CHAPTER VI
MOTHER M. KOSTKA – ADMINISTRATOR
“It is not the duty of the superior (general) 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 of the Congregation.” (Circular: December 28, 1930)
To foster and encourage greater unity among the members of the Congregation was a welcome challenge to Mother Kostka. To lead her spiritual daughters along the path of religious life ever closer to the Divine Bridegroom and perfection was her greatest joy; to administer the spiritual and temporal affairs of the Congregation, a heavy cross which she bore for seventeen years--through a world depression and the beginning of another world conflict. Cognizant of the need for divine guidance and inspiration, Mother Kostka constantly asked the sisters for prayers and sacrifices so that all her actions and decisions would be in the best interests of the Congregation. It must be remembered that at this time, it was the Superior general who appointed not only the provincial superiors, but all the superiors of the various convents as well. Not a single new convent or ministry could
be established without her permission. During her time as superior general, she estab1ished three new provinces: the Slovak province in 1928, and the two Brazilian provinces in 1939, along with countless new establishments.
In 1926, Mother Kostka inherited a multi-national Congregation which was experiencing the after-effects of the Great War. She would be the faithful and wise steward throughout the great depression that engulfed the world and the Congregation; she would experience the anxieties that gripped society as totalitarian governments emerged in Italy, Germany, and Austria, her religious headquarters.
More devastating, however, was the outbreak of World War II in 1939, at a time when she was in the United States for visitation. She was caught in a dilemma--as a naturalized American citizen, she faced a hopeless situation: her adopted country was at war with her two beloved European homes and refused to allow her to return to the Motherhouse. From 1939 to 1943, she would strive to lead her Congregation from afar, a task made humanly impossible by the sudden and unforeseen deaths of her closest advisers and supporters: Sisters Donata, Aloisia and Aquila. The loss of these pillars of the Congregation greatly affected the health and spirit of Mother Kostka. Now the Divine Master was her sole refuge and support; He would help her guide “. . the ship which I must steer,” which was being “...swamped by a stormy: flood.” (Circular, Vienna, August 1, 1938)
To present her administrative leadership in a way that is most logical and easy to follow, this chapter will be subdivided into a study of her European, North American, and South American activities and decisions.
Europe
In Europe, the provinces which had been established after World War I were experiencing primarily financial hardships. Vocations were plentiful; the works
of the Congregation could be continued and extended, provided the necessary funds could be found. Then, too, Communism exerted an insidious influence on religious life in Austria and Hungary, all of which she had to contend with. The relative ease of travel in Europe made it easy and convenient for Mother Kostka to keep in close touch with the convents in the various provinces, and she made it a point to visit these on occasions other than the official visitations.
She had been superior general of the Congregation barely nine months when she had to face a great administrative crisis. During the night of December 15, 1926, a destructive fire broke out in the Motherhouse, caused by a fir tree which had been put into the fireplace to provide additional fuel and heat. As the tree began to burn, cinders dropped to the floor and the fire began to spread rapidly. Because all the sisters had already gone to bed, the fire was not discovered until a large section of the roof was in flames. Very quickly the entire roof of the Motherhouse and the novitiate was ablaze. The newest fear was that it would spread to the church roof. According to the Congregational Chronicle, the church was spared, “. . .protected by our Mother Most Admirable whose picture is under the roof.” (GC VII, p. 118) The fire destroyed all the goods, clothing, trunks, etc., which were stored in the attic, including an early biography of Mother Franciska, and many early documents of the Congregation.
Sister M. Donata, superior of the Motherhouse, had awakened Mother Kostka and urged her to leave her room, which was below the attic where the fire had begun. Had the fire started later, the new superior general would probably have perished, either from smoke inhalation or from being crushed under the ceiling which fell on her bed. Recounting the catastrophe Mother Kostka wrote: “The devil is wreaking his hatred against me with water and fire.” (Undated letter, Vienna, 1927)
Help for the beleaguered sisters came from all sides. The sisters from the Marienanstalt brought them food and clothing; the various mission houses in Austria helped as much as possible; the people of Vienna contributed money and food; the Archbishop of Vienna, Friedrich Cardinal Peffl, the chancellor of Austria, even the Holy See sent assistance. Sister M. Valerie Morvay and Sister Dolorosa arrived from Hungary with two trunks full of clothing and linens and Mother Kostka remarked “. . . their unity with the motherhouse in the midst of all the troubles. ..brought her great joy.” (op. cit., 1327; GC VII, pp. 117-119)
The care and financial burdens caused by the rebuilding of the burned out section of the Motherhouse did not keep Mother Kostka from performing her official duties as leader and administrator of the Congregation. On April 25, 1927, accompanied by Sister Aquila Fejmon, the general secretary, she traveled to England to visit the sisters who were staffing the mission at Swaffham, in Norfolk, which had been established in 1914. This solitary mission, a part of the Austrian province, weighed on her mind because these sisters were so isolated from all other convents of the Congregation. (GC VII, p. 125)
Upon her return in June of that year she traveled to Budapest, Hungary, for the festive dedication of the new provincial house at Schwabenberg. For Mother Kostka this was an especially joyous occasion because the funds for the construction of this new building came mostly from the American province; in fact, she had been instrumental in gaining the first loan during her time as provincial superior in the United States. While in Hungary, she took the opportunity to make her annual retreat among and with her Hungarian daughters.
During the rest of the year, she closely supervised the building commission which met at Breitenfurt for the purpose of constructing a watermain for the home. Like Mother Franciska, she hoped and prayed to be able to get the necessary funds for this important undertaking through divine assistance.
After a six-month visitation in the United States, Mother Kostka returned to Vienna and within two weeks was off to make her official visitation of the Hungarian province. The visitation was cut short by the news of the death of Mother M. Ignatia Egger on March 14, 1928. In great sorrow Mother Kostka hurried back to the Motherhouse where, with Sister M. Donata, she planned the funeral of her beloved predecessor. On March 17, 1928, Mother Kostka led the procession of Daughters of Divine charity as Mother M. Ignatia was entombed in the crypt chapel at Breitenfurt after a solemn requiem mass.
Within a week, Mother Kostka was traveling again. Accompanied by Sisters Donata and Ludovica, she went to Frankfurt-am-Main, Germany, to investigate the possibilities of establishing a new foundation there. From Frankfurt the trio traveled to Greifswald which, at that time, was a part of Poland, to check on the progress of the construction of the orphanage which was to be opened there in September. Being in the vicinity, she proceeded to make her official visitation in Poland. (GC VII, pp. 127-136)
Mother Kostka returned to Vienna during Holy Week, 1928. The cold which she had developed during the funeral of Mother Ignatia, aggravated by the exhausting journeys in Germany and Poland took its toll on her always weak constitution and she was confined to bed for nearly two weeks. (Letter to the American province, April, 1928) Although bedridden, Mother Kostka was anxiously looking forward to the official dedication and opening of the new school at Herz Maria Kloster. This school was very close to her heart for it was here that she had been a novice and a beginning teacher in the early years of her religious life. The school had flourished through the years and the existing building had proved to be too small. Therefore, Mother Kostka had decided to erect a new structure; it was this building that was dedicated on May 6, 1928 -- placed, as before, under the protection of the Most Pure Heart of Mazy. (GC VII, pp. 138-39)
On September 11, 1928, Mother Kostka, accompanied by her first assistant, Sister M. Donata, traveled to Rome. They had been invited to the Eternal City to study the possibilities of establishing a foundation of the Congregation there. Although both were anxious for such a convent to be staffed by the Daughters of Divine Charity in this seat of Christendom, they agreed that the enterprise could not be accepted. The Congregation would have to build a house first--a project for which the financial means were unattainable. Although she would have loved to see a convent of the Congregation in her homeland, Mother Kostka was a wise steward; she would not place such an additional burden on the shoulders of her sisters.
While in Rome, Mother Kostka and Sister Donata had the pleasure of an audience with His Holiness, Pope Pius XI, who bestowed his blessings on the Congregation for the occasion of the sixtieth anniversary of its foundation which was to be celebrated with solemn ceremonies beginning on November 21, 23. (CC VII, pp. 146-147)
That September, Mother Kostka, after consultation with her assistants, made the decision to take over the proposed ministry in Frankfurt-am-Main. The work of the sisters would be comprised of conducting and maintaining an institute and home for students and young tradesmen. The home was already in existence in a modern building which had been erected by August Marnns, who gave it over to the congregation so that the ministry would become one institute which would serve the purpose of training young people interested in commercial work. (CC VII, p. 153)
On May 21, 1929, Sister Donata went to Frankfurt-am-Main with Sister M. Albertine Krömer, whom Mother Kostka had named as superior for the new foundation. She herself was in Brazil at this time. While in Germany Sister Donata, joined by Sister Ludovica, traveled toBeuthen in upper Silesia, Germany at the request of the superior general, to study the pros and cons of establishing a Congregational foundation in that city. Evidently the visit proved fruitless; nothing further is recorded in the General Chronicles about such a venture until many years later.
After overcoming many obstacles surrounding the Frankfurt mission, the Institute was officially opened on December 15, 1929. Mother Kostka was determined to make this a truly congregational mission; hence, she assigned sisters from Jugoslavia, the Czech province, and the Motherhouse to the Institute. On February 7, 1930, Mother Kostka, accompanied by Sister Aquila, went to inspect the new work and expressed satisfaction with its progress. Her great worry, however, was the financial burden posed by the new enterprise. The world economy was in a shambles. Would the cost of maintaining this new apostolate prove prohibitive? The worries of the mother were evident to her daughters. On February 28, 1930, when they celebrated her 61st birthday at the Motherhouse, they presented her with a monetary gift of 10,359.13 shillings, donated by the seven provinces, for the maintenance of the Frankfurt house. For a time, this generous offering helped allay her worries. (GC VII, pp. 162; 164—165)
The monetary gift only partially eased the problems in Frankfurt. The care of male and female students interested in commerce required a greater number of sisters, specially trained, to provide the spiritual and instructional assistance needed by these young people. Thus, in January 1931 Mother Kostka went to Budapest hoping to convince Mother M. Valeria, the Hungarian provincial superior, to send personnel and give financial aid to the mission. Despite the close friendship between these two dedicated religious, Mother Valeria had to refuse the request. The Hungarian province was itself in dire circumstances and could not spare either sisters or money. Undaunted, and trusting in Divine Providence, Mother Kostka went to Frankfurt hoping to find a solution for some of the problems. Professor Manns, who had rented the institute to the Congregation, demanded more and more money which the sisters could not give him. He was, himself, in great debt and blamed the Congregation for his troubles. Mother Kostka had given him the gift money from the previous year as well as additional funds; however, all was merely like a drop in the ocean. These financial problems weighed heavily on Mother Kostka’s heart and mind. (GC VII, p. 179)
Mother Kostka was indefatigable in traveling to various cities in Slovakia and Hungary where possibilities arose for purchasing or acquiring more houses and buildings for the Congregation. In March, 1930, she was instrumental in purchasing a building in Spisska-Saboto as a novitiate for the Slovak province. Because of the extraordinary conditions related to this acquisition, the new building was named Divine Providence Convent. (GC VII, pp. 165-167) The first reception in the province was held on August 13, 1930, presided over by a Bishop Vojtasak. Mother kostka herself presented the novices their holy habit.
In the midst of her numerous administrative worries and hardships, the Heavenly Father always sent Mother Kostka days of joy. Thus it was that beginning July 7, 1930, the school at St. Andra celebrated its golden jubilee. It was here that Mother Kostka, Sister Donata and Sister Norberta had all been boarding students and received the Divine Call. Mother Kostka invited Bishop Ernst Seydl to celebrate the solemn mass of thanksgiving in the Church of Loretto. As a jubilee gift, she allowed the entire convent to be renovated; she herself supervised the installation of the new water system. (GC VII, p. 169)
In 1931, Mother Kostka and her assistants conferred with the Jesuits in St. Andra regarding the purchase of a building owned by the Society of Jesus. On February 14, they closed an agreement whereby the Congregation acquired the estate which was named St. Joseph’s House. To close the transaction, a loan of 120,000 shillings had been obtained from the Mercurbank of Vienna, to be repaid U.S. dollars with a 7% interest. On April 14, 1931, the death anniversary of Mother Franciska, the sisters moved into the new St. Joseph’s House. (GCV11, pp. 180—182)
After the jubilee, Mother Kostka again took “to the road.” Without taking a rest, she completed the formal visitation of the five European provinces and returned to the Motherhouse on November 23, 1931.
The year 1932 was to prove to be extremely busy for Mother Kostka. After a brief visit to Hungary, she traveled to Prague to obtain from the American Conslate there the necessary travel documents for Mother M. Alexandrine Madarová, the Slovak provincial, who was to accompany her for the visitation of the North American province. She was subsequently left in charge in the United States while the American provincial superior attended the General Chapter; after the Chapter of 1932, Mother Alexandrine was named the new provincial in the United States. Here, again, Mother Kostka exercised her administrative power to further her desire to keep the Congregation united by making such an inter-provincial appointment.
The official notification of the upcoming General Chapter was forwarded to the various provinces from New York on March 19, 1932. Completing her American visitation, Mother Kostka stopped in June in England to make a final visitation. Returning to the Motherhouse on July 2, she barely rested before going to the Frankfurt foundation, thence to Tyrnau, Czechoslovakia, where she appointed Sister M. Leona the new superior of the Slovak province. She was finishing her duties as her term of office was about to end.
The General Chapter of July, 1932, saw Mother M. Kostka Bauer elected for a second term with Sister M. Donata Reichenwallner as first assistant and vicaress general; Sister M. Norberta Wecera, second assistant and general procuratrix, Sister Aquila Fajmon, third assistant and general secretary and Sister M.Ansbertha Binder, fourth assistant. (GC VII, pp. 197-205)
Once again post-Chapter circulars and directives were dispatched, Mother Kostka resumed her duties of visitation. She went first to Jugoslavia, which was the most spread out of all the European provinces. She remained there for more than two months and in her circular of December 17, 1932, she asked that this province be remembered specially by members of the Congregation in daily prayers because the sisters here were experiencing very difficult conditions.
The Catholic church and the schools of the Congregation were in serious danger; the government was threatening to take the administration of the schools away from the sisters and put them under civil control.
Early in 1933 Mother Kostka felt compelled to visit the Brazilian missions again, leaving Sister Donata in charge of the Congregation, should any emergency arise. She returned to the Motherhouse in mid-July and almost immediately proceeded to address and admonish the superiors and sisters during the annual retreats held at Herz Maria Kloster and Hochstrass.
In September, 1933, Mother Kostka and Monsignor Joseph Enzmann, the chaplain in Breitenfurt, were able to see the fulfillment of a dream --the dedication of the commemorative wall in the Congregational cemetery in Breitenfurt. Until 1918, all the sisters who had died in Breitenfurt, including Mother Franciska, were buried in the local community cemetery. In 1918, our own cemetery was ready and the remains of a large number of sisters were disinterred and re-buried in a common grave; however, 181 sisters’ remains could not be transferred. It was Monsignor Enzmann who had suggested the erection of a large marble wall on which the names of those sisters would be listed along with their age, date of profession, and that of death. On September 19, 1933, the Most Reverend Ernst Seydl, suffragan bishop of Vienna and vicar for religious, celebrated a solemn requiem for those 181 sisters, after which the wall, located behind the crypt chapel, was blessed. (CC VII, pp. 237-239)
Time and again in 1934 Mother Kostka visited the Frankfurt institute which continued to be plagued by financial difficulties. In August of that year, she named Sister M. Chrysostoma Hampel as the new superior of the house in hopes of solving some of the personnel and monetary problems. (GC VII, pp. 254, 276)
Since the end of World War I the Austrian government, and especially the city of Vienna was under the control of Socialists. By 1934 a state of civil war existed in the city; blood flowed. Describing the horrifying conditions in her circular of February 22, 1934, Mother Kostka explained that this deplorable condition was affecting the Congregation. The youth, by and large, were raised without any religious training; hence, the number of vocations in Austria was small. Finally, the unrest was subdued and a Christian government was established which would attempt to rebuild Austria on a religious foundation. Barely had this danger been eliminated when a new problem arose. By December 12, 1934, when she penned her Christmas circular, Mother Kostka was beginning to worry about the questionable political conditions which were emerging throughout Europe. She wrote: “Heavy war clouds are on our horizon; we are constantly worried”. Therefore, she felt it imperative for her to remain in Vienna, at the Motherhouse of her spiritual family.
A loving mother, Mother Kostka was constantly seeking ways and means to obtain money for the beautification of the Motherhouse church. During World War I the bells from the church belfry had been commandeered by the government to be smelted down and made into weapons. The absence of bells whose ringing would call the people of the neighborhood to worship saddened Mother Kostka. Therefore, she worked untiringly, contacting various benefactors to help remedy the situation. Her desire to hear bells pealing once more from the Motherhouse church was ultimately fulfilled; a new set of bells was acquired and a solemn blessing and installation took place on August 26-27, 1935. On the 26th, the bells were brought along Jacquingasse on a garland-bedecked wagon drawn by four horses. Twenty young women walked on both sides of the wagon holding ribbons which were attached to the bells. Atop each bell sat four little girls dressed as angels. The pastors, numerous priests, sodalists and members of various societies from the nearby churches marched behind the wagon to the front of the church, where the solemn blessing took place, On the following day, the bells were hoisted to the belfry. (GC VII, pp. 278-280; also Circular, 1935)
The sphere of ministry of the Congregation continued to grow. In her circular of December 30, 1935, Mother Kostka announced that on January 15, 1936, the administration of a convalescent home in Unter-Olberndorf near Shleinbach would be taken over by the sisters.
Most of 1936 was spent on official visitations of the North and South American convents. Before her departure, Mother Kostka held a superiors conference on January 30 in Vienna. She instructed all the provincial superiors and house superiors to plan their activities in such a manner that all would be able to come to the Motherhouse for this general meeting. She was determined that the European communities would not lack administrative and spiritual guidance during her prolonged absence. Strict regulations were issued and again Sister Donaata was placed in charge to handle any administrative emergencies that might arise.
The growing unrest in Europe, and especially in Vienna, had convinced Mother Kostka and her assistants that in order to safeguard the Motherhouse property it would be best to turn over the administration of the church to the Archdiocese of Vienna. The chancery named Reverend Dr. Wilhelm Hohn administrator of the church on July 30. The official document naming him to this position arrived on October 13, 1936. (GC VII, p. 287) Ultimately, the Motherhouse church became a parish church on July 1, 1939. (Parish archives: Church of the Mother of God)
The year 1937 was to be the lull before the storm. In that year, Mother Kostka finally allowed members of the Congregation to undertake still another apostolate, the care of elderly women. On April 25, 1937, St. Joseph’s Home for Women was dedicated in Tyrnau.
In that same year, Father (Professor) Manns visited Mother Kostka on a number of occasions to discuss the possibility of extending the Congregation’s field of ministry to the Netherlands. The chronicler gives no other particulars regarding the proposed project. Some thought was being given to the question and the chronicle indicates that on October 9, 1937, Mother Kostka traveled to Holland. Apparently, the visit was a failure; Mother Kostka was unwilling to move into another country at a time when political unrest was becoming increasingly apparent on the continent. (GC VII, pp. 209-324)
One bright note is worth mentioning during this troublesome period. In 1937 the chronicle of the Congregation states: “It is unbelievable, but true: the Slovak Province has made the most foundations; it has the greatest growth. ....although it is the smallest province of the Congregation.” (GC VII, p. 309)
As the year drew to a close, Mother Kostka sent a circular to all the houses reminding them of the General chapter which was to be held the following year and reminded them to prepare for the event with fervent prayers. (Circular First Friday of December, 1937)
Since 1934, Adolf Hitler had been trying to entice Austria, his native land, into a union (nschluss) with Germany. In July 1934, an unsuccessful coup resulted in the murder of the Austrian chancellor, Dr. Engelbert Dollfuss, a personal friend of the Congregation and Mother Kostka. Undaunted by the initial failure of his plans, Hitler continued his relentless push to make Austria a part of the Third Reich and in March 1935 German troops occupied helpless Austria and proclaimed its incorporation into the Nazi-controlled German Empire.
By June, 1938, the power of the Nazi party began to be felt by the Congregation. On Saturday, June 25 at 9:30 at night, ten S.A. soldiers came to St. Michael’s Convent in Gerasdorf and demanded that the house be turned over to them. The sisters were permitted to remain until the 28th to pack their belongings. However, when the sisters wanted to take everything that belonged to the Congregation to the Motherhouse, they were refused permission, despite attempts to get Parliamentary assistance in the matter. On June 30, the official termination of the twenty-six-year long apostolate of the Congregation in Gerasdorf arrived from the central committee of the Austrian Nazi Party. (GC,VII, pp. 335-6)
The Anschluss also affected the other provinces, causing many administrative difficulties for Mother Kostka and her assistants. Convents that had been a part of the Czech province became a part of the Austrian province as a result of the occupation of the Sudetenland by Germany. Troppau, St. Georgenthal, Bergen and Blattendorf were officially listed part of the mother province on June 30, 1938. (GC VII, p. 336)
The General Chapter held in July, 1938, resulted in a third-term election of Mother Kostka. Elected as the General Council were her former assistants:
Sister M. Donata Reichenwallner, first general assistant; Sister M. Aquila Fajmon, second general assistant and general secretary; Sister II. Norberta Wecera, third assistant; Sister M. Ansberta Binder, fourth assistant and Sister N. Aloisia Schodt, general procuratrix. (GC VII, pp. 338-339 contains proceedings of the Chapter) Writing to the various provinces which had quickly dispatched their congratulatory messages, Mother Kostka responded with a circular in which she indicated that the burden once more placed on her shoulders by the Congregation was especially great in the present difficult times.
The ship which I must steer is presently swamped by a stormy flood. As long as the heavenly Mother, “our star of the sea” lights the heavens we do not travel in darkness; she points out to us the dangers, the reefs, so that our ship will not founder.
Let us pray to our foundress, Mother Franciska, that she should intercede in heaven that her work may last until the end of time. (Circular, Vienna, August 1, 1938)
Despite the uncertain conditions, two more convents were opened in September, 1938. On September 4, the Convent of the Holy Family was dedicated in Kunstat (C. S. R.), with Mother Kostka in attendance. The convent was the birthplace of Sister M. Rigalda Lepka and was ceded to the Congregation by the mother who rejoiced that her home would be used as a place where God was served and children were led to God. Incidentally, Sister M. Rigalda was ultimately named to be the first provincial superior in South Brazil.
On September 9, members of the Jugoslavian province assumed control over a home for female students in Zagreb, to be called the Convent of Our Lady of Lourdes. This new convent was provided for the sisters by His Excellency, Archbishop Aloysius Stepinac of Zagreb. (GC VII, pp. 346-347)
The joy of these new beginnings was marred by the sorrow caused by the relentless onslaught of the Nazi regime on the activities of religious in the Third Reich. One after the other, Mother Kostka was forced to “rent” Congregational property to the government. On September 15, 1938, the Elizabeth Home in Vienna became a police station; Herz Maria Kioster, St. Andra and Kagran were to be used as public schools; the kindergarten in Wolkersdorf was closed, he Augustineum in Breitenfurt was leased by the government beginning October 15. There, the sisters were permitted to retain management of the farm. (pp. 348—350)
As the convents of the Czech province came under direct jurisdiction of the Third Reich, Mother Kostka traveled to each of the houses to see how the Sisters were coping. Like an anxious mother, she sought to discover and provide for their needs; they knew they could count on her assistance.
Despite the seemingly endless blows that descended upon the European provinces as a result of the relentless progress of Naziism, Mother Kostka was determined to keep the spirit of unity glowing among her daughters. On November 21, the seventieth birthday of the Congregation was celebrated with a solemn pontifical high mass offered by Very Reverend Ernst Seydl of Vienna. Now more than ever, the sisters needed to be strengthened in their vocation to face the evil, and Mother Kostka made every effort to make this anniversary celebration an unforgettable one.
Shortly after the celebration, however, Mother Kostka and her assistants returned to face the stark reality of the dangers of the totalitarian regime. Accordingly, they deemed it best to send some of the young sisters from the Motherhouse, especially those with leadership potential, to various provinces where they could live and work in safety and perhaps help support the beleaguered Motherhouse. (pp. 350-354; also cf. Chapter IV, p. 47)
The year 1939 would assume historic importance in world affairs and would mark the end of Mother Kostka’s personal administration of all parts of the Congregation. It would seem as though she had a premonition of the impending disaster and worked against the clock to set things in order.
On January 19, 1939, Mother Kostka and her assistants decided to sever the Brazilian missions from dependence on the European provinces by establishing two provinces in that country. The northern province was to be administered by Sister M. Christine Vlastnik as the first provincial superior; in the south, the Province would be established with Sister M.. Rigalda Lepka as provincial superior. Then on February 13, Mother Kostka accompanied the last four European sisters who would go to Brazil as far as Split, Jugoslavia. These were Sisters M. Aquiliana Eigbel, M. Armella Lechner, M. Hedwigis Witkowska and the novice, M. Fidelia Weninger. With a heavy heart she blessed her daughters with the customary cross on the forehead as they prepared to sail to South America.
In the midst of the forced closings on the continent, in 1937 Mother Kostka had decided to open a new convent in Chesterfield, England, where she would appoint Sister M. Huberta Buchanan as superior. This was a safe country and perhaps haven to which more sisters from Austria could be sent in order to escape Naziism. In February, 1939 she went to England to visit the new convent as well as the existing establishment in Swaffham.
By the end of the month she was back in Vienna. Despite the growing dangers of traveling within the Third Reich, Mother Kostka was determined to visit the Frankfurt community once more. On March 3 she went to Germany for the last time and, apparently, she was relieved to see the situation to be quite stabile. (Cc vii, pp. 363-370)
The onus of the burdens which she was bearing at this time becomes evident from her 1939 Easter circular dated April 1. Replying to the complaint: “We don’t hear anything from the motherhouse; it’s as though our Reverend Mother has disappeared...” she wrote:
You are right, but it can’t be otherwise. The good mother bears alone the worries, sorrows and sufferings in order to spare her children the unnecessary pains, since these can do nothing to ease the burden. At the present time prayer is the only assistance.
Shortly after Easter, Mother Kostka prepared to leave once more for the United States. As in the past she entrusted the conduct of necessary European affairs and decisions to Sister Donata and on April 11, 1939 she traveled to Genoa, Italy, where on the 13th she boarded the Italian liner REX to make what would be her last voyage from Europe. She would never see Vienna or the Motherhouse again.
With her permission, and under the direction of the respective provincial superiors, new ministries were still being established in Slovakia and Hungary. In the latter country, a new Marienanstalt (St. Mary’s Institute) was opened in Budapest; the sisters also undertook the monetary and pastoral care of Germans living in Hungary. The financial problems of the new building became the focus of an extensive administrative problem for Mother Kostka when she arrived in the United States. For a number of years, Sister M. Katalin Kalics, a member of that province had been in the United States, traversing the country collecting money for the support of her home province. In 1939, just before the outbreak of the war, Mother Kostka felt compelled to transfer the sister back to Budapest because of her actions. She had shown no respect for authority and did not obey even the provincial superior.
Shortly after the return of Sister Katalin to Hungary, Mother Kostka received a letter from Reverend Dr. Julius Baton, the canonical visitator in Budapest. Dr. Baton disapproved of the return of Sister Katalin because the Hungarian province was thereby deprived of much needed financial support. He asked that the superior general revise her decision, threatening to take “professional action” if she did not do so. He informed Mother Kostka that he had given Sister Katalin a three-year permit to go to the American convents, offering the Hungarian sisters there the opportunity to return to their homeland. Their withdrawal would pose a great hardship for the North American province. He further warned that if matters worsened, the result would be the complete separation of the Hungarian province from the Congregation which move, he stated, would be supported by the Prince Primate of Hungary. (Letter dated August 16, 1939)
Such a threat at a time when it was impossible for her to return to Europe to personally handle the matter at its source caused Mother Kostka much anguish. Here was a province of which she had been a part and which she loved dearly, threatening to break the bonds of unity and community. She tried to alleviate the problem by having funds sent from the American province to the provincial superior in Budapest.
It was in the process of transferring funds to Hungary during wartime that she learned, to her dismay, that Sister Katalin had a substantial sum of money on deposit in her name in a New York bank. When Mother Kostka requested that the money be released to her, she was told that this could not be done without the sister’s permission.
This recalcitrance and flagrant violation of the vows caused Mother Kostka to contact the Cardinal Protector in Rome regarding the matter. On October 12, 1942, she asked that he contact the Ordinariate of Esztergom requesting the Vicar General to contact Sister Katalin to urge her to release the money. “It is not that much the money itself that I want to have, but I wish to alleviate her conscience.” Even in the midst of war, Mother Kostka worried about the spiritual well-being of her daughters and continued obedience to the Holy Rule.
On July 8, 1939, Daughters of Divine Charity assumed responsibilities at St. Charles Parish in Berlin, Germany as well as in Grunewald. In August of the same year, the Jugoslavian province commenced work at the seminary in Zagreb. The Congregation, in the meantime, was undergoing changes in boundaries as Naziism continued to take over more territory. According to the chronicle, the German-Austrian) province which now included old Germany, Austria, England and the Sudetenland was comprised of the Motherhouse and twenty filial houses. (GC VII, 363—381)
During all this time the Polish province was unaffected and Mother Kostka felt relieved upon receiving positive reports from Mother Ludovica. September 1, 1939, would change all that. As World War II erupted in Europe, Mother Kostka was stranded in the United States. From that time until her death she would be a mother-in-exile, deprived of any consolation by the loss, one after the other, of her trusted and beloved assistants, until it seemed as though the administration of the Congregation was like a ship without a captain and a rudder. Fearing for her European daughters Mother Kostka left no stone unturned, no avenue of petition unexplored in her attempt to return to the Motherhouse in Vienna. All efforts were in vain, and from 1939 until her death on June 22, 1943, she would have to bear the heavy cross of learning about the plight and fate of her daughters and her beloved Congretation in Europe only through the sporadic, censored correspondence which reached her in the United States.
MOTHER M. KOSTKA – ADMINISTRATOR
“It is not the duty of the superior (general) 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 of the Congregation.” (Circular: December 28, 1930)
To foster and encourage greater unity among the members of the Congregation was a welcome challenge to Mother Kostka. To lead her spiritual daughters along the path of religious life ever closer to the Divine Bridegroom and perfection was her greatest joy; to administer the spiritual and temporal affairs of the Congregation, a heavy cross which she bore for seventeen years--through a world depression and the beginning of another world conflict. Cognizant of the need for divine guidance and inspiration, Mother Kostka constantly asked the sisters for prayers and sacrifices so that all her actions and decisions would be in the best interests of the Congregation. It must be remembered that at this time, it was the Superior general who appointed not only the provincial superiors, but all the superiors of the various convents as well. Not a single new convent or ministry could
be established without her permission. During her time as superior general, she estab1ished three new provinces: the Slovak province in 1928, and the two Brazilian provinces in 1939, along with countless new establishments.
In 1926, Mother Kostka inherited a multi-national Congregation which was experiencing the after-effects of the Great War. She would be the faithful and wise steward throughout the great depression that engulfed the world and the Congregation; she would experience the anxieties that gripped society as totalitarian governments emerged in Italy, Germany, and Austria, her religious headquarters.
More devastating, however, was the outbreak of World War II in 1939, at a time when she was in the United States for visitation. She was caught in a dilemma--as a naturalized American citizen, she faced a hopeless situation: her adopted country was at war with her two beloved European homes and refused to allow her to return to the Motherhouse. From 1939 to 1943, she would strive to lead her Congregation from afar, a task made humanly impossible by the sudden and unforeseen deaths of her closest advisers and supporters: Sisters Donata, Aloisia and Aquila. The loss of these pillars of the Congregation greatly affected the health and spirit of Mother Kostka. Now the Divine Master was her sole refuge and support; He would help her guide “. . the ship which I must steer,” which was being “...swamped by a stormy: flood.” (Circular, Vienna, August 1, 1938)
To present her administrative leadership in a way that is most logical and easy to follow, this chapter will be subdivided into a study of her European, North American, and South American activities and decisions.
Europe
In Europe, the provinces which had been established after World War I were experiencing primarily financial hardships. Vocations were plentiful; the works
of the Congregation could be continued and extended, provided the necessary funds could be found. Then, too, Communism exerted an insidious influence on religious life in Austria and Hungary, all of which she had to contend with. The relative ease of travel in Europe made it easy and convenient for Mother Kostka to keep in close touch with the convents in the various provinces, and she made it a point to visit these on occasions other than the official visitations.
She had been superior general of the Congregation barely nine months when she had to face a great administrative crisis. During the night of December 15, 1926, a destructive fire broke out in the Motherhouse, caused by a fir tree which had been put into the fireplace to provide additional fuel and heat. As the tree began to burn, cinders dropped to the floor and the fire began to spread rapidly. Because all the sisters had already gone to bed, the fire was not discovered until a large section of the roof was in flames. Very quickly the entire roof of the Motherhouse and the novitiate was ablaze. The newest fear was that it would spread to the church roof. According to the Congregational Chronicle, the church was spared, “. . .protected by our Mother Most Admirable whose picture is under the roof.” (GC VII, p. 118) The fire destroyed all the goods, clothing, trunks, etc., which were stored in the attic, including an early biography of Mother Franciska, and many early documents of the Congregation.
Sister M. Donata, superior of the Motherhouse, had awakened Mother Kostka and urged her to leave her room, which was below the attic where the fire had begun. Had the fire started later, the new superior general would probably have perished, either from smoke inhalation or from being crushed under the ceiling which fell on her bed. Recounting the catastrophe Mother Kostka wrote: “The devil is wreaking his hatred against me with water and fire.” (Undated letter, Vienna, 1927)
Help for the beleaguered sisters came from all sides. The sisters from the Marienanstalt brought them food and clothing; the various mission houses in Austria helped as much as possible; the people of Vienna contributed money and food; the Archbishop of Vienna, Friedrich Cardinal Peffl, the chancellor of Austria, even the Holy See sent assistance. Sister M. Valerie Morvay and Sister Dolorosa arrived from Hungary with two trunks full of clothing and linens and Mother Kostka remarked “. . . their unity with the motherhouse in the midst of all the troubles. ..brought her great joy.” (op. cit., 1327; GC VII, pp. 117-119)
The care and financial burdens caused by the rebuilding of the burned out section of the Motherhouse did not keep Mother Kostka from performing her official duties as leader and administrator of the Congregation. On April 25, 1927, accompanied by Sister Aquila Fejmon, the general secretary, she traveled to England to visit the sisters who were staffing the mission at Swaffham, in Norfolk, which had been established in 1914. This solitary mission, a part of the Austrian province, weighed on her mind because these sisters were so isolated from all other convents of the Congregation. (GC VII, p. 125)
Upon her return in June of that year she traveled to Budapest, Hungary, for the festive dedication of the new provincial house at Schwabenberg. For Mother Kostka this was an especially joyous occasion because the funds for the construction of this new building came mostly from the American province; in fact, she had been instrumental in gaining the first loan during her time as provincial superior in the United States. While in Hungary, she took the opportunity to make her annual retreat among and with her Hungarian daughters.
During the rest of the year, she closely supervised the building commission which met at Breitenfurt for the purpose of constructing a watermain for the home. Like Mother Franciska, she hoped and prayed to be able to get the necessary funds for this important undertaking through divine assistance.
After a six-month visitation in the United States, Mother Kostka returned to Vienna and within two weeks was off to make her official visitation of the Hungarian province. The visitation was cut short by the news of the death of Mother M. Ignatia Egger on March 14, 1928. In great sorrow Mother Kostka hurried back to the Motherhouse where, with Sister M. Donata, she planned the funeral of her beloved predecessor. On March 17, 1928, Mother Kostka led the procession of Daughters of Divine charity as Mother M. Ignatia was entombed in the crypt chapel at Breitenfurt after a solemn requiem mass.
Within a week, Mother Kostka was traveling again. Accompanied by Sisters Donata and Ludovica, she went to Frankfurt-am-Main, Germany, to investigate the possibilities of establishing a new foundation there. From Frankfurt the trio traveled to Greifswald which, at that time, was a part of Poland, to check on the progress of the construction of the orphanage which was to be opened there in September. Being in the vicinity, she proceeded to make her official visitation in Poland. (GC VII, pp. 127-136)
Mother Kostka returned to Vienna during Holy Week, 1928. The cold which she had developed during the funeral of Mother Ignatia, aggravated by the exhausting journeys in Germany and Poland took its toll on her always weak constitution and she was confined to bed for nearly two weeks. (Letter to the American province, April, 1928) Although bedridden, Mother Kostka was anxiously looking forward to the official dedication and opening of the new school at Herz Maria Kloster. This school was very close to her heart for it was here that she had been a novice and a beginning teacher in the early years of her religious life. The school had flourished through the years and the existing building had proved to be too small. Therefore, Mother Kostka had decided to erect a new structure; it was this building that was dedicated on May 6, 1928 -- placed, as before, under the protection of the Most Pure Heart of Mazy. (GC VII, pp. 138-39)
On September 11, 1928, Mother Kostka, accompanied by her first assistant, Sister M. Donata, traveled to Rome. They had been invited to the Eternal City to study the possibilities of establishing a foundation of the Congregation there. Although both were anxious for such a convent to be staffed by the Daughters of Divine Charity in this seat of Christendom, they agreed that the enterprise could not be accepted. The Congregation would have to build a house first--a project for which the financial means were unattainable. Although she would have loved to see a convent of the Congregation in her homeland, Mother Kostka was a wise steward; she would not place such an additional burden on the shoulders of her sisters.
While in Rome, Mother Kostka and Sister Donata had the pleasure of an audience with His Holiness, Pope Pius XI, who bestowed his blessings on the Congregation for the occasion of the sixtieth anniversary of its foundation which was to be celebrated with solemn ceremonies beginning on November 21, 23. (CC VII, pp. 146-147)
That September, Mother Kostka, after consultation with her assistants, made the decision to take over the proposed ministry in Frankfurt-am-Main. The work of the sisters would be comprised of conducting and maintaining an institute and home for students and young tradesmen. The home was already in existence in a modern building which had been erected by August Marnns, who gave it over to the congregation so that the ministry would become one institute which would serve the purpose of training young people interested in commercial work. (CC VII, p. 153)
On May 21, 1929, Sister Donata went to Frankfurt-am-Main with Sister M. Albertine Krömer, whom Mother Kostka had named as superior for the new foundation. She herself was in Brazil at this time. While in Germany Sister Donata, joined by Sister Ludovica, traveled toBeuthen in upper Silesia, Germany at the request of the superior general, to study the pros and cons of establishing a Congregational foundation in that city. Evidently the visit proved fruitless; nothing further is recorded in the General Chronicles about such a venture until many years later.
After overcoming many obstacles surrounding the Frankfurt mission, the Institute was officially opened on December 15, 1929. Mother Kostka was determined to make this a truly congregational mission; hence, she assigned sisters from Jugoslavia, the Czech province, and the Motherhouse to the Institute. On February 7, 1930, Mother Kostka, accompanied by Sister Aquila, went to inspect the new work and expressed satisfaction with its progress. Her great worry, however, was the financial burden posed by the new enterprise. The world economy was in a shambles. Would the cost of maintaining this new apostolate prove prohibitive? The worries of the mother were evident to her daughters. On February 28, 1930, when they celebrated her 61st birthday at the Motherhouse, they presented her with a monetary gift of 10,359.13 shillings, donated by the seven provinces, for the maintenance of the Frankfurt house. For a time, this generous offering helped allay her worries. (GC VII, pp. 162; 164—165)
The monetary gift only partially eased the problems in Frankfurt. The care of male and female students interested in commerce required a greater number of sisters, specially trained, to provide the spiritual and instructional assistance needed by these young people. Thus, in January 1931 Mother Kostka went to Budapest hoping to convince Mother M. Valeria, the Hungarian provincial superior, to send personnel and give financial aid to the mission. Despite the close friendship between these two dedicated religious, Mother Valeria had to refuse the request. The Hungarian province was itself in dire circumstances and could not spare either sisters or money. Undaunted, and trusting in Divine Providence, Mother Kostka went to Frankfurt hoping to find a solution for some of the problems. Professor Manns, who had rented the institute to the Congregation, demanded more and more money which the sisters could not give him. He was, himself, in great debt and blamed the Congregation for his troubles. Mother Kostka had given him the gift money from the previous year as well as additional funds; however, all was merely like a drop in the ocean. These financial problems weighed heavily on Mother Kostka’s heart and mind. (GC VII, p. 179)
Mother Kostka was indefatigable in traveling to various cities in Slovakia and Hungary where possibilities arose for purchasing or acquiring more houses and buildings for the Congregation. In March, 1930, she was instrumental in purchasing a building in Spisska-Saboto as a novitiate for the Slovak province. Because of the extraordinary conditions related to this acquisition, the new building was named Divine Providence Convent. (GC VII, pp. 165-167) The first reception in the province was held on August 13, 1930, presided over by a Bishop Vojtasak. Mother kostka herself presented the novices their holy habit.
In the midst of her numerous administrative worries and hardships, the Heavenly Father always sent Mother Kostka days of joy. Thus it was that beginning July 7, 1930, the school at St. Andra celebrated its golden jubilee. It was here that Mother Kostka, Sister Donata and Sister Norberta had all been boarding students and received the Divine Call. Mother Kostka invited Bishop Ernst Seydl to celebrate the solemn mass of thanksgiving in the Church of Loretto. As a jubilee gift, she allowed the entire convent to be renovated; she herself supervised the installation of the new water system. (GC VII, p. 169)
In 1931, Mother Kostka and her assistants conferred with the Jesuits in St. Andra regarding the purchase of a building owned by the Society of Jesus. On February 14, they closed an agreement whereby the Congregation acquired the estate which was named St. Joseph’s House. To close the transaction, a loan of 120,000 shillings had been obtained from the Mercurbank of Vienna, to be repaid U.S. dollars with a 7% interest. On April 14, 1931, the death anniversary of Mother Franciska, the sisters moved into the new St. Joseph’s House. (GCV11, pp. 180—182)
After the jubilee, Mother Kostka again took “to the road.” Without taking a rest, she completed the formal visitation of the five European provinces and returned to the Motherhouse on November 23, 1931.
The year 1932 was to prove to be extremely busy for Mother Kostka. After a brief visit to Hungary, she traveled to Prague to obtain from the American Conslate there the necessary travel documents for Mother M. Alexandrine Madarová, the Slovak provincial, who was to accompany her for the visitation of the North American province. She was subsequently left in charge in the United States while the American provincial superior attended the General Chapter; after the Chapter of 1932, Mother Alexandrine was named the new provincial in the United States. Here, again, Mother Kostka exercised her administrative power to further her desire to keep the Congregation united by making such an inter-provincial appointment.
The official notification of the upcoming General Chapter was forwarded to the various provinces from New York on March 19, 1932. Completing her American visitation, Mother Kostka stopped in June in England to make a final visitation. Returning to the Motherhouse on July 2, she barely rested before going to the Frankfurt foundation, thence to Tyrnau, Czechoslovakia, where she appointed Sister M. Leona the new superior of the Slovak province. She was finishing her duties as her term of office was about to end.
The General Chapter of July, 1932, saw Mother M. Kostka Bauer elected for a second term with Sister M. Donata Reichenwallner as first assistant and vicaress general; Sister M. Norberta Wecera, second assistant and general procuratrix, Sister Aquila Fajmon, third assistant and general secretary and Sister M.Ansbertha Binder, fourth assistant. (GC VII, pp. 197-205)
Once again post-Chapter circulars and directives were dispatched, Mother Kostka resumed her duties of visitation. She went first to Jugoslavia, which was the most spread out of all the European provinces. She remained there for more than two months and in her circular of December 17, 1932, she asked that this province be remembered specially by members of the Congregation in daily prayers because the sisters here were experiencing very difficult conditions.
The Catholic church and the schools of the Congregation were in serious danger; the government was threatening to take the administration of the schools away from the sisters and put them under civil control.
Early in 1933 Mother Kostka felt compelled to visit the Brazilian missions again, leaving Sister Donata in charge of the Congregation, should any emergency arise. She returned to the Motherhouse in mid-July and almost immediately proceeded to address and admonish the superiors and sisters during the annual retreats held at Herz Maria Kloster and Hochstrass.
In September, 1933, Mother Kostka and Monsignor Joseph Enzmann, the chaplain in Breitenfurt, were able to see the fulfillment of a dream --the dedication of the commemorative wall in the Congregational cemetery in Breitenfurt. Until 1918, all the sisters who had died in Breitenfurt, including Mother Franciska, were buried in the local community cemetery. In 1918, our own cemetery was ready and the remains of a large number of sisters were disinterred and re-buried in a common grave; however, 181 sisters’ remains could not be transferred. It was Monsignor Enzmann who had suggested the erection of a large marble wall on which the names of those sisters would be listed along with their age, date of profession, and that of death. On September 19, 1933, the Most Reverend Ernst Seydl, suffragan bishop of Vienna and vicar for religious, celebrated a solemn requiem for those 181 sisters, after which the wall, located behind the crypt chapel, was blessed. (CC VII, pp. 237-239)
Time and again in 1934 Mother Kostka visited the Frankfurt institute which continued to be plagued by financial difficulties. In August of that year, she named Sister M. Chrysostoma Hampel as the new superior of the house in hopes of solving some of the personnel and monetary problems. (GC VII, pp. 254, 276)
Since the end of World War I the Austrian government, and especially the city of Vienna was under the control of Socialists. By 1934 a state of civil war existed in the city; blood flowed. Describing the horrifying conditions in her circular of February 22, 1934, Mother Kostka explained that this deplorable condition was affecting the Congregation. The youth, by and large, were raised without any religious training; hence, the number of vocations in Austria was small. Finally, the unrest was subdued and a Christian government was established which would attempt to rebuild Austria on a religious foundation. Barely had this danger been eliminated when a new problem arose. By December 12, 1934, when she penned her Christmas circular, Mother Kostka was beginning to worry about the questionable political conditions which were emerging throughout Europe. She wrote: “Heavy war clouds are on our horizon; we are constantly worried”. Therefore, she felt it imperative for her to remain in Vienna, at the Motherhouse of her spiritual family.
A loving mother, Mother Kostka was constantly seeking ways and means to obtain money for the beautification of the Motherhouse church. During World War I the bells from the church belfry had been commandeered by the government to be smelted down and made into weapons. The absence of bells whose ringing would call the people of the neighborhood to worship saddened Mother Kostka. Therefore, she worked untiringly, contacting various benefactors to help remedy the situation. Her desire to hear bells pealing once more from the Motherhouse church was ultimately fulfilled; a new set of bells was acquired and a solemn blessing and installation took place on August 26-27, 1935. On the 26th, the bells were brought along Jacquingasse on a garland-bedecked wagon drawn by four horses. Twenty young women walked on both sides of the wagon holding ribbons which were attached to the bells. Atop each bell sat four little girls dressed as angels. The pastors, numerous priests, sodalists and members of various societies from the nearby churches marched behind the wagon to the front of the church, where the solemn blessing took place, On the following day, the bells were hoisted to the belfry. (GC VII, pp. 278-280; also Circular, 1935)
The sphere of ministry of the Congregation continued to grow. In her circular of December 30, 1935, Mother Kostka announced that on January 15, 1936, the administration of a convalescent home in Unter-Olberndorf near Shleinbach would be taken over by the sisters.
Most of 1936 was spent on official visitations of the North and South American convents. Before her departure, Mother Kostka held a superiors conference on January 30 in Vienna. She instructed all the provincial superiors and house superiors to plan their activities in such a manner that all would be able to come to the Motherhouse for this general meeting. She was determined that the European communities would not lack administrative and spiritual guidance during her prolonged absence. Strict regulations were issued and again Sister Donaata was placed in charge to handle any administrative emergencies that might arise.
The growing unrest in Europe, and especially in Vienna, had convinced Mother Kostka and her assistants that in order to safeguard the Motherhouse property it would be best to turn over the administration of the church to the Archdiocese of Vienna. The chancery named Reverend Dr. Wilhelm Hohn administrator of the church on July 30. The official document naming him to this position arrived on October 13, 1936. (GC VII, p. 287) Ultimately, the Motherhouse church became a parish church on July 1, 1939. (Parish archives: Church of the Mother of God)
The year 1937 was to be the lull before the storm. In that year, Mother Kostka finally allowed members of the Congregation to undertake still another apostolate, the care of elderly women. On April 25, 1937, St. Joseph’s Home for Women was dedicated in Tyrnau.
In that same year, Father (Professor) Manns visited Mother Kostka on a number of occasions to discuss the possibility of extending the Congregation’s field of ministry to the Netherlands. The chronicler gives no other particulars regarding the proposed project. Some thought was being given to the question and the chronicle indicates that on October 9, 1937, Mother Kostka traveled to Holland. Apparently, the visit was a failure; Mother Kostka was unwilling to move into another country at a time when political unrest was becoming increasingly apparent on the continent. (GC VII, pp. 209-324)
One bright note is worth mentioning during this troublesome period. In 1937 the chronicle of the Congregation states: “It is unbelievable, but true: the Slovak Province has made the most foundations; it has the greatest growth. ....although it is the smallest province of the Congregation.” (GC VII, p. 309)
As the year drew to a close, Mother Kostka sent a circular to all the houses reminding them of the General chapter which was to be held the following year and reminded them to prepare for the event with fervent prayers. (Circular First Friday of December, 1937)
Since 1934, Adolf Hitler had been trying to entice Austria, his native land, into a union (nschluss) with Germany. In July 1934, an unsuccessful coup resulted in the murder of the Austrian chancellor, Dr. Engelbert Dollfuss, a personal friend of the Congregation and Mother Kostka. Undaunted by the initial failure of his plans, Hitler continued his relentless push to make Austria a part of the Third Reich and in March 1935 German troops occupied helpless Austria and proclaimed its incorporation into the Nazi-controlled German Empire.
By June, 1938, the power of the Nazi party began to be felt by the Congregation. On Saturday, June 25 at 9:30 at night, ten S.A. soldiers came to St. Michael’s Convent in Gerasdorf and demanded that the house be turned over to them. The sisters were permitted to remain until the 28th to pack their belongings. However, when the sisters wanted to take everything that belonged to the Congregation to the Motherhouse, they were refused permission, despite attempts to get Parliamentary assistance in the matter. On June 30, the official termination of the twenty-six-year long apostolate of the Congregation in Gerasdorf arrived from the central committee of the Austrian Nazi Party. (GC,VII, pp. 335-6)
The Anschluss also affected the other provinces, causing many administrative difficulties for Mother Kostka and her assistants. Convents that had been a part of the Czech province became a part of the Austrian province as a result of the occupation of the Sudetenland by Germany. Troppau, St. Georgenthal, Bergen and Blattendorf were officially listed part of the mother province on June 30, 1938. (GC VII, p. 336)
The General Chapter held in July, 1938, resulted in a third-term election of Mother Kostka. Elected as the General Council were her former assistants:
Sister M. Donata Reichenwallner, first general assistant; Sister M. Aquila Fajmon, second general assistant and general secretary; Sister II. Norberta Wecera, third assistant; Sister M. Ansberta Binder, fourth assistant and Sister N. Aloisia Schodt, general procuratrix. (GC VII, pp. 338-339 contains proceedings of the Chapter) Writing to the various provinces which had quickly dispatched their congratulatory messages, Mother Kostka responded with a circular in which she indicated that the burden once more placed on her shoulders by the Congregation was especially great in the present difficult times.
The ship which I must steer is presently swamped by a stormy flood. As long as the heavenly Mother, “our star of the sea” lights the heavens we do not travel in darkness; she points out to us the dangers, the reefs, so that our ship will not founder.
Let us pray to our foundress, Mother Franciska, that she should intercede in heaven that her work may last until the end of time. (Circular, Vienna, August 1, 1938)
Despite the uncertain conditions, two more convents were opened in September, 1938. On September 4, the Convent of the Holy Family was dedicated in Kunstat (C. S. R.), with Mother Kostka in attendance. The convent was the birthplace of Sister M. Rigalda Lepka and was ceded to the Congregation by the mother who rejoiced that her home would be used as a place where God was served and children were led to God. Incidentally, Sister M. Rigalda was ultimately named to be the first provincial superior in South Brazil.
On September 9, members of the Jugoslavian province assumed control over a home for female students in Zagreb, to be called the Convent of Our Lady of Lourdes. This new convent was provided for the sisters by His Excellency, Archbishop Aloysius Stepinac of Zagreb. (GC VII, pp. 346-347)
The joy of these new beginnings was marred by the sorrow caused by the relentless onslaught of the Nazi regime on the activities of religious in the Third Reich. One after the other, Mother Kostka was forced to “rent” Congregational property to the government. On September 15, 1938, the Elizabeth Home in Vienna became a police station; Herz Maria Kioster, St. Andra and Kagran were to be used as public schools; the kindergarten in Wolkersdorf was closed, he Augustineum in Breitenfurt was leased by the government beginning October 15. There, the sisters were permitted to retain management of the farm. (pp. 348—350)
As the convents of the Czech province came under direct jurisdiction of the Third Reich, Mother Kostka traveled to each of the houses to see how the Sisters were coping. Like an anxious mother, she sought to discover and provide for their needs; they knew they could count on her assistance.
Despite the seemingly endless blows that descended upon the European provinces as a result of the relentless progress of Naziism, Mother Kostka was determined to keep the spirit of unity glowing among her daughters. On November 21, the seventieth birthday of the Congregation was celebrated with a solemn pontifical high mass offered by Very Reverend Ernst Seydl of Vienna. Now more than ever, the sisters needed to be strengthened in their vocation to face the evil, and Mother Kostka made every effort to make this anniversary celebration an unforgettable one.
Shortly after the celebration, however, Mother Kostka and her assistants returned to face the stark reality of the dangers of the totalitarian regime. Accordingly, they deemed it best to send some of the young sisters from the Motherhouse, especially those with leadership potential, to various provinces where they could live and work in safety and perhaps help support the beleaguered Motherhouse. (pp. 350-354; also cf. Chapter IV, p. 47)
The year 1939 would assume historic importance in world affairs and would mark the end of Mother Kostka’s personal administration of all parts of the Congregation. It would seem as though she had a premonition of the impending disaster and worked against the clock to set things in order.
On January 19, 1939, Mother Kostka and her assistants decided to sever the Brazilian missions from dependence on the European provinces by establishing two provinces in that country. The northern province was to be administered by Sister M. Christine Vlastnik as the first provincial superior; in the south, the Province would be established with Sister M.. Rigalda Lepka as provincial superior. Then on February 13, Mother Kostka accompanied the last four European sisters who would go to Brazil as far as Split, Jugoslavia. These were Sisters M. Aquiliana Eigbel, M. Armella Lechner, M. Hedwigis Witkowska and the novice, M. Fidelia Weninger. With a heavy heart she blessed her daughters with the customary cross on the forehead as they prepared to sail to South America.
In the midst of the forced closings on the continent, in 1937 Mother Kostka had decided to open a new convent in Chesterfield, England, where she would appoint Sister M. Huberta Buchanan as superior. This was a safe country and perhaps haven to which more sisters from Austria could be sent in order to escape Naziism. In February, 1939 she went to England to visit the new convent as well as the existing establishment in Swaffham.
By the end of the month she was back in Vienna. Despite the growing dangers of traveling within the Third Reich, Mother Kostka was determined to visit the Frankfurt community once more. On March 3 she went to Germany for the last time and, apparently, she was relieved to see the situation to be quite stabile. (Cc vii, pp. 363-370)
The onus of the burdens which she was bearing at this time becomes evident from her 1939 Easter circular dated April 1. Replying to the complaint: “We don’t hear anything from the motherhouse; it’s as though our Reverend Mother has disappeared...” she wrote:
You are right, but it can’t be otherwise. The good mother bears alone the worries, sorrows and sufferings in order to spare her children the unnecessary pains, since these can do nothing to ease the burden. At the present time prayer is the only assistance.
Shortly after Easter, Mother Kostka prepared to leave once more for the United States. As in the past she entrusted the conduct of necessary European affairs and decisions to Sister Donata and on April 11, 1939 she traveled to Genoa, Italy, where on the 13th she boarded the Italian liner REX to make what would be her last voyage from Europe. She would never see Vienna or the Motherhouse again.
With her permission, and under the direction of the respective provincial superiors, new ministries were still being established in Slovakia and Hungary. In the latter country, a new Marienanstalt (St. Mary’s Institute) was opened in Budapest; the sisters also undertook the monetary and pastoral care of Germans living in Hungary. The financial problems of the new building became the focus of an extensive administrative problem for Mother Kostka when she arrived in the United States. For a number of years, Sister M. Katalin Kalics, a member of that province had been in the United States, traversing the country collecting money for the support of her home province. In 1939, just before the outbreak of the war, Mother Kostka felt compelled to transfer the sister back to Budapest because of her actions. She had shown no respect for authority and did not obey even the provincial superior.
Shortly after the return of Sister Katalin to Hungary, Mother Kostka received a letter from Reverend Dr. Julius Baton, the canonical visitator in Budapest. Dr. Baton disapproved of the return of Sister Katalin because the Hungarian province was thereby deprived of much needed financial support. He asked that the superior general revise her decision, threatening to take “professional action” if she did not do so. He informed Mother Kostka that he had given Sister Katalin a three-year permit to go to the American convents, offering the Hungarian sisters there the opportunity to return to their homeland. Their withdrawal would pose a great hardship for the North American province. He further warned that if matters worsened, the result would be the complete separation of the Hungarian province from the Congregation which move, he stated, would be supported by the Prince Primate of Hungary. (Letter dated August 16, 1939)
Such a threat at a time when it was impossible for her to return to Europe to personally handle the matter at its source caused Mother Kostka much anguish. Here was a province of which she had been a part and which she loved dearly, threatening to break the bonds of unity and community. She tried to alleviate the problem by having funds sent from the American province to the provincial superior in Budapest.
It was in the process of transferring funds to Hungary during wartime that she learned, to her dismay, that Sister Katalin had a substantial sum of money on deposit in her name in a New York bank. When Mother Kostka requested that the money be released to her, she was told that this could not be done without the sister’s permission.
This recalcitrance and flagrant violation of the vows caused Mother Kostka to contact the Cardinal Protector in Rome regarding the matter. On October 12, 1942, she asked that he contact the Ordinariate of Esztergom requesting the Vicar General to contact Sister Katalin to urge her to release the money. “It is not that much the money itself that I want to have, but I wish to alleviate her conscience.” Even in the midst of war, Mother Kostka worried about the spiritual well-being of her daughters and continued obedience to the Holy Rule.
On July 8, 1939, Daughters of Divine Charity assumed responsibilities at St. Charles Parish in Berlin, Germany as well as in Grunewald. In August of the same year, the Jugoslavian province commenced work at the seminary in Zagreb. The Congregation, in the meantime, was undergoing changes in boundaries as Naziism continued to take over more territory. According to the chronicle, the German-Austrian) province which now included old Germany, Austria, England and the Sudetenland was comprised of the Motherhouse and twenty filial houses. (GC VII, 363—381)
During all this time the Polish province was unaffected and Mother Kostka felt relieved upon receiving positive reports from Mother Ludovica. September 1, 1939, would change all that. As World War II erupted in Europe, Mother Kostka was stranded in the United States. From that time until her death she would be a mother-in-exile, deprived of any consolation by the loss, one after the other, of her trusted and beloved assistants, until it seemed as though the administration of the Congregation was like a ship without a captain and a rudder. Fearing for her European daughters Mother Kostka left no stone unturned, no avenue of petition unexplored in her attempt to return to the Motherhouse in Vienna. All efforts were in vain, and from 1939 until her death on June 22, 1943, she would have to bear the heavy cross of learning about the plight and fate of her daughters and her beloved Congretation in Europe only through the sporadic, censored correspondence which reached her in the United States.
