Mother Birgitta Korff – “foundress” of foundress of Tutzing

Mother Birgitta Korff–“foundress” ofTutzing

A ConferencePrepared by Sr. M Irene Dabalus, OSBbased on the Necrology of MotherBirgitta written by Mother AngelaBoedecker, OSB

Mother Birgitta Korff,a native of NorthernGermany, our firstsuperior-general in officefor twenty-five years, leftthe stamp of herspirituality on our youngcongregation .

Sr. Caridad Barrionused to say withpassion that t it wasMother Birgitta who“founded” Tutzing in itsembryonic stage.

However, all accoladewas given to our founderFr. Andreas Amrheinas the originator of ourcharism when SisterKatharina Scheynsleft us.

I would like to“recognize” MotherBirgitta here, becauseshe has not been –to my estimation –consciously featuredand acknowledged d in ourfeasts

as the one whosteered the ship ofthe congregation inthe difficult years oftransition from themission site inEmming to Tutzing.

Even in ourcommemoration of our125 th year of foundationshe is not mentioned inthe prayers andcitations.

One sister in Brazil whocollected the materials onthe life of M. Birgitta itt saidthat we as women could bemore sensitive to thegreatness of this woman whowas given the task ofleadership in our foundingyears.

Who was Mother Birgitta?

BIO-DATABIRTH 1869ENTRANCE 18891st PROFESSION 18902nd PROFESSION 1892MISSIONING 1894ELECTION 1895RESIGNATION 1920DEATH 1929

Mother Birgitta was bornon January 25, 1868,at Mülheim on the MöhneRiver, in the diocese ofPaderborn, according tothe necrology written byM. Angela Boedecker.

In baptism she receivedthe name Gertrud.Having lost her fatherin early childhood, shelearned unshakeabletrust in God from herwidowed mother.

This mother trainedher and her otherbrothers and sisters inexact and promptpobedience.

Mother Birgitta couldthus say in later years:“I didn’t have to learnobedience in themonastery; I hadlearned it at home. ”

Gertrud Korff had akeen sense of God’scall for her andentered St. Ottilien onAugust 2, 1889.

This was just half ayear after our firstmissionaries sacrificedtheir lives at themission in Pugu /EastAfrica in January 1889.

What was she likeas a person?The necrology recalls:“To her companions inthe novitiate i shebecame a shining modelfrom the very first day.

She was notedespecially for hergreatconscientiousness,joyful obedience andunassuming manner.

On May 26, 1890, thefeast of Christ’sAscension, she receivedthe holy habit and thename of Maria Birgitta.

On the feast of SaintsPeter and Paul, June 29,1892, she was allowed toconsecrate herselfforever to her divineBridegroom.”

Her early years saw her:• entrusted with theweighty charge of thekitchen in the firstyears of the foundationin Tutzing whichdemanded of her“prudence and a

spirit of Sacrifice.”leading the secondgroup of missionariesto Africa in 1894.

ecoming prioress inDar es Salaam and laterin the new foundationin Lukulediwith all theprivations i and trials ofpioneer work, especiallyin the face of lack ofwater...

getting electedunanimously to headthe entirecongregation g onSeptember 17, 1895.

accepting during her25- year-term theprofession of 320sisters, 266 of whomshe sent to serve inthe missions.

What characterizedher office andaccomplishments?Here I copy profuselyfrom the necrologistwho attempts thischaracter sketch.

“Mother Birgitta was a‘strong woman’ indeed,probably one of thestrongest pillars onwhich h God built ourcongregation as itexists today.

The secret of thisexceptional strengthand firmness was thetotal God-orientation ofher missionary andmonastic life.

Whenever the Benedictineideals were at stake—thefitting praise of God, thefamily and congregationalspirit, or the maintaining ofmonastic discipline andextension of God’sKingdom on earth—

she knew nowavering, no hesitation,and no human respect.She was equally clear inher testing of religiousvocations.

In governing g her ever-growing monastic family,our spiritual iit mother of somany children benefitedgreatly from her nativepractical sense.

Verse after verse of the“Golden Alphabet” couldbe applied to her untiring,well-planned l and joyouswork.

The third ideal of the“strong woman, ” charity,which Pius X so fittingly gycalled “motherliness inthe wider sense, ” can beseen as expressed inMother Birgitta’s life

y her great missionaryzeal during her service inEast Africa, during heryears at the head of thecongregation, and alsoin the evening of herlife, her last ten years.

Our foreign mission washer dear vineyard, to whichhallher thoughts and cares, herprayer and sufferingwas devoted.

As long as shewas still able, shetyped laboriously, withone finger of her gout-swollen hand, her lettersto the missions.i

And when her voicewas barely audible, shestill spoke, dictating i hermessages to individualcommunities and sisters.

During World War I, shesent86 of her daughtersto nurse the wounded andsick heroes, inspiring ng themto fulfill this Samaritan’sservice in the noblestpossible manner.

“Serve each soldierwith great respect, asthough he were yourown brother!”

This motto, and theMother’s blessing,prayer and sacrificetogether with God’sgrace gave all of themstrength and supportamid difficulties anddangers;

not one of then, noteven a postulant, failedto remain faithful to hervocation on in this criticalcatimeand situation.ti

We will alwaysremember the spiritualworks of mercy to whichour good Mother Birgittadevoted herself zealouslyall her life.

She instructed theignorant, counseled thewavering, and guided d theconfused into theright path.

“She opened her mouthto speak wisdom” andwas ever eager to leadus, by her instructionand the faithfully offeredconferences on Sundaysand feast days,

to the fonts of eternallife and true interiority,zealous fulfillment ofduties, and sacrificialenthusiasm for ourvocation.

She loved to drawon the rich treasury ofthe liturgy for doing so.Shortly before her death,Mother Prioress ress in thename of all of us askedher for some words offarewell.

She whispered withgreat effort:“Observe silence; it is thebasis of the interior life—practice sisterly charity; itis not yet fully fll done—humility--love love of sacrifice,love of sacrifice, love ofsacrifice.”

Now we still need to lookat the fear of God, thefifth ideal of the “strongwoman,” in the life ofour dear deceaseddMother, working toperfect her own soul.

Just as Mother Birgittaalways called those entrustedto her to sanctification ofself, to truly seeking God inthe spirit of St. Benedict,as their first task, soshe also gave us the bestexample in this respect.

Though she was trainedfrom youth in promptobedience and her strongWestphalian nature easilyaccepted this “courage turnedinward, ” her religious life stillwas rich in situations wherethe practice of this virtuecost her heavy sacrifices.

She always referredto accepting the electionin 1895 as the greatestand most difficultsacrifice of her life.

At her voluntary resignationin December 1920, she saidduring a chapter meeting:“It was not because ofbeing tired of my officethat I took this step, butfor the welfare of our dearcongregation.

I was not moved byanyone.What I did was donein obedience to thedear God, whoinspired me to do so.

I trust that in layingdown my office I am justas much fulfilling God’swill as I did whenaccepting the election,when I only and solelyconsidered d the will ofGod.

I accepted the office inobedience to God, though itwas exceedingly hard forme, and now I lay it down,again in obedience to God,even though h it hurts mevery much to loosen thesacred bonds which uniteus.”

Mother Birgitta zealouslytreasured the “preciousgood of obedience” withthe double weapon thatChrist himself placed intoour hands when He said,“Watch and pray!”

Mother Birgitta dailydevoted a considerableamount of time tospiritual reading andregular Eucharisticvisits. iit

She had a specialregard for nocturnal prayer.In 1899 she obtainedpermission for the Motherhousefor solemn observance of FirstFridays by exposition of theBlessed Sacrament day andnight,

and in 1917 she initiatedthat we atone and prayin this manner for theneeds of the Church andour country each Friday.

Mother Birgitta was noexception to the human rightof having faults.“To be human means tostruggle,” and each oneof us witnessed howpersistently she struggled.

Her choleric temperament causedher to act with excessive zeal.But true to her motto, “Failingsagainst love must be repaired byhumility and love,” she would, witha very natural simplicity andwithout finding excuses,acknowledge her failings and askforgiveness.

“Grateful love had been thetrue sun in her long years ofsuffering. Visiting her sickcompanions, she keptencouraging them to be gratefuland never tired oflisting our great advantages asfortunate dwellers in a conventcompared to God’s other sickchildren out in the world.”

She now lies buried inthe crypt of theMaria-Hilf-Convent inTutzing (Maria Hilfmeans Mary, help!)where many of herdaughters hadpreceded her.

She was laid to rest ataround 9 a.m on May 24,1929, the patronal feast ofthe Maria-Hilf-ConventConvent,with Fr. Archabbot NorbertWeber officiating. “Themercies of the Lord I willsing forever!” sounded outthe psalm at her funeral.

Like many a forgottenfoundress she has notbeen properly chronicledwith all that she haddone for the congregationin the 25 years of heroffice.

However, one thingstands out among suchchosen spiritual it leaders:their steadfast spiritof prayerand their life ofsacrificefor the others.

IN MEMORY OFMOTHER BIRGITTA

You were destined to giveus light and fervor,Like the Easter candle inthe house of God.And though your radiance isextinguished here on earth,It burns all the morebrightly above.

The radiance of God’sglory must not cease:Eternal light is surroundedby a chorusOf endless jubilation: glory,honor, praise!Light, love and praise isthe goal of all being.

You, who now have goneinto eternal light,Do not forget your childrenin the land of shadowsAnd fan our desire for Godinto flame,

Let us prove ourselvesin all you gave to usAnd every hour girdourselves with therobe of lightAlready here on earth,preparing like you, fortransfiguration!