1 CrossingOver Essen Conference, 9 July 2011. Faculty of Catholic Theology Chair of Medieval and Modern Church History Kirsten Oboth (M. Ed.) “For heaven‘s sake!“ A historical perspective on changes of Apostolic Women Religious in Germany
Apr 05, 2015
1CrossingOver Essen Conference, 9 July 2011.
Faculty of Catholic TheologyChair of Medieval and Modern Church HistoryKirsten Oboth (M. Ed.)
“For heaven‘s sake!“
A historical perspective on changes of Apostolic Women Religious in
Germany
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Apostolic fields of action (e.g. 1956)1
Field of action Sisters With apprenticeship
Health care 33.233 23.000
Therefrom governm. institutes
10.598
Domestic economy & agriculture
21.567 2.284
Youth education 12.000 1.300
School education 5.200 1.500
Administration 5.000 540
Welfare education 1.600 188
Pastoral care 1.203
1. Cf. Schmiedl: Transformation, 111.
32. Cf. Leimgruber: Frauenorden, 334-335.
Women Religious in Germany 1915-20042
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Novices in Germany 1954-20023
3. Cf. Leimgruber: Frauenorden, 337.
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The impact of Vatican II
• Reflection on the founder’s charisma
• Reform on the lifestyle (spiritual exercises, habit, names and titles…)
• Change of the constitutions and custom books
• Weakening of the hierarchical structure for the benefit of individual responsibility (“subsidiarity” instead of “obedience”)
• Amendment of the sisters’ education (novitiates, apprenticeship…)
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Apostolic fields of action –
Comparison between the years 1973 and 20034
4. Cf. Leimgruber: Frauenorden, 339.
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Sisters‘ work nowadays
Sisters at work ambulance for homeless people (l.a.), meditation with guests (r.a.) and physical therapy (r.b.);Guidebook for vacation in cloisters (l.b.)
Source: Leimgruber: Frauenklöster, p.96 & 100.
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Follow up questions
• How will female religious orders change during the next 10 years?
• Will new structures like ‘temporary monasticism’ (Kloster auf Zeit) or a membership without profession strengthen?
• In which way will the memory and heritage of the congregations be treated?
• Would a permanent search for new forms of apostolate influence the sisters’ spirit?
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Literature
• Leimgruber, Ute: Frauenkloster – Klosterfrauen. Leben in Ordensgemeinschaften heute, Stuttgart 2008.
• Leimgruber, Ute: Frauenorden in der Krise. Teil I: Der Umfang der Krise, in: OK 46 (2005), p. 334-343.
• Schmiedl, Joachim: Die Transformation der caritativen katholischen Orden nach 1960, in: Jähnichen, Traugott a.o. (Ed.): Caritas und Diakonie im "goldenen Zeitalter" des bundesdeutschen Sozialstaats. Transformationen der konfessionellen Wohlfahrtsverbände in den 1960er Jahren (Konfession und Gesellschaft. 43), Stuttgart 2010, p. 107-124.