1 CrossingOver Essen Conference, 9 July Faculty of Catholic Theology Chair of Medieval and Modern Church History Kirsten Oboth (M. Ed.) For heavens sake! A historical perspective on changes of Apostolic Women Religious in Germany
2 Apostolic fields of action (e.g. 1956) 1 Field of actionSistersWith apprenticeship Health care Therefrom governm. institutes Domestic economy & agriculture Youth education School education Administration Welfare education Pastoral care Cf. Schmiedl: Transformation, 111.
3 2. Cf. Leimgruber: Frauenorden, Women Religious in Germany
4 Novices in Germany Cf. Leimgruber: Frauenorden, 337.
5 The impact of Vatican II Reflection on the founders charisma Reform on the lifestyle (spiritual exercises, habit, names and titles…) Change of the constitutions and custom books Weakening of the hierarchical structure for the benefit of individual responsibility (subsidiarity instead of obedience) Amendment of the sisters education (novitiates, apprenticeship…)
6 Apostolic fields of action – Comparison between the years 1973 and Cf. Leimgruber: Frauenorden, 339.
7 Sisters work nowadays Sisters at work ambulance for homeless people (l.a.), meditation with guests (r.a.) and physical therapy (r.b.); Guidebook for vacation in cloisters (l.b.) Source: Leimgruber: Frauenklöster, p.96 & 100.
8 Follow up questions How will female religious orders change during the next 10 years? Will new structures like temporary monasticism (Kloster auf Zeit) or a membership without profession strengthen? In which way will the memory and heritage of the congregations be treated? Would a permanent search for new forms of apostolate influence the sisters spirit?
9 Literature Leimgruber, Ute: Frauenkloster – Klosterfrauen. Leben in Ordensgemeinschaften heute, Stuttgart Leimgruber, Ute: Frauenorden in der Krise. Teil I: Der Umfang der Krise, in: OK 46 (2005), p Schmiedl, Joachim: Die Transformation der caritativen katholischen Orden nach 1960, in: Jähnichen, Traugott a.o. (Ed.): Caritas und Diakonie im "goldenen Zeitalter" des bundesdeutschen Sozialstaats. Transformationen der konfessionellen Wohlfahrtsverbände in den 1960er Jahren (Konfession und Gesellschaft. 43), Stuttgart 2010, p