franziska had the great joy to be

granted, by His Holiness, Pope Leo XIII, for seven years, her request for a

plenary indulgence for all the members of the Congregation on the Feast of our

Lady of Snows. As she shared this with her spiritual daughters she added,

“In order to show our gratitude to God and to His Vicar, will you, my

spiritual daughters, upon receiving this joyful message, sing a Te Deum

in the chapel and pray for His Holiness. May Mary ask for us the grace

that our young Congregation may always redound to the glory of Holy

Church, consolation for the Holy Father and the welfare of our fellow

human beings.”

Mother Franziska always honored the Mother of God in a special

way under the title of “Mother Most Admirable” (dreimal wunderbare Mutter)

as she is very much honored in Ingolstadt in Bavaria through a miraculous copy

of the Sacred Image of Our Lady of Snows in Rome. She dedicated her

Congregation in a special way to Mother Most Admirable and made the Feast

of Our Lady of Snows one of its main feasts, to be solemnly celebrated annually

in all the houses of the Congregation. She also ordered the common recitation

of a very beautiful Prayer for the Feast of Our Lady of Snows which she

composed and in which the entire Congregation, each individual sister, all those

in their care, and all the houses are again consecrated to our Mother Most

Admirable and in which it is promised to do all possible to have her honored

under the title, “Mother Most Admirable”. She wrote about it in the

Congregation’s

Chronicle:

“On April 2, 1884 we sent the Holy Father a written request for

permission to recite the title ‘Mother Most Admirable’ three times

during the Litany of Loretto. We did this in order to be able to venerate

Our Mother most Admirable in a very special way because we have

made this a special obligation in order to give joy to our good Mother.

A meeting of the Cardinals had to be called because of this unusual

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request. To the great joy of us all the permission arrived from Rome as

soon as May 1. Our dear Reverend Archbishop was very happy about it.

May this good Mother, for whose honor we strive, in spite of all our

weaknesses, to contribute, show herself truly a Mother Most

Admirable to us all.”

This pious wish of Mother Franziska has been fulfilled many

thousand times over, because Our Mother Most Admirable, whose picture is

found not only in the chapels, but also in most rooms of the individual houses,

has consistently shown herself to be Mother and special protectress of the

Congregation and demonstrated her wonderful help in countless cases to it as

well as to individual members and those in its care.

Still a third exceptional grace was granted the Congregation in

this year, to the inexpressibly great joy of Mother Franziska. On August 11 she

received a document dated July 26, 1884 from the Sacred Congregation for

Bishops and Regulars, in which the purpose of her Congregation--as is stated

literally--was, in the name of His Holiness Pope Leo XIII, “praised and

commended to the highest degree”. Concurrently there followed a few

comments concerning changes to be made in individual points of the

Constitutions. Mother Franziska was supremely happy about the contents of

the Decree which was the same as the long desired approval from the Holy See.

Her efforts of many years were finally crowned with success, since in 1883 she

once again asked for letters of recommendation from the Bishops of the

Dioceses where the Congregation was working and had made various trips for

this purpose. As there happened to be a retreat taking place in the Mother

House, with the sisters from the various foundations present, Mother Franziska

was able to share her joy immediately with her spiritual daughters. She had the

decree read by the retreat master after the close of the Spiritual Exercises on

August 14. Since it was dated on the Feast of St. Anne, she ordered that this

Saint, in gratitude, should from that time on be revered as one of the patrons of

the Congregation. She also made sure that the small changes in the

Constitutions requested by the Holy See be implemented immediately. This

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great honor of recognition by the Head of the Holy Church gave Mother

Franziska once again an occasion to admonish the sisters to take to heart the

faithful observance of the Holy Rule as she so often recommended. In the same

way she encouraged all to a great gratitude toward the Holy Father, whom she

reverenced in a childlike way, and to express this gratitude in fervent prayer. In

order to demonstrate her gratitude also to the Mother of God for her

intercession in this intention so important to the Congregation she sent several

sisters to Maria Zell on September 29, 1884 to offer the enshrined Virgin a

golden heart in which were inscribed on parchment the names of all the

members of the Congregation.

Now that the recognition had come from Rome it was possible

for the first profession of perpetual vows to take place, for up to now the

sisters as well as Mother Franziska had made only temporary vows which were

renewed annually. Mother Franziska and. the older sisters had long desired this

grace. November 21, 1884 was chosen and the most beautiful celebration ever

held in the sixteen years of the Congregation’s existence took place. The

Reverend Cardinal Celestin Ganglbauer himself presided at the celebration. At

the High Mass, celebrated by His Eminence, Mother Franziska and forty of the

oldest sisters who were deemed worthy to receive the grace of perpetual

profession received Holy communion, after which His Eminence, drawing his

theme from the beautiful celebration, gave a moving talk in which he

encouraged Mother Franziska and the sisters to work, so zealously in the future

as they had until now for the glory of God and the good of neighbor. Thereupon

Mother Franziska professed her holy vows for life. With what holy enthusiasm

and fully radiant heart she did this can easily be imagined. It was, after all, the

fulfillment of one of her greatest desires. Following her, the remaining forty

sisters gave themselves as lifelong offerings to the Lord. Mother Franziska

spoke often of this happy day, which remained unforgettable for herself and

the sisters who were present.

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Mother Franziska had the constant wish to have a dignitary of

the Church in Rome as a Protector for her Congregation and directed a request

in this intention to His Eminence Cardinal Jakobini, Secretary of State. After he

himself expressed his willingness to be Cardinal Protector of the Congregation,

Mother Franziska sent through the Apostolic Nuntio a request strongly

supported by His Eminence Cardinal Ganglbauer on January 22, 1885, to His

Holiness Pope Leo XIII, containing a petition that His Holiness would deign to

appoint Cardinal Jakobini as Protector of the Congregation. On March 2, 1885

Mother Franziska received an Italian letter from Cardinal Jakobini which,

translated, reads:

“Reverend Mother!

Since it is the Holy Father’s wish that the Congregation of

the Daughters of Divine Charity should have a public sign of the favor

with which he views it and recognizing the good which the

congregation does, he came to the decision to give it a special

Protector in the person of a highly-placed dignitary. Not satisfied with

this, he wanted also to agree with the request which you most humbly

presented in the name of the Congregation, to the Papal throne, by

appointing my poor person to this office. As I am notifying you of this,

Reverend Mother, I can assure you that the prosperity of your so highly

esteemed Congregation will always be close to my heart and that I, as

much as my weak strength will allow, will make every effort to

promote it in such a way that it may always give meritorious service

and so become deserving of the gratitude of all good people.

Wishing you and your religious Con-gregation the fullness

of heavenly graces, I sign this as one favoring you, Reverend Mother,

in the Lord,

Rome, February 27, 1885 Cardinal L. Jakobini”

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The joy felt by Mother Franziska over this letter and her grateful

feelings over the honor given by the Vicar of Christ were indescribable. Now her

Congregation had a powerful intercessor and protector of its rights in Rome.

She immediately had all the foundations notified of the grace received. On

March 5 the Vienna Newspapers carried the news and all the benefactors and

friends of the Congregation rejoiced at the recognition given it. Highly placed

Princes of the Church like His Eminence Cardinal Schwarzenberg, prince-bishop

of Prague, Count Furstenberg, prince-bishop of Olmut, etc. members of the

imperial family as well as her Royal Highness the Archduchess Adelgunde,

Duchess of Modena, and Marie, wife of His Royal Highness, Archduke Rainer,

congratulated Mother Franziska. She rejoiced in these honors, not for her own

person, but for the sake of the Congregation. Her own heart remained as

humble as ever and could not cease thanking God for the great graces received.

CHAPTER IX

Foundations in Biala and in Zone XVIII of Vienna,

Foundations in Foherczeglak, Trip to Rome.

Soon after the arrival of the Decree of Recognition from Rome,

Mother Franziska, who never allowed herself rest and was always considering

how to spread more and more the work of the Congregation for the greater

glory of God and the good of neighbor, again undertook the founding of

another branch. A woman with the name Bachmann, had encouraged her to

erect a foundation in Biala in Galizia. For this reason she sent the Superior of

the Troppau house, Sister Stanislai Fuss and Sister Magdalena Horacek, to the

above named city, to inform themselves of the conditions there. The sister

informed Mother Franziska that a beautiful field of work would present itself in

Biala, as well as the fact that the palace Lipnik, not far from the city, owned by

His Majesty Archduke Albrecht, and inhabited only by clerks, would be a

suitable building for this purpose. Mother Franziska immediately took hold of

this idea and with her own quick decisiveness, entered a request to His

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Highness that he would deign to turn over the Lipnik Palace to the

Congregation for educational purposes. God blessed this request. On

September 17 the courtier Jesse shared with Mother Franziska that his Royal

Highness most graciously granted the requested permission with the remark

that he was happy to give the palace to the Congregation because of its richly-

blessed work. On September 18 Mother Franziska, who was overjoyed at the

fulfillment of her wish, had the written permission in hand allowing the

Congregation to take over the palace on May 1, 1885. therefor, on September

22 she traveled with Sister Stanislai to Krakow to ask the Reverend Bishop Albin

Dunajewski’s permission to make a foundation in his diocese. He received her

in the most friendly manner, was happy that the Congregation would begin a

field of endeavor in his diocese, informed himself of everything in detail, and

promised to introduce the sisters into Biala himself. Mother Franziska used this

time of her stay in Krakow to visit a number of the many churches and convents

found there. Then, with her companion, she traveled to Biala. The first day

there was very painful for her. As she wanted to view the palace the people

living there, hearing the reason for her coming, were angered that they would

have to leave their apartments on account of the sisters. Mother Franziska and

Sister Stanislai had to make them understand that His Royal Highness can do

what he wants with his property and only then were they somewhat friendlier.

The palace with its 25 rooms and halls, situated in a beautiful park more than

three yoke large, seemed to Mother Franziska to be very suitable for an

institute. Mother Franziska enjoyed a friendly reception from the district chief,

the mayor and the clergy, as well as the promise to support the planned work.

After she called at the Dukal Properties Office in the nearby little town of

Saybusch, she returned, via Troppau, to Vienna, where she arrived on

September 29. Here Mother Franziska found a letter with the joyful news that

His Royal Highness had graciously allowed that the future institute in Biala be

named, after his wife, Archduchess Hildegard, “St. Hildegard”. On December 1

Mother Franziska visited the Governor of Biala who was then in Vienna. His

Excellency received her in a most friendly way and told her to bring her petition

the very next day so that he, himself, could look it over and advise her of any

necessary changes. When Mother Franziska brought the petition, His Excellency

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was completely satisfied with it and expressed his joy over the fact that the

Congregation would also branch out into Galizia and promised to visit the Biala

institute in the coming Spring. After everything which was necessary had been

arranged Mother Franziska sent Sister Josefa Kock, destined to be the Superior

of the new foundation, to Biala with two sisters on January 23, 1885. She had

especially chosen the Feast of the Espousal of Mary as the travel day because,

with her childlike trust she wanted to ask Mary to be the Superior and Joseph

to be the master of the house. On March 9 Mother Franziska traveled to Biala

to arrange the adaptations of the house which his Royal Highness had deigned

to allow. These began immediately after the tenants had departed on May 1.

On April 4 Mother Franziska received the joyful news that Her Royal Highness

the Archduchess Isabella had deigned to be Protectress of the educational

institutions to be set up in Biala. Therefore she traveled to Pressburg to thank

the Archduchess for this kindness. This lady received her most graciously. On

June 5 Mother Franziska had an audience with Her Royal Highness,

Archduchess Adelgunde, the Duchess of Modena, who also received her very

kindly and gave her a large copper engraved portrait of Archduchess Hildegard.

Naturally this portrait was placed in the convent of St. Hildegard in Biala. In the

meantime the renovation work there had been completed and so on June 8

Mother Franziska went to Krakow to talk with the Rev. Archbishop Dunajewski,

who wanted to carry out the dedication himself, to discuss some things with

him in this regard. Then she went to Biala to undertake the proximate

preparations for the dedication. This took place on June 14 in the most solemn

manner and became a festival for the entire Biala because the city did

everything to give its very beloved Shepherd a worthy reception. He stayed at

the convent. From early morning on into the night people streamed in crowds

to see him and the arrangement of the palace-turned-convent. Mother

Franziska soon had the joy of learning that the school and kindergarten in St.

Hildegard convent were well attended, and that many boarders were

registering for the boarding school. So this institute soon flourished and even

now is a blessing for the inhabitants of Biala.

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Some months after the first steps regarding the branch in Biala

were made Mother Franziska also enlarged the Congregation’s activities in

Vienna. In every way, when we consider foundations, the year 1885 was a busy

one for Mother Franziska because it brought the Congregation three new

branches. Since, through God’s blessing, the number of sisters, happily

increased from year to year, and also many students and servant girls

registered for acceptance, the space in the Vienna Marienanstalt had long ago

become too small. Therefore, Mother Franziska, although she had no

wherewithal, was forced to think about calling forth another such institute in

Vienna, in order to house there the novices and the servant girls seeking

employment. To this purpose she looked at various houses in January, 1885 and

found a suitable house belonging to the St. Joseph’s Savings and Credit Union,

in district XVIII, Johannesgasse Nr. 13 (now Lacknergasse 87). As early as

January 30th, Mother Franziska verbally closed the sales contract trusting in

God’s help and gave the Union as down payment the emergency fund of 175

florins she had deposited with them. On March 31 the written contract was

made and Mother Franziska again had an opportunity to experience the help of

St. Joseph in whom she had taken refuge. As late as the 30th a considerable

sum of the amount she was to pay at the closing of the sale was still missing,

and on the 31st she not only was able to meet the amount due, but even had

something left over. The trust of Mother Franziska was rewarded through

income whose arrival was totally unexpected. In May the tenants vacated the

premises and the renovation and building of an additional floor was begun. The

boarders were able to enter their new home which Mother Franziska gave the

beautiful name, “Heart of Mary Convent” on July 16. On August 20th the same

was solemnly dedicated by the Cardinal Archbishop of Vienna, Dr. Colestin

Ganglbauer in the presence of countless clergy and other guests. In a beautiful

talk His Eminence pointed out the blessed work and self-sacrificing activity of

the sisters and expressed the wish that the new Institute would bring forth

much fruit for the honor of the Congregation, the edification of the faithful, the

consolation of the poor and to the moral perfection of all who would dwell

therein, through the blessing of God and the protection of Mary. This wish of

the Cardinal did not remain unfulfilled for much good has been done in Heart of

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Mary Convent since that day for the servant girls seeking employment, as well

as for the youth in the boarding school, grade school and kindergarten. Those

sisters received on August 18, 1885 immediately began their novitiate there

and Heart of Mary Convent remained the Novitiate of the Congregation until

1890.

Now we must mention the taking over of the third foundation of

this year. It is the kindergarten established by His Royal Highness Archduke

Albrecht on his estate Bellye (Foherczglak*) for the children of his servants.

His Excellency the Apostolic Nuntio Serafino Vannutelli (now

Cardinal), whom Mother Franziska admired and who was very much in favor of

the Congregation thanked His Royal Highness Archduke Albrecht that he had

turned over the Lipnik castle to the Congregation and at the same time asked

that His Highness would deign to give over to the Congregation also the

administration of the institute at Foherczglak. The Archduke said that he would

gladly do this if the Bishop at Funfkirchen, in whose diocese Foherczglak was

situated, would agree. As Mother Franziska learned this from His Excellency she

sent her General Assistant, Sister Borgia Uri and Sister Immaculata Prillinger to

Funfkirchen on May 30, 1885. The Bishop Dulansky received the sisters very

kindly and said it would make him very happy if the Congregation would come

also to his diocese. Thereupon Mother Franziska received a letter as early as

mid-June informing her in the name of Archduke Albrecht, that the

administration of the Institute in Foherczglak would be turned over to her

Congregation. Therefore, she went there on July 7 to speak with the manager

about the furnishing of the house. It and the garden pleased her extraordinarily

well. To the satisfaction of Mother Franziska, her Royal Highness Archduchess

Isabella accepted the title of its protectress. The dedication took place on

October 4, 1885. Mother Franziska of course went to Foherczglak for the

celebration, on the way there visiting the Bishop of Funfkirchen to thank him

for accepting the Congregation into his diocese and to ask him for his

blessing on the new foundation.

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*In present day Czechoslovakia

Prelate Dobzay from Funfkirchen undertook the dedication.

All Foherczglak took part in the celebration. When Mother

Franziska came again on November 3 to Foherczglak she saw to her great joy

that seventy children were already attending the kindergarten. In 1892, on the

orders of Archduke Albrecht the sisters were also given the administration of

the girls’ school there.

Whenever God grants a rich blessing, He usually sends tests too.

This happened to Mother Franziska also. The year 1885 in which, to her joy, the

Congregation experienced a swift growth, did not spare her a harsh trial. In July

six sisters in the foundation in Dolnja-Tuzla became ill with typhoid and two of

these died. Two employees also caught the disease and had to be taken to the

military hospital. The house and the street were therefore sealed off. In any

case, the disease was caused by the bad water. Before the conditions in Bosnia

became more ordered through the Austrian government the Turks buried their

dead just anywhere, even right next to houses and so it happened that the

water often flowed through these graves and became polluted. It is not easy to

describe the worry and care that Mother Franziska’s loving heart endured

during this time and how many fervent prayers she sent to Heaven, since the

sufferings of her spiritual daughters were always her own. The letter, written

on September 4, 1885 to all the sisters gives us the best insight:

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“To my spiritual daughters,

A holy, but painful duty urges me to address these lines to you.

You all know how severely God has visited our poor

Congregation since July through sickness and death. The sisters in the

house dedicated to the Queen of the Holy Rosary had much to suffer.

Sister Augustina found them in a pitiable state when she went there to

visit. She did everything possible to get help for the sick. The trip was to

have been a vacation for her, and now she had to care for her sick

sisters which she also did with a self-sacrificing love.

Our Director Canon Jeglic, without any idea of the misery in

which the sisters found themselves, had arrived days before as a God-

sent consoling angel. He immediately administered the Sacraments of

the Dying to the mortally ill Sister Luitgardis who received them with

full consciousness, love and devotion. She was very happy to be able

still to receive this consolation from the Reverend Director. On July 16

she succumbed to her great pain and was quietly buried the next day.

The other sick were deeply moved by this swift death. Sister Leokadis

who was summoned from Emmaus (the convent in Breske) to nurse

also became ill and died in nine days of abdominal typhoid.

To this sister, too, the Director was consolation and spiritual

physician. As he came again, with his fatherly care, to Tuzla on his

return trip to Sarajevo, to uplift the downcast sisters, he found Sister

Leokadia near death and immediately gave her the Last Sacraments.

From August 11 to August 19 the sick sister received the Food of Angels

three times with great devotion as food and strength for the journey to

eternity. She died peacefully and with resignation on the 19th. She was

buried on the 20th at 9 in the morning.

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Four priests, many school children and others accompanied

the coffin. You can imagine the worry about the poor sisters who are

still ill. The sisters had to be brought immediately to Emmaus to allow

the entire house to be disinfected. All precautions were taken to clean

the plague-stricken house and well.

The poor employees, Mathias and Michael, who also had to

suffer the typhoid and were cared for in the military hospital, are now

the custodians of the house in Tuzla.

The last day of June Sister Theodora in Sarajevo vomited

blood. She was immediately brought to Bethania and everything was

done to save the life of this good, noble sister. Unfortunately, this pious

sister was also to be taken from me by death. On August 29 at 11:30 in

the night, peaceful and surrendered to God, she died. Theodora gave

edification throughout her days in her holy vocation and during her

entire illness by her love, patience and true piety. She was valued and

respected by all, a true Daughter of Divine Charity. Now this noble soul

has received the reward which every holy religious may count on. On

the 30th she was buried in our cemetery in Bethania next to Sister

Ferdinanda. So soon had she followed the dear Sister Gregoria

(Theodora’s blood sister). In this great pain about my spiritual

daughters I am consoled by the thought that all three were so

beautifully prepared and resigned when they left this life and that we

certainly have in them intercessors before the throne of God. The Lord

is harvesting, for Sister Aloisia and Sister Ruperta are now also

seriously ill and the doctor has given up hope for Sister Mathaa.”

To this account Mother Franziska added in maternal care the

admonition that all the sisters should take reasonable care of their health as a

gift of God, thinking of being useful for the ever—growing field of activity of the

Congregation. After giving some more details about the latest foundations

mentioned, she closed in her accustomed cordial manner with the words,

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“God bless you all. Recommending you to the care of the holy Angels, I

am, in love.

Your faithful mother,

Sister M. Franziska Lechner.”

Actually, Mother Franziska’s life was richly blessed with sufferings and trials. It

may seem, of course, because of the rapid succession of foundations, that luck

was constantly lending her a hand and that everything was always going

smoothly, but this was not so. We have often told of the countless money

worries of Mother Franziska and these were multiplied by the interest

payments to be made on loans needed to build or buy her houses. Besides

these cares and the worries entailed in the direction of so many institutes,

Mother Franziska had to endure all kinds of suffering--persecution of her

person and the congregation by misinformed or ill-intentioned parties, painful

ingratitude from those whose benefactor she had been, the various obstacles in

the way of the foundations, etc. The greatest part of these sufferings can only

be hinted at with a few general words without being told in detail, however, to

protect the honor of those persons who caused Mother Franziska these

afflictions or of their descendants, who are still living. Her greatness of soul

during these hours of suffering was truly worthy of admiration. No matter how

great the trials, she constantly bowed to God’s adorable will and never wavered

in her trust in His help. She often told her spiritual daughters that God sends

these sufferings to draw us closer to Himself and encouraged them also to a

patient endurance of all hardships. Her revenge toward those who brought

suffering to herself or to her Congregation consisted in praying for them. So,

upon hearing of his death, she ordered prayers in all the houses for the repose

of the soul of a man who was not at all well-intentioned toward the

Congregation and had caused Mother Franziska several bitter hours, just as if

he had been the greatest friend and benefactor of the Congregation. This is one

beautiful indication of the measure in which the noble heart of Mother

Franziska practiced love of her enemies.

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Now there is another event to add which Mother Franziska

always considered the most important of her life and of which she often

movingly spoke with joy--her trip to Rome and her audience with the Holy

Father, Leo XIII. The reason for the trip was to thank His Holiness for the lately

received gracious Decree of Recognition and the appointment of a Cardinal

Protector for the Congregation. On November 17, 1885 Mother Franziska had

an audience with the Emperor in which she also reported to him the

appointment of Cardinal Jakobini as Protector of the Congregation and of her

coming trip to Rome. His Majesty was very interested in this and said to Mother

Franziska, “Tell the Pope that I am not only pleased that the Cardinal Secretary

of State is your Cardinal Protector, but that I thank His Holiness for everything

that he has done for your Congregation and that I ask for his prayers for

myself.” Mother Franziska was very happy about this assignment because she

rightfully believed that His Holiness would give it much weight. Their Royal

Highnesses the Archduchesses Elizabeth and Marie, the first the wife of

Archduke Karl Ferdinand, the second the wife of Archduke Rainer, whom

Mother Franziska also visited before her departure, asked her to lay their

deepest respect at the feet of His Holiness.

Before her departure, Mother Franziska sent the following letter

to her spiritual daughters:

“Before the year 1885, which was so rich in events, finds its

close, I cannot neglect urging all of you to join me from the heart in

fervently thanking our good Heavenly Father for His blessing.

Each Superior should read the beginning of the enclosed

brochure (the account of the fifteen years of the Congregation’s

activity), so that all the sisters may be reminded about the graces we

have received. The latest of these is that His Holiness has had a brief

prepared for twelve of our houses, according to which all the sisters and

those in their care can gain the plenary indulgence in the house chapels

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on the Feast of the Portiuncula, August 2. This could not be included in

the booklet which had already been at the printers. This extraordinary

grace will certainly be the most beautiful Christmas gift for the houses

concerned. Monsignor Cadaldi gained this special grace and honor for

us from the Holy Father.

How happy I am to be admitted soon with my first General Assistant,

Sister Augustina to kiss the feet of His Holiness, not only to thank him

for the Decree of Praise, as well as the appointment of a Cardinal

Protector, but also to be able to request the apostolic blessing for each

sister and the entire Congregation. This trip to Rome is of great

importance for the Congregation. For the first time the Superior and two

sisters, representing the Congregation, will approach the Holy See, the

Cardinals and other dignitaries, who work at the Holy See, in governing

the Church. We will encounter many things of which we now can have

no idea and therefore we cannot prepare ourselves for them, so we are

very much in need of the prayers of our dear sisters.

I ask the Superiors to have a Holy Mass offered in each of our

Convent chapels on January 7, the day of our departure and ask each

sister to receive Holy Communion, offering it for us, so that the Lord will

grant us His special protection and blessing and that the Holy Spirit may

enlighten us that we may bring about much good for our dear

Congregation. We depart for the holy city trusting in the help of the

Almighty, accompanied by your prayers, equipped with all kinds of

written recom-mendations. We will certainly remember you at the

various holy places.

During our absence Sister Borgia, second General Assistant

will be called to the Mother House to guide the Congregation. All letters

are to be addressed to her.

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In closing I ask all the sisters again to thank the Lord for all

blessings and to pray very fervently for us. Isn’t it true, dear children,

that you will prepare yourselves very well for the birth of the Divine

Child and at year’s end remember those of our sisters who have fallen

asleep this year, as is our obligation.

Now I call upon Mary that she may call the blessing of her

Divine Son upon all of you and be Mother, Protectress and Superior,

guiding the Congregation along with St. Joseph. In addition, I wish each

one truly happy holidays and a good year’s end. Then the beginning of

the year 1886 will be richly blessed. God bless and protect all of you,

dear children!

With cordial greetings,

Your,

Faithful Mother,

Franziska Lechner

Mother House, December 17, 1885”

On January 7, 1886 Mother Franziska in the company of her First

General Assistant and Superior of the Mother House, Sister Ignazia Egger and

the Superior of the institute in Sarajevo, Sister Augustina d’Armaille, began the

journey to the Eternal City with the prayers and good wishes of her spiritual

daughters and the pupils in the various houses. Recognizing its importance she

wanted first to ask the protection and intercession of the Mother of God at the

shrine of Loretto. On January 8 the travelers reached Padua, where they

honored St. Anthony. On January 9 they arrived in Loretto and were deeply

moved as they entered the holy house where the Incarnation of the Son of God

took place and the three holiest persons had lived. Mother Franziska had so

many intentions to present to the Holy Family that the day was too short. At 11

in the evening she and her companions arrived in Rome. The next day they

went to the tomb of St. Peter to commend themselves to the protection of the

Prince of the Apostles. The sacredness of the place as well as the grandeur of

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St. Peter’s made such an overpowering impression that they were moved to

tears. On the 13th they attended Holy Mass at the tomb of St. Peter and

received Holy Communion. Mother Franziska prayed in this place for her

Congregation, for those in its care, for the entire Imperial Family, the Bishops in

dioceses where her sisters were working, the benefactors, and so on, until

here, too, the time was too short. From there, Mother Franziska and her

companions went to the Cardinal Protector Jakobini who received them in a

fatherly way, informed himself thoroughly of the Congregation, and was

especially happy about the honor and graciousness constantly shown toward it

by the Imperial Family. Here they also met the undersecretary Mocessi, who

was also very kind. Oh the 14th the pilgrims visited the tomb of St. Paul, one

hour distant from Rome, the Church of “Our Lady of Snows”, and other

churches. On the 15th they attended a Holy Mass in the prison of St. Peter and

saw the place where the Saint lay in chains. With emotion they also

contemplated the well which sprang up there and the rock upon which a soldier

threw the Prince of the Apostles and where the Saint’s face was imprinted. A

reverent shudder took hold of them as they viewed these holy places. Then

they visited the tomb of St. Frances of Rome, the patron Saint of Mother

Franziska, the Coliseum, where many thousands of Christians suffered

martyrdom for Christ, and the oldest church in Rome, the Lateran. With holy

reverence and deep emotion they also climbed on their knees the 28 steps of

the Holy Stairs upon which Christ stood before Pilate, and which is found near

the Lateran. On the 16th they went to Cardinals Hergenrother, Melchers,

Laurenzi and to Monsignor Lorenzell, the Rector of the Bohemian College, all of

whom received them very kindly. The time from the 17th until the 30th of

January was also spent visiting the sanctuaries of Rome, the Catacombs, various

convents, institutes and such persons whose good will could be useful to the

Congregation. In the meantime Mother Franziska informed herself through the

Rev. Father Daum of the Holy Spirit Fathers and a Consultor of the Sacred

Congregation for Bishops and Regulars, about everything that would be

necessary for the petition, to be made within a few years, for the second

recognition by the Holy See, the actual approbation of the Constitutions and

the Congregation, and made some preparations in this regard. The 31st was to

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be the happy and memorable day of the audience with the Holy Father. In the

morning Mother Franziska and her companions were present at His Holiness’

Holy Mass in the chapel in the Vatican and received Holy Communion from the

hands of the Vicar of Christ. There followed a second Holy Mass, for which the

Holy Father also remained and after this the pilgrims were admitted to the

audience. The Reverend Andreas Frisch, Canon of St. Jerome’s in Rome

accompanied them and introduced Mother Franziska to His Holiness as the

Foundress and Superior General of the Congregation as well as the other two

sisters. After Mother Franziska had expressed her most respectful gratitude to

the Holy Father for his graciousness to the Congregation, His Holiness spoke in

a gracious and truly fatherly manner with her as well as with Sister Ignazia and

Sister Augustina, asked about the number of houses and very especially about

the activity of the sisters in Bosnia. This last, and in fact, the general rapid and

richly blessed spread of the Congregation pleased the Holy Father very much.

Mother Franziska also transmitted the words of gratitude from His Imperial

Majesty Franz Joseph, with which the Holy Father showed great pleasure. At

this he remarked that the Austrian Imperial Family not only bore the title,

“Apostolic” but also has become noted for its apostolic activities and added,

“Tell His Majesty that you attended the Pope’s Holy Mass and that you received

Holy Communion at his hands and had a little conference. Tell him also, that I

will pray for him as he asked.” The Holy Father encouraged Mother Franziska

and her companions to continued zealous work and especially challenged them

to work in Bosnia for the Church and civilization, because there is a great and

beautiful mission. Twice during the conversation, the Holy Father grasped

Mother Franziska’s hand and held on to it for a long time, then he placed his

hand in blessing on her head as she knelt before him. Mother Franziska was so

moved by the fatherly kindness of His Holiness that she, completely forgetting

herself in her joy and holy respect, kissed his hand causing him to smile. In

conclusion Mother Franziska received the Apostolic Blessing for the members

of the Imperial Household, for various highly placed friends and benefactors of

the Congregation as well as for herself and all the sisters. His Holiness also

blessed the medals Mother Franziska had brought. along, for this purpose. The

audience had lasted more than half an hour. Deeply moved and filled with holy

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enthusiasm, Mother Franziska and her companions left the Vatican Palace. On

February 2, the Feast of Candlemas, they were to receive another proof of the

Holy father’s favor. In the afternoon His Eminence Cardinal Jakobini in the

company of Undersecretary Mocessi arrived at the convent of the French St

Joseph Sisters where Mother Franziska was staying and gave her, as a present

from His Holiness, a candle, 1 meter, 25 centimeters tall, decorated with an

image of the Mother of God, the Papal Arms, flowers and scroll work, as well as

some large silver medals in cases and beautiful rosaries. His Eminence

remarked that receiving a candle on Candlemas Day, delivered by a Cardinal

was an honor reserved for sovereigns and very highly placed persons. Mother

Franziska also received a candle and two photographs of himself as a gift from

Cardinal Jakobini. Of course she and her companions were overjoyed at these

gifts. Upon her return from Rome, Mother Franziska had a glass case made for

the candle from the Holy Father, and it was hung up in the chapel of the Vienna

Marienanstalt. Later this and the candle were brought to the sisters’ choir in

the church of the new Mother House. Mother Franziska gave the candle from

Cardinal Jakobini to the St. Joseph Institute in Sarajevo. She kept the medals

and a mother of pearl rosary from the Holy Father as precious souvenirs. In the

same way, she carefully preserved the veil she had worn at the audience and

upon which the hand of the Holy Father had rested. His Eminence, Cardinal

Jakobini and other important persons with whom Mother Franziska spoke

before her departure for Rome were overjoyed as only good friends could be,

at the honors the congregation had received from the Holy Father. On February

3rd she, with her companions, began the return trip to Vienna where she

arrived safely on the 7th and was joyfully received by the sisters and the pupils.

By singing the hymn of praise, the “Te Deum” they thanked the Almighty for

the safe return as well as all the graces granted to their spiritual mother as well

as the entire Congregation through this trip. Mother Franziska, who always was

glad to share her joys with her spiritual daughters had already sent news from

Rome in the form of detailed reports of the experiences they had there. These

reports were, at her request immediately duplicated in the Mother House and

sent to the other houses. The second report, written immediately after the

audience with the Holy Father, closed with these words, “Our young

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Congregation is greatly respected here, and much is expected of us. We are

obliged to measure up to these hopes and not to disappoint them. Let us use

this good will to confirm ourselves in good and to be true Daughters of Divine

Charity and faithful children of Holy Church. May the blessing of the vicar of

Christ be for all the sisters a stimulus for conscientious fulfillment of our

obligations.” Many more times Mother Franziska told of the happy days of the

Rome journey and usually, added similar encouraging and admonishing words,

as those presented from her account. Just as recognition and honors were for

her not an occasion of vanity but a stimulus for good, for work for God’s glory

and the good of neighbor, so she wanted her spiritual daughters to receive

them in the same spirit.

On February 11, 1886, during an audience with His Majesty , the

Emperor, Mother Franziska fulfilled her noble mission by giving him the Holy

Father’s Apostolic Blessing which pleased him very much. Upon her request,

Mother Franziska was also immediately admitted to the honorable

Archduchesses Adelgunde, Marie and Elizabeth and they were also overjoyed

with the Blessing of the Holy Father as well as with the greetings from Cardinal

Jakobini. With an equal joy Mother Franziska was received by the other

important persons to whom she was assigned to bring the news of the

Apostolic Blessing and everywhere she found the friendliest sympathy with the

favors and good will which she and her Congregation received in Rome.

The new Mother House with Novitiate and Church added

by Mother Franziska before her death

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CHAPTER X

Founding of the Convent St. Joseph’s Home in Dolnja-Tuzla,

the Foundations in Crakow and Hirschtetten,

enlargement of various branches of the Congregation.

Besides the three foundations in the year 1885 already

mentioned, the way was prepared for a fourth at the same time. Namely, the

congregation received, thanks to His Excellency the Imperial Finance Minister

von Kallay, a gift from the Bosnian government of a piece of land of outstanding

quality, measuring two hundred yoke, only about 25 minutes distant from

Dolnja-Tuzla. Its reclamation, however, cost much money and even more effort

because the ground was uneven and partly cut by deep gullies and the brush

was only removed with untold difficulty. The sisters commissioned by Mother

Franziska to do the clearing had to take their meals in a miserable clap-board

hut. Since the cooking was done in the same hut, the heat was nearly

unbearable. After the strenuous work of the day they still had to make their

way to Tuzla to enjoy there a short night’s rest. When Mother Franziska came

to Tuzla on April 17, 1886 she found about seventy yoke cleared and cultivated.

She was immensely happy over this industriousness and zeal of the sisters, but

more so over the joyful self-sacrifice with which they accepted every strain and

difficulty. During this stay Mother Franziska also gave the order to build a house

on this property which she intended to call “Joseph’s Home”. She wanted to

develop a model farm here as in Slatina near Sarajevo and in Breske, intending

it also to help with the upkeep of the house in Tuzla.

April 28 was the day set as the opening of the Doboy—Dolna-

Tuzla railroad line, planned with great festivities, because the presence of the

Imperial Finance Minister von Kallay and many important persons from Vienna

and Budapest were expected. The sisters in Tuzla had to decorate the church,

school and convent and Mother Franziska arranged these things with her usual

taste. She also went with some sisters to the railroad station for the welcome

of the Ministers. Their Excellencies, von Kallay, and the Regional Governor

Baron Appel with their wives, greeted Mother Franziska in the most cordial

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way. The next day these personages visited the sisters in their little residence

and also the school where they received a respectful greeting from the

children. They also visited the sisters in Joseph’s Home and in Breske in order to

see everything and Mother Franziska received unanimous praise for her

arrangements. On May 3 she continued her trip to Sarajevo where the visit of

the Archduke Albrecht was announced for the 15th. The important guest was

most solemnly received by the entire population. The pupils and students of

the sisters were also lined up for the greeting. Mother Franziska who was also

present, received a greeting from the Archduke as soon as His Highness caught

a glimpse of her. On the 25th the Archduke and many important persons made

a visit to the festively decorated St. Joseph and Marian Institutes. After the

formal greeting and a visit to the house chapel, His Highness, guided by Mother

Franziska, visited the school and other places, expressing high praise for the

practical arrangement of the institutes and especially over the great number of

orphans. As a special sign of graciousness the Archduke Albrecht deigned to

take along some samples of the children’s needlework as a souvenir. The day

after this visit Mother Franziska returned to Tuzla to make the arrangements

for Archduke Albrecht’s visit there which was planned for May 29, and also to

inspect the work already begun on the Joseph’s Home Convent. On the 28th

she started her return trip to Vienna.

The solemn blessing of the Joseph’s Home Convent took place

on September 19, 1886 the Feast of Our Sorrowful Mother. Mother Franziska

could not be present on that day, but on October 1 she made another trip to

Bosnia and found, to her pleasure, that the new convent was very beautifully

completed.

His Excellency, the Archbishop and later Cardinal Dunajewski of

Krakow had expressed the wish to Mother Franziska that there might be a

“Marian Institute” erected also in Krakow. Therefore, on July 17, 1886, she sent

the, until then, Superior of the house in Biala, Sister Josefa Kock, with Sister

Hedwig Skrobanek to Krakow to prepare the way for such an institute. They

first rented a small apartment to take in servant girls, but this proved

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impractical. On August 30 Mother Franziska arrived in Krakow and made untold

trips for five days looking for a suitable dwelling, unfortunately, in vain. Only

later they found shelter in the house of Princess Sanguska in the

“Franziskanergasse”, which provided space for twenty servant girls. The

institute remained there until Mother Franziska, as will be recounted later,

could purchase a suitable house for it in the year 1888, because until then, all

her efforts during various trips to Krakow, had remained as unsuccessful as the

first time.

On October 26, Mother Franziska gave the Imperial Councilor,

von Feifalik, secretary to Her Majesty Empress Elizabeth, an album, in which the

practiced hand of a sister had beautifully drawn all the institutes and asked this

man, very inclined toward the Congregation, to personally give it to her Majesty

as the exalted protectress of the same. Thereafter, during the following month,

Mother Franziska received from the Councilor von Feifalik a letter containing

the following:

“With regard to the request of the 26th of the month, I

received the exalted command to transmit to the revered Congregation

of the Daughters of Divine Charity the gracious gratitude of Her

Majesty the Empress and Queen for the album with the views of the

Congregation placed at her exalted feet and asked me to add that Her

Majesty was very pleased with this offering and with true and honest

satisfaction was informed of the report about the universally, richly

blessed activity and the beautiful success of the Congregation under

her exalted protection.

Feifalik

Royal Government Councilor

Goldoll, November 12, 1886.”

February 28, 1887 brought Mother Franziska a great sorrow and

the Congregation a great loss. On this day the Reverend Cardinal Protector

Jakobini, the fatherly friend of the Congregation, who always took the liveliest

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interest in its work and flourishing, passed away. Mother Franziska truly

mourned the death of the noble Prince of the Church and without delay

ordered common prayers and Holy Masses throughout the entire Congregation

for the eternal rest of the deceased. At her request the Reverend Apostolic

Nuntio, Vannutelli celebrated a Requiem for the departed in the Mother House

on March 2, and, on March 5, the Auxiliary Bishop Eduard Angerer celebrated in

Heart of Mary Convent.

During the course of the year 1887 Mother Franziska was forced

to undertake an enlargement and renovation of the house in Troppau because

of the partly missing and damaged roof there. At the same time she wanted to

have a chapel built to honor St. Joseph. So many people, even from Prussia,

came to the monthly meetings of the St. Joseph’s Association begun in the

troppau House and held separately in the German and Bohemian languages

that the little chapel could no longer hold them and many had to take places in

the corridor and adjoining courtyard. This condition determined Mother

Franziska to make the above mentioned decisions in spite of the poverty of the

Congregation, since devotion to her dear St. Joseph was very important to her.

In March, 1887 she therefore traveled to Troppau to make the agreements

concerning the construction and the cornerstone of the chapel was laid as early

as the 24th of the same month. Mother Franziska made the trip to Troppau

three times more that year to look after the construction, since this caused her

much worry. The walls of the house, though thick, had no real foundation and

so caused many difficulties and unforeseen expense. St. Joseph, however,

made his help meaningfully evident. It was surely attributable to his

intercession that six near accidents were avoided during the dangerous

construction and that noble benefactors were found. A sufficient reward for

Mother Franziska was the solemn blessing of the chapel on December 11, 1887

and that it was well visited, as she could see from the reports of the sisters and

during later trips to Troppau.

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At the end of September 1887 Mother Franziska undertook

another trip to Prague and from there wanted to go to the sisters in Brunn, but

this last could not take place because frequent bouts of illness made it

necessary for her to return directly to Vienna from Prague. The doctor called in

diagnosed peritonitis. The news of this threw the entire Congregation into the

greatest consternation and continual “storm novenas” were held by the sisters

and their charges for the recovery of their beloved spiritual mother. During this

illness, on October 22, Mother Franziska had the joy of receiving the visit of His

Excellency, the then Apostolic Nuntio to Vienna and later Cardinal Luigi

Galimberti. He had only that day at noon heard about her serious illness and

came immediately to express his sympathy and to inform himself of her

condition. On the same day the Reverend Bishop Dunajewski of Krakow, also in

Vienna at the time, came to visit, too. These joyful events had a beneficial

influence on the patient. God heard the fervent prayers for the preservation of

Mother Franziska and she regained her health, of course, only slowly after such

a serious illness.

During her illness Mother Franziska again received a request for

a foundation from Hirschstetten near Vienna. This township had been asking

for two years that sisters of the Congregation would take over the direction of a

Kindergarten there, but to Mother Franziska the field of work seemed too

small, since she rightly believed that two to three sisters could not build a real

community life as the Constitutions prescribed. She had therefore promised to

send sisters to Hirschstetten if they could also give the manual arts instruction

in the elementary school. After the town came to the point where they were

able to do this Mother Franziska sent sisters to Hirschtetten on November 28,

1887. Besides the kindergarten and the manual arts instruction in the school,

they conducted also a professional school set up by Mother Franziska. The

house set aside for this foundation at first belonged to the civic community, but

in 1893 Mother Franziska purchased it for the Congregation.

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December 31, 1887 was the day of the 50th Jubilee of the

ordination to the priesthood of His Holiness Pope Leo XIII and Mother Franziska

used this occasion to express the childlike devotion and respectful love of

herself and her spiritual daughters for the Holy Father in a congratulatory

telegram. Also, the Congregation did not neglect to send some home made

pieces to add to the gifts for ecclesiastical use that came at that time from

everywhere to the Holy Father. On January 2, a telegram of gratitude with the

following message arrived:

“Expressing his gratitude to the Congregation for the wishes and the gifts sent

to him, the Holy Father cordially sends the desired blessing.”

Mother Franziska was very pleased about this and took it as a

great grace to be able to begin the new year with the blessing of the Holy

Father. At the beginning of the same she placed her Congregation under the

protection of the Holy Family to whom she had great devotion, and to promote

this devotion she ordered that from then on a Prayer of Offering to the Holy

Family chosen by her be recited each Sunday in common in all houses of the

Congregation. She also had 20,000 copies of this prayer printed for distribution.

The blessing for this devotion was not lacking since the year 1888 would be

forever a memorable one for the congregation because of the purchase of a

new Mother House. Before this event, however, there are still to be recounted

further enlargements of existing houses by Mother Franziska.

In February, 1888, her greatest wish, to gain her own house for

the foundation in Krakow, was fulfilled when she purchased a building in the

“Bischofsgasse” from Mr. Von Wisocki. The cost for this was 25,000 guldens.

Unfortunately, Mother Franziska did not have this money. On the advice of the

Reverend Bishop Dunajewski she turned to Countess Potocka with the request

to help her make the purchase with a loan and this noble lady gladly lent her

6,000 guldens for the down payment. So the deal was closed on February 11.

Mother Franziska could now pursue her long-held plan of adding a boarding

facility and school, especially for the children of the German military and civil

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personnel, to the section for the servant girls. Because of the lack of German

Catholic schools, the children mentioned had to attend a Protestant school if

their parents wanted them to receive instruction in their native language, so

this decision was welcomed by the Bishop as well as by the German inhabitants

of Krakow. On September 9, 1888 the house, which Mother Franziska named

“Marieninstitut” was blessed by the Reverend Bishop Dunajewski. After this

solemn act he turned to Mother Franziska in a talk which emphasized that he

felt a special joy in having sisters from her Congregation in his diocese and what

a good fortune it was for the fathers in the military to know, when they were

called by the Commander-in-Chief to fight for their country, that their

daughters were in such good hands. After the blessing the school was opened

with sixty children. The numbers grew so quickly in such a short time that the

rooms were overflowing within the first year.

Since the Marian Institute in Prague had also become too small Mother

Franziska had to have a third floor built that year. In April, 1888 she made the

agreement with the builder and on October 1 the blessing was undertaken by

Bishop Count Schonborn with Mother Franziska present at the celebration.

As for the sisters in Krakow, so Mother Franziska was also able to

acquire a house for those in Dolna-Tuzia during the year 1888. This had also

been a preoccupation of longer duration for her since, for various reasons, the

building assigned by the township could no longer be used a a school and the

little building that served as residence for the sisters was not suitable. On the

advice of regional Governor Councilman Vukovic she purchased a suitable

building site as early as February, 1887 and traveled to Tuzla on April 12, 1888

to make arrangements for the construction. She did this, of course, with a

heavy heart since, as usual she had no money while at the same time she had

the most fervent trust in the kind providence of God. On April 17, the blessing

of the cornerstone. took place. The Mass celebrated on this occasion by the

Pastor, was

attended, besides by the sisters and their students, by all the workers involved

in the building, including even the Turks and Serbs. To the joy of Mother

Franziska, in a sermon, the Pastor encouraged the workers to work hard so that

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the building could soon fulfill its purpose. Of course, Mother Franziska also

visited the sisters in Joseph’s Home and in the Emmaus Convent in Breske and

had the joy of seeing that the neighbors, even the Turks, had already begun to

imitate the methods of the sisters in cultivating the land. The Turks said that

the presence of the sisters was a blessing for the entire valley. As these had

won the love of the inhabitants from the very beginning, so Mother Franziska

enjoyed in Bosnia the very special respect of the inhabitants of every

confession. When she came to those places where she had foundations, they

called to her from all sides “Casna majka!” (Reverend Mother!) and each one

wanted to greet her. She knew also, how to communicate lovingly with

everyone, regardless of the station or nationality or confession they belonged

to, and they were able to read her kindness and love in her face and were

attracted to her, even when she could not speak the Bosnian national language

and had to use a sister as translator.

In October 1888 the building in Tuzla was completed and, to the

joy of Mother Franziska, the sisters and the population, was consecrated to the

Divine Heart of Jesus and the Queen of the Holy Rosary on the twenty-fifth of

the month.

The Convent of Maria Loretto in St. Andre also experienced a

valuable enlargement through Mother Franziska. It was not through building,

but through the purchase of a neighboring house and 43 yoke of land (called

Fuchsenhube). This house and lands were the earlier “Meierhof” of the

previous Dominican Monastery, and through this purchase on June 6, 1888,

were returned to the monastery, to the great joy of the inhabitants of St.

Andre. For them the purchase was a real benefit, since, before there was only a

courtyard and now the pupils had a garden with a playground. The farm was

intended to help with the support of the convent. Since the building on the

Fuchsenhube, which Mother Franziska named “Joseph’s Rest”, was in bad

condition, she later, in 1893, had a new farm building erected. She always had a

special joy with this property and every time she came to St. Andre she asked

penetratingly about the progress on the farm and made a tour of the barns and

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fields. In this area she also had knowledge and experience and was able to give

practical orders. During such tours of the Congregation’s farms she never

missed giving a friendly word to the hired workers, encouraging them, praising

them for good work and giving them a small financial gift. Such kindness was

not without results, and if she here and there had to say a word of reprimand, it

was usually well accepted, since the employees were convinced of her maternal

kindness.

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CHAPTER XI

The Purchase of a New Mother House, Foundation in Szt. Ivan.

For a long time Mother Franziska had been thinking of obtaining

for the Congregation a new Mother House which would really be suited to its

needs and which could again house the novitiate within itself as the nature of

things required. If space was gained by the purchase of the Heart of Mary

Convent, it also made its lack at the Marienanstalt all the more noticeable

especially during retreats and Clothing celebrations. Therefore, Mother

Franziska had already exerted great effort during 1888 to buy what she

considered a suitable building site near the Botanical Gardens from the

Commune of Vienna, but according to the ways of the Lord this was not to be

the site of the planned Mother House. Let us listen to Mother Franziska’s words

in a circular to her spiritual daughters, how the Congregation unexpectedly

came into possession of one:

“To my Spiritual Daughters!

Wonderful are the designs of Divine Providence and

inscrutable are the ways of the Lord. For more than twelve years we

were wishing and hoping to enlarge the Mother House through

purchase of the neighboring garden. God alone knows how many

prayers were said, how many Holy Masses were celebrated and

offered for this intention. You, dear Sisters, know that we, as we saw

that our hopes in this regard were in vain, were dealing with the

Vienna municipality concerning a building site near the Botanical

Gardens and did everything to come into possession of this site in

order to build a Mother House there which was suited to the needs

of our beloved Congregation. During these dealings a man came and

offered us, under the best conditions imaginable for sale, a house

which is even more beautifully situated than the planned building

site. This house is bordered on the north and west side by the

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Botanical Garden, cannot be obstructed by other buildings on three

sides and is so high that one can see distinctly all of Vienna, even the

suburbs surrounding it for a distance of two hours. The house has 32

rooms, hot-air heating, water and gas piping, an elevator from the

cellar to the attic, etc. and was built only four years ago. We can

move in without making one stroke of paint. One hundred sixty

square ‘Klafter’ land from the Botanical Gardens were given Mr.

Kerstan as an option for purchase by the Court Office for enlarging

his garden, and this piece will surely be given us by our good

Emperor. The house is in Jacquingasse nr. 4. The sale took place on

the Feast of the Mother of Mercies (September 24) and we will

probably be able to move in as soon as our Foundation Feast

(November 21).

What do you say, my dears, to this new Mother House?

Don’t you recognize here the actions of Divine Providence? God tests

our patience and perseverance in prayer, but you see that these

were not useless. The All-Good gave us something much better for

this. We must take this lesson to heart. God wanted us to receive

such a fitting Mother House after twenty years of our existence. The

year 1888 was in every way meaningful. God sent us much bitterness

in this year, but much good has also come about in the

Congregation.”

Then Mother Franziska recounted the already mentioned

enlarging of the foundations in Troppau, Krakow, Prague, Dolnja-Tuzla and St.

Andre and closed with the words:

“I have many worries about whether we can meet all the

obligations we have incurred with the purchase of the new Mother

House. Pray with great trust to our holy father, Joseph that he may

send benefactors to us. The convent will bear the name “Mater ter

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Admirabilis” (Mother three-times admirable) and will be placed

under the special protection of this good Mother; She will not

abandon us.

Pray also that the Lord may send workers into His vineyard.

We have far too few candidates.

Now I commend you to the protection of the Holy Angels

and am, in faithful love, concerned about your spiritual and physical

well—being.

your,

Franziska Lechner.

Mother House, on the Feast of the Holy Archangel Michael, 1888.”

From this letter we see how happy Mother Franziska was about

obtaining the new Mother House, but her beautiful words also show how she

related every event to God in order to heighten the joy of her spiritual

daughters with this reference to the goodness and providence of the Lord. On

October 31 the ownership of the Kerstan house was transferred to the

Congregation and some sisters immediately moved in. On November 2 Mother

Franziska took leave of the Marienanstalt in order to move with some

additional sisters to the new Mother House. With emotion and gratitude to

God she left the house which was so dear to her and had been the cradle of the

Congregation and within which she had lived so many years alternating in joy

and trouble. As once with the entrance into the Marienanstalt, so now her dear

possessions, a crucifix, a statue of Mary and one of Joseph, accompanied her as

she took possession of the new Mother House. She herself carried the cross,

while two other sisters carried the statues of the Mother of God and of the holy

Foster Father of Jesus in their arms. These were the actual statues which she

had purchased twenty years before. Contrary to her own expectations Mother

Franziska felt herself immediately at home in the new Mother House. Even

today the sisters themselves like to tell of these early times. Mother Franziska

helped with the unpacking, gave instructions about arranging things, lent a

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helping hand, cooked for the sisters while these were busy in the house or

collecting alms, and when the sisters returned from their trips, sat with them,

asked them how things went, recounted various things, in short, she lead a life

with her little family as only a faithful, caring and loving mother can. One of her

first concerns was to furnish a chapel in the new Mother House. Mr. Kerstner’s

artists’ studio which stood attached to the house on the site where now stands

the novitiate building, provided a suitable space for this. To the joy of Mother

Franziska, this chapel was blessed by Msgr. Dr. Anton Horny on November 21,

the Feast of the Presentation of Mary and Founding Day of the Congregation.

He then immediately celebrated the first Holy Mass and reserved the Blessed

Sacrament. Then followed the Clothing of three postulants and the blessing of

the house.

In this month the Congregation, through the graciousness of the

Holy Father, received a new Cardinal Protector. In a letter dated November 26,

1888, His Eminence the Secretary of State, Cardinal Rampolla, informed Mother

Franziska that His Holiness had, at her request, entrusted this office to Cardinal

Serafino Vannutelli (earlier the Apostolic Nuntio to Vienna). Mother Franziska

was overjoyed at this and soon shared the news with her spiritual daughters.

On January 24, 1889 she received a very beautiful and fatherly letter from the

newly-appointed Cardinal Protector. Soon the new Mother House would enjoy

a visit from this honored guest. In March, 1889, Cardinal Vannutelli was sent by

the Holy Father on business to Salzburg. When Mother Franziska heard of this

she sent her General Assistant, Sister Ignatia Egger with Sister Helene Bonard

there on March 30 to greet His Eminence in her name and to ask him to visit on

an eventual trip to Vienna. The Cardinal cordially received the sisters and

agreed to their request. On April 10 he came to Vienna and on the 12th he

celebrated Mass in the Marienanstalt. He promised Mother Franziska to do all

that was possible for the Congregation. Mother Franziska was all the more

overjoyed to hear this promise because in a request dated March 7, 1889, she

had asked from His Holiness, Pope Leo XIII the second Roman approbation, the

actual recognition of her Congregation and its Constitutions, and therefore

asked Cardinal Vannutelli to once more place this request at the feet of the

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Holy Father. It was a great desire of Mother Franziska to receive this second

approbation, and before sending the request she once again paid a visit to all

the Bishops under whose jurisdictions her institutes were operating, to receive

from them letters of recommendation. On April 24, the Cardinal Protector

celebrated Mass in the Mother House chapel and immediately thereafter

viewed the house, guided by Mother Franziska. The house pleased his

Eminence extraordinarily well. This exalted visit was a great joy and

encouragement for Mother Franziska and the sisters.

Now an event that happened in between must be brought to the

fore. Soon after the blessing of the new Mother House, Mother Franziska had

to take a trip to Budapest on December 3, 1888 on a matter regarding

construction. Not many peaceful days, like those first ones in the Mother

House, were granted to her. The Marian Institute in Budapest, which Mother

Franziska had to enlarge as early as the year 1886 through the purchase of a

neighboring house on Knezit Street, had long ago become once again too small.

Therefore she decided to enlarge it with the addition of a side wing and a

chapel tract. This was begun in February, 1889. In April of the same year

Mother Franziska had the additional house purchased in 1886 demolished and

replaced with a three story building which would be called the “Margaretinum”

and would house the pupils of the Institute. These buildings were possible only

with the help of noble benefactors and through the inheritance left from the

estate of Mr. Konstantin Rokk in the amount of 17,200 florins. The blessing of

the same took place on December 7 in the presence of Mother Franziska and

countless guests.

The terrible blow suffered by the Imperial Family, and with them

all Austria through the unexpected death on January 30, 1889 of His Royal

Highness Crown Prince Rudolf, was also a deep sorrow for Mother Franziska,

more so in view of His Majesty being the greatest benefactor of the

Congregation, of Her Majesty, the Empress as the exalted protectress of the

same, and of the exalted Crown Princess, Archduchess Stephanie, the

protectress of the Marian Institute in Prague. Mother Franziska prayed much

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and ordered prayers for the eternal rest of the deceased and. for strength for

the severely tried Imperial Family. On February 3, she went to the Supreme

Office of the Court and asked if she and the sisters couldn’t alternate spending

holy hours by the body. Although on this day only the most exalted persons

were allowed admittance, her request was granted, giving her great

consolation.

Not long after, another suffering touched Mother Franziska,

whose grateful soul was always very touched at the death of her benefactors.

On May 17, 1889 died the noble and much-tested Queen Mother Marie of

Bavaria, who had also been so kind to her and took such a gracious interest in

the growth of her Congregation. On May 31 Mother Franziska appeared before

the exalted Archduchess Adelgunde in order to respectfully express her

sympathy on the death of the Queen Mother. When she was announced to the

exalted Lady, her brother, who was at the time in Vienna, His Royal Highness,

the Prince Regent Luitpold of Bavaria, was also present. Mother Franziska was

immediately admitted. The exalted personages graciously accepted her

sympathy and spoke with her in the most familiar and kindly way. His Majesty

was pleased at the mention that many Bavarians were members of the

Congregation and was overjoyed at Mother Franziska’s promise that she and all

the sisters would pray in a special way for him and for the deceased Queen

Mother. The Exalted Archduchess Adelgunde soon returned Mother Franziska’s

visit by unexpectedly coming to the Mother House on June 10, Pentecost

Monday, just as the sisters were assembled on the veranda for supper. The

exalted Lady felt that she had to bid Mother Franziska adieu before her

departure for her summer residence, and conversed with her in the most kindly

way. In fact, her Royal Highness often deigned to grant Mother Franziska the

honor of a visit.

For a long time now Mother Franziska had been preoccupied

with a plan for building a Novitiate house next to the Mother House, and

especially, to build a church, which she intended to meet an urgent need of this

neighborhood because of the great distance of other churches. The space next

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to the Mother House with its artist studio-turned chapel was, however, too

small to allow this plan to be carried out. Therefore, her fervent wish, which

she had already expressed in the previously mentioned circular of the Feast of

St. Michael, 1888, was to receive a piece of the Botanical Gardens as a building

site through the graciousness of the Emperor. In case this wish should be

fulfilled, she had the intention to build a church in honor of the Sacred Heart of

Jesus and Mother Most Admirable in gratitude for the favor of His Majesty and

as a lasting memorial of the coming marriage of her Royal Highness the

Archduchess Maria Valeria with the Archduke Franz Salvator. In His wise

providence God saw to the fulfillment of these wishes. How this happened will

be shown in the following letter in which Mother Franziska gives her spiritual

daughters the joyful news:

“To My Dear Spiritual Daughters,

Good children are always happy when their Mother

receives a pleasant surprise, and all the more must you rejoice

when the entire Congregation receives special graces! Five weeks

ago we made the decision to turn with our request for a gift of

the piece of the Botanical Garden that borders on the Mother

House to the exalted Bride, the Archduchess Valeria so that she

could ask this of our much loved Emperor. In the request, which

was warmly supported by our good Cardinal (She means the Rev.

Dr. Ganglbauer of Vienna) we stated that we are asking to

receive this building site because a church is urgently needed for

our Mother House as well as for people in the surrounding

streets. This church is to be dedicated to the Most Sacred Heart

of Jesus and Our Mother Most Admirable and the cornerstone of

the building will be laid on the day before the wedding of the

exalted Bride and that, upon its completion, special daily prayers

will be offered at Holy - Mass for the exalted Imperial Family. The

exalted couple was so overjoyed with this request of ours that

the good Archduchess went straight to her Imperial Father and

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asked His Highness to grant the request immediately. We had a

plan made so that the exalted lady could see how the church and

the connected convent eventually would look. The good

Archduchess succeeded so that our beloved Emperor

immediately gave the order that as much of the Botanical

Gardens as we need would be transferred to us by the Court

Steward’s Office. Yesterday the Secretary of the Court was here

and we will receive a gift of 900 square meters-besides the

church there will still remain a nice garden. You will understand

what an act of extraordinary graciousness this is on the part of

His Majesty. May you, dear sisters, see this as a happy and

extraordinary event for our Congregation. The Mother House will

be enlarged and the church will be attached to the novitiate

building. I am so happy that God has made us worthy to build a

church in His honor and I hoped also that, according to God’s

will, the Mother House will soon be brought to its completion.

God is infinitely good to us! All these signs of grace oblige us to

show our gratitude to God by faithfully keeping our Holy Rule.

Pray that you may always recognize your election to the religious

life as one of the greatest graces. Only then will you constantly

live and work as good religious women.

May the Precious Blood of Jesus which is to be specially

honored this month not have been poured out in vain for any one

so that someday we will all see one another again in Heaven!

God bless all!

Your,

faithful mother,

Franziska Lechner.

Mother House, July 11, 1889”

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From now on the lively spirit of Mother Franziska was often occupied

with the building of the church and this was also the favorite topic of

conversation. Before it could be started, however, she took over a new

foundation. The Archabbot of Martinsberg, Claudius Vaszary now Cardinal and

Primate of Hungary, asked Mother Franziska to send sisters of the Congregation

to direct the school which he had built in Szt. Ivan near Raab in Hungary on the

occasion of the 40th anniversary of the Emperor’s reign and which was given a

capital grant by Canon Vitus Molnar. This last named, also joined in the plea of

the Archabbot. On August 21, 1889 Mother Franziska therefore traveled to Szt.

Ivan and found the house to be very nice and suitably built, and the school and

kindergarten well equipped with useful learning materials. From there she

traveled to Martinsberg to thank the Archabbot for his trust and was received

in a very friendly manner. On September 25 six sisters moved into the house,

and Mother Franziska also traveled again to Szt. Ivan to arrange the house with

them and to be present for the blessing set for the 29th. This last was solemnly

celebrated by the Archabbot and Mother Franziska had opportunity on that day

to be convinced that the people of Szt. Ivan were very happy to have sisters in

their town.

On November 4, 1889 Mother Franziska expressed to the Emperor the humble

gratitude of herself and the entire Congregation for the extraordinary

graciousness signified by the gift of the church building site and His Majesty

showed himself most gracious toward her. With the same kindness she was

received on January 9, 1890 by the exalted Archduchess Valeria to whom she

respectfully expressed her thanks for the intercession with His Majesty. On

February 19 Mother Franziska gave Archduchess Immakulata, for herself and

her son, Archduke Franz Salvator, a picture of the future church and the

connected convent, and on the next day she went for the same reason to the

Archduchess Adelgunde. Their royal highnesses took the sketches kindly and

deigned to express pleasure at the beautiful work planned.

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CHAPTER XII

Construction and Dedication of the Church, Approval by Rome

At the close of the year 1889 Mother Franziska wrote in

the Congregation Chronicle,

“The entire Congregation will again be placed under the

protection of the Holy Family for the year 1890. May it be a year

of blessing for the Congregation! Since our new Mother House

was bought on the Feast of Our Lady of Mercy, I hold the secure

hope that the Lord will deem us worthy to be permitted to build

a church and a house in the year 1890 for His honor and out of

devotion to Mary. 0h Mother Most Admirable, pray for us! 0h

Mary, hope of those without hope, pray for us for blessings for

1890!”

Mother Franziska’s confidently expressed hope was not put to

shame. In the spring of 1890 they were able to begin with the preparations for

building. This was carried out by the court building master Josef Schmalzhofer

according to the plans of the architect Richard Jordan. April 22, the birthday of

her highness Archduchess Maria Valeria was foreseen as the day for the laying

of the cornerstone. Mother Franziska was at the peak of happiness over

everything. She herself gave instructions for the preparations for the

celebration and was herself totally occupied with them in the last few days. On

April 11 she wrote a circular to her spiritual daughters in which she included the

invitation printed for that day,

“You can see from the enclosed card what a most

important day April 22 will be for our Congregation. The

celebration will be grand, attended by very important people.

Also you, my good children, should celebrate this day with us,

wherever possible, by all receiving Holy Communion and offering

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Holy Mass for the intention that the building may proceed under

God’s protection and support. Also our Royal Family must

certainly not be forgotten in these prayers!”

So the entire Congregation was united with their spiritual

mother on this day in prayer for good fortune and blessing on the beautiful

work. Mother Franziska granted the General Assistants and the eldest superiors

the joy of being personally present at the celebration.

The entire building site was decorated with flags, garlands and

coats of arms of the various royal territories of Austria. The place where the

church was to be, however, was covered with a huge tent. At the place of the

future high altar was a temporary altar with the picture of Our Mother Most

Admirable. In the background was a portrait of the Holy Father and right and

left of the altar were busts of their Majesties and pictures of the bridal couple,

Archduchess Maria Valeria and Archduke Franz Salvator. The blessing and

laying of the cornerstone was done by the Apostolic Nuntio, His Excellency Luigi

Galimberti, after which the cathedral preacher, Franz Binder gave a touching

talk followed by Holy Mass celebrated by the castle Pastor, Dr. Laurenz Mayer

with the assistance of countless other clergy. During this the music of the

Infantry Regiment High and German Master Nr. 4 played the liturgical hymn:

“Here Before Your Majesty”. His Royal Highness, Archduke Franz Salvator, the

Archduchesses Karoline, Immakulata and Adelgunde, the Countess Goess, as

representative of Her Majesty, the Empress, Count Kielmannsegg and many

other honorable guests were present at the memorable celebration. It can be

imagined what Mother Franziska’s heart felt; She spoke often of this beautiful

day with a fervent joy. On April 23 she received a telegram from Her Excellency

Countess Kornis, on orders of the Archduchess Maria Valeria, at the time

staying in Wiesbaden, which was a response to the birthday wishes and read,

“Her Imperial Majesty thanks most graciously for the best wishes and

participated yesterday most fervently in spirit in your beautiful celebration”.

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With God’s help the construction of the church as well as the

novitiate building advanced steadily. Mother Franziska established a founder-

fund collection for this which was visibly blessed by God. She was often at the

building site to supervise, and she took a special pleasure in taking the sisters

there during recreation to see the progress. She also would not deny herself

taking sisters from mission houses or visitors there personally, to climb the

scaffolds with them, and to explain everything. On such occasions she always

pointed out to her spiritual daughters the goodness of God which made the

building possible, as well as the great good such a house of God, open to the

public, would bring, thereby encouraging them to gratitude toward the Lord.

Mother Franziska had also decided to establish in the novitiate building a

kindergarten and a Sunday school for the continuing education of girls who

were already out of school, and had the appropriate rooms prepared for these.

Through this she created two really beneficial programs for the people, mostly

poor, living in the neighborhood. These opened on September 1, 1891 and

were well filled. In building the novitiate building she provided enough room to

permit the retreats for the members of the Congregation, which previously,

because of lack of space in the Marienanstalt had to be held in the Refuge in

Breitenfurt, to take place in the Mother House.

Soon after the laying of the cornerstone of the church, Mother

Franziska went on a visitation trip to Bosnia. During her stay in Sarajevo,

Archbishop Stadler tried to persuade her to travel to Cattaro in Dalmatia since

the Bishop Triphon Radonicic there eagerly desired to receive sisters of the

Congregation for that city.

The last named had stayed with the Sisters in the St. Joseph

Institute in Sarajevo the year before when he had gone there for the

consecration of the Cathedral, and had already expressed this wish then. Since

Mother Franziska had promised to go once to Cattaro to get to know the

situation there, she did not waste the chance to fulfill the wish of the

Archbishop and traveled there on May 6 in the company of two sisters. During

the voyage on the Adriatic Sea the travelers had to endure a violent storm and

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therefore suffered a severe degree of seasickness. On both the trip there and

return Mother Franziska was received in the most friendly and reverent way

since Archbishop Stadler and Bishop Radonicic had sent telegraphed notice to

various places of her coming, so that Mother Franziska was completely

embarrassed by such esteem and honor. In Cattaro itself, the Cathedral Chapter

as well as a delegation of gentlemen and ladies had gathered to welcome her.

The Bishop did everything he could to make her stay and that of the sisters

pleasant. She was overwhelmed from all sides with requests to send sisters to

Cattaro. The only building that Mother Franziska found suitable for a convent

and school was a closed monastery called “Mary of the Angels” and which,

along with the church, served as a storage depot for the militia. Mother

Franziska immediately had plans drawn up for these since she intended to take

steps at the Ministry of Defense in Vienna to obtain this building and the church

for her purposes. Unfortunately, this foundation did not come about although it

remained a constant desire of Mother Franziska and there was a constant

stream of requests from Cattaro in this regard. Various difficulties made the

project impossible.

At the end of the report for the year 1890 in the Congregation

Chronicle we again have some words in her own hand added by Mother

Franziska. They read,

“The year 1890 was in every respect a richly blessed one for the

Congregation, only we were visited with much illness. God be

praised for all! May the Lord grant through the intercession of

Mary and our holy father Joseph the grace to have the church

consecrated in 1891 and that we may be able to pay off the

debts caused by the construction. In the year 1891, the

Congregation is also dedicated to the Holy Family”

God once again gave His blessing to these added wishes as we will see in our

continuing report.

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On January 10, 1891 a very, very great honor and joy came to

Mother Franziska and the sisters of the Mother House, as the Archduchess

Maria Valeria paid them a visit for the first time. After the formal welcome, her

Imperial Highness spent an extended time with Mother Franziska in her room

and signed her name in the guest book there. Thereafter, conducted to the

chapel, which was a room outfitted for this purpose during the construction,

the royal lady knelt some time in prayer and from there visited the choir to be

reserved for the sisters in the already roofed-over church, expressing the

greatest satisfaction with it. Then Her Imperial Highness went to the professed

sisters and thereafter to the novices who had been living in the Mother House

since their clothing in August 1890, and then, after an almost three-quarter of

an hour stay, left the house promising Mother Franziska that if at all possible

she wanted to attend the dedication of the church.

In February Mother Franziska requested that His Imperial

Majesty donate the main altar for the church. His Highness immediately

designated the necessary 3000 florins for this. She also, with the sisters, made

great efforts to find donors for the altars and the colored windows and did not

spare herself any trips for this purpose, all of which was blessed by God.

Mother Franziska made very meaningful choices for the altar paintings and

designs in the windows. For the high altar she chose the picture of Mother

Most Admirable, for each of the side altars, St. Joseph and St. Anne, for the two

in the little chapels at the rear, the Crowning of Jesus with thorns and a moving

depiction of the Poor Souls, to whom the merits of the sufferings of Jesus are

applied by angels at the intercession of Mary. In the three large windows by the

high altar Mother Franziska had placed pictures of the Sacred Heart of Jesus

and the Patrons of Austria and Hungary, St. Leopold and St. Stephen. The

smaller windows portrayed the name saints of both their Majesties, St. Francis

of Assisi and St. Elizabeth and patron saints of the Congregation or those for

whom there was special devotion. An outstanding ornament of the church is

the large votive window in the right wall of the nave, the marriage of the

Archduchess Maria Valeria with His Imperial Majesty Archduke Franz Salvator

surmounted by the picture of Mother Most Admirable, also much venerated by

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the Imperial Family, and on the other side, the Congregation window which in

the central part shows the Holy Father as he hands the Decree of Approbation

to the foundress kneeling before him. In her humility, however, she permitted

herself to be portrayed only with her face turned totally toward the Holy Father

so that hardly any of it was visible. For the wall paintings in the sanctuary, to be

done later, Mother Franziska chose the Presentation and Annunciation of Mary.

On April 22, 1891, that is exactly one year after the

groundbreaking, the church was to be set aside for its holy purpose by a solemn

consecration. Mother Franziska was again completely occupied by the

preparations and invitations for this celebration. Her most heartfelt wish was

that His Majesty and the Archduchesses present in Vienna would deign to

honor the celebration with their presence. To her greatest joy and that of all

the sisters, on April 18 came a letter from the Adjutant General Count Paar with

the news that His Majesty would come for the High Mass.

April 22, was a beautiful, sunny day conducive to joyous hearts.

The consecration was carried out with the assistance of countless others by the

Apostolic Nuntio Luigi Galimberti as delegate of the Archbishop Anton Gruscha

who was prevented by a trip to Rome. About 10:30 this was completed and

soon the arrival of the noble personages began. There arrived: Their Royal

Highnesses, Archduke Wilhelm, Archduchess Maria Theresia with their

daughters, the Archduchesses Margareta, Maria, Annunziata and Elisabeth,

Archduchess Immakulata with her daughters the Archduchesses Karoline and

Maria Annunziata, Archduchess Adelgunde von Modena and Duchess Maria

Theresia von Wurttemberg, besides chief Lady in Waiting, Countess Goess and

many other noble persons. Unfortunately the Archduchess Maria Valeria was

unable to attend. At exactly 11:00 His Majesty the Emperor drove up with a

large suite amid the ringing of bells, the singing of the National Anthem and the

shouts of greeting from the crowds assembled at the door of the church, where

His Majesty was most respectfully greeted by Mother Franziska. His Majesty

also spoke graciously with her, praised the beautiful church and convent

buildings, and expressed his pleasure at the many pupils (from the

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Marienanstalt and Heart of Mary Convent), who were lined up wearing black

and gold and white and blue sashes. Then His Majesty was conducted by

Mother Franziska into the church where in the sanctuary he participated with

edifying devotion in the High Mass celebrated by the auxiliary Bishop, Dr.

Eduard Angerer. After the Mass Mother Franziska asked His Majesty if he

wanted to see the convent to which he agreed with the words, “Oh yes, gladly,

show me everything!” Mother Franziska lead His Majesty through the various

rooms as he often expressed praise for everything and asked about the Vienna

Marienanstalt, whereupon Mother Franziska responded that the rooms there

which formerly housed the sisters now contained 75 home economics students.

In the chapter room the Archduchesses were awaiting His Majesty, in the

community room he deigned to express his joy at the presence of so many

sisters and to speak with many of them. His Majesty also entered his name in

the guest book. Repeatedly Mother Franziska thanked the monarch for his

sacrifice in assisting at the celebration whereupon His Majesty graciously

responded, “It was no sacrifice for me, but rather a great joy to take part in the

celebration!” At the farewell at the door of the convent His Majesty once again

expressed His joy and gave assurance of his good pleasure also for the future.

After the departure of the monarch Mother Franziska conducted the

Archduchesses through the church. Their Royal Highnesses also voiced great

praise for the building and gave special admiration for the artistic success of the

votive window. The evening of this day, unforgettable for the entire life of

Mother Franziska, closed with a sermon, solemn benediction and Te Deum with

a large number of people from the neighborhood in attendance.

The church remained the greatest joy of Mother Franziska and

she never tired of thanking god for the grace that He honored her by allowing

her to build it. Again and again she encouraged her spiritual daughters to give

this same thanks also. It was her main concern to acquire worthy vestments

and vessels for the liturgy and that everything would be done to celebrate this

in the most worthy manner. The lively use of the church and the devotion of

the visitors to Mother Most Admirable were for her the most beautiful reward

for all the care and effort that the construction had brought with itself.

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On April 24 and 25, Mother Franziska visited the members of the

nobility to thank them for their attendance at the consecration. On the 27th

she had an audience with His Majesty for the same purpose. He immediately

addressed her with the gracious words, “Oh, you are coming to thank? That

would not have been necessary, I came very willingly. I must thank you for

doing so much good. I am happy that I have seen your church for myself and

now I know how necessary it is.. Do many people come?” The affirmative reply

of Mother Franziska made His Majesty very happy as was she over the lively

interest the monarch had for the church.

On July 31, 1891, the first anniversary of the marriage of Her

Imperial Highness, Archduchess Maria Valeria, Mother Franziska had a solemn

high Mass celebrated in thanksgiving for the joyful event, as, by her orders, has

been done annually ever since. To encourage the visitors to the church in

devotion to our Mother Most Admirable, Mother Franziska arranged for a

Triduum with daily sermon and benediction of the Blessed Sacrament before

the Feast of Our Lady of Snows in the year 1891, and the Feast itself was

celebrated in the most solemn manner. To her great joy the faithful zealously

participated and many received the Sacraments. Mother Franziska requested

from the holy See the grace of extending the plenary indulgence which the

members of the Congregation already enjoyed on the feast of Our Lady of

Snows, to all the faithful who would receive the Sacraments in that church on

that day. The Triduum and the titular feast are also, as Mother Franziska

ordered, solemnly celebrated annually and it is certain that much blessing for

the salvation of souls has already come from this.

August 6, 1891 was a day of the greatest joy for Mother

Franziska and brought her rich recompense for all her efforts thus far on behalf

of the Congregation. She received the Decree of Approval, dated July 22, of the

Congregation and of trial approval of the Constitutions for five years..

Concerning the short probationary period it was stated in the decree itself that

this was a special and unique favor of His Holiness. She immediately had the

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Latin Decree translated and shared its contents with the sisters, resulting in

tears of emotion and joy. Mother Franziska could not praise sufficiently for her

spiritual daughters the mercies of God and the graciousness of the Holy Father,

nor could she stop encouraging them to be grateful, as she repeated again and

again that it was an unheard of and completely undeserved favor that such a

young Congregation would be able to request the third approbation, the

definitive approval of the Congregation after only five short years. After reading

the Decree she went with the sisters to the church to pray with them the Te

Deum and the Litany of the Holy Heart of Mary in thanksgiving. She also, with

the approval of the sisters, named St. Mary Magdalene, on whose feast the

Decree was issued as protectress of the Congregation. The grateful sentiments

of Mother Franziska are so clearly to be seen in the circular in which she gave

the branch houses the news of the great favor immediately after receiving the

Decree. She writes:

“Praise, my dear children, the mercies of the Divine Heart of

Jesus and His holy Mother for the Lord has done great things for

us!

On the Feast of the Transfiguration of Christ we received from

Rome both briefs in which our congregation is confirmed and the

Constitutions are approved. On June 26, the Holy Rule was

presented to the Holy Father and on the Feast of St. Mary

Magdalene both briefs were confirmed by His Holiness. Truly the

year 1891 contains great anniversaries for the history of the

Congregation! The consecration of the church, the visit of His

Majesty, our much loved Emperor. What an honor, grace and

favor from His Majesty! And now the confirmation from the Holy

See! It is not for nothing that it says in the one brief: ‘As a special

favor His Holiness has granted the confirmation, etc.’ Our good

God worked another miracle of grace, certainly through the

intercession of our Mother Most Admirable, that we could build

the church and convent in one year and that God has let us find

so many benefactors for the same.

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My dear spiritual daughters! Let us thank the Lord with

our whole hearts for these great undeserved favors! In spite of

the many infidelities and lukewarmness in His holy service, His

infinite goodness has overwhelmed us with favors and blessings.

How do we want to behave toward our loving Father in the

future?”

Then Mother Franziska challenged her spiritual daughters with eloquent words

to compunction for past failures, to firm resolutions for the future, to faithful

observance of the Holy Rule and to great appreciation for their holy vocation. In

this way she used every favor and honor received as an occasion to inspire her

daughters for good. Mother Franziska’s most heartfelt and often expressed

wish was, if it were the will of God, to be able to strive for and receive the

definitive approbation of the Constitutions. Then, she felt, she would gladly die,

because she would know that her work was secure. In the adorable designs of

God it was decided otherwise. She was not to live to see this, but the work of

the definitive approval, granted on August 18, 1897, was reserved to her

successor. Her spiritual daughters, however, credited the quick and happy

achievement of this goal to the intercession of Mother Franziska, because they

rightly believed that this work that was so close to her heart in life, would be

remembered by her also in eternity.

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CHAPTER XIII

Foundations in Kis-Czell, Nagy-Levard (Grossschitzen)

and in IX. District of Vienna. Eye Operation.

In September of the richly-blessed year, 1891, Mother Franziska

undertook a new foundation in Kis-Czell (now called “Czell-Domolk” because of

the merger of Domolk with Kis-Czell). In the Diocese of Steinanuger, in Hungary.

The Abbot of the Benedictine monastery there, the Reverend Justinian Hollosy,

had, with the savings of many years, erected a school building, and since he had

witnessed the richly-blessed work of the sisters in Szt. Ivan, had asked Mother

Franziska to send Daughters of Divine Charity for his foundation also. On

September 2, the house was blessed by the Auxiliary Bishop Konigmayer.

Mother Franziska had traveled to Kis-Czell for the celebration and the sisters

began their activities in the school, commercial school and kindergarten.

At the beginning of this month Mother Franziska made a sad

discovery-that she could see only poorly with the right eye and that soon the

vision in the left eye also gradually weakened. During a journey to St. Andra at

the end of September, the situation worsened so much that she had to submit

to a medical examination immediately upon her return to Vienna. Two doctors

concurred in the diagnosis of gray cataract in the right eye, which was not yet

ready to be operated however. The news of this suffering of the beloved

spiritual mother caused the greatest consternation in the entire Congregation.

She herself was calm however, and peacefully accepted this cross given her by

the Lord. She had lately also much to suffer with her teeth. Two doctors who

were consulted established that she had an inflammation in her head caused by

overwork and said that if she did not take a complete rest for a few weeks a

total nervous collapse was to be feared. This increased the sisters worry. At

their encouragement and on the advice of important people, Mother Franziska

decided to go to Father Kneipp in Worishofen to take a cure for her eye

affliction. Apart from an operation, there was not much hope for the right eye,

but it was feared that the cataract would form also in the left eye. On October

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19, 1891 she traveled to Worishofen in the company of Sister Innozentia Feger.

This Sister, with Sister Josefa Kock had already spent some time there at

Mother Franziska’s request, in the summer of 1890 to learn the water cure in

order to be able to administer it to the sick in Breitenfurt. Mother Franziska

placed great value on this cure and had the “Kneipp” equipment for the water

applications installed in the Refuge in Breitenfurt. The cure prescribed by Pastor

Kneipp really did save the left eye in which the growth of the cataract was

impeded and the vision slowly strengthened. Mother Franziska, of course,

remained only two weeks in Worishofen since she could not stand a long

separation from her beloved Congregation, but she continued the prescribed

treatments at home. On their return Sister Helene Bonard awaited Mother

Franziska and Sister Innozentia in Munich and all three visited Our Blessed Lady

in Altotting, so revered by Mother Franziska, and to whom she had fervently

commended the entire Congregation. She wanted to make the so-called

penitents’ way, that is, to circle the little chapel on her knees carrying one of

the wooden crosses found there for this purpose. Considering Mother

Franziska’s poor condition, her companions did not permit this, but it was not

an easy task to stop her. On November 6, Mother Franziska returned to Vienna.

She did not allow herself much rest, for on the 15th of the month began the

retreat which was attended by many sisters from the branch houses, and

during which she held, as usual, her “readings” for which, as was stated before,

she made very little use of a book, was available for individual talks with the

sisters and so on. Then, as soon as January,1892, the round of visitation trips

began again. Her spiritual daughters had the hardest time getting her to spare

herself in the smallest way, because she was too accustomed to constant

activity to be able to give it up for a longer time. During a visit to the Krakow

foundation in June of 1892 she found the house overflowing with students and

realized that a second story or the purchase of a larger building would have

been necessary. She therefore visited several houses, without finding anything

suitable. The enlargement of this foundation remained a constant concern for

her, but in spite of the effort of years, she was unable to remedy the situation

except by renting space in a nearby building, and only six years after Mother

Franziska’s death could an appropriate building be built.

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On June 23, 1892 Mother Franziska went to Nagy-Levard, in

German Grolssschutzen, to visit a girls’ school erected by Duchess Adalberta

Kollnitz with her Son-in-Law, Duke Wenkheim at the wish of her daughter of

blessed memory, Hubertine, (the deceased Duchess Wenkheim), since these

persons had asked her to send sisters to conduct it. The ducal family received

her with extraordinary kindness and Mother Franziska found the building

beautiful and practical. The blessing of the “Hubertinum”, at which she was

present, took place as early as September 25, 1892 and the sisters began their

work immediately afterward. After visiting the school building in Nagy-Levard,

Mother Franziska went directly to Brunn. As the Marian Institute there was

soon expecting a visit from His Majesty, the Emperor, she wanted to make

preparations and be present when the exalted guest arrived. This took place on

June 29, at two in the afternoon. The house was festively decorated and at the

entrance, awaiting the Monarch were the Bishop of Brunn, Dr. Franz Salesius

Bauer, Mother Franziska and her niece, Sister Annunciata Vornberger, Superior

of the institute. His Majesty once again went directly to Mother Franziska with

the words, “I am happy to see you here.” After a short address of greeting by

the Bishop, Mother Franziska led His Majesty to the common room of the

pupils, now turned into a festal hall, where the children respectfully greeted

the Monarch with the National Anthem and a speech. He was overjoyed with

the festive reception and graciously conversed with the sisters and the pupils.

His Majesty also spoke of the Church at the Mother House, mentioning that the

people were very happy to visit it, and asked about the various institutes of the

congregation in a way that displayed the lively interest the Monarch always had

for its activities. Upon hearing of the enlargement of the house in Troppau, His

Highness laughingly remarked to Mother Franziska, “You keep on building, I

don’t at all know where you get the money”. To this she responded that it was

sometimes very difficult but that God had always helped. Led to the chapel, His

Majesty spent some time in prayer while the pupils sang a hymn, which pleased

him very much. The prayer that was recited daily in the Mother House for His

Majesty and the Imperial Family had been set to music, and was performed for

His Majesty on this occasion by the children. With the guidance of Mother

Franziska, the Monarch visited the entire house and deigned to express high

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praise for all that had been done. At his departure, he graciously said, “I thank

you for the joy you have given me. The Congregation is richly blessed in its

activities and is continually growing and improving. I was very happy to come to

you because I follow your activities with great interest.” Mother Franziska

thanked again for this exalted praise and graciousness and said that the

Congregation would constantly strive to be worthy of it. The Monarch left amid

an unending clamor of good wishes. Mother Franziska was very moved by his

goodness.

On August 24, 1892 she had the building of the addition to Heart of Mary

Convent in Vienna begin in order to relieve the noticeable lack of space there.

She would have been happy to begin this earlier if the money hadn’t been

lacking, but now, too, God helped in such a wonderful way, that Mother

Franziska even had a part of the sum at hand before the construction began.

Soon thereafter the Congregation obtained another foundation

in Vienna. The Rev. Cathedral Dean and Prelate, Leopold Stoger, had erected a

kindergarten and commercial school in District IX, Pramergasse 9, but left the

main tract to Msgr. Adam Latschka, later Pastor of Wien-Ottakring, for a

working girls’ shelter. Both men asked Mother Franziska for sisters to direct this

and received an affirmative response. The blessing of the shelter took place on

October 2, 1892 and the dedication of the convent chapel and the kindergarten

on December 3. In this house Mother Franziska also set up a section for servant

girls in search of employment.

Mother Franziska had been to see the doctor several times

during the year, but he had not yet found the cataract to be operable. At the

end of September she went for another examination by Dr. Ernst Fuchs, who

then explained that the time for the operation had come, and set the date for

October 4. Mother Franziska immediately sent the news to all her spiritual

daughters. In this letter she wrote, “I ask you, my dear, good children to pray

hard for me, that God’s most holy will be done in my regard. If God should

allow the operation to fail, I am ready and will submit to His all holy will. You

can be at peace. Care has been taken for all eventualities”. She also asked the

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sisters to lighten the burden that would be carried for the Congregation in the

coming time by the first General Assistant, showing that she was concerned for

others even during her own suffering. During the short time before the

operation she put everything in such good order, that, even in the event of the

above mentioned failure of the operation, there would be no disorder to worry

about, and she did all of this with an amazing peace. She strengthened herself

for the decisive hour by receiving the sacraments and left everything in the

hands of God. Her spiritual daughters, however, and their charges, who

understandably had been very upset at the news of the upcoming operation,

waited in fervent prayer that their beloved mother might retain her vision.

Many persons, priestly and lay, who had heard about the operation from the

sisters, joined themselves to these prayers, since, as we can see from the

letters that arrived, the suffering of Mother Franziska had awakened the

greatest sympathy. The sisters in the Mother House knelt in chapel during the

operation and stormed heaven with communal prayers; The minutes seemed

like hours to them, until, finally, from the operating room came the good news

that the difficult task, thanks to God’s help and the skill of the surgeon, was

successfully completed. The Te Deum was immediately recited in gratitude. The

very same day, all the houses were informed of the happy outcome of the

operation because everywhere they were eagerly waiting for news of the

result. Mother Franziska remained so still during the operation that the Doctor

could not refrain from expressing his satisfaction. The prayer for the dear

Mother was continued everywhere because the danger was not yet passed, but

the difficult days were now still ahead for her. As is necessary after such

operations, Mother Franziska had to remain as still as possible for three days,

and this was no small thing, accustomed as she was to action, and a torturous

headache did its part to make these days even more difficult. Until the third

night she kept herself still with all her might, but then she couldn’t do it any

longer because her nerves had been weakened. Besides this, she had an attack

of coughing which in the resulting shaking of the body, could become very

dangerous for the operated eye. She was already resigned to the fact that the

Doctor, upon removing the bandages, would declare the eye as lost.

Miraculously, however, it suffered no damage, but continued to make good

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progress in healing. Mother Franziska and all the sisters recognized God’s help

and that of Mother Most Admirable in this, and were filled with fervent

gratitude. After fourteen days the bandages could be permanently removed

and exchanged for a pair of dark glasses. What a joy that Mother Franziska

could now return to her room and the sisters could see her at least for only a

few moments, because of the still urgent need for rest! As she had resigned

herself perfectly to God’s will in the case of blindness, so she received her

recuperation with the greatest gratitude to God and was moved to working

with even greater zeal for His glory as well as fervent gratitude toward all those

who had cared for or prayed for her. These sentiments are clearly expressed in

the circular which she had sent to her spiritual daughters on October 25. She

said:

“Feelings of love and gratitude urge me to write these

lines to you, with which I want to tell you of my heartfelt thanks

for the many prayers which you have said for me, especially

during these last days, which were so difficult for me. My fervent

gratitude goes also to all the spiritual fathers, candidates, pupils,

children and other persons who included me in their prayers. The

many prayers united with the loving care of my General

Assistant, the good care of the Sisters of Charity (It was they who

rendered this during the first fourteen days after the operation)

and the extraordinary skill of Professor Dr. Fuchs, who performed

the surgery, have brought me to the condition where I can now

write this, through my Secretary General, to you, my dear

daughters.

With the help of God’s grace I faced the decisive moments

of the operation with great peace of soul. I say, “the decisive

moments”, because I had placed myself entirely in the will of

God, also for the eventuality that the operation would have been

a failure. I would then have immediately taken the necessary

steps to resign from my office.Since it has pleased God to return

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to me the precious treasure of my vision, I recognize in this His

clear will that I continue in the leadership of the Congregation. I

have therefore made the strongest resolutions to meet my duties

from all sides, to promote the good everywhere and to work with

the greatest zeal to correct all deficiencies which are still part of

our common work for the glory of God, in order to win in this

way more and more of the fullness of God’s blessing on our

young Congregation. In fulfilling these, my obligations, however,

I need your cooperation and support. I therefore urgently implore

all superiors and assistants to watch for the most exact

observance of the Holy Rule and to correct the erring with true

motherly, respectively, sisterly, love and not to hold the smallest

negligence as too small, but to keep in mind that, ‘The little foxes

have ruined the Lord’s vineyard’ and ‘Who is not faithful in small

things, will not be faithful in great things’. Make an effort, dear

sisters, especially the superiors, to guide the novices more and

more into the spiritual life and confirm them in the virtues of

religious life so that they may become true religious, not only in

dress, but much more, in spirit. Be alert also for the spiritual

progress of the candidates, and do not forget to reprove them

each Friday for the faults committed during the week, including

suitable admonitions and encourage-ment to good.

I have also resolved to insist, wherever possible, that the

Sunday Schools be conducted with zeal, so that the serving girls

will be instructed as much as possible in our holy religion, and

that the sisters in general never underestimate the importance of

the service among them, that they will encounter the girls with

love and care, offering them counsel and protection when they

come to visit the convent during their free time. They have here a

large sphere of influence, if they keep the girls from vanity, teach

them to save, encourage them to put their money in the savings

bank, etc.

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Concerning the pupils, I maintain, besides them receiving

a good education--which, to my joy, I have observed to be the

case--the main thing remains to plant good principles for later

life into the children’s hearts, to awaken in them feelings of

gratitude toward God, their parents, authorities, the

Congregation, or the benefactor of their particular institute in

such a way that they will not forget their stay in the institute in

later life and the graces and benefits received therein. Of

extraordinary value for this is the Marian Society introduced in

almost all of our houses (She means the Marian Congregation--

sodality). If these are well conducted they bring the richest

blessings to the house, as well as to the individual members in all

circumstances of their future lives. I think that this is conducted

best in the Marian Institute here; each superior, when she comes

here, can get information about it.

Now I have expressed what was especially in my heart,

and ask you, my dear Daughters, once again, to work with united

strength on personal holiness as also on the sanctification of the

souls entrusted to us, taking to heart the words of the Lord.

“What you did for the least of my brothers, you did for me.”

Then Mother Franziska gives some directions concerning the

arrival of the sisters for retreat and concerning those sisters that

would be permitted to make their perpetual vows on January 2,

1893, and then continues:

“Without my having thought about it before hand, I see that

the day for perpetual vows coincides with my sixtieth birthday. It will

be a heartfelt joy on this day especially, to be able to embrace so many

of my spiritual daughters who will give themselves completely as an

offering to the Lord.

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Today, October 25, is for me a day of solemn memories,

since it is 24 years ago that I arrived in Vienna to begin with the

foundation of our Congregation. Who would have thought then that

the all-good God would do such great things with such a poor

instrument! Feelings of shame and repentance arise when I think of all

the graces and benefits with which the Lord overwhelms us and how

little we have done for Him until now! How great should be our

gratitude when we only remember that our dear God honored us by

permitting us to build Him a house, and allowed our Congregation to

receive approbation in such a short time. Yes, let us praise the Lord for

this, let us bring Him the tribute of our gratitude through an ever more

fervent union with His divine will, through perfect dedication to our

holy vocation, through tireless striving for true conversion and through

the holy resolution, to make up in the twenty-fifth year of our existence

for what the Lord could have expected of us and with which we could

have brought even richer blessings upon our activity.

Although you will be getting the newly printed report of the

entire work of the Congregation since its foundation to the year 1893, I

cannot omit letting you already today see the outline, (it is added at

the end of this circular) which will surely fill you with joy and renewed

courage to live and work according to the beautiful motto, ‘All for God,

the poor and for our Congregation!”

In closing, I again urge all of you to honor our Mother Most Admirable

in a most childlike way and to do all possible to bring others to this

devotion. It was surely her powerful intercession that brought about

the fortunate outcome of the operation. I continually commend you to

her protection as well as to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, and am in

faithful love

your mother, caring for your spiritual and corporal welfare,

Franziska Lechner.

Vienna, October 25, 1892

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This letter demonstrates, besides Mother Franziska’s gratitude,

also her zeal for God’s glory and the salvation of souls, with which she again

and again tried to inflame her spiritual daughters, and also her motherly love.

The resolutions which she mentioned here, she carried out with tireless

striving. In God’s wise providence, only a little time remained for her to do so,

during which, however, her zeal brought forth some glorious fruit.

Maria Hilf Breitenfurt

CHAPTER XIV

Foundations in Leopoldsdorf in Marchfelde and Legrad

Foundation of the Convent of St. Augustine in Sarajevo

Some weeks after the operation, Mother Franziska again took up

her full schedule. On November 25, 1892 she drove to Leopoldsdorf in

Marchfelde, in order to view the kindergarten building erected by Mrs.

Henriette of Wiener--Welten and to speak in more detail with this lady who had

asked for sisters to direct the institution. This was intended especially for the

children of the employees of the nobility in Wiener-Welten. Mother Franziska

liked the house very much and it was agreed that the Congregation would take

over this new work at the beginning of the new school year.

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The sixtieth birthday of Mother Franziska was joyfully celebrated

on January 2, 1893. Many sisters from the mission houses were present

because the retreat had just ended and thirty of these were permitted to

profess their perpetual vows. In the afternoon Mother Franziska was

congratulated for her birthday. This could not be done earlier because the

retreat had only ended early on the second, followed by the profession

ceremony. Mother Franziska was very touched by the little surprise which the

sisters prepared for her in their meaningful expression of congratulations and

the afternoon passed in a pleasant togetherness. No one thought that this

would be the last joyful celebration of her birthday; The following January 2

Mother Franziska would already be lying in her final illness. To give a better

insight into her continuing activity, this account of her last working year will

treat of a more detailed presentation of her various visitation trips and more

important activities.

On February 9 Mother Franziska traveled to her spiritual

daughters in Brunn and from there to those in Prague. In this last active year,

most foundations had the good fortune of a visit; It was as though a mother’s

love urged her to see her spiritual daughters one last time. In spite of the

additional floor added in 1888, the Marian Institute in Prague was again too

small, and so, during this visit Mother Franziska made the necessary

arrangements with the builder Malina for an addition, which was to begin as

soon as possible and be completed by the end of September in the same year.

On February 28, 1893 Mother Franziska undertook a longer trip

to Hungary and Bosnia. First she went to the sisters in Kis-Czell and from there

to those in Szt. Ivan. Here a moving surprise awaited her. The children of the

school had formed groups along the way from the railroad station in order to

give Mother Franziska an ovation. The parents greeted her in a similar friendly

manner. At her departure the adults and children again turned out to show

their respect and love to Mother Franziska and left her very touched. The trip

continued from here to the institutes in Budapest and Toponar and then on to

Bosnia, first to Sarajevo, then to Dolnja-Tuzla and Breske. On the return trip to

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Hungary Mother Franziska went to the sisters in Foherczeglak and Berzencze

and made a visit to the people in Legrad who had also asked for sisters to run a

school and kindergarten.

Upon her return Mother Franziska informed her spiritual

daughters of the more important events of this trip in the following letter:

“My dear Spiritual Daughters,

The twenty-fifth year of our founding seems to have been

and continues to be a richly blessed one. Our efforts have been

accompanied in a special way by God’s blessing. Good children

always share intimately in the joys and sorrows of their parents;

Therefore, I share the following:

I have experienced much joy in my trip to the Hungarian

and Bosnian foundations and found, to my consolation, the

sisters full of zeal in the service of God. I have never yet made a

visitation trip that was so eventful as this one.

We have for years been renting from a Spanish Jew for

the first and second class of the German School and also the

needlework school for the little ones and the kindergarten,

because the St. Joseph Institute didn’t have enough space, and

because climbing the hill where it is located is too difficult in

summer as well as winter for the little ones. So that we wouldn’t

lose this house plus the beautiful building site attached to it, we

were forced to buy it for 10,500 florins. The purchase was very

favorable because it is beautifully situated right across from the

cathedral. The owner gave us a discount of 1,500 florins from the

purchase price. The house had suffered so much wear during the

winter that it was necessary to tear it down in order to build a

new institute in which to house the German School with fourteen

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sisters. The building is very large and the school can be opened

there by mid-September. The new convent will bear the name,

‘St. Augustine’.

You can imagine with what a heavy heart I decided to

build, since we had no penny; but in firm confidence in God I

made the deal with the builder. The rock-like trust in God’s most

generous goodness and mercy has not been extinguished in the

heart of your spiritual mother and therefore the building was

undertaken immediately.

On my return trip I went with Sister Borgia to Legrad to

see for myself, the new convent which the sisters should take

over on October 20 and which will receive the name

‘Stephaneum’. It is a very beautiful house with a large garden

and well endowed by the civil community. The sisters will have a

very nice field of activity there. They will receive the girls’ school,

the needlework school and the kindergarten; And they must also

take over the first and second grade of the boys’ school.

In Legrad we received a telegram from Pest, containing

the news that our neighbor who had been giving us much trouble

these 22 years, wanted to build an extension. You can imagine

the fear that Sister Borgia and I felt. The existence of St.

Margaret’s would have been very threatened by this extension,

since light and air would have been cut off. Nothing remained for

us, if our neighbor really wanted to build, except to buy the

house, but to have to do this now, when we had such expenses

for the building in Sarajevo was a big blow. I had been convinced

already earlier, however, that we would be rid of this

troublesome neighbor in Pest during this year. Sister Borgia

returned to Pest only early on April 16 from Legrad and in the

afternoon the sale had to be finalized, and for the price of 36,000

florins. We can thank God that we obtained this house because

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this neighbor was a source of much trouble for St. Margaret’s.

The ownership will change on August 1, and then the dormitory

for the serving girls will be housed there. The house is named ‘St.

Joseph’. Our Congregation has a great future in Hungary. There

will be a private prep School in the house in Pest so that the

candidates need go out only for the examinations. If we only had

many candidates, because so many houses are planned.

Pray that very many will receive the grace of a vocation.

Since their organization, the Marian Sodalities are

growing rapidly and it gives me great joy to see the visible

blessing that they bring.The retreats for women in the Troppau

house and the conferences held there and attended also by men

from the best families have not only raised the reputation of the

Institute, but also brought about much real good.

I would also like to share with you that our church has

been painted very beautifully. In many respects there are many

joys and surprises awaiting the sisters who will come to the

Jubilee Celebration. (She meant the 25th Anniversary of the

Congregation on November 21, 1893).

I ask you, dear Sisters, to pray for me very much,

especially during this year which is so important for the

Congregation, so that I can fulfill all the duties of my office. Pray

also for the General Assistants that they may always be able to

give me good advice. Have very special devotion to St. Michael,

the Archangel, so that Satan may be prevented from working evil

among either individuals or houses; because he will surely bring

all his talent to bear to cause a storm during the Jubilee Year.

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Calling the blessing of God down upon you and

recommending you to the protection of the Mother of God and

St. Joseph, I am, in faithful love,

your mother,

caring about your spiritual and

material welfare,

Sister M. Franziska Lechner

Mother House, May 1, 1893

This eventful trip was connected with much work for Mother

Franziska, especially in Sarajevo, where she not only tested the children in all

the classes, but also spent three days in arranging the sketches from which the

architect would make the floor plan for St. Augustine Convent, since with her

talent for building, Mother Franziska always made the first plans for the

Congregation’s buildings herself. Although the future St. Augustine Convent

caused her much worry because of the money, it was always a special joy for

her. She made the decision to build in Sarajevo itself only after seeing the need

and, to surprise the sisters in the Mother House, she wrote nothing home

about it during the trip. After her return she brought out the plans and the

architect’s sketch of the future convent and inspired joyful surprise. Jokingly

she said that if she could not come up with the money for the building, she

would be locked up in the debtor’s tower. She often asked for detailed reports

about the building. Maybe she had an intuition that this would be the last

convent she would build; at the farewell she had wept bitterly and said to the

sisters, “Children, I will not see you again.” In fact, she did come back to

Sarajevo another time in October 1893, but it was still a hint of her coming

death, which had crept up to her and which came more frequently and, as was

later recounted, more insistently the nearer she came to the event. This

intuition, that there was only a little time left for her to work, was in any case,

what drove her to increase her zeal and energetic activity. Work and worry

enough were brought to her by this last year of activity, as we already partially

see from the above circular; in addition to the many visitation trips, the worry

about the purchase in Budapest for which a large sum had to be paid within a

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few weeks, for the building in Sarajevo and the new foundations to be staffed,

came also the preparations for the Jubilee of the Congregation, which she

wanted to celebrate as festively as possible. In union with the Rev. Karl

Kummer, at first spiritual director of the Breitenfurt houses and later director of

the Church and chaplain for the Mother House, she composed a successful

chronicle of the Congregation, a work of several months’ duration, which was

printed at the beginning of September 1893. This was intended to give all

friends and benefactors of the Congregation an insight into the activity of the

Congregation within the last twenty-five years and demonstrate how visibly

God’s blessing accompanied the works. This book was intended also to serve as

encouragement to all her spiritual daughters and challenge to renewed zeal in

working according to the motto, “All for God, for the Poor and for our

Congregation!”

On May 9 Mother Franziska undertook a trip to St. Andre and

found the religious discipline in full flower there, to her joy; She was overjoyed

too about the zeal of the pupils and the good management of the farm. The

convent “St. Hildegarde” in Biala was of special concern to Mother Franziska

because it was badly in need of major repairs. A fungus had done significant

damage to the attic beams of the old house and the roof tiles were so rotted

that a complete recovering seemed an absolute necessity. Since this house was

only lent to the sisters for their use and because of the high expenses for the

purchase in Budapest and the building in Sarajevo, Mother Franziska was

undecided about the repairs. She therefor made a request to his Royal

Highness, Archduke Albrecht to intercede with the Archdukal Office of Property

Management in Saybusch about undertaking the repairs. At the same time she

humbly requested that His Majesty would deign to donate the Lipnik Palace,

now a convent, to the Congregation in perpetuity for instructional and

formational purposes. In a very few days, on May 13, 1893, Mother Franziska

received written notice from the Property Management Office that His

Highness had granted the second request and donated the Lipnik Palace to the

Congregation. This news filled Mother Franziska with great gratitude toward

the noble benefactor and she immediately set about fulfilling her promise to

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compose a prayer for his Highness which would be recited there every day by

the sisters and pupils after Holy Mass, in the event that he would donate the

“St. Hildegarde Convent” to the Congregation. On May 18, during a trip to

Krakow she gave this prayer to the house Catechist and to the secretary of the

newly elevated Cardinal Dunajewski with the request to correct it and show it

to His Eminence as the chief shepherd of the Biala convent. The Cardinal was

very pleased about the donation and made some additions to the prayer which

he then approved. Mother Franziska drove from Krakow to Biala; the joyful

news she brought about the house naturally caused all around rejoicing.

After she visited the sisters in Troppau and drove from there to

0lmitz to pay a visit to the newly-appointed Archbishop Theodor Kohn and ask

for his good wishes for the Congregation and especially for the Troppau Marian

Institute situated in his diocese, she returned to Vienna. Her first concern now

was to have the prayer for Archduke Albrecht printed. When this was

completed, Mother Franziska presented it with respectful gratitude to His

Highness and distributed it also among the Archdukes and Archduchesses as

well as the ladies in waiting, for which purpose she had some samples prepared

in an especially artistic form; the beautiful prayer was graciously received by

various highly placed persons and these had letters of gratitude sent to Mother

Franziska. To his great joy she also left some samples of the prayer with Mr.

Bretzler, in charge of the court employees of Archduke Albrecht for distribution

to them. Shortly thereafter His Highness met Mr. Bretzler on the stairs and

asked, “Have you already received the beautiful prayer?” As he responded that

Mother Franziska had not only given one to him, but also for various employees

and that these had been distributed, the Archduke was very touched and

pleased and wrote the following letter, which is preserved in the

Congregation’s archive, to Mother Franziska in His own hand.

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“Vienna, June 28, 1893

Honored Lady!

Deeply touched, that you yourself have composed a

prayer for the salvation of my soul, and have it prayed daily by

hundreds of persons for the little that I have done for your so

worthy Institute, I can respond with a most cordial, “God reward

you.” because the spiritual good deeds that you give me in this

way are in no way comparable with my gifts.

I pray God, that He may give you still many more years of

health and strength for the salvation of the thousands of children

who owe their salvation and education to your foundations, and

your wonderful, self-sacrificing activity.

Recommending myself to your pious prayers,

Your,

Sincerely respectful,

E. Albrecht

Fieldmarshal”

His Royal Highness gave this letter to his Court Master with the

order to address it and mail it; but in his joy for the recognition given Mother

Franziska, brought the letter himself to the Mother House. Unfortunately he

did not meet Mother Franziska because she had on this day gone to Biala

because of the donation of the Lipnik Palace to take place on June 30. The

sisters of the Mother House were overjoyed at this honor to their spiritual

mother and, since they did not want to entrust the precious original to the mail,

a copy was immediately made in the secretariat and this was forwarded to

Mother Franziska. She was very touched by the honor and graciousness shown

her by His Royal Highness. The repairs, in which Mother Franziska would have

liked to include the building of another story remained a special concern for

Mother Franziska but she could not carry it out and it was done only after her

death.

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In July and in the beginning of August she conducted the novices’

preparation for the profession of their holy vows and said in a very certain tone

to them, “You are the last group that I will prepare for profession.” Her spiritual

daughters, who did not even want to accept the thought of having to lose their

beloved mother, did not give much credit to these words, especially since at

that time there was no serious fear of her death in the near future. It is true

that for a longer time already Mother Franziska could take only little

nourishment, which was caused, it was later determined by increasing fat

around the liver pressing against the stomach; but she had always lived

modestly and in this year developed an activity that seemed to exceed even her

earlier zeal, as if she enjoyed the best of health. The subsequent events though,

showed that Mother Franziska’s words had been true; for the reception and

profession ceremonies were not held on the Feast of the Presentation of Mary

in 1893 because of the Jubilee, and when they took place again the following

August, Mother Franziska was already in Eternity.

During the August Retreat of 1893, attended by 92 professed

sisters, besides 31 candidates for reception and 38 novices preparing for

profession, Mother Franziska was constantly busy, held readings, explained the

Holy Rule, spoke individually with each professed sister, etc. The reception and

profession day on August 18, although, as always, it brought the usual fatigue,

was a happy one for her because it brought so many added fellow-workers to

her work and besides, thirteen sisters made their perpetual profession. After

the celebration she went as usual to the relatives and spoke with them in her

accustomed loving, heart-winning way. Even though the strain of such days,

and the great deal of talking made her very tired, she still made herself

available to any of the guests who wanted to speak to her individually. She

spoke even with those who could not speak German by using a sister as

translator, and all left her presence full of joy about the kindness of Mother

Franziska and considering themselves happy in the knowledge that they had

entrusted their daughters to such a mother. Even some years after her death,

the guests at reception and profession ceremonies would come to talk about

Mother Franziska’s goodness and friendliness and some tears accompanied

these words.

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On September 1, 1893 she sent the sisters assigned to the new

foundation to Leopoldsdorf to make the preparations for the blessing of the

house. This took place on the Feast of the Nativity of Mary and Mother

Franziska was also present for the beautiful celebration. On September 20 the

sisters assigned by her to the foundation in Legrad drove off and she promised

them that she would attend the blessing of the house.

On October 6 Mother Franziska undertook her last trip; This was

to the Hungarian and Bosnian foundations. One sign that she had a

premonition that this would be her last journey was the fact that she chose as

companions the Superior of the Mother House, and her future successor, Sister

Ignazia Egger and the Superior of the house in Pest, who joined them there,

Sister Borgia Uri. She often remarked afterward that she knew what she was

doing, taking along General Assistants, especially Sister Ignazia, giving them an

insight into foundations and an understanding of everything. The trip went first

to Kis-Czell, because the Abbot of the Benedictine Monastery there, the Rev.

Justinian Holosy, celebrated his golden jubilee Mass and very much desired

Mother Franziska’s presence. The Abbot was overjoyed at having this wish

fulfilled. Then the journey continued on to the sisters in Szt. Ivan and from

there to Budapest. Here Mother Franziska visited the house bought that Spring

and saw that this purchase was really very necessary and also advantageous for

the Institute. From Budapest she drove with her two companions to Bosnia and

directly to Dolnja-Tuzla, in which city she was dismayed to find an outbreak of

cholera and the school of the sisters was also closed. After a four-day stay

during which she also paid visits to the sisters in Joseph’s Home and Breske, the

trip continued on to Sarajevo. The new building, St. Augustine’s, was nearing

completion and Mother Franziska was surprised by its beautiful and practical

style. It had been her wish to attend the blessing, but this could not be held, as

previously planned, on October 24, but only on November 15, because there

was still too much work to be done. But the seventeen sisters who were to

move from St. Joseph’s Institute to St. Augustine were conducted there by

Mother Franziska who would not let herself be denied this pleasure, and sat

down in a room with the wood shavings still strewn about and spoke in a

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motherly way to her spiritual daughters, encouraging them to work most

zealously for the glory of God in their beautiful new home.

Mother Franziska and her two companions began the return trip

on October 23. After a short stop in Berzencze they arrived at noon of the 24th

in Legrad, where the blessing and first Holy Mass were to take place on the

25th. All present were touched by the celebration, but Mother Franziska, for

whom this day also seemed important in another way, more than all others. It

was on this day, exactly twenty-five years before, that she had first come to

Vienna to found the Congregation, and she could not contain her tears during

Holy Mass as she remembered the wise guidance of God and the many benefits

she had received during this time. On the very same day Mother Franziska and

her two General Assistants began the trip back to Vienna because the

preparations for the Jubilee and the following retreat were pressing. Because of

this she had generally hurried this trip and stayed nowhere longer than was

absolutely necessary. This great hurry together with all the exertion tied to the

long trip, added to the strain that had come before, were too much for Mother

Franziska. While during such trips she normally called her companions’

attention to the scenery, pointed out the more important sites, and explained

various things, she this time mostly just fell asleep and had only very little

appetite. She arrived in Vienna very tired, but would not give herself any rest in

spite of the pleas of the sisters, and this would hardly have been possible in any

case because of all the work that lay ahead. The Chronicle of the Congregation,

of which Mother Franziska had 2000 copies printed had to be distributed and

mailed and this was begun immediately. The members of the Imperial Family,

several Bishops, in whose Diocese the Congregation had houses, or who were

its special friends, benefactors and well-wishers, received copies. Mother

Franziska also had a copy sent to each convent so that it could be saved in the

library and the sisters would have the opportunity to read it at any time. These

were very pleased with the beautiful work and it awakened great interest also

outside the convent, so that Mother Franziska received countless thank-you

letters, coupled with wishes for the future prosperity of the Congregation.

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Mother House Church, Vienna

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CHAPTER XV

The twenty-fifth Anniversary of the Founding of the Congregation,

and, on November 21, 1893,

the double Silver Jubilee of Mother Franziska in Religion and in office.

In a circular dated the Feast of the Archangel Raphael, 1893, Mother Franziska

wrote to the sisters:

“My dear Spiritual Daughters!

Addressing this circular to my spiritual daughters on the

occasion of the coming important day, with humble heart I beg the Holy

Spirit to let me find the right words which will not fail to bring about the

desired effect.

In a very short time our Congregation will celebrate the

twenty-fifth year of its existence. What feelings of gratitude, of joy, but

also of bitter repentance fill my heart as this beautiful feast draws near

can hardly be described. Before all else, dear Sisters, I must give free

reign to the deepest gratitude. Understand in your inmost heart along

with me and consider what a weak instrument the Almighty has used to

bring about in a relatively short time all the good which is recounted in

the report published for this celebration. How many souls did God

preserve in our institutes from temporal and eternal destruction and in

His plan we were so blessed to be allowed to cooperate in this salvation!

May the Lord be praised a thousand times for these special graces. The

seed planted with so much effort and care twenty-five years ago has

become a stately tree within whose shade many can find salvation and

help for soul and body. Whereas I was at that time all alone, I now see

myself surrounded by a multitude of consecrated virgins numbering

almost 600. My good Sisters, in these twenty-five years, if we had only

really appreciated what it means to be permitted to work for the

salvation of immortal souls! May the Holy Spirit work in our hearts so

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that we may examine and recognize all our omissions and with the help

of His grace faithfully carry out the consequent resolutions! Therefore, I

ask each of my spiritual daughters to prepare herself very worthily for

this feast and, as far as it is possible in the various houses, to spend the

three preceding days in holy peace and quiet retreat. November 21 is

after all important from two perspectives because the renewal of vows

will also take place then. I have given each Superior a little booklet with

conferences for a three-day retreat which should be used as

preparation. It is especially convenient that the Feast of the

Presentation falls on a Tuesday; since Saturday and Sunday are free in

any case, giving the sisters uninterrupted time for preparation, and on

Monday at least one conference can be read in the morning and

another one in the evening. On these three days the addition “A pure

heart create in me, 0 Lord and renew a right spirit within me!” should be

attached to all community prayers.

On the three days preceding the feast there should also be

Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament in all our houses followed by the

prayer to Mother Most Admirable: “Hail, Noble Queen...” plus three

‘Hail Mary’s. On the feast itself there should be Mass celebrated with

Benediction, where possible also attended by the school children and in

the afternoon there should of course be a service with the Te Deum.

Here in the Mother House the day will be celebrated as beautifully as

possible and I hope that the Holy Father will send us his blessing. I

intend to request this not only for all the Sisters but also for the

benefactors of the Congregation since they have collaborated with all

the good accomplished so far. This kindness and grace of His Holiness

will then be the crown of the feast day.

The sisters who are coming to the retreat, as well as those

who may travel here only for the celebration, should arrive at the

Mother House on the evening of November 19, or, at the latest, on the

morning of the 20th. The retreat will this time begin only on the evening

of the 22nd because the celebration will bring much distraction and the

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Spiritual Exercises would lose their effectiveness if they began before the

21st as usual.

Unfortunately not all the sisters for whom we wanted to

prepare the joy of this Foundation Day can come. First, there would not

be enough room, because so many guests will be coming, especially

those clergy who are participating in the guidance of our Congregation,

and secondly we could not afford the travel expenses. Therefore, only

those sisters who have won some special merit or who have earned it

through collection of alms for the Congregation will come here for the

celebration. But, in spirit all the sisters will be here and you will receive

the details of the celebration from those who were present.

In closing I want to recall to mind the words that I placed so

urgently in your heart during the retreats: “Sister, the Master calls!” If

you keep this thought in mind the practice of obedience will never seem

difficult. On our beautiful feast give yourself so totally to your Divine

Bridegroom as Mary offered herself this day to God in the temple.

Remember that not the tiniest idol may have a place in your heart if you

want to receive the Lord’s blessing in fullest measure. May our good

Mother Mary beg for you the right disposition and great zeal in our holy

vocation.

This is the wish and pleading for you of

Your,

always concerned for your spiritual and corporal welfare, Mother,

Franziska Lechner

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Mother Franziska did not want simply an outwardly festive

celebration to show her gratitude to God for all His graces and kindnesses but,

above all that it would serve as a spiritual renewal for all her spiritual daughters

so that these would continue the work of their holy vocation with an increased

zeal and a total dedication to God. The preparation she ordained to this end

was most suitable as well as worthy of the beautiful feast and it was faithfully

carried out in all the houses.

On November 11, Mother Franziska was received in audience by

their Royal Highnesses the Archduchesses Immakulata and Karoline. She

presented them with the Chronicle and requested that their Royal Highnesses

would deign to honor the Solemn Mass with their royal presence, to which the

noble ladies gladly assented. Two days later Mother Franziska also presented a

copy of the Chronicle to His Eminence, the Cardinal Dr. Anton Gruscha which he

received with great kindness. On November 16, she received to her great joy a

hand written note from Archbishop Dr. Stadler of Sarajevo who just happened

to be attending the Bishops’ Conference in Vienna, in which he informed her

that he would remain in Vienna long enough to participate in the Jubilee

Celebration of the Congregation. On November 18, the Superiors of the mission

houses and those sisters who were permitted to come to Vienna for the

celebration, the majority of whom would be making their retreat immediately

thereafter, arrived in the Mother House. This day also marked the beginning of

a public Triduum in the church to prepare for the Jubilee and for which Mother

Franziska had received the permission of the Chancery Office. Many of the

faithful attended the daily morning Mass with Benediction and the evening

Benediction with sermon which made up the beautiful preparation. The 20th of

November brought the many welcome guests, among them the Archbishop Dr.

Stadler with his Vicar General, Canon Dr. Jeglic, a ‘large number of priests,

confessors of various houses or special friends of the Congregation’. They all

wanted to share the festive joy of Mother Franziska and her spiritual daughters.

The latter had not forgotten that the twenty-fifth anniversary of the existence

of the Congregation was at the same time the Silver Jubilee of the Religious

Profession and Office of their beloved Mother and had been working for a long

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time to prepare various surprises. A special festive congratulation was set for

the evening in time for which the guests had also arrived. Everything was ready

at 4:30 and Archbishop Stadler led Mother Franziska into the hall, followed by

the other guests. At the Jubilarian’s entrance the students from the Marian

Institute hidden behind a curtain, sang a beautiful greeting song. Then eight

sisters recited a well-written poem, especially composed for the occasion by

the famous poet, Miss Hermine Proschko, containing the main events of the

Congregation’s history. The whole was meant to be a spiritual bouquet of

flowers for the dear Mother and so the various stanzas were named after

blossoms which symbolized their contents. The foundation of the Congregation

and the Vienna Marienanstalt were designated “roses”, the first clothing and

profession, the first Holy Mass in the Marian Institute were “lilies”, the

protectorate of the Congregation assumed by Her Royal Highness the

Archduchess Annunziata and after her death, by Empress Elizabeth was called

“rosemary”, the dedication of the chapel in the Marienanstalt, installation of

the Blessed Sacrament, visit of Her Majesty, the Empress, was entitled,

“everlasting”, founding of the mission houses, the approval, after ten years of

apostolic activity, of the Rule by the Bishops was “ivy”, the Decree of Praise

from the Holy Father, the Plenary Indulgence granted for the Feast of Our Lady

of Snows “sunflower”, profession of perpetual vows, the new Mother House

and Church, the presence of His Majesty the Emperor at its dedication was

symbolized by “edelweiss”. Each of the sisters held the symbol-blossom in her

hand and presented it to the deeply moved Mother Franziska at the completion

of her recitation. The students sang an appropriate song between the stanzas.

The eight sisters expressed the gratitude of all her daughters to the beloved

Mother and at the end presented her with a laurel wreath. At the next to last

stanza of the declamation of gratitude the curtain on the provisional stage

opened to show a living picture of the Sacred Heart of Jesus surrounded by the

patron Saints of the Congregation, illuminated by special stage lighting. This

was performed by the students of the Marienanstalt. The entire exalted

celebration of gratitude ended with the singing of the solemn praise of the Te

Deum. Mother Franziska was very surprised and moved to tears. The jubilee

gifts were set up in the neighboring chapter room. Knowing that Mother

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Franziska would have little joy in such a fuss about her modest person, the

sisters prepared accordingly. At the first place was a glorious vestment set of

white silk with artistic embroidery, (On the chasuble is an embroidered picture

of Mother Most Admirable) for which the various mission houses of the

Congregation had contributed and which the Sisters in Sarajevo had

embroidered. Mother Franziska was overjoyed about this meaningful gift

designed for the greater glory of God and said the vestment set was a gift

worthy of the beautiful feast. A second precious gift was a gold—plated silver

monstrance containing genuine gem-stones taken from the personal jewelry

offered by the three benefactors who had donated it. Archbishop Dr. Stadler

gave Mother Franziska a gilded altar crucifix. The Jubilarian also had great joy at

the fulfillment of an idea she had once expressed: a family tree of the

Congregation, created by the artistic hand of one of the sisters, it consisted of a

mighty oak from whose roots arose the old and the new Mother Houses and

whose branches carried the various mission houses. This same sister had also

painted the single mission houses on separate sheets of an album. Besides this

there was a book bound in silver silk and embroidered blue silk in which the

Jubilee poem was entered in beautifully executed calligraphy with a hand-

painted illustration of the above mentioned flower after each of the individual

chapters. At the express wish of Mother Franziska the illustration of the tree

was later framed and hung in the chapter room.

Many friends of the Congregation took part in the joy of the

sisters and Mother Franziska received Congratulations this day from near and

far and from many persons in high places of church and state. Representatives

of the city government of Vienna did not fail to send the congratulations of the

City Council the day before along with a symbolic gift of 500 florins to be used

for her charitable activities. On the day itself the district representatives for the

location of the Mother House and the Marienanstalt also sent cordial best

wishes and a congratulatory decree in recognition of the twenty-five year

apostolic activity of the Congregation.

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There was still much to be done on the evening before the

celebration and the sisters were busy far into the night getting beautiful

decorations ready, especially in the Church, for this great day of the

Congregation and of their spiritual Mother. At her special request the old

crucifix in the sisters’ choir before which she had prayed as a child, along with

the statue of Our Lady of Sorrows at its feet, was also decorated. In her youth

she had always removed this statue from its place on the Feast of Corpus

Christi in order to carry it, decorated with flowers, in the procession along with

her friends in the Sodality. They did not neglect to decorate also the statues of

Mary and Joseph in the sisters’ common room which Mother Franziska had

purchased in the early days of the Congregation. Finally the festal day dawned.

At 5:30 began the Holy Masses which were celebrated simultaneously at the

various altars and which went on until 8:30. The sisters renewed their vows

during the Mass celebrated by Vicar General Jeglic at 6 A. M. at the altar in the

sisters’ choir. Their Royal Highnesses Archduchesses Immakulata and Karoline

came to the Solemn Mass at 9 along with her Excellency the Countess Goess as

representative of her Majesty the Empress, His Excellency Count Kielmannsegg,

His Lordship Count Kufstein, Count Attems and other highly placed persons.

Mother Franziska greeted the guests with her usual cordiality and accompanied

them to the places reserved for them in the church. His Excellency the Auxiliary

Bishop Eduard Angerer celebrated the Solemn High Mass with the assistance of

fifteen priests and others, using for the first time the new vestments. At the

conclusion His Excellency imparted the Solemn Apostolic Blessing which His

Holiness had deigned to send for the Jubilarian as well as all the members and

benefactors of the Congregation. The Holy Father had also granted a plenary

indulgence to all the faithful in the church who, after reception of the

Sacraments and recitation of the prescribed prayers, wished to receive it.

Mother Franziska was very happy about these graces and consoled by the

thought that much advantage for the salvation of souls came about through the

Triduum and the indulgence. The feelings that filled her on the Jubilee day can

be concluded from the words she directed to her spiritual daughters and which

are added here. It is possible that it was joined to a renewed premonition of

her approaching death. Although she said nothing that would cloud the joy of

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the day for her children it was precisely on the jubilee day that Mother

Franziska’s serious illness began. During the Solemn High Mass, suddenly

sensing a sharp pain in the region of the lungs, she left the church and

stumbled exhausted into the sacristy, saying to Sister Helene Bonard, the

Superior of the Vienna Marienanstalt who was there, “Quick, let me sit! If this

isn’t pneumonia, I don’t know what it could be.” Sister Helene, shocked,

brought a chair for Mother Franziska, but she did not remain seated for long. As

soon as she recovered a little she could not be prevented from returning to the

church. With her usual self-control she remained erect, fulfilled her obligations

to the guests and was cheerful. Of course, the sisters advised her to take it

easy, but she wanted in no way to spoil the joy of the celebration and so

avoided everything that could raise a fear of serious illness. Besides, she was so

happy to have such a large number of her spiritual daughters--there were

about 150--around her. Among them were some who had helped her with the

founding and shared her joy and pain during the passed twenty-five years.

At 5 in the afternoon the Reverend Cathedral Preacher, now His

Excellency Pastor to the Court, St. Augustine Church and the City of Vienna,

Franz Binder, gave a wonderfully uplifting sermon in the church, packed with

faithful. Thereupon followed Solemn Benediction with Te Deum by Archbishop

Stadler. Also present for this was the Bishop of Linz, Dr. Franz Doppelbauer who

was in Vienna too for the Bishop’s conference and came for the celebration in

the evening to congratulate the Jubilarian. Mother Franziska’s joy was all the

greater because this bishop had not known much about the Congregation and

only noticed it’s activities as a result of the Chronicle which was sent to him.

Bishop Doppelbauer was also present for the play “St. Peter at Heaven’s Gate”

which was presented by the students of the Marienanstalt. Of course

Archbishop Stadler and the other guests were also present. In this play, St.

Peter carried out his function as guardian of the heavenly gate and St. Michael

the Archangel presented various souls whom he admitted to eternal bliss.

Finally the Angel presented a religious Foundress who wore a silver crown on

her head, because this day her silver Jubilee was being solemnly celebrated on

earth, but she had escaped the commotion of the feast and asked the holy

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Archangel to take her to her heavenly home to be united with her heavenly

Bridegroom. St. Peter did not want to honor her request because she had not

come through the gate of death, but still had a long time to work for the glory

of God and the welfare of those entrusted to her. Finally, to encourage her for

the future struggles he partially fulfilled her repeated request by letting her

take a peek into heaven. The background curtain parted and the Divine Savior,

surrounded by the Blessed Mother, St. Joseph, many angels, Saints and the

blessed appeared in a glorious light and the Jubilarian, deeply moved fell to her

knees as the play ended. All present praised the play and Mother Franziska also

expressed her pleasure with it. No one of the Sisters or guests thought that play

was at the same time a hint of things to come and the wish that the Jubilarian

expressed would soon be fulfilled in Mother Franziska. Only she herself had

perhaps continued to think about it.

The evening of the beautiful day was spent in a totally joyful

way. There was great joy for Mother Franziska and all present when a Sister

appeared in a black hat like the ones worn at the founding of the Congregation

and later two others appeared with bonnets with double ruffle and no veil as

was worn later. Still filled with joy and gratitude toward God everyone went to

rest at the close of this beautiful day, not thinking that sorrow would follow on

the heels of joy.

CHAPTER XVI

Mother Franziska’s Maternal Love and her Concern for the Congregation

According to God’s wise decrees the completion of Mother

Franziska’s work with the Congregation was to be almost contemporaneous

with the twenty-fifth Anniversary of it’s existence. It was as though God wanted

to preserve her life just long enough to conquer the greatest difficulties and

insure the continuation of the work she founded; The further consolidation was

to be left to others. To get a complete picture, since the narrative up to now

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focused on the external work of Mother Franziska for the Congregation, it

remains, before reporting her last illness and death, to speak more extensively

about her efforts on behalf of the interior development and consolidation of

her work and those related personal qualities that were most manifest.

Mother Franziska lived totally for the Congregation, giving it all

her time, offering it her health, her rest and even her life with a constant view

toward God’s greater glory and the good of humanity so that she literally wore

out in the service of the Almighty. All her planning and striving was directed

toward the greatest possible good being accomplished by the Congregation for

the above mentioned reasons and for this purpose she used all her energies to

lead her spiritual daughters according to the Constitutions and to inspire them

to its perfect observance. She knew well that a true religious spirit was only

possible through a zealous fulfillment of the Holy Rule and only this true spirit

would ensure God’s blessing and fruitful work. She herself went ahead with the

best example, especially since it was her basic conviction that example was

more useful than many words. This zeal, along with an exactness in the service

of God, coupled with her very beautiful spiritual gifts, helped her to lead her

Congregation with circumspection and promote its rapid development.

With God’s help Mother Franziska had accomplished great things

in a relatively short time. A wise use of her time was also a contributing factor

to this. She had a need for restless work and allowed herself little recreation.

Except for the times devoted to the spiritual activities she was totally busy

about the affairs of the Congregation. She was either on her way here or there

to some offices, authorities or important personages with some business, or

she was at her desk dictating letters or petitions. In the later years, especially,

because of her weakened eyesight, she had to limit herself to items that could

be written or dictated. She had the special skill of dictating two and even three

letters at one time without confusing the train of thought. The writers had to sit

close to her desk and she would dictate one sentence to the first, and as this

one was writing, she dictated to the second and to the third and then go along

the row again from the beginning. If the day was not long enough for the work,

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she also used the night in her younger years when her strength allowed it. We

already mentioned how she often traveled during the night to save time. The

many trips she made annually to almost all the houses of the Congregation

must not be thought of as vacation journeys. She used the travel time for

prayer or to show and explain the region to her companions. When she arrived

in a mission house she immediately went with all the Sisters to the chapel to

greet the Lord and to recite together the prayer she had designated for this

occasion, “Prayer for the Light of Holy Spirit for the Superior General”. During

her presence in the house she thoroughly discussed all the concerns of the

house with the superior and had each Sister from the oldest to the youngest

come to her individually so that they could speak from the heart about their

corporal and spiritual concerns with their Mother and in these individual talks

she received a comprehensive picture of the house. She gave beautiful talks for

the Sisters and the Candidates, especially about their obligations and the

virtues of the religious life, touching upon those particular things that were

necessary for that particular house. She also examined the account books and

inspected the entire house to assure herself that order and cleanliness reigned,

that holy poverty was observed, but on the other hand, that there was no

longer any dire need. Neither did the garden, and if there was a farm, the barn,

sheds and fields escape her visit. Everywhere she gave orders, advice, praise or

reprimand, as the situation demanded. She also held quizzes in all the classes

and looked at the notebooks and handicrafts of the boarders and day students,

encouraging them to piety, to hard work and good behavior. She told them

beautiful stories and gave them little gifts. She listened to the songs and poems

recited by the little ones in the kindergarten and told them about God and our

Heavenly Mother and the Guardian Angel in a way suited to their abilities. The

unemployed servant girls also enjoyed her visits and kind words of

encouragement. There were usually other visits, obligations of courtesy and for

the good of the house, in which she commended the sisters to the favor of the

authorities and friends and in which she thanked them for favors already

received. There were also visitors to receive since, being well-liked, there were

always many people wanting to see and speak with her. When all these

obligations were fulfilled, even the pleas of the sisters who would have gladly

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kept her a while longer among them, could not hold Mother Franziska back and

she continued to the next house. When the particular visitation journey was

completed she returned without delay to Vienna.

As tirelessly as Mother Franziska herself worked, so much more

did she take care that the sisters should not be overburdened and wanted them

to regularly take the necessary recreation and rest. Neither did she accept that

the prescribed spiritual exercises, which she rightly recognized as the

nourishment for the soul, would be neglected for the sake of work. She placed

special value on meditation for she was of the opinion that those who

meditated well would also know how to live well. She was concerned that the

sisters would make the annual retreat and whenever remotely possible that

this would be made in the Mother House. During this time she was happy to be

with the sisters in order to talk to them and with them, and also to preserve the

sense of belonging and unity through these gatherings. In the early years when

the Congregation was not so large, Mother Franziska often gave these retreats

herself to the sisters and her simple but divinely inspired and God-blessed

words never missed the purpose of these kinds of spiritual exercises. In general

her words, as the sisters used to say, came from the heart and so were able to

reach hearts. These, whether spoken or written, often consisted of the themes

of faithful observance of the rule and the sacred vows, the exact observance of

sisterly love, as well as silence and gratitude for the grace of vocation. Here we

present only some samples from her many beautiful circulars written to her

spiritual daughters. Preceding the Feast of the Presentation in 1881. After

having mentioned the sins and failings which can be committed with the

tongue, she says:

“Dear Sisters, the holy season of Advent is coming. As you know this is a

time of penance and preparation for the holy Feast of Christmas. Let us

struggle valiantly out of love for the Divine Child Jesus and to the fasting

obligation given us by the Church, let us add the fasting for our tongue

and examine our conscience each night in this regard. God will support

us in this struggle and we will surely make great progress in virtue. Let

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us daily thank the Lord with our whole soul for the grace of vocation to

the religious life. Let us remind ourselves of this vividly each morning

when we pray: “Especially we thank you that you have led us here, etc.”

Such a preparation, or rather, such a purification will be very comforting

and pleasing to the Divine Child. Mary and Joseph will gladly place their

little child in the crib of our hearts, the holy Angels will adore their God

who comes to live in our hearts in Holy Communion on Christmas day

and we will experience the heavenly peace that these residents of

heaven once announced on Bethlehem’s plain. All the graces which

Jesus gives the souls who prepare well to receive Him in Holy

Communion will then be poured down upon us in the richest measure.

May the Divine Heart of Jesus grant us the grace to prepare ourselves

worthily in this manner for the holy Feast of Christmas. That we may be

more surely heard let us beg for this in a united way before the Most

Blessed Sacrament. And now I ask for the blessing of the Holy Triune

God upon you, my spiritual daughters:

‘May God the Almighty Father bless you with the blessing with which He

blessed all creatures as He formed them; May Jesus Christ, the Son of

the Almighty God bless you with the blessing which He gave the world

at His Ascension, and which His hand imparted to the whole of

humanity; May the Holy Spirit bless you with the blessing with which He

blessed the Virgin Mother of God and the entire Christendom to whom

He was sent! The blessing of the Almighty rest upon you, accompany

you on all your ways and finally lead you to eternal life! Amen.’

Sister M, Franziska Lechner”

For the beginning of Lent, 1883 she wrote:

“Each Superior has the obligation to obtain the pastoral

letter or Diocesan Newspaper which contains the regulations concerning

fasting and make sure that the sister in charge of the kitchen

understands these ordinances. Since, according to our Holy Rule, we do

not practice any fast other than that prescribed by the Diocese, I urge

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and ask each Sister to take upon themselves other mortifi-cations, of

which there are many, especially self-denial, struggling against self-will

and to practice the virtue of obedience in a special way during the

Season of Lent. Obedience is one of the most important virtues in

Religious Life. I am certain that we can give our Heavenly Bridegroom

no greater joy than by a zealous attempt to imitate during the forty

days of Lent, the obedience which He practiced toward His Heavenly

Father from His entrance into this world until His last breath on the

cross. What an offering the Son of God brought by His poverty, in His

persecution, in His sufferings, until He could call out upon the cross: ‘The

work you gave me to do is accomplished, in your hands, Oh Father, I

commend my spirit!’ I urge the sisters in our houses to think about these

last words of Christ on the cross for five minutes after night prayers

during the season of Lent. Therefore, the prayer leader is to read these

words out loud so that they can be recalled by all. The sisters should

then hold a short self-examination about their ability, if the Lord should

call, to say, ‘It is finished! The work that you, My Lord and God, have

assigned me in my holy vocation is now at an end. I have fulfilled all the

sacrifices of obedience, behaving faithfully according to my holy vows.’

This practice will be useful for each Sister and for the entire

Congregation. Our Law Book is the Holy Rule. Let us observe it in the

most conscientious way. We have, after all, obliged ourselves at the

altar through our Holy Vows and will some day be judged according to

them. If each one of you has observed the Holy Rule to the smallest

detail during her religious life, you can confidently call out immediately

as did your Heavenly Bridegroom, ‘Father, into your hands I commend

my spirit!’ What a blessed passing! What a joyful reception from the

most just and holy Judge! How Mary will rejoice to lead the bride of her

divine Son into the chambers of Heaven! With what rejoicing will such a

soul be received by the holy Guardian Angels and Patron Saints of the

Congregation! If you weigh this seriously obedience will not be difficult

for you. Therefore dear Sisters, I beg you to take this very earnestly to

heart. The Holy Spirit will operate in your heart so that you will rightly

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acknowledge that no other virtue can be practiced without obedience.

Our Congregation will then celebrate the Feast of the Resurrection of

the Lord with double joy because its Sisters have been confirmed in this

basic virtue of religious life. I will daily plead urgently with the Lord that

He might strengthen my spiritual daughters in the battle against

disobedience and that He might let them recognize fully the beauty of

the virtue of obedience.

Jesus, although enthroned in Heaven, continues His

obedience and will continue until the end of the world, in that He

descends from Heaven to Earth at the word of the Priest at the

Consecration and allows bread and wine to be changed into His holy

Body and Blood. On the sacred Easter morning this obedient Jesus will

enter your hearts with great joy and rich treasures and take up

permanent residence there. Then you will feel what it means to have

imitated this virtue which Jesus especially revered. An obedient sister

has peace with God, with her superiors and with herself because she

lives exactly according to the regulations. Let us pray for one another

that we may all participate in this great happiness.

And now I bless you in the name of the Most Blessed Trinity and place

you under the special protection of our good Mother Mary and the holy

Angels and am in love,

your mother, concerned for your spiritual and corporal welfare,

Franziska Lechner”

True enthusiasm characterized the words of Mother Franziska

whenever she spoke of the grace of vocation. Again and again she spoke to the

hearts of her spiritual daughters about the great and undeserved gift, to be

selected by God the Father from among the many thousands alive in the world,

to be the bride of His divine Son, and to serve Him in His sanctuary. She

repeated over and over again that the call to the religious life was, after the

grace of Baptism itself, the highest grace that God could bestow upon a human

person. To such words she always joined the obligation of gratitude to the Lord

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expressed in a zealous devotion to duty and of prayer for the grace of

perseverance. She compared an unfaithful religious to a cowardly soldier and

insistently described the misfortune of such an individual by saying, “A religious

who has cast the habit from her belongs neither to the world nor to the

cloister. Lay people despise her because she has been unfaithful to her holy

state and she can no longer return to the cloister, even if she repents of her

step. Such unfortunates find neither happiness nor peace and usually perish in

soul and body.”

To keep the members of the Congregation from such misfortune she was

careful to test the vocation of Postulants and Novices and only admit them to

clothing and profession when they demonstrated its authenticity. She also

made sure that they were made acquainted very early on with the duties of the

religious state, by having the Rule and the Sacred Vows thoroughly explained to

them. She often did this herself and often personally conducted the

preparation for the clothing of the postulants, and almost always that of the

novices for profession. Especially the latter she admonished earnestly to take to

the heart the seriousness of the holy obligations which they were to take upon

themselves and challenged them to fervent prayer that God would through

illness or some other obstacle prevent them from making profesion if He could

foresee that they would some day in the future lack perseverance in His holy

service, so that they could now freely leave the religious house rather than

depart later through infidelity, calling down misfortune upon their souls. She

herself prayed much that only worthy souls would receive the religious habit

and often mandated such prayers for the entire Congregation, as well as

admonishing the superiors to a thorough testing of postulants and novices. On

July 11, 1889 she wrote:

“Pray very hard for the superiors of the Congregation that

God’s Spirit may enlighten them so that no one who is unworthy may

receive the Habit or be admitted to the vows. There shall be a nine day

devotion beginning on August 6 for this intention, including the prayer,

“Come Spirit Comforter, etc. and an Our Father “

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“The time for Reception and Profession is coming soon;

therefore I see it as my sacred obligation to alert the superiors of all our

houses to observe and test very exactly those who are to be admitted to

Reception or Profession. Pray earnestly that the Holy Spirit may

enlighten them so that they may discern who should be incorporated

into the Congregation through reception of the Habit or the profession

of vows.”

Similar are her words in a letter of May 1, 1893:

“Hereby I oblige those superiors of houses where there are postulants or

novices, by no means to recommend for reception any postulant who

does not show promise of being a good novice, nor a novice for

profession who, during her probation year has not brought enough

evidence of virtue and who did not demonstrate a striving for per-

fection.”

As we see here, Mother Franziska took admission to the novitiate or to holy

vows very seriously and no matter how talented or useful a postulant or novice

was, if she did not demonstrate enough virtue she was not allowed the above

privilege since Mother Franziska’s often stated principle was:

“It does not matter much to God if a sister is a talented teacher,

an industrious cook, and so on, but everything depends upon her being a good

Religious.” Of course, she did not undervalue capability and knowledge and

therefore encouraged the postulants and young sisters to continual learning

according to their abilities in order to become in this way ever more useful to

the Congregation and be able to accomplish much good.

As with the duties of the religious life, so Mother Franziska

emphasized the duties involved in the particular works of the sisters. She saw

education as especially important and often underlined the responsibility it

entailed in that the children in most cases could only become what their

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education permitted them to be and that God would call the sisters to

accountability for this. Therefore she insisted that the sisters plant a genuine

fear of the Lord in the children’s hearts and imprint upon them the duties of

our holy religion so that they would later be steadfast amidst the dangers of the

world. As a special means to this end she considered devotion to the Mother of

God and the Holy Guardian Angels and, as we have seen from circulars already

cited, advocated the establishment and promotion in all the houses, of the

Marian Sodality among the older children and likewise the Guardian Angel

Society for the younger ones. She also gave great importance to three-day

annual retreats for all pupils and was very pleased when the children

demonstrated a genuine piety. She also composed a curriculum and gave exact

directions for carrying it out, placing great weight upon a frequent, brief

consultation of the sister educators with the superior as well as monthly

conferences in which all the events of the past month would be brought up for

discussion for help and improvement. She also mandated that a part of the

curriculum should be studied at each of these conferences. On the one hand

she mandated great patience and love in the sisters entrusted with education,

on the other wanted them not to be guilty of any punishable negligence in

correcting failings. This should always, in spite of necessary strictness, be done

with love and respect for an individual’s sense of dignity. Mother Franziska

understood this well. If a particular fault occurred often in a pupil, she would

reprimand in such a way that, if it dealt with disobedience, for example, she

would tell a story about an obedient child, spotlighting the advantages of this

virtue so that the guilty ones would see the inappropriateness of their behavior

without being humiliated, while all the other children would enthusiastically

enjoy the lovely story and be inspired to follow the featured example. Even

when she hadn’t personally experienced these stories, her creative spirit would

always have one ready.

The same care she had for the children, Mother Franziska

directed also to the unemployed serving girls. She constantly counseled a

motherly love, patience and great wisdom for those in this field. She wanted

these girls, who were often very ignorant of the truths of the holy religion, to

be instructed in its truths and therefore provided religious instruction classes

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and instructed that they receive the sacraments of penance and Holy Eucharist

while they were residing in our residences. She also instructed that the work

assignments be so made that a girl would have opportunity to improve in those

areas where she showed weaknesses. She especially wished that they would be

guided to a simplicity of dress and to financial frugality. For this reason she

often had the girls open a savings account and leave the bankbook in the care

of the sisters that it would be safe on the one hand, and on the other that they

might not be tempted too easily to unnecessary spending. She also encouraged

the girls to come often to visit in order to have a base and to get support, and

she was very happy when this invitation was accepted as well as the good

attendance at the Sunday schools she conducted for the servant girls. It goes

without saying that such a maternal attitude won for Mother Franziska the love

and respect of all the pupils.

Her motherly love has often been mentioned, yet it deserves to

be noted in a particular way. To understand this concept in its totality the

following words are characteristic: Mother Franziska was not only a Superior

General, but also a Mother and really a Mother in the truest sense of the word.

Her heart empathized totally with her spiritual daughters and she shared their

joy and sorrow. If one of these had a concern she could be certain to receive

any possible help, or at least advice and loving comfort from her Mother. Her

keen observation often guessed what was in the heart of the one or the other

and a sympathetic question often secured the correct response with a resultant

lifting of the burden. Although Mother Franziska was always concerned about

the preservation of holy poverty, she nevertheless had a motherly concern that

her daughters should never be lacking what was absolutely necessary. She

often gave away her own clothing or linen, not only when she thought the

sisters caring for her had prepared too much for her, but she often actually

took off something she was wearing and gave it away. When her own closet

was discovered to be strangely empty and she was questioned about it she just

smiled and replied that others needed the things more than she. If she knew

that a house had to go into debt she never abandoned the respective Superior

in her need but often offered her last funds, that she needed for some

payment, to alleviate the financial embarrassment. She tried to repay with love

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in equal measure, the Sisters’ efforts and sacrifices on behalf of the

Congregation. We have already mentioned the motherly love with which she

welcomed back the Sisters who returned from soliciting alms, how she allowed

them to recount their adventures and encouraged them with loving words. She

brought this same kind of empathy to every one and encouraged them by

pointing out the great good that was being accomplished by this work and

effort and the rich reward it would receive in heaven, when everything had

been completed according to God’s pleasure. She loved to prepare some joy for

the Sisters; one she would reward by taking her as companion on one of her

trips, another was permitted to visit some interesting place where she could at

the same time learn something to help her in her work, another was allowed to

spend her vacation in one of the country convents as recuperation for the

strenuous work of the school year, another would receive some object that was

necessary or useful for her work and which she had especially desired. If

Mother Franziska knew that a Sister had a special pleasure in something that

was given her or made available for her use, she often purposely turned the

conversation in that direction and teased the sister with various meaningful

questions and joking remarks. Her cheerful disposition enjoyed harmless jokes.

She wanted to see the sisters happy during the common recreation, even while

she insisted that they remain serious and retain the dignity proper to their state

of mind when working in their various ministries.

One must by no means think that Mother Franziska’s love for her

spiritual daughters was of the blind kind which ignored their failings. This was

not the case; since, as already noted in this chapter, her love was above all

directed toward their spiritual welfare. Mother Franziska did not neglect to

admonish where it was necessary; she could also give very serious rebukes and

even assign penances but her words did not embitter because they had their

source in love and as soon as she saw that the guilty one was sorry for what she

had done, there was immediate forgiveness. She dismissed the other with such

a kindness as if nothing had happened and she was incapable of holding a

grudge. She recommended similar behavior to superiors towards their sisters

and to the sisters towards their charges, by saying that, though reprimands may

be necessary the heart must be removed from anger or rejection, but must

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permit the love to be felt through the words; only in this way will the

reprimand result in the improvement which was its goal. If the failing was not

public, neither, usually, was Mother Franziska’s correction, on the one hand to

protect the offender and on the other hand, not to upset the others; she

likewise told the superiors not to reprimand for failings during recreation in

order not to deprive the sisters of the recreation they needed after the day’s

work.

Mother Franziska cared in a special way for the sisters who were

ill. If someone informed her, or if she noticed that one of her spiritual

daughters was in poor health she immediately saw that her work load was

lightened, ordered exemptions with regard to food and rest and, if necessary,

sent her to one of the convents in the country for recuperation. She always

desired that nothing should be lacking the sick with regard to care and medical

help and also cared for their diversion. Most important, however, that they

often be offered Holy Communion as a consolation. If someone was sick in the

house Mother Franziska made sure that the sufferer received frequent visits.

Her visits to the infirmary in Breitenfurt were mentioned earlier; these were

always occasions of consolation and joy for the sick. She often conversed about

the approaching hour of death and encouraged the reception of the Sacrament

for the dying. If she knew that one of her spiritual daughters in Breitenfurt was

near death she never neglected to drive there if it was at all possible, to give

the dying one a last sign of her love, to encourage her by pointing to heaven

and to give her motherly blessing, which she always gave her daughters at

farewells, as a good-bye until they would meet again in eternity. Her love,

however, reached even beyond the grave as she made sure that the departed

sister was immediately supported with prayer and Mass offerings; for this

reason, then as even today, the news of a sister’s death would be conveyed to

the Mother House by telegram and from there sent to every convent. This was

often followed by a letter describing the death of her spiritual daughter asking

for prayers for the deceased and the advice to take her death as a warning for

one’s own hour of death. Two of these letters follow here. In this way she

wrote on the feast of St. Aloysius in 1884 from Sarajevo:

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“To my spiritual daughters!

The good God has once again called a sister from our midst,

Sister Ferdinanda, who has been ill with pleurisy since May 10,

succumbed to her illness on the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart at

7:45 in the evening. As I arrived in Sarajevo at 11:30 on the night

before she was overjoyed that she was able to see me once more but

said with very great certainty that she would die tomorrow, on the

Feast of the Sacred Heart, a grace which the good God granted her.

In the morning she confessed once more, received Holy Communion

with great devotion and was given general absolution. Then the

“messengers” of approaching death appeared. Almost the entire day

she suffered attacks of choking but remained fully conscious. At 6:30

in the evening the Archbishop gave her the Apostolic Blessing and,

kneeling by her bed, prayed aloud the Litany of the Sacred Heart. She

promised to pray for the intentions of the Congregation and then

passed peacefully and beautifully away to the edification of all.

Sister Ferdinanda was the first superior of Bethany and is in

God’s mysterious way also the first one to find her resting place in

the cemetery prepared for our sisters. Pray the prescribed prayers for

her, dear sisters, that the Lord may soon take her into the

blessedness of heaven. After such a beautiful preparation we can

hope that she will obtain a gracious judgment. Sister Ferdinanda is

the first tribute that death has claimed from our Congregation in

Bosnia; but she will surely be a special intercessor for the sisters

there.

Let us not forget, dear sisters, to take this death as a

warning from God, so that our deaths, also, will be well prepared.

God bless you, my dear sisters through the most Sacred

Heart of Jesus. This is the plea of your Mother,

Franziska Lechner”

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Another letter dated September 20, 1884 follows:

“To my spiritual daughters!

In God’s garden the hand of the Lord has plucked a blossom

which I and surely you, too, will miss painfully, but we know that the

one who planted it surely has the right to take it to Himself again.

My precious spiritual daughters! Your sister Maria Gregoria

is the one whom the Lord called to Himself on September 18, at 7:45

in the evening. Gregoria was one of the most noble souls of the

Congregation. She possessed the most gracious gifts of nature and

grace and therefore I had hoped that the Congregation would have

had an extraordinarily qualified sister in her. The Lord, however,

willed it differently and His will is in all cases adorable. In this good

soul we certainly have an intercessor in heaven. Sister prepared

herself for four full years to be able to do very much for the Lord and

was active in His vineyard for only four weeks. On the part of

superiors everything was done to save the precious life of this good

sister. The best doctors were consulted and no sacrifice refused. It was

all for nothing. On the day on which one month before, she had given

herself totally to Him through her vows, He called her to Himself.

Gregoria awaited the Lord with great longing. Her patience and

resignation were a wonderful example for her sisters; she never let a

complaint pass her lips, even though she had terrible pain to bear for

the last three weeks. She understood how to make her suffering

fruitful for heaven. She died fully conscious yearning and sighing for

the Divine Savior. Would that all of us were as fortunate to die so

beautifully and well-prepared! ‘Good life, good death!’ Let us take

these words to heart.

Pray devoutly the prescribed prayers for the peace of the deceased.

Franziska Lechner”

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As in these beautiful letters, it was customary for Mother Franziska to highlight

the virtues of her deceased sisters for her spiritual daughters and encouraged

them to imitation, which she considered the greatest way of honoring the dear

departed. How often she herself lovingly remembered them can be seen from a

saying from her last illness where she said that she had been so occupied with

various deceased sisters, whom she mentioned by name, that she felt a real

homesickness for them. She did not mourn the deceased with useless tears but

sought consolation in prayer whenever the Lord took again from her one of her

dear spiritual daughters. How much she wished to help those of her spiritual

daughters still possibly suffering in purgatory, we can see from the following

little characteristic of her noble heart. One day she recounted that she had

heard noises during the night in her room and, though she attributed this to

natural causes, she still had the thought that a poor soul wanted her attention.

Therefore, she called various deceased sisters by name, saying, “Come, if you

still need something and tell me!” Unfortunately she received no response,

though it would surely not have been something unusual.

Even though this Chapter told extensively of the maternal love of

Mother Franziska, it still was an insufficient recounting, and only those

fortunate enough to have been her children can really know the measure of

this great unselfish and self-forgetting love, but what has been said will give at

least a glimpse into her noble heart and aid in understanding that she totally

and in every way deserved the beautiful title “Mother”.

In the souvenir cabinet in Mother House in Vienna

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Chapter XVII

Mother Franziska’s Piety, Humility and Trust in God

As already mentioned, Mother Franziska’s piety was simple, unremarkable, but very profound. Her constant goal was God’s glory and she wanted to think, speak, do and suffer all things for Him. The beginning of the motto she chose for her Congregation, “All for God” and the quotation on the wall of her room, “As for me and my house, we shall serve the Lord” are pointed witness to this mind set. Means to keep this goal in sight was the frequent renewal of the good intention throughout the day and constant remembrance of the presence of God, especially through the recital of short spontaneous prayers. She often recommended to the sisters that they immediately turn their thoughts to God upon awakening in the night and to use time of sleeplessness for prayer. This constant walk in the presence of God which she tried to promote in others was a great part of her own character. This was evident in her speech which so often had God as its content. She never tired of using even the slightest occasion to speak of His love and mercy and expressing the gratitude that was His due. The saying, “From the fullness of the heart does the tongue speak.” was realized in this sense in her. Mother Franziska’s faith was unshakable, her hope unwavering, her love for God a flame. Her devotion at prayer was most edifying. Apart from the Office Book, she hardly ever used a prayer book. Gathering from her speech, her prayer was usually contemplative or conversation with God, Mary and the Saints to whom she brought all her intentions and opened the feelings of her heart. Since her prie dieu in the Sisters’ choir put her in view of the windows above the altar, depicting the holy Apostles Peter and Paul and the fresco on the sanctuary arch of God the Father, she once remarked, “Earlier, Saint Peter and Saint Paul often kept me occupied, but since the picture of God the Father was painted, He often occupies me; with Him I can speak so well”. In any case, it was the fatherly goodness, radiating from the countenance of God the Father, which attracted her so much. More than anyone else, however, Mother Franziska spoke with the Savior hidden in the tabernacle, for she herself did what she constantly recommended to the sisters, an ever greater devotion to the Blessed Sacrament, to bring all their concerns, to ask, to adore, to thank, to make reparation for all the insults the Lord suffered from humanity. Her first walk in the morning and her last at night was directed toward the Eucharistic Lord. She was often the first one in the chapel or church in the early morning and was

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often found there during the day, even when the demands on her time allowed only a short greeting. She often admonished her spiritual daughters to send the Lord in the tabernacle a greeting and not to neglect this especially when passing the house chapel or a church and during travels to greet the Lord even when a church tower came into sight. Her greatest happiness consisted in having a convent chapel with the Blessed Sacrament. So she wrote at the end of February 1881 in the Chronicle of the Congregation, “During the Mardi Gras there was Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament in six of our convents. This made the authorities of the Congregation very happy. Oh, may we soon have the happiness of having the presence of the Blessed Sacrament in all of our houses!” This wish was in great part fulfilled to the great consolation of Mother Franziska. The day on which the first Holy Mass was celebrated and the Blessed Sacrament permitted to remain in a particular convent was always one of the greatest joy for her and she often said that her feelings at such sacred moments were indescribable. She often remarked how fortunate religious were to live under the same roof with the Lord, to have daily Mass and to be allowed to receive Holy Communion so frequently. She often underlined the love which Jesus showed to humanity in instituting the Most Blessed Sacrament, speaking with special enthusiasm on Holy Thursday and during the Octave of Corpus Christi. These days were especially joy-filled and dear to her. Once when she was holding a little retreat for the postulants from Holy Thursday to Holy Saturday, she said, “Today you needn’t begin the silence just yet, but can talk a while longer, because it is just too big a feast.” She gave special care to the worthy adornment of chapels and would rather save money anywhere except in what concerned the dwelling of God. She often called the church in the Mother House a jewel box and wanted nothing there that would detract from the harmony of the whole. We mentioned earlier her glowing devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. She determined that every First Friday and every First Sunday in the month would be days when the Holy Mass and Holy Communion received by the Sisters would be in reparation for all the insults given the Sacred Heart of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. The establishment of the Confraternity of the Sacred Heart in the Mother House Church was very important to her and she was overjoyed that the Sacred Heart Devotions were so well attended and that so many persons joined the Confraternity. She wanted the devotion to the Sacred Heart to be promoted especially among those in the care of the sisters.

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Mother Franziska had a profound and intimate reverence for the sufferings of the Lord; it was often the object of her meditation and she wanted to firmly impress this practice also upon her spiritual daughters. A sign of this is found in the letter of March 1, 1886, which she wrote to her spiritual daughters soon after her return from Rome:

“While in Rome I visited the Church “Scala Santa” (Holy Stairs) which have come from Jerusalem to Rome in a miraculous way. Touched with holy trembling, on my knees I recalled step by step the sufferings of our Redeemer. These thoughts evoked my deepest sentiments--it had been here that the executioners led my Jesus to be judged by Pilate. Here they unjustly accused the holiest of all holy men. It was here that our Divine Savior stood, robed in a fool’s garment placed upon Him by the godless Herod, who then sent Him in derision, to face the people and Pilate. After being placed beside the murderer, Barabbas, Jesus was sent away to be scourged and crowned with thorns. Donned in a purple mantle, holding a reed in His tied hands, covered with blood and having been presented to the crowd, here, on the uppermost step, Jesus stood as Pilate pronounced the unjust sentence of death. Considering the inexpressible sufferings of our Lord as each of these steps was marked by His precious blood, my feelings defy all description. As I contemplated all this I again had the thought: ‘Try to help the sisters vividly imagine your and their Spouse as He is dragged up and down these stairs that they may very intimately reverence these sufferings during the holy time of Lent’. I promised to do so. Therefore, beginning on Ash Wednesday until Easter, the sisters should spend five minutes after Mass contemplating this love of the Savior. This image made a deep impression upon me. I asked the Lord at each of the 28 steps to grant me and all those entrusted to me His forgiveness through His infinite mercy and that His blood which flowed so copiously upon these steps from His Sacred Body may bring us grace and mercy from His Heavenly Father. After night prayers each Sister should remain in chapel for an extra minute and ask herself, ‘Have I today brought forth fruit from the sufferings of the Savior?’ and then to renew the intention to avoid everything that could cause pain to the loving Heart of Jesus. I await good fruit from this pious practice and you surely will all experience the blessings from this devotion. I will pray and

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also have prayers said so that all will take the scourged, wounded and thorn-crowned Jesus the object of their meditation during Lent. Do not forget to practice a childlike and trusting devotion this month toward our good father, Saint Joseph. I remind you that our Congregation has this year been placed under the special protection of the Holy Family. Each Sister should do her utmost to promote devotion to the Holy Family. God bless you all!

Your faithful mother,

Sister M. Franziska Lechner”

At the beginning of Lent in the year 1887 Mother Franziska wrote the following beautiful letter to the sisters:

“As a common penance for Lent for all the Sisters I have determined that they spend five minutes each day after night prayers considering the terrible pain which the Divine Redeemer suffered at His nailing to the cross. Place yourselves, dear Sisters, in spirit on Golgotha, at the place where the heinous executioners threw Him down upon the cross in order to nail Him to it. Let yourself see how Jesus willingly spreads His hands and feet so that the fiends can carry out their inhuman task and let yourself in spirit hear the pounding of the hammer. Then ask your Jesus, covered with wounds and blood why He accepts these horrible tortures and the Redeemer, fastened to the cross will look at you through His blood-filled eyes with mercy and speak to your heart very plainly: ‘You, also, my daughter, have contributed to these sufferings, and I bear this martyrdom also for you.’ Let us then glance also at the Mother of the Lord and appreciate her suffering. Oh, such a short meditation will surely bear the best of fruits. We will surely act with more awareness in order not to renew the sufferings of the Lord. Don’t let us believe that small transgressions against the Holy Rule, small infidelities cause no harm to our souls. Certainly! ‘The small foxes’, we read in the Song of Songs, ‘have devastated the vineyard of the Lord’ etc. These little sins are pin pricks that wound the Divine Heart of Jesus. Finally I ask each of my spiritual daughters to look into the mirror. You know that I mean the Rule Book. There you will see how you

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should look as good religious. Let us imprint its contents deeply into our hearts, then we will also look like good religious women outwardly. May the most adorable Heart of our Good Shepherd transform our own so that He will gladly dwell therein and be able to continually replenish it with the fullness of His grace. Help me to pray for this grace. Pleading for the protection and blessing of the Triune God for all my spiritual daughters, I am in love,

your spiritual mother, Sister M. Franziska

Mother House, Sexagesima Sunday, 1887

In a circular dated on the feast of St. Leo, 1890, she wrote:

“That each Sister may better cherish her immortal soul, it is my expressed will that she make her own the following pious practices. Each evening when you lay down to rest, take your crucifix in hand and contemplate the Redeemer for one minute and then to kiss each of the five wounds praying, ‘Oh Thou Redeemer suffering and dying on the cross for me, let your precious blood not be shed in vain for my poor soul. Amen’ Every superior has the sacred obligation to remind the Sisters often of this my wish. I believe that this practice will bring about the best results.”

Mother Franziska’s profound meditation on the sufferings of Jesus can be easily seen in the cited writings. Especially during the days of Holy Week she was immersed in them as we can gather from an incident about a year before her death. She said: “Earlier I used to remain awake the entire night from Holy Thursday to Good Friday to contemplate the secret suffering of Jesus in prison, but now my nerves are so weakened that sleep always overtakes me.” She encouraged the Sisters also in this night, upon awakening to immediately direct their thoughts to the suffering Jesus in prison. As faithful daughters of Holy Church, clinging to her with her entire soul and childlike submission, she involved herself totally in all the feasts of the year and celebrated each one in the manner that conformed totally to the spirit of the Catholic Church.

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To the Holy Spirit Mother Franziska also cultivated a fervent devotion as can be seen from the novenas and prayers mandated before Pentecost and important events in the Congregation such as General Chapters as well as before Reception and Profession ceremonies. So she wrote on the Feast of Saint Teresa, 1890:

“On November 22 will be the election of the General Assistants, whereupon other important things must be discussed. So that the Holy Spirit may lead and guide these all, there shall be held for the nine preceding days, a novena consisting of an Our Father and the prayer, ‘Come, Holy Spirit’ and in every house wherever it is possible there should be a Mass in honor of the Holy Spirit at which the sisters receive Holy Communion for the intention that the election of the General Assistants be successful and that with God’s help everything in the governance of the Congregation lead to the greater glory of God.”

She recommended that the Sisters call upon the Holy Spirit before every more important undertaking and it can be seen that she herself did so because the support of the Holy Spirit was so evident in her governing of the Congregation. Mother Franziska’s childlike reverence for Mary whom she chose as her own Mother and that of the Congregation and that for Saint Joseph, whom she made the “master of the house” were already mentioned earlier. When she was in particular financial need, she hung the purse on the little statue of Saint Joseph in the community room and he never left her firm trust in his intercession unrewarded. Mother Franziska also honored the holy Archangels very much, especially Saint Michael, whom she chose as protector of the Congregation. Whenever a storm threatened it from within or without she constantly took refuge with this holy Archangel and with the sisters directed a very beautiful prayer to him which she took with her on her visitation journeys and liked to pray with her spiritual daughters in the mission houses. She called Saint Peter a very dear saint because his love for the Lord was so great that he often didn’t think clearly before speaking and admired his deep repentance for his failings while having sympathy for his rashness which sometimes brought upon him an admonition from the divine Master, for example, to the question about what would happen to John, the reply: “If I

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want that he remain until I come, what is it to you? You follow me!” and to the question: “Lord, shall we fight with the sword?” the reply, “Sheath your sword. All who take the sword shall die by the sword”. She liked it when these things were discussed even during recreation and once instructed the sisters to write out all the Bible verses in which Jesus spoke with Peter including those that contained a reprimand for Peter. Mother Franziska also gave great importance to honoring Saint Augustine as Father of the Rule of the Congregation, her patron Saint, Francesca Romana, the great religious Founders and Foundresses such as Saint Ignatius and Saint Teresa among others and she recommended these to her own also. With the novices she tried to promote devotion to Saint Stanislaus Kostka, and among the pupils that to Saint Aloysius. She recommended that the sisters often call on the patron Saints of their respective countries. On trips especially, she often said, as soon as another border was crossed and a new country reached, “Let us commend ourselves to the Patron Saints of Moravia and Silesia, that they may protect us,”. It was not only with the triumphant members, but also with the suffering Church that Mother Franziska stood in intimate contact in that she often prayed for and had prayers said for the poor souls, often experiencing in a marvelous way, their intercession for important intentions. Mother Franziska’s piety was consistent with her humility. Whatever happened through her she ascribed to God alone, giving Him all the honor and considered herself only His unworthy instrument. When honors and distinctions were given her she often said, “This is not counted toward Franziska Lechner, but people only do this because I represent the Congregation.” She meant by this that it was not her person but the office of superior general that was honored and her words in this regard were not just empty talk, but spoken with conviction. In humility she would not let herself be addressed as “Reverend Mother”, but only as “Mother” during the time when, as superior general, she could choose her own title and was not bound by the Constitutions which, at their approval commanded expressly that the title of the superior general be “Reverend Mother”. Her humility also never permitted her to allow a better material for her clothing as that used by the sisters. She was equally undemanding with regard to her room which contained only the most necessary objects. Mother Franziska fearlessly guarded the rights of the Congregation and when necessary could speak the truth to anyone, with modesty but without fear of individuals, but neither did she neglect to correct

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immediately or to ask pardon if she realized that she had made a mistake or said too much. If in any convent there happened some neglect with regard to some civic ordinance it was usually Mother Franziska who took it upon herself to correct the situation. The following event gives a pointed witness of her humility. Mother Franziska found herself in the convent in Dolnja-Tuzla during the weekly confession day and wanted also to go to confession with the sisters, but the Pastor, the. Confessor, knew very little German and Mother Franziska knew very little of the Bosnian language and there was no other opportunity to confess in German. Since she did not want to miss the opportunity to receive Holy Communion, she made a quick decision. She took with her a sister who knew the Bosnian language and told the priest that if he could not hear her confession in German, she was prepared to have the accompanying Sister translate her confession. The priest would not permit this humiliation, however, but responded that, since Mother Franziska could assure him that she was not conscious of serious sin, confession in her native language would be sufficient for absolution. The greatness of soul and the courage of Mother Franziska in the presence of the cross and suffering of which we spoke earlier had their roots in her profound humility in which she always bent herself beneath God’s hand in the conviction that whatever He would send would always be the best. Her unshakeable trust in God was always united with her profound humility in that feelings of personal powerlessness caused her simply to throw herself completely in God’s arms and to cast all her cares upon Him. Since this trust in God radiated from all her activities, there remains only to tell of some examples to show how it was often rewarded in noteworthy ways. In the year 1869 as the Marienanstalt in Vienna was being renovated the carpenters’ foreman came on Holy Thursday asking for pay for his workers who wanted to go home for the holidays. Mother Franziska gave him all the money she had in the house, hoping that God would replace it soon. Afterward, however, she did have the thought that it was perhaps irresponsible to give him all the money, since she had nothing to give the sisters and those in her charge for the holiday. She did not however give in to this doubt. Not long thereafter, the extern sister of the Redemptorist Convent came with a gift of five gulden from the superior. And so again came sufficient help for the next few days. Another time some sisters were to go soliciting but their shoes were in tatters; Mother Franziska told them that they should have them

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repaired, but the sisters replied that they unfortunately did not have a second pair to wear in the meantime. Good advice was useless here. The next day, however, help came in a wonderful way. A boy arrived at the door with a large package of shoes in various sizes saying that they were for the convent. Upon further questioning he simply replied that everything was taken care of and could not be persuaded either to reveal the name of the donor nor to except a tip for himself. Which benefactor God had used to give this help never came to light. When the Marian Institute in Troppau was to be purchased, Mother Franziska was ready for the trip but had no money to make even a first payment. At exactly the right time a new postulant arrived bringing a dowry which was enough to make the necessary payment. With joyful gratitude Mother Franziska took the sum and entered the carriage that was already waiting to take her to the train station. One day a man came to the door wanting to sell two statues, one of Mary and one of Saint Joseph. Mother Franziska would gladly have purchased them but was lacking the money. She asked the man to return in the afternoon and with her usual childlike piety said, “Dear Mother of God and Saint Joseph, if you want to come into our house you will have to send us the money for the purchase.” Her prayer was heard; In the afternoon, before the seller had returned, a check arrived with the necessary sum and without revealing the name of the donor; Mother Franziska could draw no other conclusion than that Mary and Saint Joseph had inspired the unknown donor to give this support, At Christmas, 1873 Mother Franziska was to pay the builder Friedi 600 gulden for the work at the Refuge of Saint Joseph in Breitenfurt. She hadn’t even enough money however to buy a little Christmas surprise for those entrusted to her which hurt her maternal heart very much. It was such a sacrifice for some of the young novices not to find any little gift at all on Christmas Eve that they began to cry. The kind but serious words of Mother Franziska that she thought she had more virtuous, more mortified novices, soon conquered the tears. The good God rewarded the sacrifice; Mother Franziska had assured the Sisters that the money for the builder would surely come and her words were verified. Unexpectedly a letter came from a Dean in

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Westphalen containing a donation of 600 gulden, that is, exactly the amount that was absolutely needed. On October 30, 1878 the butcher Kaspar Zeller from Staudham in Bavaria brought six cows and three calves which had been ordered for the Refuge in Breitenfurt. Mother Franziska was very worried because she had not yet scratched together the full sum to pay for them. Her trust in God did not waver in this instance either and see! She was not put to shame. Unexpectedly a support payment of 200 gulden arrived from His Majesty Emperor Franz Joseph, exactly the amount that was still needed to pay the butcher’s bill. Most remarkable was the following incident. In May 1887 Mother Franziska needed a sum to make a payment; she searched in the money drawer, but what she needed was not there. She kept paper money in a brown strong box and this, too, was empty as witnessed not only by Mother Franziska but also by her first secretary. Since the payment was so truly urgent, they searched through everything again the next morning to see if there really wasn’t any money to be found. Wonder of wonders, in the brown strong box there lay 300 gulden in new banknotes. This find produced the greatest astonishment. Mother Franziska had been certain that God would help, but she did not expect the help to come in this way. She and her secretary had ascertained that the box was empty and Mother Franziska had the key with her in her room so that no one could have gotten into the box. Everyone in the house was questioned but no one knew anything about the money. They waited until the end of the month before entering it into the account books, waiting for some explanation, but in vain. So there was nothing to be done but to write on May 31, 1887 at the monthly accounting, as can be seen to this day, “In an inexplicable way, 300 gulden were found in the strong box”. No one is here making a demand to believe in a miracle but it was a wonderful help of God and reward for Mother Franziska’s firm trust and in spite of the most thorough examination, there is no explanation of where the sum in the cash box had come from. The box has been saved; Mother Franziska often calling it jokingly her “multiplication box”. On June 8, 1893 Mother Franziska experienced God’s help again, if not in such a miraculous, yet still in a notable way. That day she had to make a large interest payment on a loan and, as usual, the till was exhausted. Mother Franziska explained to her secretaries that the money would certainly come,

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and went into her room which adjoined the secretariat. Since the door was not completely shut the secretaries heard her praying aloud, “On you Oh Lord, I have set my hope, I will not be put to shame!” Not long after a messenger came with a letter from a benefactor containing 200 florins. Mother Franziska’s joy was great but this was only one seventh of the amount needed. However she said only, “Just wait children, you will see that the money will come!” And she was right--even before the morning had ended a second letter arrived with the amount of 2000 florins, a totally unexpected contribution that a Pastor had sent from the estate of an elderly lady in Breitenfurt, in payment for her lifelong care. Now there was more than enough. There are other similar stories. What is noteworthy is that the good God almost always let the situation come to the most urgent need and only helped at the decisive moment. As Mother Franziska had previously asked in humble trust, so the grace received only confirmed her humility because she held that we are always beggars before God and as such must always return humble thanks for His favors. She never neglected to recount the graces received at such occasions to those in her charge in order to encourage them to gratitude toward God and to strengthen their trust. It was Mother Franziska’s piety, humility and trust in God that allowed her to do such great work for God’s glory and for the welfare of others and she was often compared to the virtuous woman in Scripture and many sermons after her death by priests who knew her and her work used as a theme: “A perfect woman--who can find her? She is far beyond the price of pearls. Advantage and not hurt she brings all the days of her life--she sets her hand to the distaff--she holds out her hand to the poor, she opens her arms to the needy,--She is clothed in strength and dignity, she can laugh at the days to come. When she opens her mouth, she does so wisely; on her tongue is kindly instruction, She keeps good watch on the conduct of her household, no bread of idleness for her. Her children stand up and proclaim her blessed.--Charm is deceitful and beauty empty; the woman who is wise is the one to praise. Give her a share in what her hands have worked for , and let her works tell her praises at the city gates.”

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Maria Hilf where Mother Franziska died as seen today

Crypt Chapel in cemetery in Breitenfurt

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CHAPTER XVIII

Mother Franziska’s Last Illness Bestowal of the Gold Cross of Merit with Crown,

Initiation of the Foundation in Stossing, her Death.

After the beautiful celebration of the Jubilee, the “Silver Anniversary of the Foundation” was over, the Sisters who had come only for the occasion of the Feast, leaving on November 22, said their farewells to Mother Franziska. The rest, however, began their retreat that evening. This was meant to be a fitting beginning for the second quarter-century of the Congregation’s ministry. Although she didn’t feel well, Mother Franziska still visited Count Erich Kielmannsegg, in order to thank him for his presence at the Jubilee Mass. She returned home from this visit totally exhausted, but did not want to retire, going instead to the community room where the retreatants were assembled. She told them about the above mentioned visit, but felt so unwell that she regretfully had to go to bed rather than be with the sisters during retreat as was her custom. She admonished them, however, to make a good retreat. “This time the flu really got me,” she noted. Tears had come into her eyes as she gave these words of advice, which for many sisters were to be the last they would hear from their dear Mother and her daughters also, could not avoid weeping at the anxious premonition which they could not deny. Not long after, Mother Franziska had the perpetually professed sisters summoned to the Chapter Room. As all had gathered, she became visibly moved, knelt at the bottom step of the reader’s podium and, with folded hands, said aloud: “My dear sisters, I beg your forgiveness if I have hurt one or the other of you in the past twenty-five years. I never meant harm to anyone.” The tears prevented all further speech. The sisters were deeply touched and did not know what they should think or say, they, too, began to weep, and before they could recover enough to speak, Mother Franziska had quickly gone. Sister Helene followed her to her room and asked, “But Mother, why have you caused such an upset?” whereupon she replied, “I know why I did it. I had to do it because I will not see the sisters again.” Then she went to bed. The doctor who was called confirmed a serious influenza with lung congestion. Her condition worsened during the coming days to the point that the sisters leaving after the retreat could not come to her room to say their good-byes. She coughed so much and was so exhausted that the excitement surely would have harmed

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her. Only the superiors were permitted to come for a very short time, and what she had said came true, “I will not see the sisters again.” With heavy hearts these left the Mother House which they had entered with so much joy. Had the sisters really believed that they would never again see their Mother, there would certainly have been more tears than there were anyway because of having to leave without seeing her personally. Storm novenas were begun in all the mission houses. At the end of the month it seemed as if the prayers were to be heard; Mother Franziska, who never could stand being in bed for any length of time, and who, during her entire five-month illness, never spent any entire day there, recovered enough to travel to the Refuge in Breitenfurt on December 3. She hoped that the country air would do her good. Unfortunately, however, the raw temperature did not agree with her and she had to be brought back to Vienna after just a few days. The sisters were naturally very disturbed by this turn of events and the prayers for their dear Mother were continued with renewed fervor. The month of December, in spite of everything, brought a happy event. His Majesty deigned to honor Mother Franziska’s untiring and charitable work with the bestowal of the Golden Cross of Merit with Crown. On December 15 all the newspapers in Vienna carried the news and immediately the first congratulations arrived from various officials. Mother Franziska had not yet any intimation of the great honor since it was feared that even happy excitement could be harmful. It was only on the next day that they told her and handed her the congratulatory messages. Her humility prevented her from ever expecting such an honor. She rejoiced over it, however, not for her own sake, but for that of the Congregation, whose works gained recognition through this great honor. The favor and graciousness of His Majesty touched her deeply and she wanted very much to thank him and at the same time give him a copy of the Chronicle of the Congregation, which her illness had prevented her from doing until now. The news of this honor that came to Mother Franziska caused great joy among her spiritual daughters and a like joy was shared by all the friends of the Congregation. Congratulations came from every direction. The date for the formal bestowal of the Cross of Merit on Mother Franziska, at which His Excellency Bishop Angerer wished to officiate, was set for January 2, her birthday. By that date she hoped to have gotten over her illness, and this date was also selected because Mother Franziska wanted those sisters who would come from the mission houses for Christmas and retreat to have the joy of participating at the ceremony too. Actually, there was some improvement in

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her condition so that she could walk around quite steadily. She even came to the retreat in order that, in spite of not being able to be with them in her accustomed manner, she could at least be seen by the sisters. She also had the play, “St. Peter at the Gate of Heaven”, prepared for the Jubilee, performed before the retreat in order to give a kind of consolation gift to the sisters who had not been able to be present for the celebration. Visitors also began coming, to congratulate not only for the honor but also on her recovery and she received them with her usual charm. Joy reigned in the Congregation and all the sisters believed that their dear Mother would soon be fully restored. But things were to turn out differently. During the night of December 30 to 31, the sister sleeping in the next room heard Mother Franziska ring and hurried in to find her bathed in perspiration and suffering a stabbing pain in the chest region. It was a relapse. The doctor was very concerned, more so because a pneumonia had been added to the influenza. Two other skilled doctors were called, beside the house doctor and they too considered the situation grave. More and more the concern for this precious life grew throughout the Congregation. Many devotions were called for and the pupils and friends of the Congregation united their prayers with those of the sisters, and everything was done that could restore health, but God had decreed otherwise. It is true that the pneumonia was cured, but Mother Franziska slowly deteriorated; not only her lungs, but her heart and liver were also involved and she had much to suffer. Nights were sleepless and she could take very little nourishment, mostly only liquids and her weakened stomach could hardly handle these. Therefore her strength decreased with each day. In these circumstances the bestowal of the Imperial honor had to be postponed indefinitely, and it really was never to come about. Mother Franziska bore her many pains with much patience. Weekly Holy Communion, which she always received with the greatest devotion, was brought to her several times, giving her consolation and strength and a total abandonment to God’s holy will. Her self control and self forgetfulness were evident even during these days. As soon as she half-way could she did not remain in bed, but got up and sat beside it or walked slowly around the room, praying the Rosary. She also was happy when someone would pray or read aloud for her. She often went into the adjoining secretariat even though she was no longer able to work, at least watching the sisters who were busy there and conversing with them in her usual maternal way. Sometimes, when she was feeling somewhat better she left her room very quietly so that the sisters in the next room wouldn’t notice and went to the

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community room on the second floor. She sat with her dear daughters who were there, asked about different things and inquired, especially of the soliciting sisters, how they were coming along. These visits of course, caused great joy. Later, when the sisters on the third floor discovered that she was gone and, fearing that it was too strenuous, went looking for her, she would only smile like a mischievous child and enjoy the fact that she had succeeded in “escaping” them. While suffering her own pain she was still concerned in a maternal way about others in the house who were ill. In this way, a sister in the next room who was ill with a severe throat infection heard her often inquiring about and sympathizing with her. The sisters from Prague had borrowed a gown of the miraculous Infant there and sent it to Mother Franziska so that she could place it on herself. She sent this also to the other sick sister along with the message that she should confidently pray to the holy Child Jesus for a speedy recovery. This sister’s prayer was granted, while for Mother Franziska the improvement was to be of brief duration. With the same sympathy she inquired about another sister in the infirmary and sent her little treats which had been given to herself. The illness of a third sister, who had had to endure a serious head operation, was kept from her because they knew she would have been too upset. In the same way Mother Franziska always had a maternal concern that the sisters entrusted with her care would be overworked and then would also become ill on her account. She, herself, was as undemanding as ever. She also would not let it be said that her illness was the consequence of too strenuous efforts and that she should have spared herself. When Sister Helene once made a remark to that effect she replied, “I know that I have had only twenty-five years to work and I told myself, “Lechner, work as much as you can!” These words again demonstrate that she did not conceal from herself the nearness of her death; she was not, after all afraid and it was only concern for the future of her young Congregation which often depressed her. Her occasional remarks in this vein revealed why she sometimes sat in a thoughtful way with lowered glance; but this intention, too, she confided to the care of the Lord and never neglected to give the sisters instructions and advice for the future appropriate to their responsibilities. Since for her part she knew she had done all she could, she was able not only to be peaceful and resigned, but, in spite of her suffering, to also let her happy disposition appear and to make joking remarks. So she often pointed out when she saw the sisters busy caring for her, that she had now become a great lady being served by ladies-in-waiting. She completely rejected the idea that someone should offer themselves to suffer in her stead. When some sisters said to the patient that

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they would like to offer themselves to God for her, she became very energetic and countered severely: “No, you must not do that! You are still young and can do many things for the Congregation, I am old anyway and can not do much more. Don’t say that to me again!” On March 2 Mother Franziska received a letter from His Eminence Cardinal Protector Serfin Vannutelli which filled her with great joy. It follows:

“Good and Reverend Mother!

In the esteemed name of the Holy Father Leo XIII I send you a special apostolic blessing applicable to all the houses of your Institute, to all the sisters and novices, all the girls and other persons who are so lovingly supported by the Daughters of Divine Charity. May this blessing of the common Father of all believers be rich with the choicest graces and carry great consolation for you and your entire Congregation! And truly it must be unutterably consoling for you, seeing at the recent celebration of the twenty-fifth year of the founding of the institute of the Daughters of Divine Charity the voices of the highest powers, the Pope and the Emperor united in the same gratitude and praise of your work--the one to bless you and sanctify you, the other to honor and crown you with imperial graciousness.

Remember, however, Reverend Mother, that this work is much more the work of God than it is yours; of yourself you could have done nothing. The merciful God has used you as a poor instrument in order to found and bring to life the Institute of the Daughters of Divine Charity. The more humble you are, the less you rely on your own strength, so much the more will you trust in the Divine power and mercy and the more the Lord will protect and enrich with His grace your Congregation and all its houses.

This beautiful virtue of holy humility, united with great trust in God, is that which is recommended to you Reverend Mother and to all the good sisters, Daughters of Divine Charity, in a special way by,

Your earnest protector Serfin Cardinal Vannutelli Rome, February 27, 1894

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The extraordinary favor and graciousness of the Holy Father with which he sent his blessing to Mother Franziska, not only for the jubilee, but blessing her again on the occasion of the bestowal of the honor, as well as the beautiful contents of the letter which echoed exactly the sentiments of her own heart, moved her to tears. She immediately had copies of the letter made and sent to all the mission houses. Another occasion of joy for Mother Franziska was the news that came from the house in Krakow that His Eminence Cardinal—Prince Dunajewski had celebrated a Mass there in the convent chapel on her name day, March 9. On that occasion His Eminence had inquired about Mother Franziska’s condition. Archbishop Stadler of Sarajevo frequently did the same and promised his prayers for the patient. On March 17, His illustrious Highness the reigning Prince Johann von and zu Lichtenstein sent one of his counselors to the Mother House to ask about Mother Franziska’s health. On a trip to Italy, in Venice, he had read of her illness in the newspaper and immediately sent a telegram to one of his officials in Vienna for news about how things were with her. The return telegram did not reach him, however, before he left Venice and so he sent this same person to the Mother House as soon as he himself returned to get first-hand news of the sick. These signs of sympathy coming from so many sides, demonstrating how beloved their Mother was by everyone was a great consolation for the sisters. On March 19 a long-held wish was fulfilled in that a decisive step toward the foundation of the present convent in Stossing near St. Polten, with an agricultural domestic science school, was taken. A pious couple in Stossing had had the desire for one and one-half years to erect a convent on their property and shared this wish with Mother Franziska. She had been there once and looked at the property and was extraordinarily pleased with the beautiful mountainous region; but the affair had not been finalized. Now, however, the couple was serious in their intention and since they and Mother Franziska both wanted a quick conclusion, they had decided to seal the deal on the feast of St. Joseph. And so it was. Mother Franziska was very ill on that day, but she called upon all her strength to go to the secretariat and be present for the conclusion and to sign the contracts. Thereafter she had to return immediately to bed because she could hardly stand. Nonetheless she was overjoyed about this ministry that came into being, especially since she thought this mission in the mountain air would be a good place for sick sisters to recuperate. She asked the sisters to thank God and St. Joseph for the happy conclusion and for both of the benefactors of the new foundation.

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Since beautiful spring weather had come in the meantime, Mother Franziska undertook short outings once in a while. The doctors had urgently advised a stay in fresh air and therefore it was decided to take the patient as soon as possible to Breitenfurt. Mother Franziska herself yearned for this and wished to go not to the Refuge, St. Joseph, but to the convalescent home “Maria Hilf” because she preferred to be undisturbed and among the sisters alone. Since patients were taken for the summer into the convalescent home only at the beginning of May, this house was very suited for the care of the sick one, more so as her increasing weakness made walking difficult and here only a few steps took her to the garden. Still it was decided to wait until after the Easter holidays for the trip. On Holy Saturday Mother Franziska’s two secretaries took turns staying with her during the church services; on this occasion she again expressed herself very clearly about her approaching death. She told one of the secretaries that, she should come to Breitenfurt as soon as she felt a little better; she wanted to give her the missing parts of the Congregation’s chronicle, which had been neglected in the past year because of Mother Franziska’s illness, before she died. When sister replied that God would surely hear all the prayers and let her recover again she shook her head in the negative. Mother Franziska in fact, was never able to carry out the above mentioned work. On one of the Easter holidays Mother Franziska took her last brief walk in the Mother House garden. Going down the stairs was extremely difficult. At every landing she had to sit down on a prepared chair to rest in order to be able to continue. The sisters who were just then recreating in the garden were very happy to see their beloved spiritual Mother coming, all the more because they could now see her only seldom as it was considered necessary to avoid every exertion. In order to protect the patient somewhat from the wind they formed a line against the church wall and Mother Franziska went up and down looking at them sadly and almost in farewell. Then she had to be taken again to her room because of great fatigue. The trip to Breitenfurt was set for the Tuesday after Easter, March 27, at 1:00 P.M. Mother Franziska anxiously awaited the departure and since she insisted, they left an entire hour earlier. As she left her room she turned to let her glance once more sweep over it and the expression in that look made it clear that she was saying good-bye. This farewell moved her painfully and caused her to be very upset. Before she climbed into the carriage she said to the sisters, “I will not return!” In the carriage she seemed more dead than alive. There was one more glance for her weeping daughters--for many it was to be the last--and then the carriage drove out the gate. As this closed it seemed to the sisters no different than if it had

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closed on the coffin of their Mother. They all went into the church to hold a holy hour for the patient’s trip. Just as Mother Franziska drove away Sister Helene, who knew nothing of the earlier departure date, came from the Marian Institute to say good-bye. Mother Franziska had promised that she would wait and she was very sad about coming too late. When she inquired at a later visit to Breitenfurt why Mother Franziska had left so early, the latter replied, “Child, I had to drive away as quickly as possible; I felt I would not be able to leave and I didn’t want to trouble you by dying there.” With these words she meant the various inconveniences and costs which would be involved with transporting the deceased from Vienna to the sisters’ cemetery in Breitenfurt. How far-seeing were her maternal love and care! The superior of the Mother House, Sister Ignazia Egger and the Novice Mistress, Sister Monika Baumann, accompanied the patient to Breitenfurt; Sister Monika was to remain there to devote herself full time to her care. During the entire two-hour drive Mother Franziska was very serious and spoke very little. When they arrived at the convalescent house she had to be placed immediately into bed because of her great fatigue; toward evening, however, she felt fairly well and even the usual evening fever hadn’t recurred. The fresh air and the quiet of the countryside seemed in general to be so good for her that the sisters again dared to hope for a healing for their dear Mother. She, herself, did not count on it; on the first visit of the doctor whose regular visits to the Refuge in Breitenfurt included the Convalescent Home in the spring and summer months, she said, “Doctor, it isn’t necessary for you to come here twice a week, it would have no more use for me now anyway; you have other sick who need your visit much more.” Mother Franziska kept herself in the garden as much as her condition and the weather would permit. She was usually cheerful, always patient, grateful for every service and obedient as a child to her caregivers. Her maternal concern was evident even in her very last days. One of the sisters, in her concern for Mother Franziska had overheated the room on a cool day so that the temperature climbed too high; when another sister remarked about this Mother Franziska strictly forbade her to mention it to the offending sister so that she would not be hurt. Another time they told her that the chickens had gotten into the flower beds so carefully planted by Sister Sebastiana Thanheiser who was in charge of the garden, and had scratched up all the seeds. At her next outing in the garden Mother Franziska asked to be led to the flower beds to see the damage; then she began to weep and said, “Poor Sebastiana! She made such a great effort and now they

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have scratched up everything!” That Mother Franziska could weep about such a little thing was surely a result of her illness and its accompanying weakness but it also showed the love of her heart which shared even the smallest troubles of her spiritual daughters. On April 2 young Sister Gorgonia Neubauer died of tuberculosis in the Refuge. After Mother Franziska had received the news she often during the day looked in the direction of the Refuge and said, “There she lies, the fortunate one!” On the evening before the funeral she mentioned that she must get up early the next day because she wanted to look out as the funeral procession passed. The sisters, however, did not want to permit this and Mother Franziska with her usual acquiescence let herself be persuaded by their reasoning. The patient spent much time in prayer. She often prayed the Rosary with fervent devotion. In the afternoon the sisters had to assemble at her wish in the chapel to pray in common the Litany of Our Lady of Perpetual Help. Before this the connecting doors between Mother Franziska’s room and the chapel were opened so that she could join in the prayer. She also had the Litany of St. Joseph prayed daily. She had a reliquary crucifix that was once brought to her from Altotting and which she considered very precious; she had the names of those Saints whose relics were contained in the cross written on a piece of paper in order to recite those names often, adding “pray for us”. She had this little ‘homemade’ litany prayed aloud daily for her so that she could respond. Mother Franziska was no longer concerned about the events happening in the world, she had lost all interest in these things. The only thing she wanted to have read for her were the answered prayers reported in the Sacred Heart Messenger. On Sundays Father Gruber came from the Jesuit College in Kalksburg in order to say Mass which Mother Franziska was able to attend via the opened connecting door. On these occasions she always received the Sacraments with her usual devotion. On one Sunday, after Holy Mass she asked the sisters, “Don’t you see something different about me?” As they replied, “Yes, that Mother is so merry”, she said, “Today at the consecration I offered myself to God that He may do with me what He wills!” The inner joy from this total self-gift to God was evident the entire day as an enduring, extraordinary joy. On April 10 Sister Helene came to visit Mother Franziska; she told of an acquaintance, a lady who was making a journey to Lourdes and had offered to take the intentions of the sisters in a letter to the shrine. In this regard she asked Mother Franziska if she didn’t also have a request. She replied, “No, I am finished with everything; Sunday at Mass and Holy

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Communion I arranged everything with God.” Although she was, as these words demonstrate, totally resigned and prepared for her last hour, she little thought as did the sisters, that this was so near. Even the doctor found no evidence of imminent danger. Some days before her death Mother Franziska asked the sisters to begin with her a novena to St. Jude the patron of difficult cases, adding that “He will surely do the right thing.” Of course, her wishes were followed. On the 11th Monsignor Sixt came from Vienna to visit Mother Franziska and she spoke for a long time and very cheerfully with him. This was also the case when the Church Director Kummer came from the Mother House to her in Breitenfurt. To him she also made her confession--the last; in spite of all persuasive words that she could confess in her room, she wouldn’t but went instead to the chapel. On the same day Sister Ignazia also visited the patient. On the 13th in the early morning the spiritual director Viktor Parizek from the Refuge came to say Mass and to give Mother Franziska Holy Communion. On the 14th, the day of her death, the patient felt very tired after having left her bed for awhile; her face was constantly bathed in perspiration. This had not happened before and she expressed surprise about it. She returned to bed and Sister Monika bathed her with a mixture of water and vinegar after which she slept well for an hour. Upon awakening she felt a renewed strength and therefore got up again. She took some sour milk, which had become her main nourishment at the end, and then made her customary visit to the chapel and the garden. Although she was normally supported by two sisters, this time it was sufficient for her secretary, Sister Blandine Weis, whom Mother Franziska had called to Breitenfurt because of her own fragile health, to lead her lightly by the hand. The sisters were all marveling that their Mother was so lively and she herself joked about her own pluckiness. She also happily awaited the expected visit of her nieces, Sister Annunziata and Sister Gonzaga, who were to arrive that evening in Vienna from Brunn and were to come the next day to her in Breitenfurt. As she noticed how Sister Monika and Sister Valentine Loppl often went in and out, preparing for the visit, she joked: “But you would think that princesses were coming. Just wait, tomorrow I will betray you and tell my nieces what you have carried on!” After a longer time in the garden Mother Franziska returned to her room. Sister Monika and Sister Blandine stayed with her awhile and in the course of the conversation the former told of a dream she had had the night before:

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His Majesty, the Emperor had come to visit in the Mother House which was festively decorated and Mother Franziska, in spite of her illness, guided His Majesty through the house. The patient, on hearing this remarked, “The poor Emperor!” and with these words tears came to her eyes, surely thinking of the many sad blows of fate he had suffered and which she had always greatly shared in sympathy, and also the many benefits he had shown the Congregation. These tears, too, were a sign of her noble heart. After a while Mother Franziska went to the adjoining porch which faced the garden. Sister Sebastiana came from the Refuge on her way to the cemetery in order to restore the sisters’ graves after the winter. As she spent a short time in the garden of the convalescent home Mother Franziska called to her asking where she was going and inquiring in the light of the long way sister had to go and the work that the many graves required and that she wouldn’t pass by again for many hours, with her maternal concern, whether she had taken any refreshment and sent her for this purpose to the kitchen. This was about 11 o’clock in the morning; at about 11:30 the patient once again felt very weak and therefore said that she was going to lie down again and. that Sister Monika would please again bathe her with vinegar water, since that always perked her up. While disrobing she could hardly remain on her feet; during the bathing she was suddenly stricken by an attack of coughing and the almost daily nausea. After she lost the milk she had drunk earlier there came a hemorrhage, slowly at first and then more and more. In great excitement Sister Monika hurried to the kitchen for salt water while Sister Blandine stayed with the patient. At first the blood came in dark clumps, and only later came light-colored blood. During a pause Mother Franziska gave a strange look to Sister Blandina as if she wanted to say something, but she could no longer speak because another hemorrhage had begun. As she hurried by, Sister Monika called to Sister Valentine working in the next room that she should go immediately to Mother Franziska and called to Sister Leonharda Angermeier working near the fountain, that she should go quickly to the Refuge, 15--minutes distant, to call the chaplain and the sisters. As Sister Valentine entered she knew immediately that the dear patient was dying. In her panic she called, “My Jesus, mercy! Mother Most Admirable, help! Mother! Mother!” and took the dying one in her arms. Again she glanced around a number of times, showing clearly that she was conscious in her last moments. In the meantime Sisters Monika and Luzia Eschler coming from the kitchen and seeing that nothing could be done, hurried to the chapel for a candle, but could hardly light it because of their trembling hands. Sister Monika pressed the candle into Mother Franziska’s hand and the

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crucifix to her lips. Immediately she passed away, peacefully, without struggle, without changing her expression in the least; she closed her own eyes and. there was not even the usual death tear. All this happened in less that a quarter of an hour. By 11:45 Mother Franziska was gone. The sisters stood stunned and hardly knew what had happened. In the meantime Sister Leonharda had arrived in the Refuge where the news naturally caused a great and general dismay. The carriage was waiting in the yard because the superior of the Refuge, Sister Norberta Wecera had been shopping in Meidling; but suddenly, grasped by an inexplicable anxiety that something unusual had happened at home, she returned immediately without completing her purchases. The Chaplain and some sisters quickly climbed aboard and drove swiftly toward the convalescent home. Unfortunately they found only a body. After those present had somewhat composed themselves they all knelt in prayer for the dear departed. Then Sister Blandine drove to Vienna to bring the sad news to the Mother House. In the light of the more recent good reports, the news was all the more unexpected and crushing; the sisters could hardly believe that their dear Mother was no more. The Office of the Dead was begun immediately, interrupted by the continual weeping and sobbing. The only consolations in this bitter pain were the acquiescence to the adorable will of God and the thought that their good Mother now received the reward for her untiring activity and was praying for a happy reunion with her daughters. At the same time all the mission houses and the closest friends of the Congregation were informed of the sad event. Sister Ignazia, accompanied by Sister Maria Winkler, drove in this time to Breitenfurt to view the dear departed and to make the first arrangements for the funeral. They found Mother Franziska prepared for the viewing, peaceful and calm as though sleeping. The Mayor of Breitenfurt gladly gave permission to delay the burial until the 17th giving time for as many as possible of the superiors of the mission houses, even those from Bosnia to arrive and take part in the funeral. Mother Franziska was laid out on her own bed and day and night her spiritual daughters took turns praying by the body; the inhabitants of Breitenfurt also came in great numbers to see the departed and to pray. On the 16th she was photographed as laid out so that every mission house would have a remembrance, thereafter she was placed in a simple wooden coffin. A Vienna manufacturer in the meantime donated a beautiful silver-white metal coffin, into which she was transferred. Gladly all the sisters from the Vienna and other nearby houses would have liked to see their beloved Mother once again and to pay their last respects. Since neither was possible for everyone, those who could not attend the funeral were

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permitted to drive to Breitenfurt by turns on the days before. Those who came last on the day of the funeral no longer had the happiness of seeing Mother Franziska because the coffin was closed. The funeral of the dear departed was uplifting and the procession was actually more like a triumphal parade. On April 17 at 2 in the afternoon the coffin was carried from the room where she died to the courtyard where Monsignor Anton Horny, Episcopal Vicar of the Congregation gave the first of the blessings after the church choir had sung a mourning hymn. After the coffin had been placed in the glass funeral coach ordered from Vienna the procession was under way. Behind the cross came the school children of Breitenfurt, two-by-two, then the choir, thereafter a number of present and former pupils of the Vienna Marian Institute, some Children of Mary with their insignia, the medal of the Immaculate Conception hanging from blue and white ribbons. After these came a group of pupils from the Heart of Mary Convent in Vienna, all in white dresses with black sashes and green garlands on their heads; in the middle of the girls in white walked a taller pupil dressed in black with her head covered by a black mourning veil, carrying a broken candle in her hands, a symbol of a broken and extinguished life. Then came the clergy, nineteen priests in all, in surplice and stole, and Prelate Horny and his assisting priests in the appropriate vestments, each carrying a lighted candle. Then came the funeral coach covered with many donated floral arrangements; the coffin itself was covered with a simple arrangement of lilies. Behind this walked the General Assistants, the nieces of the departed, also Her Excellency Lady Vilma von Kallay de Nagy-Kallo, consort of the Imperial Minister of Finances who always valued Mother Franziska very highly and would not be denied the chance to pay her his last respects; then followed a long train of over one hundred sisters, also with burning candles and thereafter many participants from Vienna, Breitenfurt and the surrounding regions. In all of Breitenfurt it seemed like a holiday. All work ceased. Those inhabitants who did not begin with the procession at the convalescent home joined it as it passed along the way. During the three quarter hour walk through the far-flung town to the parish church, the choir sang, the sisters prayed quietly and the other participants prayed the Rosary aloud. Having arrived at the church the coffin was placed on the waiting bier and carried into the church as the bells sounded and the second blessing was bestowed. After the Libera and common prayer for the departed the procession formed again and the coffin was carried to the near-bye cemetery. In the section reserved for the sisters a grave was prepared near the wall for Mother Franziska and it was specially lined for the eventuality that the coffin would one day be transferred. At the head, a small niche in the

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lining held a cross and two burning candles. After the customary blessings and the lowering of the coffin and common prayer, another mourning hymn was sung and the sisters approached the grave one by one to cast in a handful of earth and with tear-moistened glance to take their leave of the beloved Mother; as if in farewell greeting, the light colored coffin shone upward and the sign of the Redemption was a consoling reminder of the coming reunion in Heaven. The death of their honored Mother Franziska evoked sympathy in the most distant regions. From everywhere, from high and low-born, from clergy and laity, came condolence letters and sympathy telegrams. The newspapers carried long articles about the relentless activity of the departed, her death and her funeral, and praise for her spiritual qualities, her noble character and even more about her merit and virtues was spoken of by all. Some of the more important messages of sympathy are added here: From the Cabinet Ministry of His Majesty the Emperor Franz Josef I. “To the praiseworthy Congregation of the Daughters of Divine Charity in Vienna. His Royal and Apostolic Majesty deigns to command me convey his highest condolences and sympathy to the Congregation of the Daughters of Divine Charity which has suffered so great a loss through the death of its meritorious Superior General M. Franziska Lechner.

Braun (Chief of the Cabinet Ministry)

Vienna, April 17, 1894 Telegram sent at the command of His Royal Highness the illustrious Archduke Franz Salvator: “His Royal Highness, the illustrious Archduke Franz Salvator expresses his warmest sympathy.”

Valet Baron Lederer

Telegram of His Royal Highness the illustrious Archduke Ladislaus:

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“The departure of the Foundress and Superior General of your meritorious Order has also saddened me deeply and I herewith express my heartfelt sympathy.

Archduke Ladislaus” Letter from the Cabinet chancery of His illustrious and reigning Prince Johann von und zu Liechtenstein. “On the occasion of the death of Reverend Superior General Franziska Lechner I was commanded to transmit the sincere sympathy of His illustrious and reigning Prince Johann von und zu Liechtenstein to the Congregation of the Daughters of Divine Charity.

A. Prillinger, Counselor to the Prince

Vienna, April 17, 1894

On April 18, all the sisters present in the Mother House were summoned to hear the last Will and Testament of their departed spiritual Mother, which had been found, sealed, in her desk. The Reverend Director Kummer undertook the reading. The letter said:

“In the name of the Triune God and after calling upon my tenderly loved Mother, Mary, as well as our Holy Father Augustine I write down my last Will. Our dear Congregation, which was founded with so much sacrifice, effort and difficulty, shall be ruled after my death until the election of a new superior general by Sister Ignazia Egger, whom I have appointed as Vicaress. I am hereby acting in accordance with our Constitutions and surely also for the welfare of the Congregation. May the All Merciful One strengthen her so that she may guide that which is entrusted to her according to God’s most holy will, until an election will reveal whom God has called to this office. Obey the Vicaress, my dear spiritual daughters, try to lighten the heavy burden of her office, pray

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much for her and for the General Assistants so that all may be of one mind and not bring confusion to the Congregation; because this would be terrible for the Congregation. I enclose all of you in the most Holy Heart of Jesus and commend you to the protection of Mary and our good father, St. Joseph. God bless you!

Sister M. Franziska Lechner, Superior General of the Congregation

of the Daughters of Divine Charity Vienna, the Feast of St. Augustine, 1892

With great emotion and holy reverence the sisters listened to these last words directed to them by the dear departed, which so pointedly demonstrated her concern for the Congregation. It was as early as two years before her death that the good Mother had provided for the case of her departure. Copies of the letter were quickly sent to various mission houses and the words were held sacred by the sisters. On April 19 His Excellency Auxiliary Bishop Angerer celebrated a solemn Requiem for Mother Franziska in the Mother House Church. Many important personages attended as well as representatives from many houses of men and women religious in Vienna. In the short talk His Excellency gave after the Mass to the sisters assembled in a hall he spoke of the hope he had had of officiating at the joyous occasion of the bestowal of the Cross of Merit, and now his visit, in God’s holy will, was to be this sad occasion. His Excellency also consoled the sisters with a view toward eternity and the reunion there with the departed and encouraged them to continue to work in her spirit. We must also mention the audience which Mother Franziska’s appointed Vicaress and Sister Helene had on April 23 with His Majesty the Emperor. They presented the gratitude of the Congregation for the royal expression of sympathy at the severe blow which had touched it. His Majesty responded, “It was also a hard blow for me; because she had worked very meritoriously. I hadn’t known that she was ill; she was always so sturdy.”

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In response to gratitude for the bestowal of the Cross of Merit, which Mother Franziska had not been able to formally receive herself, His Majesty replied, “I only wish that the Congregation will continue in so zealous a spirit as it has until now.” His Highness deigned also to graciously accept the Chronicle of the Congregation and to assure his good wishes also for its future. Soon thereafter the Congregation received another sign of the Imperial respect. It pained the sisters extremely to have to return the Cross of Merit to the Chancellor, as was customary after the death of the recipient. The Congregation therefore, in a petition to His Majesty made the respectful request to be permitted to keep the Cross of Merit as a perpetual remembrance of the departed and in a very few days, on May 9, 1894 received the affirmative reply. The cross received a place of honor in the Chapter Room of the Mother House, in a frame already mentioned at the account of the Jubilee Feast and the family tree, with the inscription, “Bestowed on the honorable Foundress of the Congregation on December 3, 1893.” An active, singular life had found its conclusion in the death of Mother Franziska, a life rich in merit and great virtues, rich in sacrifice and work for God and neighbor, but also rich in results and the blessing of the Most High; a life full of faithful maternal love and care for each of her spiritual daughters and each of those entrusted to her. Her grave mound was marked by a wooden cross with inscription because this modest memorial achieved the simplicity which she always loved and desired. Instead of the golden cross planned for her by royal appreciation, she received, in the adorable will of the Almighty, this cross upon a quiet burial mound, yet this cross, like the other one is adorned with a crown, not an earthly one, but an eternal and everlasting one which the departed has surely received through graciousness on the other side as a reward for her restless work, faithful to the motto she gave the Congregation, “All for God, for the Poor and for our Congregation!”

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Mother Franziska’s last resting place

Prayer to Obtain Favors through the intercession of Mother Franziska Lechner

(for private devotion only)

God, our Father, you blessed Mother Franziska with such strong experiences of your love that she dedicated herself to the tireless performance of your will. With trust in your providence she founded the Congregation of the Daughters of Divine Charity to serve the needs of the Church and of the poor in joyful simplicity. That all may know your love as she did, we now present our special needs to you. (personal intention) Grant our petition through the intercession of Franziska Lechner. By the help of her prayers may we too work generously for the sake of the kingdom of your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen

Please notify of favors granted: Postulator for the Cause Jacquingasse 14 A 1030 Vienna Austria