Rosa Gutknecht

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Rosa Gutknecht

Rosa Gutknecht (born May 18, 1885 in Ludwigshafen am Rhein ; † November 21, 1959 in Zurich ) was a theologian and pastor in Zurich. She is considered one of the first female pastors in Europe.

Life

Childhood and youth

Laura Elisabeth Rosa Gutknecht's mother, the German Christine Gutknecht geb. Grossmann, died a few days after giving birth. Her father, Herrmann Gutknecht, was a doctor of chemistry. Rosa spent the first two years of her life with her aunt Ida in Berlin, a sister of her father's. After moving house several times due to the father's occupation, the whole family moved to Zurich- Wollishofen with grandmother, several uncles and aunts . Because of her weak constitution, Rosa came to a foster family in Chur in the canton of Graubünden , later she lived with relatives in Thusis at her own request and helped out in the family's own flower shop. The girl spent her school days in Maienfeld and Chur from 1892 , where she was confirmed in 1901 .

education

From 1901 to 1905 Rosa Gutknecht attended the teachers' seminar in the Grossmünsterschulhaus in Zurich. In 1905 her father died, who had married again. He left three children; his second wife had died young before him. After completing her training, Gutknecht was one of the few to get a scrapyard in Hausen am Albis , where she worked for three years. She taught in Zurich- Riesbach for another five years .

Rosa Gutknecht didn't like being a teacher. But since she was fascinated by religious instruction, she attended lectures on the Old Testament with Ludwig Köhler . In a review of life she wrote: "Because I couldn't get on with the Bible, I decided to study theology." After making up her mind, she began studying Latin and Hebrew before starting her studies.

On October 10, 1913, Rosa Gutknecht was the first Swiss woman and one of the first Europeans to study theology. She earned a living for herself and her three step-siblings with private lessons. She completed her studies in 1917; along with her friend Elise Pfister (1886-1944) was on 27 October 1918 in the Church of St. Peter from the Council of Churches as a pioneer for church ministry ordained . She took care of the Neumünster Zurich parish and its members with great devotion ; u. a. she could also take on deputies. However, she did not get a permanent position.

Working life

In the spring of 1919 Rosa Gutknecht was employed as a parish assistant in the Grossmünster parish for two days a week . She gave religious instruction, was responsible for pastoral care in hospitals and did auxiliary services.

On May 7, 1921, the Zurich Government Council refused to approve the eligibility of female pastors and justified this with the lack of voting rights; a decision supported by the Federal Supreme Court in 1928 . In the same year Rosa Gutknecht was able to take over the deputy with all pastoral functions for the sick Pastor Finsler for one year. In various publications she commented on questions of church life and women's issues and was committed to creating networks for the socially disadvantaged. She was also the first president of the Swiss Association of Women Theologians, founded in 1939. She lived with her housekeeper Hedwig Huber on Zwingliplatz. She allowed herself to relax by hiking in the mountains.

In 1953 Rosa Gutknecht retired. On November 21, 1959 she died after a short illness after more than 30 years of service at the Grossmünster and in various vicariates. In the sermon of the abdication she was described as a "sober and matter-of-fact woman who had matured through many struggles and trials". The next ordination of a woman in the Zurich cantonal church, for which she had always campaigned, took place on January 1, 1964, around five years after her death. The first pastor at the Grossmünster was Käthi La Roche in 1998 .

Honor

Memorial plaque house "Zum Loch", Zwingliplatz 1
Memorial plaque house "Zum Loch", Zwingliplatz 1

Rosa Gutknecht was honored by the Gesellschaft zu Fraumünster on the occasion of the annual women's honor on Sechseläuten in 2013 . There is a memorial plaque on the “Zum Loch” house, Zwingliplatz 1, in Zurich.

literature

Irene Gysel, Andrea Söprri-Altherr, Alexia Walter: New Year's Gazette of the Gesellschaft zu Fraumünster on the year 2014 (eighth edition), Edition Gutenberg, Volume 8, No. 8, Zurich 2014, ISSN 1663-5264

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Double anniversary for women - 100 years of Rosa Gutknecht, 50 years of women in the rectory. From the website of the Reformed Church of the Canton of Zurich, accessed on November 20, 2013.
  2. ↑ Tages-Anzeiger , November 19, 2013, p. 19.
personal data
SURNAME Gutknecht, Rosa
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Zurich theologian and pastor
DATE OF BIRTH May 18, 1885
PLACE OF BIRTH Ludwigshafen am Rhein
DATE OF DEATH November 21, 1959
Place of death Zurich