Chapter one Mother Kostka Biography

The Life and Times of Mother M. Kostka Bauer
Third Superior General

Congregation of the Daughters of Divine Charity
1926-1943

Sister M. Raimonde Bartus
Daughter of Divine Charity

INTRODUCTION

“Tell (the Sisters) to keep together; to be one soul, one heart and to keep in unity with the Motherhouse. Do not be afraid! I’ll help you in all your troubles. Come to me with everything. Tell the Sisters also -- I’ll be ready to help them.”

These words were among the last spoken by Mother M. Kostka Bauer, third superior general of the Congregation of the Daughters of Divine Charity. This is her legacy to us, her spiritual descendants.

Although an Italian by birth, Mother M. Kostka Bauer was truly a citizen of the world. Her membership in an Austrian congregation with far-flung convents in various parts of the Austro-Hungarian Empire expanded her horizons to encompass many homes and lands. Her 20-year sojourn in Hungary, followed by the challenges and sacrifices demanded of her as the co-foundress of the first convents of the congregation in North America engendered in her a true missionary spirit and zeal.

She possessed a magnanimous soul and a spirit of ready forgiveness; these were her sole aid in winning and moderating many problems which faced her as mistress of novices, superior and provincial superior in the United States and, finally, as superior of the congregation from 1926 until her death. She was wont to win not by her authority and strictness, nor by her power by voicing her authority; rather, she restored peace by her forgiving, unselfish and noble good will.

A person possessing a deep and probing mind, Mother Kostka was able to understand the necessity of dividing the Congregation into provinces at the end of World War I. She empathized with Mother M. Ignatia Egger, who had to perform this task. She realized that the demise of the Austro-Hungarian monarchy in 1918 also required a similar division according to greater geographic and nationalistic characteristics. At the same time, she realized as few other sisters did the need to maintain a strong unifying spirit -- the charism of Mother Franciska Lechner would have to be perpetuated. She always urged the sisters: “. . .keep in unity with the Motherhouse.

Mother M. Kostka can be compared to the great apostle Paul, and to our beloved Foundress, Mother Franciska. Like Paul, she traveled around the world, crossing the ocean twenty-one times--the first superior general to do so. Like Mother Franciska, she burned with the desire to extend the activities of the Congregation far and wide. During her tenure as superior general, she established three new provinces and opened convents in Germany and Canada.
The development and nourishing of a deeply-rooted religious spirit was paramount for Mother Kostka. She herself possessed a deep faith and trust in Divine Providence and she worked assiduously to develop these same virtues in all who came under her influence: her novices in Hungary and the United States, the sisters in the American province which she governed from 1921 to 1926 and, finally, all the members of the congregation.

To Mother Kostka, success in the classroom or with other activities was worthless if the true religious motivation and spirit was missing. She was strict and firm, demanding adherence to the Holy Rule, Constitutions and the General Chapter decisions. It was, however, the spirit and not the letter of the law that she enforced. She was serious when necessary although jovial by nature; her hearty laughter often led the rest at community recreations. She was strict yet compassionate, demanding but just, quick to forgive; she was a mother who loved deeply and fretted anxiously over the spiritual and physical well-being of those whom God had placed into her care.

Despite her frail bodily health, Mother Kostka had indomitable will-power which made her indefatigable in her efforts toward achieving any goal she set for herself. She suffered greatly throughout most of her religious life, yet she never allowed her infirmities to slow her down. She traveled millions of miles in the service of God and for the good of the congregation. As increasing burdens weighed upon her with the outbreak of World War II, she became even more fervent in prayer and sacrifice. This was the source of her strength.

When she realized that she would never return to the Motherhouse in Vienna, she pronounced her final “fiat”; “I will follow wherever You lead.” She remains in the province she helped establish until that day when all Daughters of Divine Charity, “...east arid west, north and south, here and across the ocean...” will meet with Mother Franciska to praise God for all eternity.

To prepare this biography, the chronicles and documents of the Congregation as preserved in the archives in Vienna, Austria, were extensively researched. The archives of St. Joseph’s Province in the United States provided the information regarding the, founding of the first convents in America the establishment of the American Province, and the administration of Mother M. Kostka as the first provincial superior. In a few instances, a discrepancy in dates and names was discovered in the information as recorded in the General Archives and the first American accounts. In these few cases, the decision was made to use the dates and names that appear in the congregational chronicles. The responses of the sisters to the questionnaires which were distributed, various oral interviews and reminiscences have been helpful in enfleshing the person, the character and the legacy of Mother Kostka.

My novice band had the privilege of receiving the holy habit from the hands of Mother Kostka; we were the last novices to be received into the congregation by her on August 28, 1942. I had the sad assignment, at the same time a memorable privilege, to toll the convent bell at St. Joseph Hill as she arrived “home” to Staten Island for the last time on June 24, 1943. The writing of this biography is, therefore, a labor of love and gratitude to a true Daughter of Divine Charity, an exemplary religious, a great woman: Mother M. Kostka Bauer.

I am deeply grateful for the privilege of writing this biography and for the trust placed in me by our superior general, Sister Nicolina Hendges.. My hope is that for those who knew Mother Kostka personally, my words will evoke fond remembrances of a loving mother; for those who did not have the privilege of her acquaintance, may this work help you to know the greatness of this simple, humble, unassuming person and to love her as we do!



Sister M. Raimonde Bartus, F.D.C.

CHAPTER I

EARLY LIFE--1870-1913

“I will become a Daughter of Divine Charity, but only if I am sure that I will become the Superior General some day!” So goes the legend related by Sister Alexina Kollar, an elderly Austrian sister about the teen-aged young Italian boarding student at the school in St. Andrä. Such brashness, such prophetic words! Just who was Olimpia Bauer?

Very little is known about the early life and childhood of this woman who would become a world traveler in the name of God and of the Congregation. As one sister remarked recently, “She knew many languages, none of them well..”
With a name like Bauer, it may be assumed that she was Austrian or German by birth and ancestry; the former assumption is false, the latter is most probably true. It may be that her father Francesco (Franz) Bauer and a cousin, Julius Grunwald, migrated from Austria to Italy to seek their fortune. It is a known fact that they established a flourishing hotel, the Grand Hotel d”Italie which still exists and bears the Grunwald—Bauer name in Venice, Italy, although management has been transferred to other hands. It was in Venice that Francesco Bauer married Eufemia Verzieri who subsequently bore him two children, a son and a daughter.

Olimpia Eufemia Maria Bauer was born on February 28, 1870 in Venice, Italy, the second child of the family. According to the custom of the times, she was baptized two days later on March 2 in St. Mark’s Basilica. The birth certificate in the Congregational Archives, dated August 29, 1885, gives no other pertinent data and all the sisters who knew her well agree that she was very reluctant to speak of her childhood, other than to say it was a very happy one, spent playing along the Grand Canal. Sister Olympia Magyar, a member of St. Joseph’s Province who bears her baptismal name, remembers her saying at one time, “My godmother was a princess.”

Nothing further is known of her parents. The vaccination certificate issued in 1885 as she prepared to travel to St. Andra refers to her as the daughter of the “late” Francesco--thus we surmise that he died when she was still young. We have no record of the time of her mother’s death. That her brother died at an early age is deduced from the only letter Olimpia saved that was written to her by her mother--a letter written at the time that the young girl informed her family of her intention to enter the Congregation of the Daughters of Divine Charity. This letter from a sorrowing mother speaks of the hopes she had had that, after the death of her son, her daughter would be the joy and comfort of her old age. Nevertheless, “. . . if this is God’s will, we have to accept it. Please, pray God for me, ask health and comfort for your poor mother.” (Undated letter)

Other isolated bits of information point to a very happy and carefree childhood. In later years, Mother Kostka spoke of having a governess and of learning French and music at an early age. She was also quite an accomplished artist. In her circular of April 6, 1936, writing about the floods that ravaged parts of the United States that spring, Mother Kostka gave the sisters a brief glimpse into her childhood. The American catastrophe reminded her of a flood which had occurred in Venice when she was a little child; she recounted how, in her childish innocence, she was very happy when the water came into her house because she was able to make paper boats and sail them in her room.

At the age of 15, Olimpia Bauer was sent to be a boarding student at the recently established school of the Daughters of Divine Charity in St. Andrä, located in the Lavanttal in the state of Carinthia, Austria. Why she was sent to Austria to continue her education is unknown; God’s ways are mysterious. It is valid to conclude that both the birth certificate and the certificate of vaccination (dated August 29, 1885) which are preserved in the General Archives were issued at that time.
No concrete information is available about the three to four years she spent at the school. The chronicles of the St. Andrä convent and school do not contain the names of the students from those early days. Sister Alexina Kollar reports that along with the other boarders, Olimpia had embroidered a mass vestment, which is occasionally still used at the Church of Loretto. Sister Alexina further recounts, that according to oral accounts of older sisters who knew her in her youth, the young Italian boarding student first experienced the divine invitation upon hearing a sermon about St. Stanislaus Kostka.

A picture taken during this time shows a serious young woman wearing the ribbon and medal of a Child of Mary. At a time when people seldom traveled, Olimpia was taken by the sisters to visit the Motherhouse and St. Joseph’s Refuge in Breitenfurt in the summer of 1886. Evidently the sisters recognized in her a potential vocation. A letter from her dated September 9, 1886 expresses her thanks for all the kindnesses extended to her when she visited Vienna and Breitenfurt. Addressed to the Sister Superior of the Motherhouse, who was Sister Ignatia Egger, her letter states, “I know no other way to show my love and gratitude than to beg from heaven for you the grace and blessings that you need. Every morning I pray for you and for the Reverend Mother and all the other sisters, that He should bless and protect your holy house.”

In the next two years, young Olimpia was drawn more closely to the sisters. She felt that it was God’s will that she enter the convent. She applied for admission and on June 8, 1888 she was accepted as a candidate into the Congregation, remaining at St. Andrä for the time being. She was accepted as a postulant by Mother Franciska herself.

As the time of her clothing drew near, Olimpia became seriously ill (the nature of the illness is never mentioned) and her family was notified. A letter from her uncle, Julius Grunwald, dated July 8, 1889, refers to a Professor Keppler, evidently a prominent physician with a list of noted patients, who was willing to perform surgery on her. She would, however, need to return to Venice for the surgery and recuperation, as well as for a further period of convalescence at Viterno, Italy. Her uncle warned her that she must have the operation or else suffer her entire life. Evidently she had written of her approaching reception into the novitiate because her uncle wrote: “What is the difference to put off a novitiate one or more years in comparison to a lifetime of suffering.”

Uncle Julius assured Olimpia that she could be visited by the sisters from St. Andrä while she was in Italy. Then, too, she would be a year older; she would get well and be healthy, which would be important for her future life. To postpone the necessary operation would be harmful to her spiritual and physical wellbeing. The tone of the letter clearly indicates that her uncle was not very willing to give his total approval to her entrance into the Congregation; acting “in loco parentis” he wrote: “You are so young that it does not matter if your clothing will be a year later.... Life is long and health is important.”

On July 12, Julius Grunwald wrote again, urging his niece to come to Venice so that Professor Keppler could perform the surgery. His lines imply that Olimpia had written that she feared the proposed operation for he assures her that there is nothing to fear. It is clear, however, that the young woman was determined to receive the habit at the appointed time; therefore, her uncle attempted another method of getting her to undergo the needed surgery. He inquired whether it would be possible for her to go to Venice to her family immediately after her clothing for a period of treatment and convalescence. Grunwald requested an immediate reply from the sister superior on this matter.

It is evident that his niece refused to return home for the surgery and that no acceptable compromise was reached. A letter dated July 14, 1889 from her uncle finally gave Olimpia his formal permission for reception into the Congregation. He referred to the letter in which she had written how happy she was in her vocation and wished her well. On August 5, Julius Grunwald wrote again, indicating that he would be unable to attend her reception ceremony because he could not leave the hotel during the peak season. His brother-in-law, one Franz Prosek and his wife from nearby Perchtalsdorf would represent him at the ceremony. Acting in Grunwald’s name, Prosek was to be given all pertinent information as to any further financial matters which had to be settled on behalf of his niece.

One thing is clear: Olimpia Bauer did not have the surgery, nor did she return to Italy. On August 18, 1889, she was one of 26 candidates to receive the holy habit from the hands of Mother Franciska Lechner at which time she received the name Sister M. Stanislai Kostka. (GC III, p. 159) Is it possible that she had requested and received this name because of the influence which the sermon about the young saint had had on her decision to enter religious life?
The novitiate, at this time, was located at the Convent of the Heart of Mary (Herz Maria Kloster). Sister Stanislai Kostka was one of the few who remained at the novitiate after her clothing instead of going immediately to one of the convents of the Congregation. Perhaps it was her frail health which accounted for her remaining under the careful supervision of the superior of the convent. One last letter from Julius Grunwald remains. Evidently written in response to two letters written on June 17 and 26, 1890, the hotelier addressed his letter to the Sister Secretary and referred to his niece as Sister Kostka. Again using his brother-in-law as an intermediary, Grunwald agreed to pay approximately 1000 florin for his niece’s needs. Commenting that he was the “father of a large family,” he indicates that he has spent a great deal of money on her already and that he had his own children and many other nieces and nephews for whose education and upbringing he must also provide; therefore, his generosity must now come to an end.

Julius Grunwald was much loved by Mother Kostka. A photograph of this gentleman is preserved in the archives of the Congregation, along with pictures of the hotel. In 1924 when she visited Italy, Mother Kostka was able to visit her beloved Uncle Julius who was 87 years old and living in retirement. She kept the notice of his death which occurred in Venice on December 14, 1924.

The novitiate year passed quickly. At the ceremony of profession presided over by the Reverend Anton Horny, Sister M. Kostka--Stanislai is :omitted from her name at this time--along with 19 other novices, pronounced her first vows on August 18, 1890. As a professed sister she remained at the Convent of the Heart of Mary, most probably as a teacher. The school had been accredited as an official “public” school in 1889 and the novices who were there had the opportunity to be trained for their tasks as teachers and to do some “practice teaching”. The rapid growth of the boarding school and the construction of a new wing to accommodate the steadily increasing number of students compelled Mother Franciska to transfer the novitiate to the Motherhouse just after the 1890 ceremonies. (Herz Maria Kloster Chronicle, pp. 1-3)

The congregational chronicle lists Sister H. Kostka as a yearly retreatant from Herz Maria Kloster in 1891, 1892, and 1893. It was after the retreat in August 1893 that Sister M. Kostka was transferred to Pest, Hungary. (GC IV, p. 13)

At this point we lose sight of Sister Kostka who was sent to Sister M. Borgia Uri the superior in Pest, who was also a general assistant to Mother M. Ignatia Egger. We can safely assume that at a time when the numbers were always less than the demands, the young religious was immediately assigned to work as a teacher. The chronicle recounts the careful preparation which was given to 106 confirmandi in 1894 and the great joy the sisters in Pest experienced when they learned that it would be the Prince Primate of Hungary, His Eminence Claudius Vászáry, who would administer the sacrament to the children. It is safe to say that the young Sister Kostka had some part in the preparations; perhaps she worked with the music as she was an accomplished pianist and organist. During this time, Sister Kostka was struggling to learn still another language: Hungarian, and very possibly English as well. It should be noted that at this time all classes conducted by the sisters in Hungary were taught in German, even though there were already quite a number of native Hungarian sisters in the Congregation. The English training noted above was considered beneficial in 1895--it is mentioned in the congregational chronicle as a source of further future educational activities.

The chronic weakness of Sister Kostka’s health was sufficiently serious to merit notice in the chronicle an February 22, 1895. As Reverend M. M. Ignatia Egger and Sister Borgia were making their visitation in Faherczeglak, Hungary, they received a telegram that Sister Kostka was critically ill with appendicitis and could possibly die. Sister Borgia immediately returned to Pest. (GC IV, p. 116) The subsequent surgery and recovery must have been successful because by February 27 Sister Borgia was able to resume visitations with Mother Ignatia.
(GC IV, p. 192)

A brief notice, then again--anonymity. Chronicle accounts of the twenty-fifth jubilee celebration of Sister Borgia Uri in October, 1894, and the accompanying festivities prepared by the sisters and the pupils allows us to place Sister Kostka in the midst of the activities. She was a person who always enjoyed preparing performances with the children.

During this entire period, all the members of the Congregation were required to return to Vienna to make their annual retreats. Thus it was that in 1903 Sister Kostka, along with 123 sisters, made her annual retreat from January
8 to 13. Three days later, on January 16, 1903, twenty-seven Daughters of Divine Charity pronounced their perpetual vows, among them was Sister Kostka Bauer. The presiding bishop at the ceremony was the Most Reverend Dr. Godfried Marschall. It was during this retreat that the sisters began to pray the Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Latin, in accord with the wishes of His Holiness, Pope Leo XIII. (GC V, pp. 138-139)

To be kept under temporary vows for such a prolonged period might raise questions as to the spiritual and/or physical fitness of Sister Kostka to be admitted to perpetual vows. An undated/unsigned letter found in the Hungarian archival materials in Vienna sheds some light on the subject. It would appear that a number of sisters had experienced the same long delay; the letter states that Mother Ignatia did not have the power to keep the sisters in Hungary from pronouncing perpetual profession for such a long time.

It is safe to say that the spiritual growth of Sister Kostka and her emerging leadership were noted by the authorities during this period. In later years, she would allude to the fact that she had been novice mistress in Hungary for twenty years. The fact that an official canonical novitiate was first erected in Hungary in 1903 -- the year of her perpetual profession of vows, and that she left for the United States in 1913--would lead one to question the validity of those numbers. (Although her death notice in 1943 states that after 1896 she assumed the task of novice mistress in Budapest, no allusion to this fact is found in the General Archives.) An examination of the growing problems in Hungary, therefore, is warranted at this point in order to place the entire situation into proper perspective.

The letter which questioned the prolonged period in temporary vows experienced by the sisters in Hungary also alludes to the fact that there were many novices in Pest. Their presence there was considered contradictory to the canonical requirements for a novitiate, especially because they were studying secular subjects. As previously mentioned, in the early years of the Congregation it was customary to send the novices to the various convents almost immediately after they had received the habit. Mother Franciska was establishing new foundations rapidly; the novices were needed to staff the new convents. Mother Ignatia continued the practice as a matter of course. It seems plausible, therefore, to accept the fact that shortly after her transfer to Pest in 1893, Sister Kostka was made the “unofficial” novice mistress of the Hungarian novices who returned home after receiving the habit. Here another issue is also relevant: Hungarian candidates were often delayed for years from receiving the habit for no other reason than that they did not know the German language. It is possible that her knowledge of that language made Sister Kostka additionally valuable in preparing these candidates for reception and during their novitiate year.

One of the persons who played a major role in the development of the spiritual and temporal leadership of Sister Kostka was Sister M. Valeria Morvay, one of the earliest Hungarian members of the Congregation. After Sister Borgia became very ill, Sister Valeria was made the superior in Pest. Here a strong bond developed between the Hungarian and the young Italian--a bond which would last a lifetime. They were to be co-workers first in Hungary and then in the establishment of the first convents of the Congregation in North America.

From 1901 on, conditions in the convents in Hungary almost led to the first great rift in our Congregation. To understand these developments in Hungary-- which would greatly influence the life and character of Sister Kostka, it is necessary to delve somewhat into the problems which began to surface in that country at the beginning of the twentieth century. Mother Franciska Lechner had begun her missionary activities and the extension of the Congregation into Hungary in 1870, just two years after founding the institute. She quickly drew young women to her side, and the number of sisters of Hungarian background grew rapidly. As previously mentioned, however, these young women were expected to know German in order to receive the habit. As part of the Austro-Hungarian monarchy, the well-to-do and the more educated people of Hungary automatically learned the language of the empire; in the villages and small towns, however, this was not the case. The spoken, language was Hungarian, the mother tongue.

For some reasons, not explained in the general chronicles, much turmoil began to upset the peace and order in the Hungarian convents from 1901 on. This unrest necessitated frequent visitations from the superior general, Mother Ignatia Egger. Many of the sisters who were of Hungarian parentage resented, at times, the requirement to use the German language in their prayers and activities. Why could they not use their native tongue in their own country?

When Mother Ignatia and her assistant, Sister Helene Bonard, arrived in Pest on March .1, 1902, she was surrounded by the sisters who begged her to establish a Hungarian province of the Congregation, a Hungarian novitiate, and to grant them permission to pray and to have their retreats in Hungary in their own language. These requests which would have made the Hungarian convents quite independent from the Motherhouse were, to Mother Ignatia, requests which could not be granted. Such exceptions would threaten the unity of the Congregation. The Most Reverend Medardus Kohl, bishop of Budapest, knew of the petitions of the Hungarian sisters and supported them. Mother Ignatia demurred; she explained to him and to the sisters that the Holy Rule and Constitutions made no provision for the founding of separate provinces. Furthermore, she considered such a division to be impossible because there were only nine convents of the Congregation in Hungary; this number was too small for so drastic a division.

For more than a year the problem continued. When it was evident that the Hungarians would not back down from their petition, Mother Ignatia contacted Reverend P. Daum, a consultant with the Congregation of Bishops and Regulars in Rome. Father Daum had been a great help with his advice and services during the preparation of the Holy Rule and Constitutions for the third papal approbation. He agreed with Mother Ignatia that requests such as those being made by the Hungarian members would end the unity of the Congregation; that the sisters in the other countries (Poland, Bohemia, Moravia, Bosnia, Croatia) would demand the same privileges and such demands would auger no good for the future of the Congregation.

The Hungarian sisters persisted, however, and Mother Ignatia and her assistants felt compelled to refer the matter to the Congregation of Bishops in Rome for a decision. She felt sure the Roman body would support her position. Great was her surprise when on September 1, 1902, she received a reply from Rome which indicated that there was nothing which could forbid such action. She, herself, could grant all the necessary permissions if she felt they would not harm the Congregation.

The solution to the dilemma, however, was not an easy one. At this point in time, it was customary for the superior general to send sisters to various missions and countries, regardless of their nationality and language. German was the unifying tongue. Thus, although all the Hungarian sisters knew German because it was a requisite for reception into the Congregation, not all the sisters stationed in Hungary knew the language of the country. Congregational documents decreed that, for the unity of the Congregation, all the members--regardless of their nationality--were to speak a common language. Since the Congregation had been founded by a Bavarian in Germanic Vienna and the motherhouse was located there, and because most of the convents and sisters were from Austria, it was inevitable that the unifying language was German. Furthermore, the division of the Congregation to allow for the formation of a Hungarian province after such a relatively short existence would only cause dissension in the ranks. The Congregation could still be governed effectively from the motherhouse in Vienna; perhaps when the Congregation became larger, provincial division might be considered. The time, however, was not yet ripe.

The Sisters in Hungary, while protesting their fealty and unity with the Congregation, still pressed for the granting of their requests. To solve the growing tension, Mother Ignatia sent another petition on March 28, 1903 to the Sacred Congregation of Bishops and Regulars asking them to make the decision regarding the Hungarian question; she would abide with their final ultimatum. Because the members of the Sacred Congregation were themselves unable to agree on a solution, they asked the Prince Primate of Hungary, Dr. Claudius Vaszary for his opinion and advice. He, of course, readily supported the position of the Hungarian sisters. Consequently, Mother Ignatia could do nothing but follow the advice of the Secretary of the Sacred Congregation to reach a compromise. She was to give her consent to the three points that had been presented to her in March 1902 by Bishop Kohl of Budapest. She agreed:

a) it would be permissible for the sisters, when praying in common, to use the Hungarian language for prayers, meditation and spiritual reading;

b) an annual retreat would be conducted for the Hungarian sisters in their language;

c) a Hungarian novitiate would be erected in Budapest when they had at least twelve candidates and everything in the house was in keeping with the regulations provided in the Constitution regarding the novitiate.

The number twelve was stipulated because it was considered an acceptable number for training the candidates in leading a community life. Then, too, with a sufficient number, the novices could also be trained to be teachers and for various household duties.

A further condition for the establishment of the Hungarian novitiate was the requirement that every week several hours were to be set aside for the
study of the German language and that the novices be given every opportunity to practice the language so they would be able to communicate with their authorities, namely, the superior general. It was still considered necessary to have an official language in order to retain the congregational unity.

From July 25 onward, Mother Ignatia was again in touch with Father Dawn in Rome regarding the proper establishment of the Hungarian novitiate. On October 12, 1903 the necessary permissions finally arrived from Rome; consequently, on November 4-6, Mother Ignatia, together with her assistant, Sister Helene, went to Budapest to finalize the action. The Prince Primate of Hungary, would himself perform the necessary ceremony for the canonical establishment of the novitiate.

Sister Kostka, who had been working unofficially with the novices after they returned to Hungary upon receiving the habit, was named by Mother Ignatia as the first novice mistress of the newly erected novitiate. The Hungarian sisters were overjoyed to see their wishes fulfilled. No longer would the reception of the habit be postponed until the candidates could understand German. No longer did they have to go to Vienna. Thus it was that on December 3, 1903, the first clothing and profession ceremonies took place in Budapest, with His Excellency, Bishop Medardus Kohl presiding over the festive occasion. Seven candidates received the habit and five novices who had been received into the Congregation in Vienna made first profession of vows. It was required, however, that all the sisters were to go to the Motherhouse in Vienna to pronounce their perpetual vows.

From 1903 to 1913, Sister Kostka served as the novice mistress in Hungary. Her deep spirituality and firmness of character made deep impressions on her charges and helped to mould the novices into loyal, hard-working Daughters of Divine Charity. Her knowledge of both German and Hungarian made it possible for her to instruct her charges in the official language of the Congregation, thereby fulfilling one of the prerequisites for the establishment of the first separate novitiate. Quickly, she became “Kostka mama” (little mother) to the Hungarian novices. During this time, she also encouraged some of her “little white doves” to study the English language, She was dreaming in earnest of America as a mission field and her dreams were the subject of many a novitiate recreation conversation as she shared her hopes with her novices, imbuing them with a fervor equal to her own.

Her indomitable spirit was tried again and again by her weak physical stamina. On March 1, 1911 she underwent surgery in Hungary for an unnamed problem. The operation was not too successful; therefore, on March 7 she was transported to Vienna where she was hospitalized and operated once again the following day. The seriousness of her condition can be deduced from the fact that she remained in Austria for a prolonged period of convalescence, returning to Hungary on May 5. (GC V, pp. l09;l68)
A study of the listings of candidates who received the habit in Hungary from 1903 onward produces a number of interesting facts. The name “Olimpia” quickly showed up among the names bestowed on the new novices. Could it be that the candidates vied for the honor to receive the name of the person who was so significant in their religious formation? Also, many of those early novices would be among the pioneers who traveled from Hungary to join Sister Kostka in establishing the first convents of the Daughters of Divine Charity in the United States. (History of St. Joseph Province, pp. 1-2)

According to the first chronicle written in America which relates the various stages leading to the establishment of the Congregation in the United States, it was in the summer of 1906 that His Excellency, Most Reverend Joseph Schrembs, bishop of the diocese of Toledo, Ohio stopped in Hungary during a European tour. While there, he paid a visit to St. Margaret’s Institute in Budapest and suggested that members of the Congregation come to his diocese to care for the spiritual needs of the children of the Hungarian immigrants who were beginning to settle in that area. Although the request was very appealing, it was impossible to make a commitment to the bishop at that time. There were barely enough sisters to meet the demands in the Austro-Hungarian Empire. (St. Mary’s.Chronicle, pp. 1-2)

The seeds of promise, however, had been planted. Sister Kostka now
encouraged the novices to be even more conscientious in studying the English language.

The hands of God work in mysterious ways. In September, 1912, a large number of American bishops attended the International Eucharistic Congress which was held in Vienna, Austria. Some of them lodged at convents of the Congregation and, hearing that there were convents of the Congregation in Hungary, they issued urgent invitations to Mother Ignatia to provide sisters to care for the spiritual needs of the Hungarians who were migrating to the United States in large numbers.

Mother Ignatia and her general assistants--who now included Sister M. Valeria Morvay--held a two-day conference on March 27-28, 1913 and, although nothing specific appears in the chronicle dealing with the subject of the possible American venture, an entry at the end of June records that it had been decided that in September, Sister and a few other sisters from Hungary would travel to America to assess the possibilities for our Congregation to be planted in this distant part of the world. Mother Ignatia, who still fully controlled all the transfers, named Sister M. Kostka Bauer as the superior for the proposed American mission. The sisters were to assess the conditions in the United States and, if deemed appropriate, they were to establish one or more foundations. (Ge VI, pp. 106, 129)

The Congregational chronicler noted: “...it would be very good if our Congregation had foundations in other lands as a place of refuge if, God forbid, there would be an assault on the convents In Austria.” (Ge vi, p. 129) It is noteworthy that the final decision regarding the first sisters who would come to America was made by Sister Kostka. She knew her novices well; she would know which of the many volunteers would be able to bear the rigors of such a venture to a foreign land. Perhaps she was thinking of her own uprootings--first from her home and family in Italy, then from Austria to Hungary--she knew the sacrifices and heartaches involved. She was ready--they would be, too!