SAINT FEAST DAY 9 MAY: BL. KAROLINA GERHARDINGER

BLESSED KAROLINA GERHARDINGER, VIRGIN AND FOUNDRESS

On May 9, one of the blesseds remembered by the Church is Blessed Karolina Gerhardinger. She was born in 1797 in Stadtamhof, Germany, the sole child of Willibrand and Franziska. Blessed Karolina was educated by the Canonesses of Notre Dame. She was about to graduate when the government closed all parochial schools and expelled all religious.

Blessed Karolina's priest encouraged her to take up their work and become a teacher. She secured a teaching accreditation in 1812 and began teaching in the school where she had been a student. In 1833 Blessed Karolina founded the School Sisters of Notre Dame.

SISTERS WERE SERVING MANY SMALL COMMUNITIES

She introduced a new model of religious life that allowed the Sisters to serve many small communities, mainly in rural areas. To do this the Sisters lived in groups of two or three, rather than in a large convent. Blessed Karolina also created a unifying central administration designed to maintain and give support to the far-flung Sisters.

The new bishop did not approve of Blessed Karolina's innovations and threatened to forbid them being able to travel, but she overcame this problem by moving the motherhouse to Munich.

SHE TRAVELLED WITH FIVE SISTERS

There was a call for sisters to support German emigrants in the United States and Blessed Karolina travelled with five Sisters to Pennsylvania in 1847. The bishop there told Blessed Karolina that she and the other Sisters should return to Germany, but she was not convinced that this was God's will for them. So she moved to Baltimore.

In the next five weeks Blessed Karolina travelled more than 2,000 miles by stagecoach and steamboat. After a year Blessed Karolina returned to Germany having left Sister Caroline in charge of their work in the United States.

"IT MATTERS THAT YOU SERVE GOD NOT AS MUCH AS YOU WANT, BUT AS MUCH AS IS POSSIBLE FOR YOU"

Blessed Karolina fell ill in 1877, which prompted the Pope to send her a telegram with his blessings. She died on May 9, 1879 in Munchen. Karolina was beatified as Blessed by Pope St John Paul II in 1985. Today there are 2,300 School Sisters of Notre Dame working in 30 countries around the world.

In her writings, Blessed Karolina tells us: 'What matters is that you serve God not as much as you want, but as much as is possible for you.' She shows great understanding of the human condition.

Blessed Karolina Gerhardinger, pray for us.

(From: Spiritual Thought From Fr Chris)

PRAYER:

Grant, we beseech you, almighty God, that the venerable feast of Blessed Karolina may increase our devotion and promote our salvation. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever. Amen.

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