Werburga Schaffrath

Werburga Schaffrath (originally Waltraud Schaffrath ; born September 6, 1930 in Wuppertal - Elberfeld ) is a German religious sister of the Mission Benedictine Sisters of Tutzing , who has been active in Brazil for over 50 years and who heads the Centro Social São José do Monte aid project in Caruaru .

Life

Sr. Werburga is the daughter of Paul Heinrich Schaffrath and Maria Anna Klara Schaffrath. She comes from a simple family and grew up with nine siblings. Faith played an important role in the family . In 1936 the family moved to Werl , where Waltraud Schaffrath attended elementary school. In 1939 she received her first communion . At the same time a people's mission took place in Werl , where a film was shown about the mission in Greenland with the Eskimos. Waltraud Schaffrath was enthusiastic about the missionaries' commitment and made the decision to take on a similar task himself later.

After graduating from school in 1951, Waltraud Schaffrath entered the Marienfried Monastery as a postulant . For clothing she was given the religious name Werburga. After her novitiate at the motherhouse in Tutzing and her temporary professorship , she studied dentistry at the Julius Maximilians University of Würzburg . In 1956, Sister Werburga made her perpetual profession. The Order then sent them to Brazil.

Work in brazil

In 1957 Sister Werburga arrived in Olinda , where she began to learn the Portuguese language. After that, she enrolled at the University of Recife and studied science . At the same time she started teaching religion and science at the College Nossa Senhora do Carmo . After a short time as a novice master in Olinda, Sister Werburga was sent to Caruaru in 1969 to take over the management of the Sagrado Coração school . They met people from the mountain Bom Jesus settled Favela and know their distress. Some sisters were already working there, who initially limited their area of ​​responsibility to the religious care of the residents. The lack of further care was clear, however, so that in 1969 the Centro Social was founded , initially strongly supported by Misereor . In addition to religious instruction, there was a carpenter's workshop, needlework, sewing, leather processing and courses for expectant mothers. The desire to improve the career opportunities of the children from the favela played an important role. As a result, a kindergarten was added and work with the elderly began. The work of the Centro Social is always based on needs.

The center is largely financed by donations from Germany by the support association Centro Social Caruaru e. V. from. In addition, there are public funds from the city of Caruaru and other donors.

Over the years, under the direction of Sister Werburga, an aid network has developed that consists of several institutions. The Centro Social São José do Monte today includes the Casa Henrique (center for physiotherapy and health care ), the Casa São Placido (youth center for 180 children), a kindergarten in which 130 children are cared for every day, and the Oasis project for the Centro affiliated families who take in foster children.

Werburga Schaffrath was made an honorary citizen of Caruaru in 1990.

Web links

• Hope needs help , website of the support association Centro Social Caruaru eV
• Articles from Church and Life, reception by Horst Köhler