Karolina Gerhardinger

In 1828, an agreement between the Bavarian government and the Holy See allowed for the re-establishment of religious communities. Karolina Gerhardinger, supported by Bishop Wittmann, decided to found a new religious congregation dedicated to the Christian education of poor children, particularly in rural areas. She drew inspiration from the constitutions of the Canonesses of Saint Augustine, but adapted them to allow for a more flexible apostolic life, without strict enclosure, so that the sisters could travel wherever the needs were felt. On October 24, 1833, Karolina and two companions settled in Neunburg vorm Wald to begin community life. This was the birth of the congregation of the School Sisters of Notre Dame (in Latin: Congregatio Pauperum Sororum Scholasticarum Dominae Nostrae, abbreviated as SSND). Despite the sudden death of Bishop Wittmann in 1833, and then that of their other great supporter, Father Franz Sebastian Job, in 1834, Karolina persevered. On November 16, 1835, she pronounced her religious vows in the Saint Gall Chapel in Regensburg and took the name Mary Theresa of Jesus. Under her energetic leadership, the congregation developed rapidly. In 1839, she opened a convent in Munich, in the Au district. Thanks to the support of King Ludwig I of Bavaria, she obtained the former Poor Clare convent (Angerkloster) in Munich to establish the motherhouse and a training center for young sisters. Mother Mary Theresa introduced major pedagogical innovations in Bavaria, opening the first kindergartens and vocational schools for young girls. In 1847, responding to a call for help for German immigrants, she crossed the Atlantic Ocean with five sisters to settle in the United States. She established numerous schools there, notably in Baltimore, laying the foundations for a rapid international expansion. At her death in 1879, the congregation already counted more than 3,000 sisters spread across approximately 300 houses throughout the world.

The life of Karolina Gerhardinger is marked by an unwavering faith, strict evangelical poverty, and a deep Eucharistic devotion. She had to face numerous trials, including financial difficulties, misunderstandings from civil and ecclesiastical authorities, and long struggles to preserve the unity and structure of her congregation.

One of the major battles of her life concerned the rule of the congregation. She insisted that the entire institute, including houses located in different dioceses and countries, be placed under the central authority of a superior general (a woman), rather than being subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of local bishops. This innovative vision of female religious life sparked strong opposition, notably from the Archbishop of Munich, Karl August von Reisach. However, Mother Mary Theresa firmly defended this principle of unity, convinced that it was essential for the survival and global mission of the order.

In 1877, she fell gravely ill. Pope Pius IX sent her a telegram of blessing to support her. She passed away peacefully on May 9, 1879, at the motherhouse in Munich (Angerkloster), surrounded by her sisters and in the presence of the apostolic nuncio, Cardinal Gaetano Aloisi Masella. She was interred in the convent crypt, then transferred to the funerary chapel of the conventual church of Saint James (St. Jakob am Anger) in Munich.

The cause for the beatification of Karolina Gerhardinger was officially introduced under the pontificate of Pope Pius XII on July 11, 1952, following the opening of the informative process in Munich in 1929.

On January 13, 1983, Pope John Paul II promulgated the decree recognizing the heroic nature of her virtues, conferring upon her the title of Venerable.

A miracle attributed to her intercession (a scientifically inexplicable healing) was examined by the medical and theological commission of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints. The decree confirming the miracle was promulgated on May 9, 1985.

On November 17, 1985, Pope John Paul II celebrated the solemn beatification of Mother Mary Theresa of Jesus Gerhardinger in St. Peter's Basilica in Rome. Her liturgical feast is set for May 9, the day of her birth into heaven.

The spirituality of Blessed Mary Theresa of Jesus is deeply Eucharistic and Marian. She drew her strength from the adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, hence the name "of Jesus" that she chose to add to her religious name. She placed her congregation under the protection of the Virgin Mary and chose to anchor it in radical poverty to be as close as possible to the destitute. The educational legacy of Blessed Mary Theresa is immense. She firmly believed that the education of girls and women was the key to the Christian transformation of families and society. She said: "The love of Jesus sees into the future." In recognition of her role as a pioneer of women's education in Bavaria, a marble bust of her was solemnly installed on September 3, 1998, in the Walhalla hall of fame, near Regensburg, by decision of the Bavarian government. She is one of the few women to be honored there. Today, the School Sisters of Notre Dame continue their educational and social mission on five continents, present in more than thirty countries.