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

2

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

4

Novices in Germany 1954-20023

3. Cf. Leimgruber: Frauenorden, 337.

5

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…)

6

Apostolic fields of action –

Comparison between the years 1973 and 20034

4. Cf. Leimgruber: Frauenorden, 339.

7

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.

8

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?

9

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.