Clara Pfänder

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M. Clara Pfänder

Clara Pfänder (* December 6, 1827 in Hallenberg as Anna Theresia Pfänder, † October 5, 1882 in Rome ) was a German religious founder and superior.

Portrait bust, created by Karlheinz Oswald in 2018, and memorial plaque for Clara Pfänder in the angel chapel of the High Cathedral in Paderborn

life and work

She was born as the daughter of the Hallenberg mayor Heinrich Pfänder and his wife Karoline (née Wahle). The father was Protestant, the mother Catholic. Theresia attended the local elementary school and a private evening school. Because of her desire to become a teacher, she had a conflict with her father. She worked intermittently in the father's office and then in the pastor's office. There she met Regina Löser, a sister of the pastor. It was through this contact that she learned about the new Congregation of Sisters of Christian Love . She joined this in 1850 and received the religious name Clara . The entry into a spiritual community that dealt with the upbringing of children and young people also took place against the background of the conflict with the father. She worked in different places, attended the teachers' seminar belonging to the community and passed the final exam in 1858.

After self-doubt, she founded the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Francis, Daughters of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary, together with Maria Theresia Bonzel and Regina Löser in Olpe . On December 20, 1860, the first nine sisters, six choir sisters and three lay sisters, were dressed in the Olper St. Martinus Church . Ever since December 21, 1860, eternal adoration was practiced in the community, which was intended to emphasize the constant presence of Christ in the spirituality of the sisters. After the parent company was relocated to Salzkotten and there was an internal dispute, the sisters remaining in Olpe split off in 1863 and became independent Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration at Olpe . The original order became the congregation of the Franciscan Sisters of Salzkotten . In the Kulturkampf , Bishop Konrad Martin Clara Pfänder granted secret permission to accept and clothe new sisters in the order without the involvement of a priest. From this the charge of violation of canon law was constructed, which led to her expulsion from the order. She traveled to Rome to clarify the allegations there, but died before she succeeded. Her complete rehabilitation took place after many years of research by Salzkotten Franciscan Sisters.

A plaque on the house where she was born in Hallenberg has been commemorating Clara Pfänder since 2010.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Paulinenbrief 2018
  2. ↑ Relinde Meiwes: "Workers of the Lord": Catholic congregations of women in the 19th century. Frankfurt am Main, 2000 pp. 106f.
  3. ↑ https://www.derdom.de/artikel/clara-pfaender-ist-endgueltig-rehabilitiert
  4. ^ Sauerlandkurier June 5, 2010
personal data
SURNAME Pfänder, Clara
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Pfänder, Anna Theresia (maiden name); Mother Maria Clara (religious name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German founder and superior of the Franciscan Sisters Salzkotten
DATE OF BIRTH December 6, 1827
PLACE OF BIRTH Hallenberg
DATE OF DEATH October 5, 1882
Place of death Rome