SISTER WALBURGA DIEPOLDER OSB A MISSIONARY BENEDICTINE SISTER OF TUTZING 100. ANNIVERSARY OF HER DEATH

Transcription

1 SISTER WALBURGA DIEPOLDER OSB A MISSIONARY BENEDICTINE SISTER OF TUTZING 100. ANNIVERSARY OF HER DEATH Translation from the swahili booklet published 2005 for the Jubilee Contents Introduction Sr. Walburga Diepolder OSB 1. Germany 2. Dar es Salaam 3. Lukuledi 4. Nyangao 5. The Steep Ascent 6. Various Information 7. The others 8. Conclusion 1

2 INTRODUCTION One day in 1884, on the feast of SS. Peter and Paul, a solitary figure knelt at the tomb of St. Peter in fervent prayer. He was praying for God s blessing on a new foundation. The midday sun was well on the decline when the monk rose from his knees. It was the Secretary of Propaganda, Mgr. Jacobini, who called him away to the sacristy with a message of approval from the reigning Pontiff Leo XIII. for a new missionary undertaking. In a private audience His Holiness then spoke the solemn words: I bless you, I bless you again, your work, your fellow-laborers and benefactors. I bless; but it is to God that you must look for the increase and success. This monk was Father Andreas Amrhein, the founder of the Missionary Benedictines, namely the Fathers and Brothers of St. Ottilien and the Sisters of Tutzing. A year later four young ladies were brought to his notice. They joined the new little mustard seed on 24.September On 11. November 1887 the first Benedictine missionaries began their journey to start their first mission in East Africa. These were Father Bonifatius Fleschütz, one Frater, four (4) Brothers and four (4) Sisters, namely Sr. Benedicta Sivering, Sr. Lioba Ellwanger, Sr. Martha Wansing and Sr. Raphaela Kamphaus. Their journey brought them first to Rome. There Fr. Bonifatius and the Brothers made their first vows in the chapel of Campo Santo on 20. November One hour later all, the Father, the Brothers and the Sisters were called to attend Holy Mass together with Pope Leo XIII. and to receive his blessing. The following day on 21. November the feast of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary the four Ssters as well made their first vows in the chapel of Campo Santo. They continued their journey by ship and arrived first in Zanzibar on 22. January On the 7 th of February 1888 they arrived at Pugu near Dar es Salaam. Here Fr. Bonifatius, the four Brothers and the four Sisters began their first mission. Before they started any work they fixed a small bell on a tree and rang it. Then they arranged themselves in two lines and started to sing Vespers with the solemm opening tone: O God, come to my assistance, O Lord, make haste to help me. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning so now and for ever Amen. Alleluya. 2

3 Only after Vespers did they start to cut trees and to prepar provisional accommodations for the night. From the first day that the Missionary Benedictines arrived in Africa they followed the strict order of their home monastery namely, pray and work and dependence on God. Sr. Bernadine Hefele OSB who arrived later in Africa still remembered in her old age, that one day they got a letter from the superior of the Congregation from St. Ottilien, Germany asking them; Be faithful to the Divine Office. And the old missionary continued: and we have prayed in Africa the Divine Office faithfully, first in German, later in Latin. The spirit in which the missionaries were living we can recognize from the words which Fr.AMRHEIN had spoken as a farewell to the last group he missioned to Africa on October 1895: Let us cling with all our faith to the anchor of hope that is Jesus Christ, in whose name everything becomes possible which is necessary for the honor of God, the hallowing of his name, the spreading of his divine Kingdom, and the fulfillment of his divine will.let nothing shake this faith of ours! The first years the Sisters wore a red belt to remind them always that they should be ready to shed their blood for their holy faith, namely ready to become martyrs. And really the sisters were ready for that, some even had a strong wish to give their lives as martyrs. In Pugu the neighbours were very impressed by the work, prayer and singing of the missionaries especially during Holy Mass on Sundays and the number of people who attended increased every week. Fr. Bonifatius together with the Brothers and Sisters began to build the church, the house for the Sisters, another house for the Brothers and one for the orphans. They were teaching Christianity to their workers and to the slaves who were ransomed. But during the first year they were affected by the diseases of the environment like fever and others. One Brother and Sr. Lioba died, another Brother and Sr. Raphaela had to go back to Germany due to health problems. After one year on 13. January 1889 during the Arabic War under the leadership of Bushiri this first mission was completely destroyed. Sr. Martha Wansing OSB (25 years old), Br. Foto: Sr. Martha Wansing OSB Petrus OSB and Br. Benedict OSB were killed in the church. Sr. Benedicta OSB and three Brothers were captured by the Arabs and could be released only in March. 3

4 SR. WALBURGA DIEPOLDER OSB 1. GERMANY Two weeks after the destruction of Pugu and the murder of Sr. Martha and the Brothers Sr. Walburga Diepolder joined the Congregation of the Missionary Benedictines. She was not afraid. She had a big desire to give herself completely up to sacrificing her life. Sr. Walburga Diepolder was born in the village Gmeingschwenden diocese of Augsburg, Germany on 27. August Her parents gave her the name Josefa. She was their only daughter. Josefa Diepolder joined the Congregation on 02. February 1889 soon after the destruction of the first mission of the Benedictines, Pugu East Africa. The parish priest of her parish Grönenbach, Father Breher, wrote on 31. January 1889 in his recommendation letter: The sad events in East Africa did not frighten her and the undersigned can testify confidently that she is truly suitable for the holy service of the missions. The priest also wrote that her diligence, unassuming manner, and attentiveness in school had made him aware that a special vocation had taken root in her spirit, especially since she also always read good literature, associated with zealous Christians, and received the holy Sacraments very frequently. The parents had been reluctant to let their only daughter part from their farm home. In the monastery Josefa was popular because of her cheerfulness and her balanced character. Already in St. Ottilien her talent for nursing was recognized and developed. On 29. June 1892 she made her first vows. 2. DAR ES SALAAM The old mission of the Benedictines in Dar es Salaam 4

5 In 1894 Sr. Walburga was sent to East Africa to Dar es Salaam. Here she was soon appreciated as an efficient worker as also an excellent nurse for the sick, with a warm, loving heart. When someone needed her help, no hour was too early or too late. Her selfless availability for others had culminated in the gift of her life. The simple hospital, numbering 40 beds in 1895, was also a haven for the abandoned, who found a place for dying in peace at the Sisters hospital. Here Sr. Walburga was nursing the sick and helped all who needed her until LUKULEDI In 1897 Sr. Walburga was sent to Lukuledi. This mission was officially opened with a High Mass by Fr. Maurus OSB, Br. Michael OSB and Br. Vincens OSB on 2. February The first Sisters in Lukuledi were Sr. M. Birgitta Korff OSB Sr. M. Klara Essmann OSB, Sr. M. Afra Gillot OSB and Sr. Bernadine Hefele OSB. After a short time Sr. Birgitta Korff, only 26 years old, was elected to be the first Prioress General of the Congregation. Sr. Walburga joined the Lukuledi community in Here the Sisters helped the sick, educated girls of the hostel and were teaching in the school. But Lukuledi had one big problem - water shortage. Sometimes there was not enough water for cooking food, nor for bathing nor for the sick with high fever and diarrhoea. This situation forced the missionaries to transfer the Sisters from Lukuledi to Nyangao. Nyangao 4. NYANGAO At the end of March 1898 the three Sisters started their journey from Lukuledi to Nyangao. These were: Sr. Hiltrudis Herz, Sr. Walburga Diepolder and Sr. Viola Albrecht. They arrived at Nyangao on the 2. April, the Saturday before Palm Sunday. Fr. Severin Hofbaur OSB and the two (2) Brothers at the station welcomed them joyfully. 5

6 Here at Nyangao they had enough water throughout the year. The fresh water of the Nyangao creek was a fitting paschal symbol, the feast which they celebrated one week after their arrival. The little St. Agnes Convent was first a temporary building constructed of very light material, but a house of sundried bricks was soon built. The Sisters did not have to wait long for the sick. They soon appeared with all sorts of sores or asked for medication. Sr. Walburga had an exceptionally compassionate heart and skillful hands for nursing service, and soon she was dearly loved because of her friendliness and her cheerful, serene personality. I have rarely met a woman with such zeal and at the same time with such a kind heart as our Sr. Walburga the Apostolic Prefect said of her. Many people came to the Sisters asking for help for their diseases and various problems. Sr.Walburga and the other Sisters tried their best to help them. During the hot season the climate had a paralyzing effect. Just as in Lukuledi it was impossible to avoid frequent attacks of fever. The chronicler had found the heat nearly unbearable towards the end of the first dry season. On September , Dr. Bludan returned to Dar es Salaam from the South and brought greetings to the Sisters in Dar es Salaam from Nyangao Mission. Among other things he reported that the Sisters there suffered much from illnesses and privations. Sr. Walburga accepted those trials which are so plentiful in the life of a missionary. She was never known to utter a word of complaint of any kind, taking everything as it came, making the best of it and seeing in everything the guiding hand of God. In 1901 Sr. Walburga got the chance to go to Germany for rest and to get new strength. In March 1905 she returned to Nyangao to continue to help the sick. 5. THE STEEP ASCENT In August 1905, five months after Sr. Walburga had returned to Nyangao, the Maji Maji revolt spread in the South East of Tanganyika. The report of the murder of Bishop Cassian Spiss OSB and his companions near Mikukuyumbu had reached Nyangao on 19.August by an express messenger from Lindi. On Friday 25.August, the news followed that on the Rondo Plateau, about 30 km north of Nyangao, unrest had erupted under the leader Selemani. The Regional Office advised the missionaries to arm themselves or to flee. Sr. Bernadine Hefele OSB narrates: Fleeing was not so easy, since both towards Masasi and towards Lindi there were rebel forces endangering the region. Fr. Superior, Leo Lang OSB, and Br. Cyprian 6

7 Hölzl OSB readied the available guns, called in some reliable Blacks, and with their help planned to defend the station in case of an attack. The Sisters with the children spent the nights in the two story house of the Brothers: ready for anything, they trusted firmly in God s help. The next morning on 26.August a second letter arrived from Lindi, which said: If the danger is getting bigger and they fail to come safely to Lindi the missionaries should try to get help from the District Commissionar of Masasi and his 36 soldiers. Now information about the rebellion came from all sides, like Ilulu, Lutamba and Roweka. On Friday Nyangao was still quiet. On 26. August the missionaries recognized that their workers were anxious. They did not feel safe any more. On Sunday 27.August only very few people attended Holy Mass and those who attended disappeared immediately after Mass. Sr. Bernadine wrote: This was frightening. We just waited and prayed. Sr. Bernadine explained as well that on Sunday normally the church was very full. Now many people were running away to hide themselves in the bush, because those who refused to join the rebells were terrified. On that day Sunday the 27.August around two o clock the sisters heard a loud noice outside while they were praying Vespers. The catechist Sebastian Mponda came in big haste with the frightening message, All the rebels are now on the way to Nyangao. Their aim is to destroy the whole mission and to kill all the missionaries. There is only half an hour left, other houses have already started to be demolished. The messenger told the Sisters: Quickly, quickly, Father is calling you. And Fr. Leo and Br. Cyprian were there on the spot and said: We have to flee; take some food and some blankets. The missionaries knew they had no other choice than to flee. The parish priest, Fr. Leo, remembered first the Holy Eucharist and took it. After that he, Br. Cyprian, Sr. Bernadine, Sr. Walburga, Sr. Helena and Sr. Avia packed their small things in a hurry and fled. Seven orphan girls accompanied them. They crossed the Nyangao creek and took the direction to Ng awa, where they hid themselves in the bush. This day was the 35 th birthday of Sr. Walburga. In her old days Sr. Bernadine Hefele OSB remembered and wrote: On 27.August, the first day of our flight, I was going together with our beloved Sr. Walburga for a short while when she told me it was Sunday -: This morning during Holy Mass the prayer said: Almighty and eternal God, your goodness is beyond what our spirit can touch and your strength is more than the mind can bear. Lead us to seek beyond our reach and give 7

8 us courage (now prayer of 27. Sunday of the year B). And Sr. Walburga said: Here I prayed: O God, if you need one sacrifice, take me. Another book says: In the morning of the flight Sr. Walburga told her superior, Sr. Bernadine, that during receiving the Holy Eucharist she told the Lord: If you need a sacrifice, please, agree to take me as sacrifice and save all the others for the future work in your vineyard. Christians took them to a hiding place behind the fields of the village. They some times brought them something to drink,with news. They offered them a hut, and they spent the night under its overhanging roof on reclining chairs which the people had fetched from the station in the course of the afternoon. But they could not sleep, every sound terrifying them. Some children were with them, also some young boys came to them. One of them might have betrayed them. The first church of Nyangao built by Fr. Leo and Br. Cyprian. First church of Nyangao inside At day-break the people hid them in a thicket. Repeatedly some one came to bring news. Around 8.00 o clock in the morning of Monday, 28.August they heard a gun go off. The destruction of the station had begun. Everything went up in flames except the Sisters house which could not be set on fire because of its tin roof. Praying, they remained motionless in their hiding place. Soon people s visits stopped. Finally everything was quiet. They heard only the wind rustling in the trees. Then shortly before twelve, a wild screaming and howling as of dogs: From three sides attackers in their scary war attire of animal skins bounded towards them in big jumps. They started immediately to shoot. In an instant Fr. Leo and Br. Cyprian were on their feet. Both had formerly been officers and were perfectly fearless. It is impossible to describe the scene. The wild warriors looked like devils incarnate, their bodies painted in the most fantastic fashion, their rolling eyes, their 8

9 frantic guestures, their horrible cries. The Sisters had fallen upon their knees when the first yell announced their arrival. The poor little orphans were clinging convulsively to their habits, crying: Mama, Mama. The Sisters were praying while Fr. Leo and Br. Cyprian were shooting. Sr. Bernadine Hefele, the superior, was kneeling beside Sr. Walburga during the attack. She heard her clearly and ardently praying : O beloved Jesus, I offer my life, save the others. Suddenly two shots hit Fr. Leo and shattered his left shoulder. His gun fell from his hands upon which one of the Sisters darted forward, picked it up, reloaded it and held it for him to shoot, but he could not take aim, and saw the futility of further resistance under such circumstances. He cried out at the top of his voice, so as to be heard by them above the din: Further resistance is useless, we must die together. It will give you General Absolution. Fr. Leo made a big Sign of the Cross three times over the sisters and the Brother. After Fr. Leo had made the third time the Sign of the Cross, Br. Cyprian made the sign of the cross and said: Jesus, have mercy and he continued to shoot. Then his right arm got a shot which made him unable to fight. At this juncture when, humanly speaking everything was lost, God came to their assistance in a wonderful way. The negroes are very superstitious and are terrified of sorcery. When they saw Fr. Leo making the mysterious Sign of the Cross in the air they thought it must be some form of witchcraft, and all fled in a panic at the very instant the missionaries could no longer shoot or defend themselves. It is possible that the rebels saw in the sign of the cross a kind of witchcraft, but for sure the prayers of the Sisters and the blessing itself brought help from above. Immediately Fr. Leo, seeing their opportunity, bade them fly in the opposite direction before the negroes recovered from their panic and returned to the attack. All started off into the long grass taking off their shoes, for the Africans easily track Europeans by their foot marks. They sped on for two hours, scarcely daring to breathe much less look behind. They were much afraid, had no strength any more and felt near death. They took the direction to the Lukuledi valley. It appeared that not long after they started the enemy returned to the hut, and finding them gone set out in pursuit, and that they only missed falling into their hands by encountering a bog, which Divine Providence placed in their way, and which caused them to take an opposite direction to that followed by their pursuers. The bog could not be crossed neither by the missionaries nor by the enemies. After two hours walk the missionaries met a Christian boy who told them the rebels 9

10 were not far off, and as they did not know which way to turn, they all lay down flat in the long grass, not daring to speak or move. The wounded monks were in a terrible state of exhaustion from pain and loss of blood, and it was only after five hours, when the growing darkness lessened their danger, that they were able to creep out of the grass and fetch some water to quench their burning thirst, and wash and dress their wounds. Their habits were drenched with blood, and the Sisters were obliged to tear up their scapulars to make bandages to dress the wounds of Fr. Leo and Br. Cyprian. It was while they were thus engaged that they discovered Sr. Walburga was missing. At first they could not believe that she was really not with them. They never had given her a thought, she was always the bravest and the foremost in every deed of daring. She had never shown the slightest fear, and they had seen her start off with the rest of them. During the anxiety and the hurry to flee they had lost each other. They met again only after some time, but they did not see Sr. Walburga. They were thinking she had lost them, but would find them later again. Nobody had the idea that she was shot and unable to follow them. When they were running away from the place of the attack Sr. Walburga did not give any sign that she was wounded. What could have happened to her? Had she been shot by the negroes or had she sunk down from exhaustion on the way? Here Sr. Bernadine remembered the prayer of Sr. Walburga during the attack, when she said: Beloved Jesus, take my life, save the others. Had God accepted her sacrifice? To retrace their steps and seek for her would have meant destruction for them all. They were compelled with anguish impossible to express, to push on without her, trusting her the while to the care of the loving Father. Fr. Leo Lang, Br. Cyprian Hölzle, Sr. Bernadine Hefele, Sr. Avia Marschner and Sr. Helena Lettner continued to flee. It was quite dark, and as they stumbled along they knew not whither, they came to another bog. They were so utterly worn out with fatigue, emotion, and want of food that they would go no further and they lay down in some thick brushwood till two o clock in the morning. As the day broke they discovered in the near vicinity a large hollow trunk where they would be safe, so they all crowded into it and spend the remainder of the day there. Trusting in God, they set out in the evening to search for something edible. Soon they noticed cooking fires at some distance and heard human voices, including children s. Br. Cyprian scouted to find out who the people were. Thanks be to God in that hut lived a good Christian named Eneko. Together with a soldier he had searched for them all day. He told them also Sr. Walburga had been saved. Unfortunately this assurance proved incorrect. 10

11 They were served abundant food. But then they had to continue their flight before their resting place became known. All the days of their flight their enemies were only a few hours behind them. They continued without shoes, wounds on their feet and pain in their body, and great sorrow because Sr. Walburga was not with them. They braced themselves with the remembrance of what our Saviour must have endured when He carried His Cross for us and they were glad to feel that they had been privileged in their small degree to share His suffering. MAJI - MAJI WAR Map: The route of the enemies Places which were destroyed Finally after so much anxiety, suffering and pain the missionaries reached the procura in Lindi on August 31,1905 at 3.00 pm. There was no news about Sr. Walburga available in Lindi. 6. VARIOUS INFORMATION On November19,1905, Br. Wilhelm Liebers had a chance to join a troop of soldiers marching from Lindi to Masasi and to visit the site of the tragedy. In Nyangao he found some boys who led him to the place. Two of them had found the injured Sister there the day after the attack. She had said to them: I will live just a little longer but I am nearly dying of thirst and heat. There was as well the news that one of the rebels must have thrown a spear at Sr. Walburga just as she left the hut, as the boys found her in its close vicinity. 11

12 Two Christians, Maurus Kunde and Wilhelm Mkube, were said to have taken some water and ugali (mush) to her. But they had been surprised by the rebels searching for the spot where some of their band had fallen, and thus Maurus and Wilhelm had quickly fled, leaving the Sister to her fate. That had been on August 29, When Br. Wilhelm searched the spot in November, he found there a little book, which together with his report he sent to Tutzing: The Rule of St. Benedict. Probably Sr. Walburga had stuck it into her pocket just before the flight. Br. Wilhelm closes his account thus: Usually, the negroes are merry by nature. But in this place, no one dared to speak above a murmur. I also felt touched, we prayed some Our Fathers for the Sister and returned. Picture: The Sisters who were killed 1. Sister Martha Wansing OSB killed at Pugu on 13. January Sister Cordula Ebert OSB killed at Mikukuyumbu on 14. August Sister Felicitas Hiltner OSB killed at Mikukuyumbu on 14. August Sister Walburga Diepolder OSB killed at Ng awa/nyangao on 29. August 1905 The people of Nyangao told more details to the apostolic pro-vicar Fr. Antonius RUEDEL, when he passed through Nyangao in May 1906 with Br. Meinrad on an exploratory trip to Lukuledi. They said that on the day of the attack the fleeing missionaries had met Maurus KUNDE and had asked him to look for the missing Sister. Maurus went to Wilhelm MKUBE, who knew the place of the attack. They had found Sr. Walburga still living, wounded in both loins by a shot, and with only a shirt left on her. Next to her lay the little girl Rosa, murdered. The Sister had asked them: Seek the teacher Gabriel to bring me water and a blanket and tell Fr. 12

13 Leo that I was wounded. Maurus and Wilhelm looked for the teacher Gabriel, but were unable to find him. Since by then night had fallen, they returned to the wounded Sister only the following day, August 29, taking some millet mush to her. The Sister had eaten a little. But soon some of LIPUTI s people had arrived, wanting to bury their fallen relatives. Therefore Maurus and Wilhelm fled. People repeatedly heard the Sister say, Gabriel, bring me water and a blanket! After LIPUTI s people had buried their relatives, they had left, but he himself had remained nearby for some time. When he returned, the cries of the Sister were no longer heard. Her body could not be found. Bishop Thomas SPREITER visited Nyangao in August Rather than August 29 as the presumed date, based on the previous account, he gave August 30 as the day of Sr. Walburga s death. On August 23 he wrote in his diary: I once more visited the site of the attack In the afternoon I again questioned both boys, Maurus and Wilhelm, together. They brought me the notes they had made According to them, the Sister died on August 30; whether murdered by Liputi or not remains a question Blood at the mouth indicates suffocation rather than murder (There had also been an assumption that the sister had been hit by a shot in the chest.) The rebel leader LIPUTI, however, is said to have pointed to a long knife during the trial in Lindi, stating: With this knife I twice killed her. 7. THE OTHERS Fr. Leo, Br. Cyprian, Sr. Bernadine, Sr. Avia and Sr. Helena together with the missionaries from Lukuledi embarked on the steamer. Kaiser Wilhelm for Dar es Salaam on September 5. They arrived in Dar es Salaam on September 7. The seven year-old girl Mathilde followed them up to Dar es Salaam. There Sr. Avia fell ill with a fever and died on September 15. She died without any struggle, fully conscious; she herself said that God had accepted her earlier fear of death during the flight. Like Sr. Walburga, she had just turned 35. FIFTY YEARS AFTER THE DEATH OF SR. WALBURGA In the year 1955 Sr. Bernadine wrote the following: On August 29, 1955 the parish of Nyangao celebrated the 50. anniversary of the death of Sr. Walburga in a worthy manner. After Mass in the morning the whole parish, children and adults, made a pilgrimage to Ng awa to the place where Sr. Walburga was killed. They prayed the Rosary on the way going there and coming back. Sr. Bernadine was taken there by car. Fr. Andreas and Fr. Berno gave a good 13

14 sermon. All prayed the litany to Mother Mary and were singing. After that all went home. Sr. Bernadine reached the ripe age of 87 years. She died on June 17,1957 at Nyangao and was buried there. Now the place where Sr. Walburga was killed has a big cross with inscription. The place is well taken care of. People go there from time to time to pray. 8. Conclusion Sr. Walburga had understood the meaning of religious life deeply and had put it into practice She showed by actions that Religious life is giving oneself completely without reservation to God and for His people. She gave her life to God to save the others for the work to come in God s vineyard. God accepted her sacrifice. Place where Sr. Walburga was killed, Ng awa/nyangao. The fruits of Sr. Walburga are visible in the parish of Nyangao and in the dioceses of Lindi and Mtwara Sr. Walburga, pray for us! Collected by Sr. Birgitta Schnell OSB. English correction by Sr. Andrea Polt OSB Missionary Benedictine Sisters of Tutzing, Ndanda Mtwara Region Tanzania 14