Maria Hueber (22 May 165331 July 1705) was a

Tyrol Tyrol (; historically the Tyrole; de-AT, Tirol ; it, Tirolo) is a historical region in the Alps - in Northern Italy and western Austria. The area was historically the core of the County of Tyrol, part of the Holy Roman Empire, Austrian Emp ...

ean

religious sister A religious sister (abbreviated ''Sr.'' or Sist.) in the Catholic Church is a woman who has taken public vows in a religious institute dedicated to apostolic works, as distinguished from a nun who lives a cloistered monastic life dedicated to pr ...

, a pioneer in educating girls in and foundress of a congregation of the

Third Order of Saint Francis The Third Order of Saint Francis is a third order in the Franciscan tradition of Christianity, founded by the medieval Catholic Church in Italy, Italian Catholic friar Francis of Assisi. The preaching of Francis and his disciples caused many ma ...

Brixen Brixen (, ; it, Bressanone ; lld, Porsenù or ) is a town in South Tyrol, northern Italy, located about north of Bolzano. Geography First mentioned in 901, Brixen is the third largest city and oldest town in the province, and the artistic and ...

Early life

Hueber was born to the Brixen tower watchman, Nikolaus Hueber, and his wife Anna Tapp in 1653. Nikolaus died when she was three months old, leaving Anna to bring three children up through her work as a seamstress and by caring for the sick. Anna taught Maria reading, arithmetic, and sewing. Hueber worked in several residences in Brixen from childhood to supplement her mother's income. She moved to

Bolzano Bolzano ( or ; german: Bozen, (formerly ); bar, Bozn; lld, Balsan or ) is the capital city of the province of South Tyrol in northern Italy. With a population of 108,245, Bolzano is also by far the largest city in South Tyrol and the third la ...

Innsbruck Innsbruck (; bar, Innschbruck, label=Bavarian language, Austro-Bavarian ) is the capital of Tyrol (state), Tyrol and the List of cities and towns in Austria, fifth-largest city in Austria. On the Inn (river), River Inn, at its junction with the ...

, and then

Salzburg Salzburg (, ; literally "Salt-Castle"; bar, Soizbuag, label=Bavarian language, Austro-Bavarian) is the List of cities and towns in Austria, fourth-largest city in Austria. In 2020, it had a population of 156,872. The town is on the site of the ...

in the 1670s, to work in several residences of lay and clergy alike, before her mother's ill health forced her to return home. In the course of her service, she struck acquaintances with many of the religious people she worked for, particularly with the

Order of the Servants of Mary The Servite Order, officially known as the Order of Servants of Mary ( la, Ordo Servorum Beatae Mariae Virginis; abbreviation: OSM), is one of the five original Catholic mendicant orders. It includes several branches of friars (priests and brothe ...

in Innsbruck. She corresponded often with several of them. In 1679, she chose to join the Third Order of St. Francis. She led a religious life while also nursing her sick mother. Her mother died in 1696.

Religious community

Hueber's confessor, Isidor Kirnigl, had come across a community of religious sisters in Rome who were teaching poor girls. When he suggested that Maria attempt something similar in Brixen, she, along with her associate Regina Pfurner, started a congregation Franciscan tertiaries and opened a school for girls on 12 September 1700: the first such institution in

. The girls were taught reading, writing and sewing. Maria Hueber died in 1705, and was buried at the side entrance of the

Poor Clares The Poor Clares, officially the Order of Saint Clare ( la, Ordo sanctae Clarae) – originally referred to as the Order of Poor Ladies, and later the Clarisses, the Minoresses, the Franciscan Clarist Order, and the Second Order of Saint Francis ...

's church in Brixen.

The congregation today

The Tertiary Sisters, a community of around 160 in 2019, run the ''Herz-Jesu-Institut'' ("Institute of the Sacred Heart of Jesus") in

Mühlbach, South Tyrol Mühlbach (; it, Rio di Pusteria ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in South Tyrol in northern Italy, located about northeast of Bolzano. Geography As of 30 November 2010, it had a population of 2,955 and an area of .All demographics and other st ...

, the ''Pädagogisches Gymnasium'' in Bolzano and the ''Marienklinik'' in Bolzano. They also engage in missions in

Cameroon Cameroon (; french: Cameroun, ff, Kamerun), officially the Republic of Cameroon (french: République du Cameroun, links=no), is a country in west-central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west and north; Chad to the northeast; the C ...

and

Bolivia , image_flag = Bandera de Bolivia (Estado).svg , flag_alt = Horizontal tricolor (red, yellow, and green from top to bottom) with the coat of arms of Bolivia in the center , flag_alt2 = 7 × 7 square p ...

. The generalate is in Rome.

Beatification

The process for the

beatification Beatification (from Latin ''beatus'', "blessed" and ''facere'', "to make”) is a recognition accorded by the Catholic Church of a deceased person's entrance into Heaven and capacity to intercede on behalf of individuals who pray in their nam ...

of Maria Hueber began in 1996. On 19 March 2019,

Pope Francis Pope Francis ( la, Franciscus; it, Francesco; es, link=, Francisco; born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, 17 December 1936) is the head of the Catholic Church. He has been the bishop of Rome and sovereign of the Vatican City State since 13 March 2013. ...

authorized

Cardinal Cardinal or The Cardinal may refer to: Animals * Cardinal (bird) or Cardinalidae, a family of North and South American birds **''Cardinalis'', genus of cardinal in the family Cardinalidae **''Cardinalis cardinalis'', or northern cardinal, the ...

Giovanni Angelo Becciu Giovanni Angelo Becciu (born 2 June 1948) is an Italian prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. Pope Francis made him a cardinal on 28 June 2018. On 24 September 2020, he resigned the rights associated with the cardinalate. An archbishop since 20 ...

prefect Prefect (from the Latin ''praefectus'', substantive adjectival form of ''praeficere'': "put in front", meaning in charge) is a magisterial title of varying definition, but essentially refers to the leader of an administrative area. A prefect's ...

of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints to issue the decree of her heroic virtue.

References

{{Authority control 17th-century venerated Christians Founders of Catholic religious communities Leaders of Catholic female orders and societies Members of the Third Order of Saint Francis People from Brixen 1653 births 1705 deaths Venerated Catholics by Pope Francis Austrian Roman Catholic religious sisters and nuns

Early life

Religious community

The congregation today

Beatification

Further reading

References