Cordula Wöhler, later Cordula Schmid, pseudonym Cordula Peregrina (17 June 1845 – 6 February 1916) was a German author of
Christian poetry
Christian poetry is any poetry that contains Christian teachings, themes, or references. The influence of Christianity on poetry has been great in any area that Christianity has taken hold. Christian poems often directly reference the Bible, whil ...
and hymns, whose "
Segne du, Maria" is among the most popular
Marian hymns in the
Germanosphere.
Wöhler wrote the poem after she, the daughter of a Lutheran pastor in
Lichtenhagen Lichtenhagen, from the oldgerman designation for ''Clear Grove'' is the name for many urban places like
* Rostock-Lichtenhagen, borough of Rostock, Germany
* Elmenhorst/Lichtenhagen, Bad Doberan, Germany
* neighborhood of Friedland, Lower Saxony, G ...
, announced that she was converting to Catholicism, only to be expelled from her parental home and disowned by her family. Wöhler then moved to
Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary, also referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Dual Monarchy or the Habsburg Monarchy, was a multi-national constitutional monarchy in Central Europe#Before World War I, Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. A military ...
and became a recognised poet and author of
Christian literature
Christian literature is the literary aspect of Christian media, and it constitutes a huge body of extremely varied writing.
History
The Christian genre spans a variety of media and art forms that highlight Christian beliefs, narratives, and m ...
.
Life
Born in
Malchin,
Mecklenburg
Mecklenburg (; ) is a historical region in northern Germany comprising the western and larger part of the federal-state Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. The largest cities of the region are Rostock, Schwerin, Neubrandenburg, Wismar and Güstrow. ...
, Cordula Wöhler was the oldest daughter of (1814–1884) and his wife Cordula née Banck (1822–1900). When she was born, her father, a
Lutheran
Lutheranism is a major branch of Protestantism that emerged under the work of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German friar and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practices of the Catholic Church launched ...
theologian,
was head of a school in Malchin. Her mother was the daughter of a merchant from
Stralsund
Stralsund (; Swedish language, Swedish: ''Strålsund''), officially the Hanseatic League, Hanseatic City of Stralsund (German language, German: ''Hansestadt Stralsund''), is the fifth-largest city in the northeastern German federal state of Mecklen ...
. When her father took office as pastor in
Lichtenhagen Lichtenhagen, from the oldgerman designation for ''Clear Grove'' is the name for many urban places like
* Rostock-Lichtenhagen, borough of Rostock, Germany
* Elmenhorst/Lichtenhagen, Bad Doberan, Germany
* neighborhood of Friedland, Lower Saxony, G ...
near
Rostock
Rostock (; Polabian language, Polabian: ''Roztoc''), officially the Hanseatic and University City of Rostock (), is the largest city in the German States of Germany, state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and lies in the Mecklenburgian part of the sta ...
in 1856, she found a 15th-century
Pietà
The Pietà (; meaning "pity", "compassion") is a subject in Christian art depicting the Mary (mother of Jesus), Blessed Virgin Mary cradling the mortal body of Jesus Christ after his Descent from the Cross. It is most often found in sculpture. ...
in the . Impressed by the sculpture, she developed
Marian devotions
Marian devotions are external pious practices directed to the person of Mary, mother of Jesus, by members of certain Christian traditions. They are performed in Catholicism, High Church Lutheranism, Anglo-Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy and Orien ...
.
She began a correspondence with
priests
A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particular, ...
and religious authors
Christoph von Schmid and
Alban Stolz. In August 1864, she travelled with her family in
Thuringia
Thuringia (; officially the Free State of Thuringia, ) is one of Germany, Germany's 16 States of Germany, states. With 2.1 million people, it is 12th-largest by population, and with 16,171 square kilometers, it is 11th-largest in area.
Er ...
,
Bavaria
Bavaria, officially the Free State of Bavaria, is a States of Germany, state in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the list of German states by area, largest German state by land area, comprising approximately 1/5 of the total l ...
,
Tyrol
Tyrol ( ; historically the Tyrole; ; ) is a historical region in the Alps of Northern Italy and western Austria. The area was historically the core of the County of Tyrol, part of the Holy Roman Empire, Austrian Empire and Austria-Hungary, f ...
and Switzerland.
In Thuringia, she first attended the
Tridentine Mass
The Tridentine Mass, also known as the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite or ''usus antiquior'' (), Vetus Ordo or the Traditional Latin Mass (TLM) or the Traditional Rite, is the liturgy in the Roman Missal of the Catholic Church codified in ...
, which impressed her deeply.
After intense correspondence with Fr. Stolz, and another vacation with her parents in traditionally Catholic
southern Germany
Southern Germany (, ) is a region of Germany that includes the areas in which Upper German dialects are spoken, which includes the stem duchies of Bavaria and Swabia in present-day Bavaria, Baden-Württemberg, and the southern portion of Hesse ...
in 1868, she decided to convert to the
Catholic Church
The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...
.
When her parents became aware of it in March 1869, they objected and forbade it. In 1870, Wöhler declared that she was, aged 25, independent and determined to convert. In response, her parents disowned her and expelled her from the family home.
Coping with this painful personal experience, she wrote a prayer hymn to Mary on 31 May 1870, "
Segne du, Maria, segne mich, dein Kind" ("You, Mary, bless me, your child").
In 1916,
Karl Kindsmüller (1876–1955), a teacher, church musician and composer of several sacred songs from
Lower Bavaria
Lower Bavaria (, ; ) is one of the seven administrative regions of Bavaria, Germany, located in the east of the state. It consists of nine districts and 258 municipalities (including three cities).
Geography
Lower Bavaria is subdivided into two ...
, wrote a melody for it.
On 10 July 1870, Wöhler became a member of the Catholic Church in
Freiburg im Breisgau
Freiburg im Breisgau or simply Freiburg is the List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, fourth-largest city of the German state of Baden-Württemberg after Stuttgart, Mannheim and Karlsruhe. Its built-up area has a population of abou ...
. She made a confession of faith to the bishop
Lothar von Kübel,
and received
confirmation
In Christian denominations that practice infant baptism, confirmation is seen as the sealing of the covenant (religion), covenant created in baptism. Those being confirmed are known as confirmands. The ceremony typically involves laying on o ...
three days later, and her
first communion
First Communion is a ceremony in some Christian traditions during which a person of the church first receives the Eucharist. It is most common in many parts of the Latin tradition of the Catholic Church, Lutheran Church and Anglican Communion (ot ...
on 16 July 1870.
She lived in Tyrol from March 1871 where Lukas Tolpeit, the ''Pfarrkurat'' of
Eben am Achensee, had offered her a job. She wrote poems and religious essays. She then moved to
Schwaz
Schwaz () is a city in the Austrian state of Tyrol. It is the administrative center of the Schwaz district. Schwaz is located in the lower Inn valley.
Location
Schwaz lies in the middle of the Lower Inn Valley at the foot of the Kellerjoch ...
, where she worked in a pastry shop. After five months, she moved to live with a young couple on the nearby Freundsberg, where she wrote the poetry collection, ''Was das Ewige Licht erzählt. Gedichte über das allerheiligste Altarsakrament'' ("What the Eternal Light Relates. Poems about the
most holy sacrament of the altar"). It appeared in 25 editions and established her recognition.
She published more religious prose and poetry, some under the pseudonym Cordula Peregrina.
In 1876, Josef Anton Schmid from
Oberstaufen
Oberstaufen ( Low Alemannic: ''Schtoufe'') is a municipality in the district of Oberallgäu in Bavarian Swabia, Germany, situated on the B 308 road from Lindau to Immenstadt.
History
It is first mentioned as ''Stoufun'' in AD 868. Historically ...
requested a "pious poem" ("frommes Gedicht") from her for a memorial plaque for the Jesuit
Jakob Rem
Jakob Rem (June 1546 - 12 October 1618) was an Austrian member of the Society of Jesus, a Catholic evangelical organization, and an early member of the Congregation of Marian Fathers.
Career
Jakob Rem was born in June 1546 in Bregenz, Austria.
...
. Schmid and Wöhler entered an intense correspondence, resulting in an engagement before they had met in person.
They married in
Riezlern,
Kleinwalsertal
Kleinwalsertal is a valley in the Austrian province of Vorarlberg and part of the Bregenz district. It includes the municipality of Mittelberg and consists of three villages along the River Breitach. Due to the geographic location in the All ...
, and moved to
Bregenz
Bregenz (; ) is the capital of Vorarlberg, the westernmost states of Austria, state of Austria. The city lies on the east and southeast shores of Lake Constance, the third-largest freshwater lake in Central Europe, between Switzerland in the wes ...
.
She kept publishing under her maiden name. The couple moved to
Schwaz
Schwaz () is a city in the Austrian state of Tyrol. It is the administrative center of the Schwaz district. Schwaz is located in the lower Inn valley.
Location
Schwaz lies in the middle of the Lower Inn Valley at the foot of the Kellerjoch ...
in 1881,
where they bought a house and adopted two orphan girls.
She kept writing, and was active in the local parish together with her husband. The relationship with her birth family improved, with letters and occasional visits of her parents and her sister in Schwaz, but she never returned home.
She died in Schwaz, and was buried next to her husband, who died a few months later, in the cemetery beside their parish church.
According to the
epitaph
An epitaph (; ) is a short text honoring a deceased person. Strictly speaking, it refers to text that is inscribed on a tombstone or plaque, but it may also be used in a figurative sense. Some epitaphs are specified by the person themselves be ...
, she was a recipient of the
Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice
''Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice'' ("For Church and Pope" in Latin) is a decoration of the Holy See. It is currently conferred for distinguished service to the Catholic Church by lay people and clergy.
History
The medal was established by Leo XII ...
cross.
Notes
References
Further reading
*
* Julius Mayer (ed.), Alban Stolz: "Fügung und Führung", Konvertitenbilder, Part 3, "Alban Stolz und Cordula Wöhler", Freiburg im Breisgau, 1917
* Wieland Vogel: Doch meine Seele habt ihr nicht. Die Konversion der Dichterin Cordula Wöhler. Christiana-Verlag im Fe-Medienverlag, Kisslegg 2020
External links
*
Gedichte von Cordula Wöhler(in German) gedichte.xbib.de
Segne du, Maria, segne mich, dein Kind(in German) st-antonius.at Bregenz 1 May 2008
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wohler, Cordula
German Catholic poets
German Roman Catholic hymnwriters
People from Schwaz
People from Malchin
1845 births
1916 deaths
Converts to Roman Catholicism from Lutheranism