Life of Mother Kostka Bauer

CHAPTER V

MOTHER KOSTKA -- SPIRITUAL LEADER

“Always keep before your eyes the goal of your vocation; it comes from God. Be ready to live sacrificial lives”.
“We are not only to shun serious sin; rather, through the exact obedience to the Holy Rule we should be faithful in the smallest matters and strive for perfection.”

These words written on July 23, 1926, not long after her election as superior general, contain most concisely the unswerving attitude of Mother Kostka regarding her expectations and desires regarding the spiritual growth of every Daughter of Divine Charity. It is in this area that she was most demanding and stern and exerted much leadership in fostering a greater love of God and neighbor. Nowhere does the foundation for her spiritual leadership emerge more clearly than in her circular of October 15, 1927:
Fifty-nine years before, on the feast of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, our blessed Frau Mutter founded our Congregation with great patience, suffering, courage, and self-denial, in greatest poverty. Let us ask our blessed foundress what special aim she had before her eyes at the time of the founding. Her answer will be: “Next to striving toward Christian perfection through personal holiness, work to grow in the love of neighbor.” Our first goal as Daughters of Divine Charity which will lead to personal holiness is loyal obedience to the Holy Rule and the Constitution which she gave us. The second aim is that we should work for the welfare of the girls seeking employment who come to us and for the training of the children, so that we can build in them a Christian life, teaching them to pray and giving them the knowledge of religion.

Paraphrasing the quotation from Mark 8:36 -- “What shall it profit a man, if
he shall gain the whole world, and lose his life” -- Mother Kostka reminded her
spiritual daughters: “What good is it to strive to be an outstanding teacher,
a clever tutor, an excellent musician, an exceptional administrator or housekeeper, if you do not labor to be an exemplary religious.”

For Mother Kostka, the gift and privilege of her religious vocation,
Along with its trials and sorrows, joys and triumphs, was an on—going blessing
she wished to see all her spiritual daughters imbued with this same love of
Heavenly Bridegroom and appreciation of this grace of vocation. On June
23, 1927 she wrote: “The Heart of Jesus loves us with an unconditional,
love. ... Who should return this love to the Sacred Heart if not the religious
who.. .has been selected to receive the grace of a vocation?.” -

Later that same year, Mother Kostka urged the sisters:
Think back to the day that you left the world, received the holy habit and made your profession. If God sends severe trials--and these come to us all--these should be seen as great blessings from God. In these hard times, kiss your ring and say from your heart, “My Redeemer, now, as your cross lays so heavy on my soul, I renew my promise of eternal loyalty.
No One should ever say “I have had enough” Rather live always as though you are a novice. (August 10, 1927)
Returning to this theme in her circular of October 15, 1927, she asked:
“How have we treasured the grace of this vocation? ... Often the monotony of daily life has dulled our great care and love of our vocation. We should not forget that religious life is a living martyrdom. It is impossible to imagine religious life without suffering and adversity. On the contrary, these are good signs. How can one hope to receive a heavenly crown if one did not struggle?”

Much the same idea was reiterated on March 5, 1931. Countless times, as she expressed her gratitude for Christmas, Easter, birthday, and feastday wishes she would write as she did on November 15, 1927: “If you also included in your good wishes deep interior prayerfulness and true obedience to the Holy Rule you would make me the happiest person in the world.” At a time when the habit was synonymous with religious life she would state, “It is not the habit, rather the exact and punctual obedience to the Holy Rules and vows that makes one a true religious.”

The after-effects of World War I and the time which many sisters had spent with their families had caused some of the sisters to become lax in the practice of poverty. Hence on September 7, 1928 Mother Kostka emphasized strongly that a sister may not have money by herself without permission from the superior. Gifts given to a sister could not be kept personally, even when the donor had stipulated it for a particular sister. “The people have no right to state how a gift is to be used; that is for the superior to decide.” She also warned the sisters not to seek in the Congregation that which they could not have in the world.

In 1931, Mother Kostka would again remind the sisters that there had been a long-standing rule which forbade the sisters to accept for themselves gifts from boarders, students or residents. It would seem that a laxity on this score had crept in, so she wrote, “...1 am reminding you of it strongly; many unpleasant circumstances can be avoided by keeping the rule.” (March 5, 1931)
Every circular and letter to the Congregation as a whole, and to individual provinces, was used to drive home the lessons she wished to print indelibly on the heart of each member. Her Christmas circulars utilized the poverty of Bethlehem to drive home the need to practice the virtue and the vow of poverty. In the circular written on December 30, 1935, she explained, “The Divine Child appeared in the world in great poverty and need... . Was He poor only at His birth? No.. .poverty followed him to the grave.” Mother Kostka then begged that her daughters take this mystery of poverty into their hearts in a practical way for “. . .poverty is the beginning of religious life.” Citing the provisions in the Constitution regarding poverty, she indicated that she had become aware of great violations of the vow.

Despite her frequent reminders, she found that too many sisters were
still considering things that had been given them for their use as their personal possessions. They gave gifts without permission and freely disposed of clothing, books, and other items. (May 16, 1931) The radical changes which have emerged in the lifestyle of modern religious may make her admonitions in this regard appear a bit extreme. It is necessary, therefore, to return to the original directives of Mother Franciska in order to understand why, in 1935, Mother Kostka found it necessary to warn the sisters that when transferred, they were to take nothing -- bed, blankets, sheets, wash basins, etc.; —- these belonged to the particular house. Referring to the cost of shipping all these goods, she condemned such action as a flagrant violation of poverty. “I think I have said enough,” she wrote, “every one should understand what I mean.”

As a reminder of the requirements for a “poor” religious, Mother Kostka wrote a special circular to the American province on April 14, 1935. Although it was ostensibly an Easter greeting, she took the occasion to reply to the number of requests she had received from the sisters to return to Hungary. Referring obliquely to the fact that the world depression was not yet over, she reminded them: “Worldly people are saving every penny; we cannot allow ourselves such unnecessary, expensive luxuries--we who have vowed poverty.” Pointing out that the Congregation, especially in Europe, was suffering monetary difficulties, she suggested that the money saved by foregoing the trip could be given either to the Hungarian province which was in dire need, or to the Congregation. Don’t be angry about this; I feel obliged to ask this sacrifice...”

Mother Kostka was equally demanding with regard to the practice of the
vow of obedience. “We have taken our vows voluntarily--we are bound to keep
them.” For her, a sister who was obedient would observe all the provisions of
the Constitutions, the decisions of the General Chapters, and the rules laid
down by her religious superiors. She urged the sisters to place their wills
under that of their superiors who are the representatives of God. It was not
sufficient for a sister to obey the superior general; she owed a like obedience
to the provincial and house superior as well. The sisters were warned not to make
the duties of the authorities more difficult through their selfishness,
Stubbornness, insubordination, or criticism of orders. “The superior is merely doing what the Holy Rule requires.” (January 21, 1929)

One of the provisions of the Constitution which Mother Kostka strongly urged the sisters to observe was the rule of silence. She had always been strict in the enforcement of mastery of the tongue and was determined to impress the need for this virtue on all her spiritual daughters. For the Lenten season of 1927, she encouraged the sisters to practice self-denial by the assiduous observance of the strict silence as well as the lesser silence. In her opinion such silence would result in a deeper spiritual recollection, the practice of humility, the denial of personal opinions as well as the elimination of self-love.

First and foremost, the sisters were reminded that silence was obligatory in and near the chapel at all times. Reverence for the Holy Eucharist demanded that the area in and around the chapel be as calm and peaceful as possible.

Writing about the necessity of curbing the tongue at all times, Mother Kostka
turned to the advice from the letter of James, “. - .the only man who could reach perfection would be someone who never said anything wrong...” (James 3:
2-3). She urged each sister to “tame” her tongue, thereby eliminating a main source of sins against the love of neighbor. Commenting on the fact that breaking the silence leads to many faults such as complaints, gossip, inaccurate statements and bitterness, Mother Kostka suggested: “Let us earnestly consider and examine ourselves--whether we have the option to let the tongue free? In the future let us cast no stone against our neighbor.” (November 30, 1931) In another letter she would again advise: “Keep the tongue in check; outside recreation time observe silence strictly; much can be avoided by this practice.” Again, on July 12, 1930, she would ask, “How can a soul rise to a higher level in prayer when she is not quiet or recollected?”

Along with strict observance of the Rules and the vows, Mother Kostka attached great importance to fidelity in fulfilling all spiritual exercises, especially the annual retreat. In referring to the retreat, she spoke of its primary aim: to help the sisters. to recognize their faults and to determine to remake themselves according to the model of the Heavenly Bridegroom. During those grace-filled days, all were expected to work diligently for self-improvement; (September 7, 1928) with great earnestness, good will and a ready heart. (July 12, 1930) If she happened to be in a particular province at the time of the annual retreat, Mother Kostka seized the opportunity to give a few conferences to the assembled sisters, calling their attention to lapses that she had noticed during her visitations and urging them once more to return to a fervent life of prayer, self-denial and strict observance.

Mother Kostka stressed the importance of common prayer; “.. .where two or three are gathered in My name...;” and she was very unwilling to permit waiving this regulation for minor reasons. Early in 1927 she wrote emphatically:
“Prayers are common; it is unnecessary every Sunday to ask whether prayers are common; it is so written and will remain so, as long as no other order is given. Superiors have the sacred duty to obey this rule. I will not give in.”

In the 1930 previously cited circular she stressed her insistence on common prayer even during vacation time. Although she agreed to a little variation in the daily horarium--later rising, spiritual reading at another hour, an extended recreation--she insisted that the prayers in common had to be retained. There could be no “vacation” from common prayer. The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary was to be prayed in common at all times, even on Sundays and holydays. In this regard she wrote in 1927: “Get used to obeying regulations. I will not mitigate my orders and if kindness will not bear the desired results, I will use sternness.”

In the matter of communal prayer, Mother Kostka was very insistent that the sisters practice the congregational devotions established by Mother Franciska, rather than introducing numerous new prayers. Every year, in one way or another, she reminded the sisters to pray to St. Joseph. As noted in the previous chapter, she begged the sisters to renew their devotion to the patroness of the Congregation: Mother Most Admirable.
Writing from Vienna on August 9, 1930, Mother Kostka reminded all the members of the Congregation that the l500th anniversary of the death of Saint Augustine was being celebrated that year. Alluding to the fact that, after the Sacred Heart, the Blessed Virgin Mary, and St. Joseph, the author of our Holy Rule should have the greatest honor from every Daughter of Divine Charity, she decreed that the aspiration “Holy Father, St. Augustine, pray for us!” be added at the end of all common prayers. She further ordered that the feast of this congregational patron saint be celebrated in a special way.

Mother Kostka introduced devotion to St. Therese, the Little Flower, and added it to the existing communal devotions. To Mother Kostka, this new saint was the perfect example of religious life and of fidelity in little things -- a lifestyle she hoped her spiritual children would imitate. Referring to the Little Flower’s example in her circular of May 16, 1931, she marveled, “How many holy souls have helped bring about the return of a sinner directly through fidelity in little things.” Already in her circular of July 23, 1926, she ordered that a novena to the Little Flower for the intentions of the Congregation be begun in each house upon receipt of the circular.

Following the disastrous fire of December 15, 1926, which damaged a large part of the Motherhouse and destroyed many of the documents of the Congregation as well as the trunks and clothing of the sisters, Mother Kostka had turned to the neighboring provinces for aid.. Mother Valeria Morvay arrived from Hungary on December 20, bringing clothing and other necessities as well as gifts to help provide a Christmas celebration for the community. Mother Kostka purchased a statue of the Little Flower, placed it on the piano in the Chapter Room, and surrounded it with the gifts that had come from the Hungarian province. After the celebration, the statue was blessed and placed on a pedestal in the sisters’ choir of the Motherhouse church.

In August, 1927, Mother Kostka used her visitation trip to the United States to make a side trip to Paris and thence to Lisieux, where she visited the house and garden where Therese Martin had lived and played as a child. She also visited the Little Flower’s grave and prayed for every Daughter of Divine Charity there, asking especially “...that she should send us many candidates...” and prayed for all to be filled with the true religious spirit exemplified by the young saint. In the name of the Congregation she made a contribution toward the construction of the basilica in honor of St. Therese.

She, herself, turned to the Little Flower for assistance whenever she was scedu1ed to make an extended ocean voyage to North or South America. To Mother Kostka, the greatest sacrifice in making these trips was the deprivation of the
graces of daily Holy Mass and Communion; therefore, she asked St. Therese to send
priests as passengers on the voyage. She gradually asked all the sisters to join in this petition whenever she prepared for a long voyage. The circulars reminded them to intercede with the new saint to send priests who would celebrate the liturgy on board the ship. Joyfully, she reported that their prayers were heard; often, there were even two priests who travelled on the same ship, giving her the opportunity to assist at two masses.

Shortly after assuming office, Mother Kostka suggested that the auxiliary motto which she had developed for the American province: “Prayer--self-denial--for souls” be adopted by all the members of the Congregation. She explained these three actions would benefit their spiritual growth and speed them along the road to perfection. (November 13, 1926) She always endeavored to encourage, teach and admonish the sisters on the importance of fidelity in these matters.
She acknowledged that perhaps one or other circular may have sounded too harsh. She hastened to explain, “. . .it comes from a motherly concern which desires only the best for the Congregation and each sister for whom I am responsible.” September 7, 1928)

Later, in her circular of December 28, 1930, she suggested still another
motto for the coming year: “Always more, always better, always with love.” She desired each sister to be willing always to make more sacrifices, to strive for greater recollection and more love of her neighbor--always more. Through the second portion, she hoped that the members would strive to pray better, with more devotion and recollection. “It is not enough to say that I have performed all my spiritual exercises, my duties; ... we must strive to do these always better ...“ To explain the third provision, Mother Kostka turned to St. Augustine’s famous advice: “Love and then do what you will.” She explained how love could sweeten all sufferings and told the sisters, “Our daily resolution should be to love God more and our neighbor for love of Him.”

In 1937, the Prayer for the Congregation, which was most probably composed by the vicaress general, Sister Donata Reichenwallner, was sent to all the convents via the circular of February 13. Mother Kostka asked that this prayer be recited every Friday in common and further decreed that the masses, communions, prayers and good works of all the sisters should be offered each Friday for the good of the Congregation.

The many trips and visitations that she was forced to make as superior general brought Mother Kostka into close contact with numerous bishops, prelates and priests. In 1936, she mentioned the need for prayer for these spiritual leaders and suggested that the lenten penances that year be offered for all priests; “... the Holy Father, missionaries, religious and diocesan priests, especially pastors. They are faced with so many hardships and temptations.... Let us offer our prayers and good works for them.. . we can thus be apostles for the priesthood.” She asked that those priests who had been untrue to their vocations be remembered in a special way, so that these “shepherds in the mist” might return to the church.

The following Lent, Mother Kostka renewed this petition and made it obligatory for all Daughters of Divine Charity to offer their masses, communions, prayers and good works on Saturday for priests. She provided a special prayer that was to be recited; however, if any province already had a prayer for priests which it was using, it could be retained.
Practically every circular written by Mother Kostka mentioned the need for penance and self-abnegation in the life of every Daughter of Divine Charity. Instead of harsh corporal penances “. . .such as fasting, self-flaggelation, wearing of a penitential belt, etc. which some saints have done in an heroic manner...” she reminded the sisters that these were only a means to an end. “The denial of self-will is often more painful than flogging.” She urged, instead, that the sisters accept the small inconveniences that daily life brings in the spirit of penance. Development of this spirit of penance at work, at table, at recreation, would also help each member to recognize her failings against the Holy Rule. (February 29, 1928).

At another time she wrote: “Self-denial, abnegation means nothing more than to struggle and be victorious over the demands of our lower nature. Whoever wishes to be an artist must work daily to perfect his art with unflagging will and restless energy. If we wish to progress in our spiritual life we must deny ourselves daily”.

By nature our wills tend toward evil, not good. We need determination to withstand these natural inclinations. “Whoever wishes to follow me must deny himself, take up his cross and follow me.” (January 21, 1929)

As a simple example of the act of self-denial, Mother Kostka suggested the
practice of renunciation and toleration. Through renunciation, she counseled custody of the eyes and ears and control of the tongue through silence. toleration of the faults, complaints and weaknesses of our sisters, the cold or heat, transfers, change of duties, the common life--all these were crosses to be tolerated because they could not be escaped. Therefore, she encouraged: “…let us carry the cross willingly so that we can gain an eternal crown.”

In 1930, she suggested that the sisters offer their self-denial and penance for the poor persecuted Catholics in Russia, that God would give them perseverance in the face of the merciless persecutions they were experiencing. In an undated Lenten circular entitled “The Love of the Cross,” she expressed her earnest desire that every member of the Congregation should practice some public penance during the penitential season. “We can offer it for the intentions of the church: in Spain, Russia, Mexico and Germany Catholics are being treated very badly -- many have shed their blood for the faith.” Thus, emulating the Little Flower who had recently been declared patroness of missionaries, Mother Kostka encouraged the sisters to become missionaries without ever leaving
their convents.

A deeper examination of each of these penitential practices and counsels merely strengthens the conviction that every advice proposed by Mother Kostka always led back to one central theme: strict observance of all facets of religious life and the practice of poverty. In fact, in her circular of December 12, 1934, written to the members of the American province, referring to the distance that divided that group from the Motherhouse she wrote: “. . .only that sister is distant who does not strive for perfection by following the Holy Rule. The stubborn, proud and uncharitable sister does not belong to the Daughters of me Charity, whose symbols should be obedience, humility and charity.

For Mother Kostka, strict observance consisted not only in faithfully performing the prescribed spiritual exercises, but also in obedience to the provisions laid down in the Constitution regarding the habit, home visits, and trips. Perhaps it is in this regard that one might accuse Mother Kostka of adhering too rigidly to the letter of the law, rather than to its spirit. An examination of the times might shed some light on the reasons prompting her demand for strict adherence.

Numerous societal changes had occurred in the 20th century, precipitated both by World War I and its aftermath. These changes were bound to affect religious life as well because the young women entering the convent would bring with them the spirit of the times. Consequently, the superior general felt it was essential for her to be extremely firm and strict in forbidding deviations from the rules.

On August 10, 1927, she would remind the sisters that the habits must
•- total agreement with the constitutional provisions: they were not to have “trains”
but neither could the skirts be worn short. If a sister’s skirt was too long,
she was ordered to shorten it; if too short, it had to be lengthened.
Shoes were to be simple; they could not have high heels or be of modern design.
Postulant and novice mistresses were warned to take special care in this regard.
If parents or relatives brought material or shoes that were unacceptable, they had to be told to take them back.

At another time, noting that in some provinces lighter material was
being used when preparing a new habit, Mother Kostka sternly forbade the wearing of a habit made of anything but woolen cloth. Even the work clothes had to be of the same material. Furthermore, she forbade the sisters to remove any part of the habit at any time, or to wear it “incorrectly”. Sleeves could not be rolled up, except when washing; the collar could not be thrown back for any reason, not even while cleaning. (July 12, 1930) A special circular on February 5, 1932, dedicated almost entirely to regulations regarding the habit and how it was to be worn, reiterated her stern orders for strict obedience to all regulations regarding the habit. Demanding that the sisters keep the collars buttoned all the way to the throat at all times, she tersely advised practicing self-denial: “Bear the heat. Our habit is one of the most practical and speaks of our times and proper hygiene.” She was not, however, merciless. Having visited Brazil a number of times and experiencing the intense heat in that land she made an exception: the sisters in North Brazil were permitted to remove their bows--in the house.

As she conducted her official visitations, she noticed that in some of the provinces the flutes on the bonnets were exceptionally wide; in fact, some sisters looked “...as though they belonged to another congregation.” The Constitutions provided exact measurements for the cape, the cuffs, and the belt; however, it simply stated that “. . . the head and hair are covered with a small white bonnet to which is sewn a double frill of the same material...” Therefore, on August 10, 1927, Mother Kostka corrected this ambiguous provision; she decreed that the “frill” could not be wider than five centimeters. She also warned the sisters not to wear the bonnets drawn too closely around the face. Here, too, moderation was demanded, and novice mistresses were instructed to train their charges properly in this regard.

Equal attention was paid to watches, chains and medals that were worn by the sisters. Here, Mother Kostka expected poverty and simplicity to be applied. Chains and medals could be made of sterling silver, watches, too, were to be made of silver and could only be worn on the so-called St. Peter’s Chain. In her estimation, it would be violating the spirit of poverty to wear these items made of gold.

At the time of the founding of the Congregation, Mother Franciska had decided that once a young woman was admitted to the Congregation, she would never be permitted to make home visits. This was the common practice of all active religious congregations in the 19th century. During the political turmoil which followed World War I in many of the countries of the former Austro-Hungarian empire, some of the sisters had been forced to return to their families temporarily because of the Communist threat. Upon their return to the Congregation, some of the sisters began to request permission to make occasional visits to their homes and families. The question was discussed at the General Chapter of 1924, at which time the Cardinal Archbishop of Vienna strictly forbade all such visits, making exceptions only to those sisters who were being sent to North or South America. These were permitted to make a brief farewell visit, primarily because it was expected that they would never return to Europe or see their families again. These regulations regarding home visitations were renewed by the 1926 General Chapter.

Despite the publication of these decisions, it is evident that the sisters paid little attention to the restrictions. They were requesting permissions for, and making frequent home visits--presumably with the knowledge and permission of the provincial and/or local superiors. Upon her return from Brazil soon after her election, Mother Kostka alluded to this practice in her circular of November 13, 1926 and reminded the sisters that such visits were strictly forbidden. “This bad habit crept into the Congregation during the war and has produced bitter fruit.”

Evidently her admonitions fell on deaf ears for on January 21, 1929 she warned: “Don’t ask for permission for home visits; they are not permitted under any conditions.” She reminded them of the Chapter Decisions of 1924 and 1926 and stated: “I do not have the right to change chapter decisions.” Over and over again, Mother Kostka would reiterate the official regulations regarding this question and sadly commented on the apparent indifference and disobedience of the sisters to these and other rules and regulations of the Congregation--a fact that caused her much sorrow and heartache. She begged that all regulations be kept as they were written, not as a sister would like to interpret them to her benefit. On December 28, 1930 she commented, “I am well aware that you judge
severely my regulations and those of the other authorities. Rest assured, every one of my decisions is made after much prayer, and the advice of my councilors.”

Two important decisions made by Mother Kostka which she considered essential to the spiritual welfare and development of the Congregation dealt with the first profession of vows and the perpetual commitment. Since its establishment in 1868 by Mother Franciska, the Congregation provided a single-year Novitiate before profession of vows. In the early days, few of the members even experienced a real canonical novitiate; the need for sisters to go to the convents which were being founded so rapidly precluded that year of formal spiritual training. Gradually, as the membership increased, the novices remained in the novitiate and were given training in the rudiments of the vows and religious observance. After temporary profession of vows, these were missioned to the
various convents and became part of the local communities. It was then that the
problems began to surface. The young religious, sometimes still in their teens,
exhibited signs of stubbornness, laziness, disobedience and pride, and more and more often the question was raised, “Why were these sisters permitted to pronounce their vows?”

Mother Kostka had experienced this problem in Hungary after the novices,
who had conducted themselves in an exemplary manner in the novitiate under her
direction, became professed religious. The same issue surfaced during her time
as superior and then provincial superior in the United States. As superior general she heard the same complaint when she made her official visitations. Finally, she decided that the condition could not be permitted to continue without causing irreparable harm to the Congregation as a whole and to the individual religious. Accordingly, with the full consent of her councilors, Mother Kostka applied to the Sacred Congregation for Religious on February 12, 1930, requesting

“…..that the Novitiate of one year in our Congregation be extended to
two years but so that for the validity of profession, the first year, duly gone through, should suffice. However in the second year the novices will be assigned to the performance of designated services. From their way of acting, and of conducting themselves in these occupations, the character of each is more clearly known and therefore it will be avoided more easily lest by chance an unworthy novice, or less suitable one, be admitted to the profession of vows.”

The requested permission was received on April 29, 1930 and Mother Kostka moved to implement the decision as quickly as possible. (GC VII, pp.. 167—168) A circular was dispatched on July 7, informing all provincials and house superiors that the two-year novitiate was to be established immediately in all provinces, and explained in detail the necessity for this move and the system to be followed hereafter.

She stated that in a proper1y conducted novitiate the novices are constantly under the eyes of the mistress; hence, there is not much chance for them to do anything drastic. Furthermore, one year was too short to be assured of the person’s fitness for community life. Under the new system, once the canonical year was completed, a novice could be sent to a convent near to the mother or provincial house and assigned to a particular duty. Superiors having second-year novices assigned to their houses would have to pay special attention to these sisters and observe them carefully in order to be able to give a valid opinion as to whether or not the subject was deserving of pronouncing her vows. With these new safeguards, Mother Kostka hoped that the authorities would be more successful in retaining only good and trustworthy members in the Congregation.

Similarly, a more stringent system was developed to ensure that only worthy members would be admitted to perpetual vows so as not to have to face the undesirable task of applying to the Sacred Congregation for Religious for a dispensation from perpetual vows. In 1926, many sisters pronounced their final vows after three years in temporary profession. Every member was required to apply personally to the superior general for permission to make this ultimate commitment. It would appear that some sisters delayed requesting this privilege because after perusing the list of members with temporary vows, Mother Kostka wrote on April 4, 1926, reminding these sisters that many of them had made their first vows more than three years ago. These were told to apply for permission to make their perpetual commitment as soon as possible.

Permission to renew one’s vows or to make perpetual profession was not to be expected to be automatic. Responding to criticism that some of the sisters had been denied the right to renew their vows, Mother Kostka wrote:
“...it is not against Canon Law if the superior general, with the concurrence of her assistants, denies a sister who has committed a serious fault the right to renew her vows. This is always a warning of possible dismissal.” She further remonstrated:

I will permit only those sisters to make final profession in three years who have striven to be virtuous. The superior general has the right to extend the time by three more years. You will find all this in the Holy Rule. I advise you that, instead of criticizing, you study the Holy Rules better. (January 21, 1929).

To provide further spiritual training in preparation for the various stages of religious life, in May 1930 Mother Kostka decreed that all candidates before receiving the habit, novices before first profession and sisters before pronouncing their perpetual vows were required to have a four-week preparation, culminating in a ten-day retreat preceding the event. During this time, these members were to be freed from all secular studies so that they could concentrate on their preparation for these important steps in their religious life.

The perpetually professed members of the Congregation were an integral
part of the process of admitting sisters with temporary vows to the final step. At the time that a sister asked for permission to make her final commitment to God and the Congregation, questionnaires were sent out to a number of members with whom she had lived in community. Mother Kostka, in her circular of May 16, 1931, stressed the importance of completing these forms with great conscientiousness and honesty, preceded by fervent prayers to the Holy Spirit. She warned:
It is false charity to say “I will not harm this sister.” When one helps an unworthy member to make perpetual profession she is hurting the Congregation. Therefore, be sincere and honest in filling in the information. A short paragraph about the character of the sister at the end of the questionnaire would be very helpful.

Gradually, the practice of admitting sisters to perpetual profession of vows in three years was abandoned in most instances, and final profession of vows after six years became the rule rather than the exception.

Mother Kostka was very strict in demanding from all the sisters obedience to, and respect for their authorities. She found criticism and murmuring to be “. . .an epidemic in the Congregation,” and stated that a loyal religious must always side with her superior and follow her orders. She queried: “Are you waiting for the superior to ask you whether her orders are pleasing to you? It is not the duty of the superior to tell you the reasons for an order or decision. Leave the responsibility to answer for this to the authorities to whom God gives the necessary graces for the leadership in the Congregation.” December 28, 1930)

This respect, however, was not to be totally one-sided. The superiors are also reminded of their obligation to deal with the sisters with respect and motherly affection and to be patient with them. They were urged to be real “mothers” to all in their charge so that the sisters would love, rather than fear them.

To nourish and assist the superiors in their arduous task, Mother Kostka established a program of conferences for superiors. Aimed at training superiors in performing the duties of their office more wisely by explaining to them points on which they might be in doubt, these conferences were conducted from March 23, 1927 to November 11, 1937. At first they were held every month; gradually, this decreased to approximately four times a year. The provincial superiors from the neighboring countries, all the Austrian superiors
as well as those for whom traveling would not be too difficult were expected to attend. The topics of discussion at these conferences were to be kept as secrets of their office.

After the first conference of March 23, 1927, which dealt with the treatment of the sisters, the themes were developed very much in keeping with conduct and expectations Mother Kostka demanded from the sisters. The need for strict observance of the Holy Rule and vows, and fidelity in all things, great and small -- supported by the good example, wisdom and love of the superior--was repeated in conference after conference. If her duties made it impossible for her to present the talk, Mother Kostka assigned either Sister Donata, one of the provincial superiors or a more mature superior to present the topic.

In the first conference of 1927, the manifold and multi-faceted responsibilities which rested on the shoulders of each superior were addressed.

She has to care for the internal and external well-being of the house, to maintain good discipline, to work for the continued growth of the institute, and to perform the many greater and lesser duties of her office.

However, the superior has no more important task than to treat the sisters well and to be a loving mother and understanding leader. If she has the love and trust of her sisters, she can expect not only great sacrifices from them; rather, it will be easier to lead them to greater good and strengthen the wellbeing of the Congregation.

Mother Kostka remarked that a good superior needed to develop three special spiritual traits: vigilance, wisdom, and love, carefully integrated.

Working from these three requisites, Mother Kostka proceeded in subsequent conferences to apply these to the various segments of religious life. She pointed out that the daily program of each sister in all houses of the Congregation should be comprised of prayer, work, and recreation, and that it was the duty of the superior to see that all the sisters performed and participated in all three. (June 7, 1927)

The nurturing of religious decorum, the development of character, constancy in prayer, encouragement of all sisters to take their fair share of all work, and the necessity for recreation for all were discussed in subsequent conferences in 1927. With regard to recreation, the superiors were reminded that both spirit and body need to be refreshed.

Work must be divided in such a way that all sisters can participate in recreation, at least every other week if the work does not allow total participation. ... The superior must see to it that charity is practiced —— between superior and sisters, and sisters with sisters. When there is good camaraderie, there will also be order and discipline; when the community drags itself to recreation because they have to it may be easy to discover that things are not right in the house. (January 1, 1928)

Just as the sisters were expected to practice poverty so, too, the superiors were exhorted to remember that the money they administered did not belong to them. Poverty was to regulate all expenditures and the superiors were reminded that they were not free to disburse money as they pleased. (February 29, 1928)

A point stressed in a number of her circulars was repeated by Mother Kostka in the above-cited conference, namely: if a convent was fortunate to have a surplus of funds, the remaining money was to be sent either to the Motherhouse or the provincial house. The authorities would then be able to utilize the sum for needed expenses, especially to support the infirmaries, which had no independent income.

It was also at this February, 1928 conference that Mother Kostka provided the superiors with the list of prayers to be recited in every convent of the Congregation: novenas before great feasts, daily intentions, etc. At the same time they were reminded not to overburden the sisters with prayers of their own choosing; “...then prayer will lose its efficacy, it will be a chore, not a joy.” Also, at this conference, the superiors were instructed that henceforth the letters F.D.C. were to be used with the name of each sister.

The superiors were reminded that they were to set the prime example in fidelity to the vows and religious obligations. “It would be sad if a superior were to live as though her office dispensed her from her vows. The sisters know full well that their superior has certain orders to follow; if they see she neglects them they will do likewise.” (April 3, 1929)

At another time, she would chide:

Sometimes to gain human respect a superior will not really enforce all regulations. She wants to gain love through her geniality and indulgence… …The sisters should know that she will never allow whatever is forbidden by the Holy Rule, even if she is regarded as being too strict. (February 6, 1930)

Five years later she found it necessary to repeat the same exhortation:

If she (the superior) wants to safeguard her authority, she must be an example of giving full attention to the Holy Rule -- if she does not, the sisters can begin to be lax.. . . If a superior sees God in her higher superiors and accepts their orders as coming from God, then her authority stands on firm ground. She simply says:
“Reverend Mother wishes it!” (April 23, 1935)

Although she always worried about the spirit of the world creeping into the Congregation and lessening religious observance and fervor, Mother Kostka was aware that as an active, apostolic Congregation, it was impossible to shut out the world as the contemplative orders could do. Her solution:
“God and my vocation before everything else” should be the motto of each sister. She felt certain that if they held fast to this statement, the world would not harm their spiritual life. The superior, on her part, was obliged to see that the sisters progressed in the skills needed for their particular duties without being tainted by the spirit of the time. (October 24, 1928)

Clearly, whether exhorting or admonishing the members of the Congre— or the superiors she appointed as leaders of a province or a convent, -her Kostka’s message throughout her terms as superior general was the same: All were expected to be religious who were faithful to the Holy Rule and their vows.

The Congregation is a whole, comprised of many members--the sisters. ...As long as the branch is on the vine it will be fruitful; when it breaks off, it will be barren -- fit to be cast into the fire. .. .We wear the same habit and call each other Sister. .. . Love one another. (January 30, 1936)

Only with such a strong spiritual foundation, firmly imbedded in the heart of each Daughter of Divine Charity, did Mother Kostka feel that the Congregation could grow, flourish and survive in its apostolic mission to the people of God. So it had been planned by Mother Franciska, and so she would continue. It was this deep spirituality that Mother Kostka worked tirelessly to inculcate and strengthen not only by words, but especially by her own example of total dedication and fidelity in all things.

St. Augustine

Today is the feast of St. Augustine. We were always told that he is one of our major patron saints, but, as a young sister, it was hard to identify with the long-ago and far-away bishop. As in all things, time brings understanding to those whose hearts and minds are open. Today I see

St. Augustine as a model for one who is passionately in love with God and who sees the reflection of His beauty everywhere in our world. The wisdom of St. Augustine who taught groups of consecrated persons how to live together in a reasonable and moderate common life. We join Mother Franziska in thanking the great Saint for the model of his Holy Rule.

September 2008 Franziska Notes

Franziska Notes
No.5/9 September 2008

One of the greatest and most widespread sufferings of our day is loneliness. As the small neighborhoods and the front stoop disappeared many people became relegated to their own homes as their family members moved thousands of miles away. Mother Franziska was no stranger to loneliness. When she left the successful venture in Switzerland and came to Vienna, not at all sure of the future or where she would even get a livelihood, she suffered such loneliness that she became physically ill. In this pain she turned with all her heart and trust to God. She was ready to die if it should be his will but, perhaps more difficult, she was also patiently waiting for His will for her to become clear. She finally went out of her lonely room to do God’s work.

Loneliness can also make us ill today. It can also send us down useless paths as we try to fill the void in destructive ways. Loneliness can lead to addictions, to either substances or to the electronic passive companionship of the computer or television. In the life of Mother Franziska loneliness was a door to grace. She reached out first to God and then to a world of His needy children with effects right into our own day.

Everywhere there are people who are lonelier than we. In Church groups, in nursing homes, down our own street, we can find people who need our friendship and practical help. Beginning with a smile and greeting, advancing to kind words and companionship and finally to little acts of service.

The remedy for loneliness that is always ready at hand is the turning to the Lord in prayer. We are never really alone and He is the companion who loves us and may even come with tangible comfort. Jesus can open the landscape and show us to whom we can write a letter, make a phone call, pay a visit. We become His instrument bringing joy to other suffering souls.

Mother Kostka Bauer

CHAPTER IV

UNITY IN DIVERSITY

“When your bones have already returned to dust, future generations will still bless the memory of Mother Kostka and her great spirit of self-sacrifice; ‘not because of the great deeds I have done, Lord, rather because I was able to labor for your glory and the good of my Congregation.’”
These beautifully prophetic words were spoken by Reverend Bartholomew Badalik, O.P., on January 16, 1928, at the solemn high mass celebrating the 25th jubilee of perpetual profession of Mother M. Kostka Bauer. (SJC, 1928, p. 1) The following chapters will attempt to assess her years as superior general from four vantage points: her efforts at developing greater unity among the members, her spiritual leadership, her administrative activities, and her final years in exile.

As has already been mentioned, one of the factors which led to the election of Mother Kostka as superior general in 1926 was the belief that she, above all others, would be able to achieve the unification of all Daughters of Divine charity, despite their diverse ethnic backgrounds and provincial divisions. The memory of the foundress, Mother Franziska Lechner, was gradually fading and her original charism was being forgotten. After all, by 1926, Mother Franziska had be dead thirty-two years. Many of the younger members of the Congregation knew little or nothing about her. Then, too, the division of the Congregation into provinces further separated the sisters from the Motherhouse. Now the practice of sending a sister from one country to another, from one province to another, was rarely practiced. The stationing of the sisters was carried out by the provincial superiors rather than the superior general. The need to know German as a prerequisite for entrance into the Congregation was gradually dropped. Nevertheless, in her circular of September 7, 1928, Mother Kostka encouraged all members of the Congregation to strive to learn the German language, so that all would be able to communicate with each other both orally and in writing. Besides, the knowledge of a second language is a general sign of education.! The task of unification was, therefore, a monumental one.

Mother Kostka decided that, before all else, a rekindling of love and devotion to the foundress was of prime importance. Immediately after her election, she asked Mother M. Ludovica Binder, provincial superior in Poland, to write the biography of Mother Franziska, with the assistance of Sister M. Donata. She hoped the work would be completed in time for November 21, 1928, when the sixtieth anniversary of the founding of the Congregation would be celebrated. In her circular of July 23, 1926, she announced that the work on the biography was to commence and asked all those sisters who had known and worked with Mother Franziska to send any information or human interest stories about the foundress to Mother Ludovica as soon as possible so that the work could progress.

In the spring of 1927 Mother Kostka, Mother Ludovica and Sister Donata traveled to Munich to visit the School Sisters of Notre Dame, among whom Mother Franziska had worked as a teacher for some years. (It is evident from the accounts in the general chronicles that no one at the time was aware of the fact that Mother Franziska had been a member of that congregation . They also visited the Deaf-Mute Institute where she had taught for a time. From Munich they went to Edling, the birthplace of Franziska Lechner. Mother Kostka took a number of pictures of the house where the foundress was born, the church where she had been baptized, and of the little village in which she had grown up. These photographs were to be included in the biography. With the permission of the current owners of the house, they placed a black marble memorial which they had had prepared in Munich on the outer wall of the former Lechner house. The plaque read:
In this house, on January 2, 1833, the Reverend Mother Maria Franziska Lechner was born, In 1868 she founded the Congregation of the Daughters of Divine Charity in Vienna and died on April 14, 1894 in the convent of Mariahilf in .Breitenfurt near Vienna. Erected by her faithful spiritual daughters. (GC, VII, p. 126)

From Edling, the trio went on to visit the shrine at A1tötting. Dedicated to the Blessed Virgin, this pilgrimage site had been one that Mother Franziska had sought out often, even after the founding of the Congregation. (GC, VII, pp. 126-127)

To make the production of the biography truly a congregational project, Mother Kostka asked all the provinces to contribute to the expense of publishing the book. In her circular of January 10, 1927 to the American province, she asked all the convents to make some special sacrifices in order to be able to give greater monetary aid toward the cost of printing. In the meantime, Mother Kostka contracted a sculptor to carve a marble bust of Mother Franziska. She also proceeded to collect all the existing possessions of the foundress for display in a suitable case in the Motherhouse chapter room.

Because World War I had made the celebration of the 50th anniversary of the founding of the Congregation impossible in 1918, Mother Kostka was determined that the 60th jubilee celebration in 1928 would be a truly memorable occasion. Realizing that this event could serve as a great unifying force, Mother Kostka asked that each provincial superior, accompanied by some sisters if possible, should come to Vienna to participate in the jubilee.

The international group of Daughters of Divine Charity that gathered in Vienna in November 1928 brought much joy and satisfaction to the heart of Mother Kostka. On November 20, His Excellency, Bishop Ernst Seydl bestowed the Apostolic Blessing which had been obtained beforehand by Mother Kostka from the Holy See on all the members of the Congregation throughout the world. In his talk to the sisters gathered in Vienna, the bishop remarked: The mustard seed which Mother Franziska planted in Vienna’s apparently barren soil has been made so fruitful by God that it has grown into a large tree which demands respect. There are Austrian, Hungarian, Czech, Polish, Slovak and American provinces, foundations in England and Brazil and most recently in Germany. The number of members is 1200.

On November 21, after the celebration of a solemn high mass in the Motherhouse church, all the sisters processed to the chapter room for the solemn unveiling of the bust of Mother Franziska and of the display cabinet containing her belongings. Then Mother Kostka distributed copies of the completed biography to each provincial superior and convent superior present. The evident joy of the sisters at seeing the bust of the foundress and her possessions brought tears to the eyes of Mother Kostka. Now, hopefully, the members of the Congregation would be unified through knowledge of Mother Franziska.

Truly, Mother Franziska was the focal point of the 60th jubilee celebration. On November 22, Mother Kostka, her assistants and the representatives from the various provinces and convents traveled to Breitenfurt where a solemn Requiem was celebrated in the chapel by Monsignor Joseph Enzmann, chaplain of the Refuge. After the liturgy, the entire assembly went in procession to the crypt, where the Libera was sung. (Memorial Booklet; GC VII, p. 147)

Time and again during her terms as superior general, Mother Kostka would encourage the sisters to honor and revere Mother Franziska and to pray to her. As 1932 drew to a close, she reminded the members of the Congregation that the 100th birthday anniversary of the foundress would occur on January 2, 1933. (Since that time, research into the baptismal registry in Edling has proven that, in fact, she was born on January 1.) In commemoration of this event, Mother Kostka asked that the day be celebrated in all the houses of the Congregation with a solemn high mass, if possible. She encouraged all to turn to the foundress in their troubles. Every other congregation with which she had become acquainted loved, honored and venerated its founder; we should be no different. After all, she reminded the sisters, “It is because of her that we are Daughters of Divine Charity.”
Acknowledging the many congratulations on the occasion of the diamond jubilee celebration which she received from all the provinces and individual sisters, Mother Kostka responded joyfully in her circular of December 1928. Expressing her happiness that the sisters liked the jubilee booklet, she commented that while its preparation had cost much in time, effort and money, all this would be more than repaid by the sisters’ loyalty and fidelity to the Congregation. “We owe a great deal of gratitude and respect to our Congregation which has supported us with so much love and raised us in the spiritual life.”

The spread of the Congregation into various countries had resulted in the translation of the title into different languages. This, in time, could serve as a divisive factor; with different names it would be difficult to recognize the sisters as members of one congregation. For a period of time, Mother Kostka prayed and thought about the matter and sought a solution to the question. Finally, she decided to utilize the fact that ours is a Roman (papal) congregation and found in the language of the church the answer to the dilemma. Her circular of February 29, 1928 informed the members of the Congregation: In order to provide for greater unity in our Congregation I have decided that all members when signing their names should use the Latin form of Daughters of Divine Charity: Filiae Divinae Cantatis, abbreviated F.D.C., regardless of the country in which they reside.

Early in her first term as superior general, Mother Kostka decreed that a brief biographical sketch be written about each sister at the time of her death in order to acquaint each member of the Congregation of the life and work of each sister. These would be sent as circulars to each convent where they were to be read in common and then filed, so that the memory of the deceased sisters could be lovingly referred to and guarded. Writing of this decision in her circular of September 15, 1926, she forwarded the biography of the first sister to be so remembered: Sister M. Mamerta Bleier, who died in Austria on August 30, 1926.

In September1927 Mother Kostka informed all the provinces that the Motherhouse was preparing a congregational necrology. This would be distributed to every convent of the Congregation. The book was to be kept in the dining room and the names of the deceased for the next day were to be read after the evening reading of the lives of the saints. This, too, would be another way of united prayer for the members of the Congregation who had died in various countries and continents.

The first circular she penned on May 13, 1926 before leaving for Brazil clearly set the tone that would epitomize Mother Kostka’s seventeen- year leadership of the Congregation. She wrote: “The health and good spirit of the Congregation will survive only if every single sister performs all her actions to that end...” She looked forward to the time when she would meet each member of the Congregation personally. She assured them that she did not want to be just a strict mother in times of trial; rather, she hoped to win their love so that she could lead them all more easily to the Divine Master. “The Motherhouse,” she wrote on December 27, 1927, “should be the center of our religious family, and every sister should think of it with joy and love, just as a child who is away from home gladly thinks of her home and would be happy if she had the fortune to come to the Motherhouse.”

On her frequent visitation trips to the various provinces, Mother Kostka began the practice of taking pictures of the convents, the sisters and their various activities. These photographs accompanied her as she went from convent to convent and would be produced at recreation time, when she would give a running commentary on each province and the admirable work done by the sisters. Through this method, Mother Kostka worked to form a common bond of knowledge and respect for the work being done by members of the Congregation, so that “...here and across the ocean we may be one heart and one soul.” In fact, this prayer for the Congregation which is said even today, was composed during Mother Kostka’s time in office.

At another time she would write, “We are a papal congregation which, thank God, is spread in many countries and two hemispheres, under the leadership of one mother who loves and embraces all her daughters, regardless of ethnic origin.” (February 4, 1928) Again in November 1933 she returned to the theme of international unity and the need to preserve it in order to achieve strength. While the Congregation consists of members from many nationalities, charity bonds us and makes us one. Each sister should love her own country without belittling that of another. There is a great difference between patriotism and chauvinism; the former is just, the latter leads to misfortune even in the Congregation.

One of the early practices of the Congregation which Mother Kostka hoped to utilize as a unifying bond was that of transferring sisters from one province to another. This right of the superior general had been greatly weakened through the establishment of separate provinces, each with its own provincial head. As was noted in the previous chapters, although Mother Ignatia Egger had used the privilege of moving sisters from one European country to another, all the sisters who left Hungary to help establish the American province had been volunteers. Remembering her own moves from Austria to Hungary, then to the United States and back to Austria, Mother Kostka was looking for the same spirit of willingness that she had exhibited during her religious life.
She was looking for sisters to go to Brazil, to England and to Germany, where a new establishment was being made; however, her attempts met with opposition, if not outright refusal. This attitude prompted her to write seriously to the sisters on July 7, 1930, “. . . to accept transfers in the proper spirit even if it means leaving homeland, home, surroundings .... love of God should be greater than the pain of parting; we can find God in every place, in every assignment.”

Mother Kostka was dismayed when she learned that some of the sisters considered a transfer from one province to another as a form of “exile”. In this same circular she reminded them, “We are one family, a papal congregation; therefore, we should not cling to one national viewpoint.” To emphasize the importance of being willing to go wherever one was sent, Mother Kostka informed the sisters that that year -- 1930 -— the Congregation had received an invitation to open a mission in China. She stated that she had been forced, albeit with a heavy heart, to refuse this great missionary opportunity because she had been unable to find any sisters ready to make the sacrifice.
Her constant pleas for unity, and a willingness on the part of the sisters to serve wherever the Congregation had need of them, finally bore fruit. In 1935, 1936 and 1937, Mother Kostka was able to report in her circulars that willing members had been found to go to Brazil where the need for additional sisters was greatest. Volunteers were found in Austria, Bosnia, the Czech Province and North America, who were ready to travel to South America. In fact, in her circular of January 10, 1937 she reported that the number of volunteers had been so great that she would have to review the list and decide who would be best suited for which mission.

In the 1930s, many members of the Congregation were celebrating various levels of their anniversary of profession. Although she had celebrated the silver jubilee of her profession in 1915, this had been an “unofficial” action. Mother Kostka celebrated the silver jubilee of her profession officially in 1928, reckoning from the time of her perpetual profession. In 1931 the Congregation reached a new milestone: three sisters, Sister Barbara, Sister Rose and Sister Gizella reached their diamond (60th) jubilee. The occasion was celebrated with great pomp at the Motherhouse. In her circular of November 30, 1931, Mother Kostka described very minutely the jubilee celebration, from the red covering of the pews in the church to the festive dinner which followed. She then stated that she wished jubilees to be celebrated in like manner in all the convents of the Congregation.

It was at this time that Mother Kostka made a major revision in the reckoning of the various anniversaries. Neither Mother Franziska nor Mother Ignatia had adhered to any particular time frame in which a sister was permitted to pronounce final vows. Mother Kostka herself had remained in temporary vows for thirteen years (1890—1903) for no apparent reason, and had officially celebrated her silver jubilee only in 1928, although she had already been a professed member of the Congregation for 38 years; therefore, she decreed that henceforth silver, golden, and diamond jubilees were to be calculated from the date of the first profession of vows rather than that of perpetual profession.

One of the first congregational devotions fostered by Mother Franziska was that to our Mother Most Admirable. Her picture graced the high altar of the Motherhouse Church, the candidates were dedicated to her in a special way, and the early members had been encouraged to turn to her in all their needs. The devotion, however, had begun to fade with time. The Holy See had granted to the members of the Congregation the privilege of gaining 300 days indulgence upon recitation of the aspiration “Mother Most Admirable, pray for us” three times. Yet the devotion continued to dwindle. Mother Kostka encouraged the sisters to renew this special devotion. In her circular of December 30, 1935 she reiterated the fact that Mother Franziska had dedicated the Congregation to our Mother Most Admirable from the very beginning and asked that the devotion be once more fostered. She asked that a picture of Our Lady under that title be displayed in every chapel and in the community room of every convent, novitiate and candidature. Pictures, if unavailable, could be obtained from the Motherhouse. Once more, August 5 was to be celebrated with solemnity as one of the important feasts of the Congregation. All were reminded that a plenary indulgence could be gained on that day by praying three Hail Mary’s before the picture and saying “Mother Most Admirable, pray for us.” The frequent recitation of the foregoing aspiration would also bring much spiritual blessings on the sisters.

Her circulars were the means by which Mother Kostka hoped to foster the spirit of unity among all the members of the Congregation. Hence, she described her visitations of the various provinces in great detail. If there were political or financial problems somewhere, she asked the sisters to pray in a special way for the suffering province. Wherever she went, especially when lodging in convents of other religious orders, she took the opportunity to learn from them methods which they utilized for greater bonding among the sisters. Thus it was that in 1936, after visiting the mother house of the Congregation of Notre Dame in Canada and seeing their unique congregational photo album, Mother Kostka decided that this could serve our congregational unity as well. She asked every province to send a photograph of each sister with perpetual vows to the Motherhouse. These would be compiled into a photograph album which would encompass the entire Congregation around the world--a real family album!

To foster unity with the Motherhouse, sisters of the various European provinces were encouraged to spend their vacations at the cradle of the Congregation in Vienna or at one of the nearby convents. From here, they could visit the grave of the foundress and the scenes of the first days of the institute. Hopefully, such visits would rekindle love and loyalty to the foundress and to the Congregation.

The ravages of World War I, the post-war depression, as well as the political instability of the new Austrian government had dire effects on the Motherhouse and its community. In various circulars, Mother Kostka referred to the strained circumstances and asked for prayers. By 1938, she was forced to ask for more than spiritual assistance. In her circular of May 31, 1938, she informed the sisters that the future of the Motherhouse was in jeopardy unless the provinces came to its assistance. Supported principally through solicited contributions, they had now been forbidden by the government to continue collecting these alms. The monies realized from tuition, the kindergarten and music lessons were minimal; it would be impossible to support the community on this meager income.
“The candidature or the novitiate cannot be disbanded; this would deprive us of new members and the work of our beloved foundress, Mother Franziska, which was accomplished under such adverse conditions 70 years ago, would be destroyed. We have here the largest number of old and infirm sisters who sacrificed their lives and strength in the service of the Congregation.”

Mother Kostka counted on the generosity of all the members to be willing to make sacrifices-- to be ready to do without little conveniences--so that the superiors would be able to send funds to the Motherhouse to help with the payment of the many debts which endangered their future. Before Easter, 1938, the nearer convents and provinces were even asked to send ham and eggs so that the sisters in the Motherhouse could have a little Easter joy. And the mother was not disappointed; the children came to the aid of their suffering sisters. For a few years, until the outbreak of World War II, the provinces sent whatever they could to assuage the poverty of the Motherhouse. The general chronicler would write, “From all sides numerous signs of sympathy and assistance came, clear indications that we were one--here and across the ocean.”
(GC, VII, p. 365)

The Anschluss -- unification of Austria with Germany -- which was forced upon Austria by Adolf Hitler in March 1938 further endangered the welfare of the Motherhouse and its community. Utilizing her prerogative of transferring sisters as she saw fit, Mother Kostka informed the rest of the congregation on December 12, 1938, that she had transferred the young sisters from Austria to various provinces. Sister M. Fidelia Weninger who, as a novice, was one of the four sisters sent to Brazil in February 1939 as a result of that decision, remembers that none of the general assistants wanted Mother Kostka to send the sisters away, especially to Brazil. When she finally convinced them that in Austria they could not earn their daily bread, they reluctantly agreed to the transfers. Sister Fidelis, as a novice, along with Sister Aquilina Eibel, Sister Armella Lechner and Sister Hedwigis Witkowska went to South America, Sisters Leonore Mohl and Imelda Andre were sent to North America. At the same Sister Hubertine Resseguier was sent to England, Sisters Salvatora Schimpach and Theonitta Balko were transferred to Jugoslavia; Sister Silvia
Pescha and Sister Honoria Eichler went to Hungary, while Sisters Anysia Nitsche and Melitta Howorka joined the Czech province. These, she thought, would be free from the dangers that were looming on the horizon; they would also be able work and help support the Motherhouse.

Although she left Vienna in April 1939, never again to return, until her death, Mother Kostka attempted to maintain contact with all her spiritual daughters through circulars and personal correspondence. Though separated, the family remained in touch.

The outbreak of World War II in September, 1939 further hampered her attempts to maintain the unity she had labored so assiduously to cultivate and foster. On February 19, 1940, she would write: “Although I am far across the ocean, I feel certain that we all belong together, that we are building a lovely spiritual family which is strongly bound in the hardest hours by the bonds of love.”
This desire to keep the members of the Congregation united remained with her until the moment of her death. As she lay dying on June 16, 1943, Mother Kostka would leave for her daughters the greatest legacy: the death wish of a loving mother. “I beg you always to work together in love and unity. Be of one heart and soul and remain united with the Motherhouse.”

Mother Kostka Bauer chapter three

CHAPTER III

AMERICAN PROVINCIAL SUPERIOR: 1921 -1926

Mother Kostka Bauer served as the provincial superior in America from January 1921 to March 19, 1926, when the members of the General Chapter elected her the third superior general of the Congregation. For five years, she labored assiduously to develop a strong religious and family spirit among her spiritual daughters and to further the apostolic ministry which had brought her to the United States in 1913. Now she was on her own; no longer was Mother Valeria her immediate superior. She owed allegiance only to Mother Ignatia Egger, the superior general.

The many years during which she had served in Hungary under the leadership of Mother Valeria, together with their joint sacrifices and experiences in founding the first American missions, bound her to the Hungarian province and its provincial superior with golden chains of love and gratitude. Furthermore, she still depended on that province to provide more sisters to meet the ever-growing demands for religious in the various Hungarian parishes in the United States. During the decade of the 1920s, approximately sixty sisters would come from Hungary to America to boost the number of members in the new province. Most of these immigrants had been novices of Mother Kostka. She knew their characters well, their strengths and their weaknesses, and she quickly utilized them in positions of authority. The “native” sisters who were being received into the Congregation and professed after one year were not, in her opinion, sufficiently prepared to assume such responsibilities.

Her primary concern at all times was the spiritual and physical wellbeing of her spiritual daughters. She knew full well the years of instability which the sisters from Hungary had experienced. Some of them had returned to their homes during the first years of the communist take-over of their country. They would need intensive spiritual and physical renewal.

She knew, too, that many of the young women who applied and were accepted into the Congregation by her were sincere and hard-working, desirous of serving God and His people. They were, however, in many cases not well educated either in the principles of religion or in secular subjects. These would need to be gently, but firmly, formed into religious who would be a credit to Mother Franciska and could be assigned to the many teaching opportunities that were being extended to them by the various parishes.

Aware of the constant need to teach and admonish, Mother Kostka used her circulars as instruments through which she instructed her spiritual children in the rudiments of religious life. Her many years as a novice mistress had given her the means with which to make her lessons effective. Her deep understanding of human nature and its weaknesses helped her in this monumental task; she was firm yet compassionate, strong, yet understanding.

As superior of the province, her first concern was the strict observance of the Holy Rules and Constitutions and the vows. The title of the Congregation--Daughters of Divine Charity--demanded that each member practice true sisterly charity. The sisters who had already made perpetual vows were often reminded that sisterly charity also included giving good example to the younger religious, especially in matters of obedience and humility. (February 16, 1921)

In her Lenten circulars, Mother Kostka encouraged the sisters to fast as they had done in Hungary. Life in the United States was to be no different. Even in this matter, however, she reminded that their primary obedience was due to the provisions of the Constitutions which absolved the ailing and weak sisters from the strict fast. Each year, before Lent, she reviewed the church regulations regarding fast and abstinence. In her circular of February 23, 1922, she told the sisters, “Be glad to feel the pangs of hunger.” She exhorted them to go with Jesus to the desert where He had prepared for His public life with prayer and fasting, and to follow His example with a similar regimen of prayer and self-abnegation to prepare themselves for their “public life” of saving immortal souls through their good example and their teaching.

In these first years the strenuous work, the lack of a proper diet, and the drastic change in life styles took their toll on some of the frailer members of the province. Tuberculosis became a dreaded invader in the province and within a brief period of time three sisters had to be hospitalized and then segregated from the community in order to protect the other sisters from the disease. This new danger caused Mother Kostka to mitigate her Lenten admonitions. Thus her circular for Lent, 1924, although reminding the sisters, as usual, of the need to fast also cautioned them to be prudent in this regard. pointing out that fasting was not the end, but rather simply a means to an end:
self-denial. Mother Kostka reminded the sisters that there were many other means of this abnegation, namely: control of self-will, sisterly charity, curbing of passions, and careful observance of the rule of silence. “Community life,” she wrote, “provides many opportunities for self-denial.”

In 1926, writing the last Lenten circular before leaving for the general Chapter, Mother Kostka again exhorted the sisters to use common sense in their fasting. “What good will it do if you fast to the point of becoming ill? Rather do penance, be humble, curb the tongue, be obedient, control your inordinate desires, etc.--but all penances should be blessed with obedience.”

In her Christmas circulars, Mother Kostka utilized the image of the Infant Jesus in the crib to teach the need for obedience and humility. Recognizing that human nature veers from these virtues, she reminded the sisters that Christ did not come to rule and be served; rather, He led a life of humble service to give an example for His followers to do likewise. Here, again, she encouraged self-denial which “...leads to being a contented religious.” (December 21, 1921) She begged the sisters to live together in peace, to be gracious to each other--to be a real “holy family”. On December 17, 1922 she wrote, “How happy a sister can be on her deathbed if she can say, ‘I never caused turbulance in the house.”

Conditions that developed in the province caused Mother Kostka to feel, at times, that her admonitions were falling on deaf ears, that her circulars were not having the desired effect. Time and again she wrote of the need for charity toward each other and to keep convent matters within the house. She warned them that their unnecessary gossiping with the lay people and their lack of charity toward one another made her duties very difficult. In her cirular of June 15, 1923, she would insist, “don’t discuss your sisters or
authorities.... The reputation of each sister is precious; don’t trample it under foot. A sister who has been maligned will find it hard to regain her good name; the perpetrator will find it difficult to make good her evil action.”

Interestingly, a post script to this circular reminded the superiors that these admonitions were meant for them as well. She explained how difficult it was for her during transfers when the superiors, among themselves, had already discussed the faults of their sisters. She stated, “You ruin the chances of a sister making a new start in another convent.” She begged the sisters to be sincere with her; “...after God, I am the one who can help you most-- as far as is within my ability to do so.”

Despite their love for their provincial superior, at times the American sisters felt she was too strict in her regulations. This became evident when, upon her return from the General Chapter of 1924, she forwarded the Chapter decisions to the members of the province. In the accompanying circular she asked the sisters to accept these decisions with humble, willing hearts. Then kindly, yet sternly, she commented on the extraordinarily large number of requests that had been sent from America to the General Chapter; in fact, she had been offended by some which seemed to complain of her strictness. She pointed out that some of the requests contradicted provisions of the Holy Rule and the Constitutions. Bluntly she told them that she is of the opinion that some of the sisters were not fully convinced that religious life consists of constant renunciation and self-denial. Some sisters, it would appear, were seeking to avoid sacrifices and had requested a lessening of regulations. “So you have developed jealousy, dissatisfaction, fault-finding, depression, etc. Life is unbearable in these conditions. We are the creators of our own misery. God never sends more crosses and sufferings than we can bear!” (August 27, 1924)

Each year when the sisters wrote the customary letters asking for permission to renew their vows she invariably gave the permission, but used the opportunity to point out that they were promising to live by the Holy Rule which they so easily disobeyed. She warned them to take the Holy Rule and the vows seriously; “. . .no one is forcing you to renew your vows, therefore, if you do so, it is your responsibility to live by them.” (November 7, 1924)

Personal antipathies often disrupted the peace and order of one or other convent. Time and again, Mother Kostka urged the sisters to bear with one another. She found that the greatest problems arose because the sisters were not willing to accept corrections or admonitions either from the superior or another sister. Knowing human nature’s propensity to “...see the speck in the eye of another without noticing the beam in one ‘s own eye,” Mother Kostka warned the sisters of the fault of minimizing their own faults while maximizing those of their superiors and sisters. She cautioned them: “Be conscientious in performing your daily duties; if you are industrious you will not have time to do or think ill or evil thoughts.” (February 16, 1925)

One of the problems which began to emerge among the sisters at this time centered around the fact that young women of different ethnic backgrounds were being admitted into the Congregation. The Hungarian sisters, of course, had a common bond. Their old antagonisms toward other national groups began to flare up, causing dissension and division in the convents. On February 16, 1926, Mother Kostka found it necessary to remind the sisters that they belong to one religious family, regardless of their individual backgrounds, and that they must love each other regardless of ethnic differences. “Woe to the house where ethnic antagonism rears its head -- it is this that will ruin the peace and unity of the congregation.”

Her admonitions, although read in each community, did not appear to bear the desired fruit of unity and communal charity. In November 1925, Mother Kostka expressed her deep disappointment at the spirit which appeared to have crept into the province. She had hoped for a beautiful religious spirit among them; instead, she feared that the “evil one” was roaming in their midst, seeking to draw them from true religious observance. Thus, in her circular of November 5, she suggested a special motto for the American province: “Prayer--Self-Denial--Zeal for Souls.” In her opinion, the first two would render the third easy. She kept encouraging the sisters to live prayerful lives, to overcome the blandishments of the devil, and to remain true to their vocation.

Were her lessons really falling on deaf ears? A perusal of the recollections of some of the American sisters who were a part of the province in those early days, gives a clear picture of a holy, dedicated, just, honest, loving person who was ever concerned with the welfare of the sisters. Sister Michaela Somogyi writes, “She was always available, always approachable. She was strict but never mean. She encouraged, chided, praised, blessed--always with love. She never demanded what she would not do herself. She was an example to us in everything .... She gave of herself, never grudging the time she spent trying to help us become true Daughters of Divine Charity.”

Sister M. Olympia Magyar tells us, “Once an apology was made the misteed was never again mentioned. Mother Kostka never, never revealed the faults of anyone. After a fault, there usually was a penance to be performed. At times a punishment was quite severe.”

When one reads the various circulars written during her time as provincial superior, one becomes aware of one fact: love for the Congregation, devotion to the Holy Rules and the vows, and her love and concern for her sisters permeated all her writings. She was a loving and devoted mother who was very ware of her awesome responsibility for the salvation of her spiritual children.

She had a strong sense of the historic treasures of the Congregation and was determined to pass on this legacy to the sisters in America. Like Mother Franciska, Mother Kostka had a deep trust and confidence in St. Joseph and she was anxious to foster devotion to him, not only among the sisters, but also among the children and laity with whom the sisters came in contact. In 1921 she distributed a manual of prayers to St. Joseph to each convent. These prayer books were to be sold in the parishes, with the proceeds coming to the provincial house. Each March, she reminded the sisters to pray daily to St. Joseph in gratitude for all he had done for the American province which was placed under his special patronage.

During these years, the universal church was beginning to spread devotion to Sister Therese of the Infant Jesus, the Little Flower, whose cause for canonization was being seriously advanced. Mother Kostka developed a great devotion and confidence in this unknown Carmelite who had died in France. After all, they were contemporaries: Mother Kostka was born in 1870, Therese Martin, in 1873. Even before the canonization of the Little Flower in 1925, Mother Kostka was spreading devotion to the Carmelite nun and praying to her for assistance. Perhaps the novice mistresses had something in common!

When Sister Renilda developed tuberculosis in August 1924, Mother Kostka placed the sick sister under the special protection of St. Therese. She pledged that if our sister recovered, she would send a banner to Lisieux as a thank-offering for the intercession of the Blessed Therese. The subsequent illness of two more sisters with the dread disease caused Mother Kostka to turn again to the Little Flower for assistance in bearing this newest cross. The French religious had died of the same disease; therefore, Mother Kostka promised that if the sisters recovered, she would distribute the biography of the Little Flower to the children and to the people in order to spread knowledge of and devotion to this new saint. (SJC, pp. 4-6)

Mother Kostka was aware that a sound body was necessary for a sound spiritual life. Not only did she care for the spiritual development of her spiritual daughters, she provided as much as possible for their professional and physical well-being as well. At the end of each school year, all the sisters were expected to return “home” to Arrochar. Here they would be free of the worries of parish activities and school work. At the time of its acquisition, St. Joseph Hill had on the property a special advantage: there was a bungalow which had been constructed by the former owner, which boasted of having a swimming pool. This pool was immediately put into use, and provided much relaxation and enjoyment for the sisters. The bungalow was used to provide additional sleeping quarters for the younger sisters. As the number of sisters grew, the available space became crowded. Yet, Mother Kostka wanted the sisters to be able to spend their summers together, thereby strengthening community spirit. Therefore, she rented houses in the vicinity where the sisters could live during the vacation period.

Her keen ability to judge a person’s aptitudes made it possible for Mother Kostka to utilize each sister according to her abilities and talents. Those sisters who were considered by her to be suited to teaching were immediately sent for teacher-training courses to local Catholic colleges. Some of the sisters who immigrated from Hungary already had some of the necessary pedagogical training; for them, training in the correct speaking of the English language was provided. Mother Kostka made arrangements with the Sisters of Mercy at Georgian Court College in New Jersey and at Dobbs Ferry, New York to allow some sisters to live with them in order to master the language. Here was an example of inter-community living years before it became acceptable as a matter of course.

The young sisters who entered the Congregation already knowing the language were expected to study, and teach, at the same time. For these sisters the summers in Staten Island were a “treat”; for six weeks they could concentrate purely on their own academic studies instead of having to worry about their classroom duties as well. Mother Kostka urged the sisters to use the vacation period for spiritual and physical rejuvenation, so that with renewed strength they would be able to work in the Lord’s vineyard -- “for God, the poor, and the Congregation.” (June 15, 1923) Over and over the student sisters were urged to use their God-given intellect to study and prepare conscientiously for their examinations. “I know,” she wrote on March 26, 1924, “it is difficult to teach and study at the same time.”

Not only did Mother Kostka provide for the intellectual development of the sisters; she also provided for the development and utilization of their special artistic talents. Every sister was given lessons in art and music training which could be utilized in the classroom for the benefit of the children. The sisters who exhibited a special talent in either field were given the opportunity to develop their abilities to the fullest degree, regardless of the expense incurred. She was determined to give each sister every opportunity to grow spiritually, intellectually and aesthetically--the God-given talents were not to be buried in the ground. Thus it was that special piano and organ lessons were provided for Sister Imelda Tempfli and instrumental and vocal training for Sister Veronica Rak.

Taking to heart Jesus’ strong admonition: “See that you never despise any of these little ones, for I tell you that their angels in heaven are continually in the presence of my Father in heaven.” (Matt. 18:10) -- Mother Kostka was very strict about the conduct of the sisters in the classroom. During her frequent visitations to the various parish schools, at the conferences held during the annual retreats, and in her circulars, Mother Kostka cautioned the teaching sisters of their responsibilities toward the pupils. She reminded them of sound pedagogical principles, proper conduct, and good example which they were to exercise before the children at all times. She encouraged the sisters to bestow a kindly word and a smile on the students, but at the me time warned them against signaling out certain students for special treatment. Aware of the youth and inexperience of most of the sisters, some of whom were only a few years older than their pupils, she cautioned the sisters against allowing flattery -- either on the part of parents or students -- to turn their heads.

Advice given was not always applied in practice. Within a few years, Mother Kostka received complaints from various pastors about the treatment which some of the sisters meted out to the children; therefore, on February 16, 1926, she found it necessary to include a very serious warning, to the teaching sisters regarding the use of corporal punishment in her circular. She noted that, although she had expressly forbidden the use of physical force, she had learned that some sisters were still abusing the children. She sternly chided: “You may not diminish the self-esteem of a child. Do not use “kneeling” as a punishment; try to use proper pedagogical methods of correction which will bear positive, rather than negative results. If you cannot control your classes you are not a teacher.”

At the present time, when religious are expected to be an integral part parish life, some of the restrictions placed by Mother Kostka on the amount of participation permitted for the sisters would seem extreme. The sisters were expected to return to the convent immediately after dismissal from school; they were forbidden to attend parish meetings or to work with a mixed choir; they could not accompany the students on outings or trips to concerts or to the theater. These limitations, however, were necessary because of the extreme youth and vulnerability of the sisters. She had to guard her flock.

While she labored indefatigably to develop a strong religious spirit among her spiritual daughters, Mother Kostka also strove to further the circle of apostolic ministry of the Congregation in the United States. In 1922, the first Dauqhters of Divine Charity traveled half way across the American continent to establish a convent in East Chicago, Indiana. Here, as in the other foundations, they were to assume responsibilities for maintaining Holy Trinity School, formed by a group of Hungarian immigrants in this newly industrialized area.

September, 1923 -- Mother Kostka had enough sisters to fulfill two more parish commitments. A second group of sisters went to the midwest to help establish the school at St. Stephen of Hungary Parish in South Bend, Indiana. At the same time, Sisters went to the newly formed Holy Assumption Parish in Roebling, New Jersey. It was with a great deal of satisfaction that the sisters joined this new parish, particularly because the pastor was Reverend Francis Grosz, the priest who had welcomed them to Perth Amboy ten years earlier. (SJC, p. 48)

News of the good work of the “Hungarian” sisters traveled to the various cities of the United States where immigrants from that country were settling. In 1925, Reverend Ernest Rickert came to the provincial house to request fifteen sisters for the school which he was planning in his Cleveland, Ohio parish. Mother Kostka could only make a promise that she would provide the sisters within two years when some of the “. . .weak, hot-house flowers of the province will have become strong trees.” (November 5, 1925) It would appear that the Cleveland parishioners were unwilling to wait for two years; no mission house of the Daughters of Divine Charity was ever established in that city.

While the work in the parishes was rapidly expanding, the growth of the two provincial properties -- St. Joseph Hill and St. Mary’s Home -- was also occupying the time and administrative talents of Mother Kostka. Between December 1921 and December 1922, she was faced with the fact that both institutes were rapidly becoming too small for the constantly increasing number of students and residents who applied for admission.

At the end of 1921, Mother Kostka began to dream of erecting a school building at St. Joseph Hill. She had an architect draw up preliminary blueprints for the proposed structure. There were, however, two challenges which would have to be met before the dream could become a reality: the final payments would have to be made on the provincialate property, and permission would have to be obtained from Rome to take out a $100,000 bank loan for the new construction.

In the meantime, the painting of the chapel at the provincial house was completed and a Lourdes grotto, very similar to the one which stands in the Motherhouse garden in Vienna, was erected. Much of the money for these projects came from the convents where the sisters were asked to economize as much as possible in order to help support the provincialate which had great expenses that it could not meet without outside assistance.

The strain of her constant travels, activities, and worries took its toll. In May, 1922, Mother Kostka was admitted to a New York hospital with a serious gall bladder infection. Although the physicians advised surgery, she felt she could recover without subjecting herself to such an extreme measure. Returning home, she attempted to resume all her usual duties but soon had to admit that, although the spirit was willing, the flesh was weak. She could only remain out of bed for one to two hours at a time. Mother Kostka practiced what she preached: she conserved her strength for the good of the province.

Her “bad” days were offered up to the Lord for the needs of the province; her “good” days were spent looking for a new building for St. Mary’s -- the existing building was again proving inadequate. In her circular of December 17, 1922 she informed the sisters that Patrick Cardinal Hayes, the new archbishop of New York had given permission for the purchase of the needed houses--if and when they were found. Permission was granted to spend up to $200,000 on this project and the chancery promised to help them with the necessary bank loan. The cardinal-archbishop gave his support to this undertaking because he realized the great need which existed for the work that was being done at the home. Numerous girls from Ireland were finding lodgings with the sisters. Mother Kostka asked the sisters to pray to Mother Franciska who had been so anxious to help poor girls in her time for the success of the venture.

The year 1923 was very important to Mother Kostka and the American Daughters of Divine Charity. In the fall of the year, they would be celebrating the tenth anniversary of their coming to America. Hence, Mother Kostka wanted be able to give a good report of her stewardship. Man proposes; God disposes. Once more her health deteriorated and finally, in April, she agreed to undergo the gall bladder surgery. Sister Alipia reported to the Motherhouse that the operation was successful. (GC VII, p. 40) Her recovery was slow but steady and on June 15, she wrote to the sisters thanking them for their prayers and support. “God has restored me to health,” she wrote, “which I intend to use for the further development of the province and the welfare of each individual sister.”

The search for suitable quarters for a larger St. Mary’s Home ultimately led to the best possible solution. Mother Kostka arranged to purchase the house they were occupying at 231 East 72nd Street, which they had been leasing since 1915. The two adjoining buildings--227 and 229--were for sale; these three buildings were purchased at a cost of $150,000. The original permission of the chancery was utilized. A loan of $200,000 was obtained from a bank; $150,000 was used for the actual purchase and $50,000 for the necessary renovations. (GC VII, p. 44; History, p. 43) The official transfer of the houses occurred on August 28, 1923.

The celebration of the tenth anniversary could not be complete without the presence of Mother Valeria Morvay. Accordingly, on September 11, 1923, the Hungarian provincial superior, along with five sisters from Hungary stopped at the Motherhouse. These sisters were the newest transfers to the American province and they were planning to be there in time for the celebration. According to the congregational chronicle, Mother Valeria was going to make her own visitation of the American houses and check on the recent acquisitions in New York City. It would seem that she still considered the sisters from Hungary as members of her province and hence wished to satisfy herself regarding their fare. Most especially, however, she was anxious to join the anniversary celebration. She and Mother Kostka had made untold sacrifices for the cause and they had every reason to celebrate! In the ten-year period, Mother Kostka had established eight mission houses as well as St. Mary’s Home and the provincialate with its postulancy, novitiate, and boarding school, which were the property of the Congregation.

The tenth anniversary celebration of the American foundation was held at St. Mary’s chapel on Thanksgiving Day, 1923. Even though the chapel at the provincial house was more spacious, it was decided to express their gratitude to God in the same chapel where they had first placed their confidence in Divine Providence. A solemn high mass was followed by a festive dinner and a program of plays, verses, and songs presented by the young women from the Home and the children from the various catechetical centers in New York City. The two pioneers breathed a heartfelt Te Deum for the copious blessings which the Heavenly Father had showered on the Daughters of Divine Charity in America.

From March 27, 1924 until August 15, Mother Kostka was absent from her province. She appointed Sister Jacinta as her representative and asked the sisters, “Don’t make it difficult for her; obey her directives, trust her implicitly.” (February 25, 1924) She expressed her confidence that none of the sisters would use her absence to foment trouble.

Together with Mother Valeria, Mother Kostka sailed on the Italian liner, S.S. Duilo. She utilized the official call to attend the upcoming General Chapter to visit Italy and Hungary as well. The two sisters spent two weeks in Rome, visiting all the churches and shrines and had the privilege of celebrating Holy Week services at St. Peter’s Basilica. On April 27, they had the honor of a private audience with His Holiness, Pius XI, at which Mother Kostka conversed with the pope in both Italian and German. At that time she personally presented the Holy Father with the Peter’s Pence money that had been collected by the children in the American schools under her supervision.

Two days later, Mother Kostka returned to Venice, her birthplace. What memories must have flooded her heart as she visited St. Mark’s Cathedral and the Grand Hotel d’Ita1ie. Every indication points to the fact that this was her first return to Italy since her entrance into the Congregation. Her greatest joy was undoubtedly the visit to Bolza where her uncle Julius was living in retirement. She arrived in time to join the family in the celebration of his 87th birthday. Writing about this visit in her circular of May 8, 1924 she stated, “Imagine the joys we experienced since we had not seen each other for such a long time!”

From Venice, the travelers went on to Hungary where, once again, a warm welcome awaited them. For Mother Kostka it was especially gratifying to meet her former novices and to see the many new foundations as well as the renovations which had been made at Schwabenberg, which was serving now as the provincial house. After the other two American delegates, Sister Margit Gergely and Sister Blanda Dominkovich joined her in Budapest, they traveled together to Vienna for the General Chapter.

Mother Kostka recounted in glowing words the transfer of the body of Mother Franciska Lechner from the community cemetery to the crypt chapel which had been erected in Breitenfurt. This historic event took place during the 1924 General Chapter. The joy she experienced at having the privilege of participating in this important Congregational event was something that she would retell many times to her American daughters.

Upon her return to the United States, Mother Kostka applied herself with renewed zeal to her great dream of erecting a school building at St. Joseph Hill. Only one obstacle stood in the way: the property had to belong comp1etely to the province before construction could commence. On November 26, 1924, Mother Kostka made the final payment of $3,000 to Mr. Knauth--there was no further fear of losing the estate--St. Joseph Hill was now the unencumbered property of the Daughters of Divine Charity.

Losing no time, Mother Kostka went to the Chancery Office with her plans and blueprints and on December 6, 1924, received permission for the addition of an academy building to the original mansion. This would be erected on land which had served as the children’s playground. Informing the sisters of the newest project on December 17, she begged them to again economize as much as possible in order to be able to help with the enormous debt that would be assumed as a result of this project-- $135,000!

In the midst of all these administrative duties, Mother Kostka conscientously carried out her visitation duties. She enjoyed, especially, her visits to the classrooms where she spoke with the children, tested their knowledge, and usually distributed holy pictures and candies. The chronicles of various convents recount these visits in glowing terms. The children were eager for the visit of the “big sister” with the infectious laugh.

Not only was Mother Kostka and her province burdened with the payment of double debts on St. Mary’s Home and the construction of the academy, in 1925 she accepted still another financial responsibility. At the beginning of January, the general chronicle recounts the fact that Mother Valeria had received written permission from Reverend Mother Ignatia to borrow $200,000 from America for the construction of a new provincial house at Schwabenberg. She promised the superior general that the American province was to be directly involved in the payment of the loan. (GC VII, p. 76) Negotiations for this loan were proceeding at the same time that Mother Kostka was seeking permission for the academy building. On February 3, she presented the proposed blueprints once more to Monsignor Lavelle, her good friend and constant benefactor. The
plans were to be submitted for approval to the General Archdiocesan Council. His usual query, “Do you have funds?” received the usual response, “No, but Divine Providence will help us.” Impressed by this implicit trust, Monsignor Lave11e said he would help as well and promised to assist them in obtaining the necessary bank loans. (History, pp. 37-38) Mother Kostka asked all the members of the province to pray in a special novena to St. Joseph and St. Therese for the success of this venture.

Getting the loan requested by Hungary greatly tested the trust and tenacity of Mother Kostka. Her first attempts to obtain the money were flatly refused; however, she was not about to report failure to Mother Valeria. If Hungarian organizations were not willing to help, she would find some other source. She turned to the Central Union Trust Company of New York, which was located in the Yorkville section of the city, inhabited primarily by German immigrants. On February 25 she approached Mr. Goldmann, the bank manager, with her request. To her amazement, instead of an immediate rejection of her plea, the manager made a “deal” with her. He had a very special intention that needed extra prayers. He asked that Mother Kostka and her sisters pray for if his intention was granted, he agreed to give Mother Kostka the $100,000 loan she sought. The promise was made, and heaven was besieged with prayers. On March 2, Mother Kostka received a telephone call from Mr. Goldmann. His intention had been granted; she could come to the bank to sign the necessary documents for the loan. (SJC - 1925 - p. 4-5) As soon as the loan was assured, Mother Kostka made reservations to travel to Europe--she would deliver the money personally and, at the same time, visit Mother Ignatia, whose increasingly poor health worried her spiritual daughter.

Before leaving for Europe, Mother Kostka prepared the ground-breaking ceremony for the academy building which took place on March 19, 1925. Right Reverend Charles Cassidy, dean of Staten Island, represented the cardinal archbishop at the celebration which was conducted with great pomp and solemnity. (History, p. 38) This construction, carried on by the Sibley & Fetherstone Construction Corporation was to coincide with extensive renovations on St. Mary’s Home. Mother Kostka was torn between the need to deliver the money as soon as possible to Hungary and the desire to be at hand to supervise the two great American projects. Placing her confidence in her American representatives, she sailed for Europe on March 30. Accompanied by Sister Jacinta, Mother Kostka traveled on the S.S. Stuttgart. By now she was a seasoned traveler and the ocean voyage would provide her with rest and relaxation. On April 6 she dispatched a letter to her American daughters telling of her joy at having the privilege of assisting at two masses daily. Sr. Jacinta added that Mother Kostka became the sacristan during the trip and described the alacrity with which the provincial superior rose and dressed each morning in order to have everything in perfect readiness by the time the first priest arrived to vest.

It was only at the end of the letter that Mother Kostka informed them of the accident which had occurred in the English Channel. Their ship plowed into a cliff, cutting a deep gash into its side. She assured them that the leak had not been threatening, that the water had been quickly pumped out and they had then proceeded without further trouble to Bremen. Nevertheless, she added her opinion that it was the prayers of the sisters that had protected them during this time and she urged the continuation of prayers for their safe return.

As soon as she delivered the money to Mother Valeria and spent a few days in Hungary, Mother Kostka traveled to Vienna. She was shocked at the change she saw in Mother Ignatia. The superior general had become very weak and feeble since the General Chapter. True, she was 82 years old; but at the time of her reelection in 1924 she had appeared strong and competent of leading the Congregation--now she was enervated. The heart of Mother Kostka was troubled and she wrote to America, telling the sisters to double their prayers for the ailing superior general.

The year 1925 was a Holy Year. Consequently, Mother Kostka, together with Sister Xaveria Egger, vicaress general, Mother Valeria and Sister Jacinta, traveled to Rome to utilize the opportunity to gain the Jubilee indulgence. once again, they visited the various churches and shrines. Finally, the time for parting arrived. Sister Xaveria and Mother Valeria returned to their homes while Mother Kostka and her companion went to Naples on June 15. They were to return home on an Italian liner. (CC VII, pp. 83-84)

It was with a grateful heart that Mother Kostka arrived in the United States on July 3. The work in Staten Island was progressing rapidly. The superstructure was so far advanced that on August 30 the cornerstone of the building was set in place. Mother Kostka placed a relic of the Little Flower, as well as a small vial of Hungarian soil into the stone, along with copies of historic documents of the Congregation. As ever, she was determined to show unity of the American province with the Motherhouse.

One week later, on September 7, Mother Kostka joyfully attended the officia1 dedication of the enlarged St. Mary’s Home. Monsignor Michael Lavelle, now vicar general of the archdiocese, presided over the ceremony and offered the liturgy in the new Our Lady of Hungary Chapel. With great satisfaction she reported to the Motherhouse that St. Mary’s Home would now be able to provide housing for 150 girls in single and double-occupancy rooms. God was truly blessing the work of the American province. (GC VII, pp. 899l)

Without a doubt, Mother Kostka had a great deal to be grateful for as 1925 came to a close, and she acknowledged her gratitude to God. Writing to her sisters on November 23, thanking them for the many feastday wishes she had received, she expressed her feelings that if God heard all the prayers and good wishes of the sisters, she would be free from all crosses and sufferings. “But then,” she queried, “how would I be able to win my heavenly crown?”

Despite the fact that she herself had seen the great physical deterioration of Mother Ignatia, nevertheless, Mother Kostka was very upset when on January 12, 1926, she received notification from Vienna that, with permission of the Holy See, the Superior General was resigning from her office. For most of her religious life--32 years--Mother Kostka had known, loved, and obeyed Mother Ignatia; it would be difficult to see someone else in that position. Two days later, she informed the American sisters of the resignation and of the impending General Chapter for the election of a new superior general. She, herself, conducted the election of the delegates in every convent and warned the sisters not to tell anyone, not even the pastors, of the upcoming Chapter. She would do all that was necessary and settle for the absence of the two sisters who would be elected as the American representatives. Sister Blanda Dominkovich and Sister Alipia Fejkis were elected by secret ballot and on February 25, 1926 the three sisters departed for Europe. (SJC — 1926 - . 1—2)

His Excellency, the Most Reverend Ernst Seydl officiated at the extraordinary General Chapter. As the provincial superiors and the representatives the various provinces gathered, they discussed among themselves who would be the most suitable for this very important and difficult office. A number of the assembled delegates mentioned Sister Donata Reichenwallner as the most likely choice. She had been very active in the Austrian province and in the Motherhouse, and her experience made her a formidable candidate. Then the name “Sister Kostka” began to surface. In recent oral interviews, both Sister Imelda Andre and Sister Fidelis Weninger reported that they had heard many years ago that the name of Sister Kostka Bauer was introduced as the one who would be most capable of unifying the Congregation at this particular moment in its history. Her devotion to Mother Franciska Lechner, her love for the Congregation, her association and loyalty to the Motherhouse, her knowledge of conditions in Hungary, as well as the great success of the American province, were all positive factors reinforcing her suitability for the office. She was truly an “international” Daughter of Divine Charity. On March 19, 1926--feast of St. Joseph, the special protector of the Congregation and especially of her American province, Sister M. Kostka Bauer was elected third superior general of the Congregation of the Daughters of Divine Charity. Sister M. Donata Reichenwallner was elected vicaress general, Sister M. Xaveria Egger was chosen second general assistant, Sister M. Norberta Wecera was elected third general assistant and general procuratrix, and Sister H. Aquila Fajmon became fourth general assistant and general secretary. (GC VII, pp. 101-102)

A simple telegram sent by Sister Alipia on the evening of March 19 to the provincial house in Arrochar, informed the sisters of the American province of the great, yet terrible news: “Our Mother is Mother General.”
(SJC — 1926 — p. 2)

Mother Kostka was exceedingly weighed down by the new cross which had been placed on her shoulders by her sisters in religion. Was she ready for this great responsibility? Immediately after the installation by the Bishop, she traveled to Breitenfurt, where she went directly to the crypt. Only God, and Mother Franciska know the prayers and pleadings which burst from her heart and the tears that flowed freely as she knelt before the sarcophagus of the Foundress. The Heavenly Father would have to give her the health and strength she would need to carry on the monumental task; Mother Franciska would be her exemplar. Once again, she was asked to leave all in His name-- she was to be uprooted from America, her adopted country, to return to the house where she had begun her life as a Daughter of Divine Charity thirty-seven years before.