Catholic Peace Fellowship

Philadelphia Chapter Pax Christi – USA 1429 N. 11th St., Philadelphia, PA. 19122

Memorial Service in Honor of Franziska Jägerstätter

1913 - 2013

Guests: Aloisia and Maria Jägerstätter Elisabeth Jungmeier, Pax Christi Austria Annamarie Schneider, friend of the Jägerstätters

Woodcut: Robert McGovern

…The witness for which we honour Franz Jägerstätter was a joint witness. His decision to resist to the death was made with Franziska. It was not made without pain or terrible soul-searching for both of them, but it was made with

humble clarity of conscience.

His was the dramatic action; hers to live out that act of resistance… Theirs is a marriage that never broke the communion of life –

the active resister with God; the woman of faith and endurance, struggling to live daily in the presence of God. It is a marriage consecrated to the work of peace.

Bishop T. Gumbleton, 1987

Providence is Indeed Alive and Well!

In a remarkable Memorial Service on September 29, 2013, the life of Franziska Jägerstätter was commemorated in a crowded church in Philadelphia.

All the way from Austria, Franz and Franziska’s two daughters, Aloisia and Maria, joined us to honor the life of their mother, who died at age 100 in March 2013. Elisabeth Jungmeier, Pax Christi Austria, and a Jägerstätter family friend, Annamarie Schneider, accompanied the Jägerstätters.

The Austrian guests were greeted by Aileen McGovern (wife of artist Bob McGovern), Fr. John McNamee

(published poet/author and pastor emeritus of St. Malachy), Bishop Tom Gumbleton (friend of Franziska), and Johanna Berrigan (House of Grace Catholic Worker). All of the above shared their reflections of their visits with Franziska in Asutria.

Aileen McGovern shared the story of how her husband, Bob McGovern, came to carve the life size statue of Franz (see below) which is now enshrined at St. Malachy’s. Fr. McNamee read In Memoriam (Clay Vessels & Other Poems, John McNamee and Robert F. McGovern, 1995, Sheed & Ward). Johanna Berrigan offered reflections on her experience of meeting Franziska and the family at Franz’ beatification celebration.

Elisabeth Jungmeier brought greetings from Pax Christi Austria and all of our guests engaged in a lively question and answer session as the end of the formal presentations, slowed only by the necessity to translate from English to German and back.

Canonize Franz and Franziska together!!! The highlight of the evening was an eloquent talk by Bishop Tom Gumbleton, auxiliary bishop of Detroit, about the lives of this loving couple. The sanctity, courage and love of the two are inseparable; the two became one. He offered a profound vision of marriage as a symbol of the love that Christ offers to all of us: whereby we celebrate our oneness with one another as church.

Bishop Gumbleton offered a triumphant call:

“This is the moment we start a movement here in Philadelphia, in the United States,

for the canonization of Franziska at the same time as Franz.”

woodcuts R.F. McGovern

Joe Bradley, CPF Newsletter - September2013

Why is a wood carving

of Blessed Franz Jägerstätter in

St. Malachy Church in North Philadelphia?

Aileen McGovern

It is here because of the long standing friendship of Fr. Daniel Berrigan, SJ, Fr. John McNamee and my husband Robert [Bob] F. McGovern. In anticipation of his 50th Anniversary as a Jesuit in 1989, Daniel asked Bob to carve a statue of Franz. Bob knew of Franz from a 1958 article in the Jesuit magazine America, by the sociologist and pacifist Gordon Zahn. Daniel wanted an image that would meet and challenge him each day, not a small statue on a shelf. There were many designs and much discussion. Bob didn’t want an obvious swastika depicted in the piece, but the symbol of National Socialism was nevertheless

somehow essential, the image of that which Franz so opposed and gave his life to resist. The carving shows the solution: Franz breaking apart the swastika and striding through the flames of his faith. He holds his bible in his right hand as that was a great source of strength to him.

The statue was delivered to Daniel in August 1989 and was in his apartment until 2007 when he gave it to St.

Malachy to celebrate the beatification of Franz Jägerstätter. Daniel chose St. Malachy Church because his

good friend, Fr. McNamee was pastor, Catholic Peace Fellowship (CPF) meets there and Bob and I were members. On the second Sunday of each month, CPF leads the congregation in prayer for Franz and now Franziska for peace, justice and human dignity for all.

Daniel wrote to Bob on the feast of the Assumption [1989]:

I wanted to live with the image of Franz for a while before writing a note. Awesome, moving one to deep, deep parts of oneself to prayer, to hope. People come and look and don’t want to talk for awhile. Neither do I for a much longer while. I have a cotton backdrop up on a trial basis, from Tanzania, images of bread and wine. Someone said it made Franz more tender, all the volatile movement and the noble uncompromising head…

…Thank you, dear friends, Franz speaks for you, of you. Daniel

Artist Robert McGovern

Bob’s woodcuts and Fr. John McNamee’s poem In Memoriam can be found in Clay Vessels, a book jointly published to commemorate their visit to the village of St. Radegund.

Robert McGovern died on April 13, 2011. Bob created some 250 wood and linoleum blocks for fine prints. He completed commissions for panel carvings, murals, etched glass

designs, and fabric banners. He collaborated with architects in the design of churches. Bob graduated from University of the Arts, Philadelphia, in 1956, and was on the faculty for forty-two years until his retirement in 1999 when he became Professor Emeritus.

Bob was a dear friend of CPF, graciously sharing his deep faith and wisdom and generously gifting us with his artwork for our newsletter.