NORTH AMERICA (continuation of Chapter VI)
The administration of the new North American province and the missions in Brazil caused Mother Kostka much anguish and anxiety during her long term as superior general. The great distance of these two areas from the Motherhouse in Vienna compounded the difficulties which were experienced by this conscientious and devoted spiritual mother.
As co-foundress of the North American ministry and its first provincial superior, Mother Kostka was well-acquainted with the administrative problems and needs of the Daughters of Divine Charity in the United States. Because the primary apostolate of the Congregation in North America was education, her chief worry and consideration, after the spiritual development of the sisters, was their proper professional preparation in order to meet American standards.
Pastors continued to request sisters to staff the elementary schools which were being built in the various Hungarian parishes. Vocations were plentiful and sisters were still coming from Hungary. The problem, then, was not numbers, but rather the training of the young sisters and the immigrant sisters to speak the language, and to develop in them sound, acceptable pedagogic standards and principles. Deeply committed to fulfilling all the state and diocesan requirements for teachers Mother Kostka, in 1927, named Sister M. Alipia Fejkis, whom she had brought to America from Austria, to be the supervisor/superintendent of all schools staffed by the Daughters of Divine Charity in the United States. Writing about Sister Alipia, Mother Kostica opined, “She is the only one with necessary qualifications. She has been extremely beneficial to our American schools she has taught the candidates, novices and sisters -- without her, these would never have passed their examinations. (Undated letter from Mother Kostka, 1927)
As soon as possible, the American sisters were sent to various teacher training institutes, colleges and universities to acquire the necessary certification and degrees. During the year, courses were taken on Saturdays; the summers were utilized for more extensive and intensive educational training. Sisters were trained as teachers, librarians, as well as organists and musicians. Lest the European sisters feel that the North American sisters were being given educational opportunities and privileges different from those extended to them, in a letter dated June 1, 1936, Mother Kostka explained at length the pastoral ministry practiced in the United States. She explained that, as compared to the private institutions which existed in the various European countries, in America everything: the teaching of religion, maintenance of schools, care of girls, all had to be viewed in light of pastoral ministry. In the United States, the sisters, pastors, and people in the various parishes worked closely together. The schools were not owned by the Congregation; rather, they were all parish schools with the sisters providing educational, catechetical and musical services in return for a parish-owned convent in which to live and a meager stipend. Because it was imperative that the teaching sisters meet all state and diocesan standards, their educational development was most important.
On August 15, 1927, Mother Kostka left Vienna to make her first official visitation as superior general in the province she had co-founded. She was accompanied by Mother M. Gottharda Bohm, the provincial superior of Jugoslavia, who was to visit a mission established by that province some time earlier.
In 1926, shortly after her election as superior general, Mother Kostka learned that Croatian parishes which were being established in America were requesting sisters to work in these parishes. Accordingly, upon consultation with her own assistants and the Jugoslavian provincial government, it was decided to accept the invitation and four sisters from that province: Sister M. Leonora Vurnik, was to serve as superior, and Sisters Laetitia Zovko, Anka Feri’ and Pavlimira Matic were assignçd to Rankin, Pennsylvania, where they were to take over the staffing of the parish school. The four sisters arrived at the Motherhouse on August 10, 1926, to receive the blessings of their superior general; on August 15 they set sail from Bremen for America. Mother Gottharda came to the United States to evaluate the success of this venture. (GC VII, pp. 110-111)
It was six years later, in 1932, that Mother Kostka gave permission for the Jugoslavian province to assume staffing of a second school in the United States, that of Sts. Cyril and Methodius Parish on West 50th Street in New York City. Until such time as the parish provided a suitable convent, the sisters resided at St. Mary’s Residence on East 72nd Street. (GC VII, pp. 221-222)
Because these were the only Jugoslavian foundations in America for many years, Mother Kostka decided that any postulants they had would receive the habit, and make their canonical novitiate in Arrochar, with the sisters of that province. Also the period of probation before final profession, as well as the profession itself, would be made with the other American sisters. Otherwise, these sisters were under the jurisdiction of the Jugoslav province.
It was in 1927, during her first official visitation, that Mother Kostka agreed to allow members of the province to expand.their field of endeavor into the midwestern section of the United States. The distance involved had been a deterring factor until this time. In 1927, however, after much correspondence with the pastor, she allowed the sisters to begin their ministry at Our Lady of Hungary Parish in South Bend, Indiana. In that same year, she had the satisfaction of seeing Daughters of Divine Charity take over the administration of St. Stephen of Hungary School in Toledo, Ohio. This step was especially memorable for Mother Kostka, because it had been the request of the former bishop of that diocese to come to St. Stephen’s Parish which had brought her and Sister Valeria Morvay to America in 1913!
In 1930, after careful consideration, Mother Kostka agreed to the establishment of two more new missions in the midwest: Holy Cross Convent in Detroit, and Our Lady of Hungary School in Chicago, Illinois. Again the distance which separated the sisters from the provincial house in Staten Island, and fear of their estrangement from the “home base” was her chief concern. Once her initial fears were overcome, she gladly acceded to the extension of the Congregation’s activity in America.
Shortly after, she allowed the sisters to embark upon two new, heretofore untried, apostolates which were sponsored by Holy Cross Parish in Detroit, Michigan. They took over the administration of an orphanage and that of a home for the aged.
In 1935, St. Emeric’s School in Gary, Indiana came under the management of the Daughters of Divine Charity. Soon, word of the excellent education and discipline provided by the sisters in the Hungarian parishes resulted in requests from other parishes for the services of the sisters. In 1939, for the first time, Mother Kostka accepted the educational ministry in a non-Hungarian parish by providing sisters to staff Sacred Heart School, part of a Belgian parish, in South Bend, Indiana.
In 1937, another long-hoped-for dream became a reality for Mother Kostka. In that year, St. Stephen of Hungary School was opened in Passaic, New Jersey, twenty-three years after Mother Kostka had gone there to provide catechetical instructions to the children of that parish.
In 1938, Mother Kostka undertook the establishment of a second St. Mary’s Residence in America. To further the initial activities of Mother Franciska, a mansion was purchased in midtown Detroit, Michigan. This quickly became a popular shelter for young women who sought the love and security provided by the sisters.
Each time she made an official visit to the United States, Mother Kostka worked to expand the work of the Congregation there. At a time when storm clouds hovered over Europe, she saw her adopted country as the most secure place for the extension of the apostolic endeavors of her sisters.
In 1939, when she came to the United States on what would be her final visitation, Mother Kostka led the American province to acquire a large estate, Briarbank, in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. Here the apostolate of the care of the elderly which the sisters had begun at Holy Cross Parish was expanded and became known as St. Elizabeth-Briarbank, a facility for elderly women, owned and administered by the Daughters of Divine Charity.
That same year, a catechetical center was opened in South Norwalk, Connecticut, bringing the sisters to St. Ladislaus Parish. Similar catechetical centers were subsequently opened in Carteret and South River, New Jersey.
In 1940 Mother Kostka, forced by the outbreak of World War II to remain in the United States, made her last administrative decision here. That year, she established Christ the King Convent in Windsor, Ontario, Canada. According to the Canadian custom, this convent was owned by the North American province; here the sisters were not part of a parish. Instead, to support their needs, the sisters who were missioned to that convent taught at a nearby Catholic school, taught catechetics at the parish in which the convent was located, and conducted a thriving music school. (History of St. Joseph Province, pp. 48-50)
From 1939 onward, Mother Kostka was able to assert her administrative duties as superior general only in the United States. With the outbreak of the war, communication with the other provinces became increasingly difficult, if not impossible. Even communication with the Brazilian provinces became sporadic and was possible only because of the presence of Sister M. Rita Nogrady, a volunteer from the United States, who translated letters from Portuguese to English, thus making some correspondence possible.
SOUTH AMERICA
Perhaps no other branch of the Congregation occupied the mind and heart of Mother Kostka more than the administration and spiritual growth and guidance of the missions in Brazil. This was truly that part of the Congregation which she had nursed through its infancy, protected in time of peril, and rejoiced to see it among the most flourishing and devoted daughters of Mother Franciska.
Founded in 1920 by Sister M. Teresina Werner of Austria, this far-flung apostolic field of the Daughters of Divine Charity had occupied a special place in Mother Kostka’s attention even before her election as superior general. In 1921, shortly after she was appointed provincial superior of the newly erected American province, Mother Kostka was asked by Mother Ignatia, then superior general, to pay a visit to the Collegio Maria Annunciacao in Cerro Azul, Brazil. Mother Valeria was to accompany her on the journey and make a personal report at the Motherhouse upon her return to Europe. (GC VI, pp. 348-349)
The results of this initial visit to Brazil are not mentioned in either
The Congregational chronicles or the papers of Mother Ignatia. Whatever report was
given is lost. It is evident, however, that in the ensuing years more institutes were established by Sister Teresina in Rio Grande do Sul, Caico, and Rio
Grande do Norte. To facilitate the acceptance of new members, permission was
sought from, and granted by, the Holy See to establish a novitiate in Cerro Azul on December 4, 1923. Thus, new members were trained by Sister Teresina and received the habit. The chronicle for the end of 1925 records that on December 20, 1925, Sister Teresina had allowed three novices and two sisters to make temporary
and final profession of vows, without the permission of the superior general, in
complete contradiction of Canon Law #572. (GC VII, p. 97)
The Brazilian problem was temporarily put on hold because of the resignation of Mother Ignatia and the pending General Chapter. Immediately after her election, however, Mother Kostka made plans to travel to Brazil and on April 14, 1926 the new superior general, accompanied by two sisters, Sister Christine Vlastnik and Sister Jaromira Ondra, sailed from Bremen, Germany to Brazil to rectify the existing irregularities. Arriving in Rio de Janeiro on May 14, they went immediately to cerro Azul. In Caico, Sister Teresina and the sisters in question were informed of the fact that the vows were invalid. Accordingly, on July 2, 1926, the three novices again made their first profession and the two sisters repeated their final vows in the presence of Mother Kostka. (GC VII, pp. 104-107)
What is so typical of the compassion and kindness of Mother Kostka is that she never divulged this Brazilian problem to the rest of the Congregation. Instead, in a letter dated July 23, 1926, written on board the 5.5. General Belgrano, she described the social and geographic conditions in Brazil and mentioned the great demand there was for more sisters. With confidence she stated that Brazil would flower in time. In this letter she stated that in two to three years she planned to erect a provincialate with a novitiate in Rio de Janeiro or a place near to it so that the northern and southern institutes could be closely bonded and candidates from both areas could be trained.
With the settlement of this problem, Mother Kostka returned to the Motherhouse to take up the administrative burdens of her office. In the ensuing years she continued to receive disturbing reports from Brazil regarding the activities of Sister Teresina. It was reported that Sister intended a separation from the congregation and that the greater number of the sisters did not have the courage oppose her. The institutes were suffering; at Caico by 1927 there were only boarders and eleven students in the entire school. It was this Brazilian issue which surfaced at the beginning of her terms in office that most severely tested the administrative acumen and Christian charity of Mother Kostka. ultimately, it proved the most rewarding.
Because of the great distance between the northern and southern portions of the country, Mother Kostka petitioned the Holy See for permission to establish a second canonical novitiate in Assu, diocese of Natal, in northern Brazil. This request, dated March I, 1927, also requested permission to allow the novices to teach and do other necessary work during the canonical year and asked that this dispensation be granted until such time as a sufficient number of members would make it unnecessary to violate the canonical requirements. The permission, signed by Cardinal di Belmonte was granted as of June 1, 1927.
At the same time that she informed the sisters in Brazil of the erection of the new novitiate with Sister Jaromira Ondra serving as both house superior and novice mistress, Mother Kostka attempted to stave off further problems. In a letter dated September 19, 1927 addressed to her Brazilian daughters she wrote that she did not want “. . .to cause stress, dissatisfaction, grief between superiors and subjects”. This was written because she had heard that some of the sisters did not agree with the actions of Sister Teresina, but did not have the courage to openly oppose her. At this juncture, Mother Kostka still upheld the authority of the superior. She wrote:
With the exception of Sister Christina and Sister Alberta all of you volunteered for the Brazilian missions. I did not accept your sacrifice easily -- on the contrary -— I told you all it would demand. Despite this you were ready to make thp sacrifice out of
love of God.
Did you think you would not have to place yourself under the authority of your superior? Superiors are human; they have their faults but each must see in the superior, young or old, able or not, God’s representatives.
She asked the sisters to accept these motherly admonitions not with bitterness, but with the good intentions with which they were given.
The problems, however, persisted. After discussing the matter with her general assistants it was decided that, for the good of the Brazilian missions, Sister Teresina would have to be removed from office. Aware of the inflexible nature of the sister, the order was given “in virtue of her vow of obedience,” the strictest order which could be given, and Mother Kostka begged that it not be resisted in any way.
The reply which came from Sister Teresina caused much consternation to the superior general and her assistants. She wrote that she found it impossible to obey the order, believing that the command in virtue of the vow of obedience was invalid because of the distance involved as well as the harm that would befall the Collegio if the command were obeyed.
The situation was critical. On December 10, 1928, Mother Kostka wrote to the Cardinal Protector of the Congregation, Granito Pignatelli di Belmonte regarding the matter, including verbatim Sister Teresina’s refusal to comply with the orders as well as with the telegram which followed, placing Sister Jaromira in charge, an order that was ignored.
The obstinate superior absolutely resisted all admonitions and refused to obey.
I believe that this long disobedience and disregard for the highest authority should not go unpunished. Her three years as superior expires in October and after such conduct she does not serve to be renewed for another three years.
Mother Kostka explained that she had discussed the case with the Father Provincial of the Jesuits in Vienna who counseled her to plan a visitation, contingent upon support of Rome in case of a revolt, which she felt was inevitable. Fearing the worst, Mother Kostka was willing to travel to Rome, if necessary, to approach the Sacred Congregation in order to obtain the dispensation of perpetual vows for the rebels and the authority to divest them of the holy habit. (Correspondence Snperiors General: 1926—1946, pp. 33—39)
Within a short time Mother Kostka received a response from the Cardinal
Protector which indicated that the Sacred Congregation for Religious had also been apprised of the actions of Sister Teresina by the bishop of the diocese of Natal. Evidently some of the sisters from Brazil had also written to the Cardinal Protector regarding the situation.
Forwarding a copy of a letter dated December 16, .1928 from Cardinal Laurent, Secretary of the Sacred Congregation for Religious regarding the entire matter, Cardinal di Belmonte informed Mother Kostka that the Sacred Congregation had already requested that the Apostolic Nuncio in Brazil make an apostolic visit and suggested that the superior general also make a visit to Brazil as soon as possib1e. Detailed instructions on the course of action to follow were provided as well as further instructions to consult with the Jesuit provincial superior in who had also been informed of the existing condition. “With God’s help and with Divine Charity the scandal will be healed and peace will return to that community.” (Correspondence, op. cit., pp. 42-44)
Following the suggestions from Rome, Mother Kostka booked passage to Brazil for herself and her companion, Sister Elizabeth Milkovics, who would then be taken to the United States to assume the duties of provincial superior there. The two set sail on the S.S. Madrid from Bremen on January 26, 1929.
When she arrived in Brazil, Mother Kostka went immediately to Assu. When she appeared on March 3, she was greeted with surprise, great joy and love; they had not been informed of her coming. Tired from the long sea voyage, she was urged by the sisters to rest for a time; however, the following telegram from the pastor in caico changed her plans: “The College is encircled by death, the directress is responsible for this; the situation is dismal. Vigario” (p. 151)
On receipt of this disturbing telegram Mother Kostka traveled immediately to Caico where she arrived on March 9. The sisters were dumbfounded at her arrival.
Teresina was very cold and distant toward Mother Kostka and the sisters barely spoke to her. In this tense situation, the superior general found it necessary to confine the superior to her room in order to make it possible for the sisters to dare to speak. On the following day, Mother Kostka spoke with the assembled community at which she officially released Sister Teresina from her office as superior and immediately transferred her and her assistant, Sister Constantine Resch, to Europe. She prayed that the orders would be obeyed. They were; and on March 20, 1929, the two sisters left Caico for Europe--the rebellion was broken.
Mother Kostka remained in Brazil for some time, restoring peace and order to the convents. In Caico, she appointed Sister Alberta Garimberti as the new superior with Sister Jaromira Ondra as her assistant. She made a number of other changes as well. The superior of Cerro Azul, Sister Christine Vlastnik was sent as superior to Assu and Sister Digna went to Cerro Azul, where the climate was a bit more temperate.
Commenting on the long duration and the physical hardships of her Brazilian visit -- yet never mentioning the internal strife--Mother Kostka wrote: “The glory of God and the proper settlement and progress of the concerns of our beloved Congregation is more important. (Circular, March 28, 1929)
Finally, on June 9, Mother Kostka left Brazil with Sister Elizabeth. She felt great peace and satisfaction with the final outcome of the problem. In a letter written in Arrochar, dated August 6, 1929 she would say, “You have no idea what it means for me to know my spiritual daughters who are so distant from us.” (GC VII, pp. 151—152; 154)
In spite of internal revolutions in the country, the work of the congregation continued to expand. In 1930, Mother Kostka received permission from the Holy See to accept the administration of a hospital in Cerro Azul. This was a new ministry for the congregation, hence the appeal to Rome. “Now I need efficient, competent sisters to be nurses, one to be pharmacist, and a sister for the kitchen….Anyone willing to do the work should please sign up with me.” Indicating that the language would be no problem because German was spoken she, nevertheless, advised all to learn Portuguese in order to be able to speak with the native patients. (Circular, Vienna, July 12, 1930)
Her request for volunteers was answered. On February 2, 1931, five sisters from Austria were sent to assume control of the new hospital. Mother Kostka accompanied the sisters via Prague to Bremen; she remained at the dock until the ship was out of sight. Her South American daughters weighed greatly on her mind and heart; the great distance between them and the motherhouse saddened her. Accordingly, she would try to visit them as often as possible to show that they were very much a part of the congregation, despite the hardships and inconveniences which such trips entailed.
These numerous trips to and in Brazil could fill a book. She shared her experiences with all the members of the Congregation: the dangers, long hours of uncomfortable travel, the heat, insects, lack of sanitary conditions, etc., and used these to applaud the sacrificial spirit of the sisters who volunteered to serve God, the poor, and the Congregation in these far-flung missions. (GC VII, p. 180)
In the early years of the Brazilian mission all the sisters spoke German and any instructions they provided were given in that language. Because the first “native” postulants were of German ancestry, the Brazilian communities continued to use the unifying language of the Congregation in all their activities. Mother Kostka, who had had to learn many languages as she went from one assignment to another, strongly encouraged the sisters to learn Portuguese as soon as possible and to use the language in their schools and hospitals. In 1931, to encourage this transition, she had the onstitutions and Holy Rule of the Congregation translated into Portuguese by a Franciscan friar, Reverend P. Sinzig. (GC VII, p. 188)
After the General Chapter of 1932 reelected her for a second term, Mother Kostka decided to accede to the many requests of her Brazilian daughters to visit them once again, to see how well the five communities and their work were progressing. On February11, 1933 she left Vienna for Bremen where she again boarded the S.S. Madrid. Writing of this trip in her circular of February 5, 1933, she said, “My poor, neglected daughters deserve that I make this trip for them, despite the sacrifice; after all, they are making many sacrifices for the Congregation.”
This Brazilian visitation was peaceful and resulted in two extensive travelogue type circulars in which she described the difficult conditions under which the sisters often labored. It was during this trip that Mother Kostka, ever the enforcer of the Holy Rule., yet always ready to make exceptions when conditions warranted, gave permission for the sisters serving in North Brazil to remove the bows when in the house, because of the intense heat.
The visitation lasted from March 4 to July 16 and greatly relieved her worries about the future of the Congregation in Brazil. In both the northern and southern areas she found the sisters to be happy and satisfied despite the many hardships and inconveniences they experienced. All the priests with whom she conferred praised the work of the sisters and their sacrificial spirit.
Despite the extreme fatigue which almost completely debilitated her, Mother Kostka returned from her visitation in Brazil greatly heartened by the love of the Congregation exhibited by all the sisters and their willingness to undertake difficult tasks. She longed to do more for these sisters who were willing to go to Brazil with the understanding that they would never return to Europe. This self-abnegation, in her estimation, was the kind of supernatural charity that had been taught and fostered by Mother Franciska.
The volatile political climate of Brazil led to another revolution in 1935, causing Mother Kostka to worry about the safety of the sisters. The congregationa1 chronicle recounts in a lengthy narrative dated November 23, 1935. the eruption of violence in Natal, Alecrim and Caico. It was her fear for the welfare of the South American communities that influenced her to plan a prolonged North and South American visitation in 1936. This would result in an absence from Vienna that would last between nine to ten months. She made a preliminary stop in Southhampton, England where she was joined by Sister Aquinata Eibel who had been studying the English language in that country for the past two years.
It was during this dual visitation that Mother Kostka succeeded in fulfilling another dream: that of making Brazil a true example of congregational unity by bringing volunteers from the United States to the Brazilian missions. Until this time, the North American province had been receiving sisters from abroad; she hoped to convince them to send sisters to help elsewhere. Her hopes were realized and when she left New York on August 15, 1936, she was accompanied by two young American sisters, Sister Rita Nogrady and Sister Anita Ur, who had volunteered to help in the new hospital which had been opened in Cerro Largo.
Her visitation lasted from August 27 to November 11. When she landed in Rio de Janeiro she went to stay at the home of a Mr. Faustino Monte, a great benefactor of our school in Natal. While there, she was visited by the Most Reverend Joso de Mata de Andrada Amaral, bishop of Cajazeriras, Paraiba, who asked for sisters for a school that was being erected in Patos. At first she hesitated; there were few sisters and she had to be sure to be able to provide the sisters who had already been promised for a school to be opened in February, 1937. The bishop was insistent an ultimately Mother Kostka went in October with Sister Christine to Patos where she participated in the groundbreaking ceremony of the school. She agreed that the Daughters of Divine Charity would take charge of the institute in 1938. The chronicle describes the joy of the people when they heard of the promise and the chronicler notes: “Surely their ‘Divine charity’ made them accept the ministry which other congregations had rejected.” (CC VII, p. 307)
By this time it became quite apparent to Mother Kostka that transferring sisters from the northern part of the country to the south was impractical and even harmful not only to the sisters but to the people they served. The climate and temperament of the people of the two sections were completely different. If the apostolate was to be fruitful, the health of the sisters would have to be carefully protected.
The many requests she received for the services of the sisters caused Mother Kostka to turn to the European provinces for additional volunteers. There was a great need for teachers and she pleaded for willing souls from all the provinces who would be ready to make the sacrifice of a permanent commitment to this far-off mission. Again she insisted that the sisters learn Portuguese as quickly as possible and to adopt the language in all their schools. For this reason, she transferred a young Brazilian “native” sister, Sister Agosthina, to Cerro Azul so that she could teach the others to speak the language properly.
This time, Mother Kostka found the parting from her South American daughters to be very difficult. She was feeling the effects of the long and strenuous trips, yet she was loathe to leave. Recounting her experiences in her circular of January 10, 1937, she wondered if they would ever see each other again. At the same time, she shared her deep satisfaction with the success of the Brazilian apostolate by recounting a conversation she had with one of the carpenters who was working on the convent building in Cerro Azul.
You know, I was an enemy of the sisters, but I assure you that today no colonist is against the sisters. This struggle lasted a long time; however, the sisters have survived a hard time. They had struggled valiantly and have achieved victory. Now no colonist would allow the sisters to leave Cerro Azul.
Once more her request for volunteers was heeded. The number who were willing to go to Brazil made it necessary for Mother Kostka to make the final choice. Subsequently, to carry out her international community intentions, five new members were sent to join their sisters in expanding the work area of the congregation in Brazil. Four sisters from Hungary and one from Breitenfurt--Sister Rigalda Lepka, who was named superior of the group, went to Brazil in September, 1937. (CC VII, pp. 321-323)
With permission from Mother Kostka and her assistants, the Brazilian sisters assumed the administration of a hospital in Santo Cristo on January 15, 1938. Plans were drawn up for the establishment of a school in the same city in the near future.
At this time, the congregational archives mention for the first time the
fact that in the foreseeable future the Brazilian communities would be established into provinces, North and South. The size of the country and the vast distances which separated the schools and hospitals were too great to maintain any real unity in just one province. (GC VII, p. 329)
Accordingly, in February, 1939, when the last four sisters left Vienna for Brazil they carried with them the official documents for the canonical establishment of two provinces and a1l the administrative details contingent upon such erections. Sister Christine Vlastnik was installed as the first provincial superior of the northern province and Sister Rigalda Lepka was appointed provincial superior for the south. Mother Kostka also appointed the provincial assistants, novice and postulant mistresses, and the superiors for the ever-growing number of schools and hospitals.
In April, 1939, Mother Kostka traveled to the United Stated for visitation and to join in the jubilee celebration of that province. The outbreak of hostilities in Europe in September, 1939 left her stranded in North America. In an undated scrap copy of a letter in German. written to a bishop (possibly the Archbishop of Vienna) Mother Kostka explained that, because as an American citizen she had been denied permission to return to Europe, she would use the time to visit the Brazilian provinces. This she did in late 1939. In a circular dated January 23, 1940 from Dom Predito containing her usual Lenten admonitions, Mother Kostka expressed a hope that her circular from Rio, dated November 15, had reached Europe safely. She was going to North Brazil soon, after which she would return again in April to North America.
A letter dated April 14, 1940, addressed only to the sisters of the Brazilian provinces, Mother Kostka expressed her deep satisfaction with the growth she had observed during her years as superior general. As her Brazilian visitation came to an end she felt she could paraphrase the words of Simeon (Luke 2:29-32) and say: “Now my assignment is completed, the conduct of which brought
me much joy and satisfaction.”
Comparing the last visit to her first visitation which was full of worries, pain and struggle, she now saw that the heavy, dark clouds had dissipated and a bright light was shining on the two provinces which were growing beautifully. “It is a great joy and comfort to know that our Congregation is in demand in many Places--the dioceses of Patres, Massoro; the vineyard is great, the laborers are few. Let us pray that God sends us more workers.”
Ever intent on fostering greater spiritual growth, she admonished the sisters to continue the struggle to arrive at an intense interior life. Always the strict enforcer of the Holy Rule, she imparted her last administrative order which she had already explained to the provincial governments, namely: heretofore, the sisters were to be addressed with the Latin word “Soro” instead of the Portuguese appellation used thus far. Only the provincial superiors were to be called “Madre”.
The entrance of the United States into World War II on December 8, 1941 made further visits to South America impossible. Even her correspondence with the Brazilian provinces, which had always been carried on in German, had to be curtailed. German letters were not allowed to be mailed to Brazil; therefore, she was compelled to write in English, which was then translated into Portuguese by Sister Rita Nogrady.
The Christmas circular of 1941 sounded a bright note in a dark world. Urging all the sisters to accept whatever God will send in the new year, she wrote: “What God is Taking away from our European houses He is giving in abundance to our sisters in Brazil.... They would be able to do more--there are not enough sisters.”
In her last existing circular, written in Arrochar and dated December 4, 1942, she saw God’s hands in her acceptance of Sister Rita’s offer to go to Brazil in 1936. “I certainly had not the least idea of what importance she was to be in Cerro Azul.” Only through the person of this American sister in South America was there any possibility of communication with the Brazilian provinces.
Ever the dreamer, and thinking ahead to peaceful days in the near future, Mother Kostka hoped to see the foundation of congregational activities in the capital city, Rio de Janiero. In 1941, a school had been opened on the island of Governador. This school and Rio were both in the scope of the northern province because of easier accessibility. She expressed the hope, however, that in time a central Brazilian province might be established.
The growth of the northern Brazilian province was recounted at length in this circular. Like a proud mother, she shared the successes of her daughters with the rest of the spiritual family, describing progress and growth in a world that was full of death and destruction.
From this time on, until the time of her death, communication with Brazil, as with Europe, was sporadic. The superior general was in a state of exile. In view of the international struggle, the State Department of the United States Government was unable to give favorable consideration to her many requests to grant her a passport or permission to return to Europe. On May 6, 1941 she wrote: “When will I return home? I don’t know. All my daughters are calling me. Many problems call me to return.... But God has again planned otherwise. He does all things well; He knows why He has done so.”
