in cooperation with:

the Chair for Medieval and Modern Church History at the Sankt Georgen Graduate School

and the Chair of Church History in the Department of Catholic Theology at the Goethe University Frankfurt am Main.

Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Margit Eckholt is Professor of Dogmatics and Fundamental Theology at the Institute for Catholic Theology at the University of Osnabrück. She is the director of ICALA (Intercambio cultural alemán-latinoamericano) and the 2nd chair of the IIMF – International Institute for Missiological Research.

Sr. Prof.in Dr. Anne Béatrice Faye, Senegalese, member of the Congrégation des sœurs de Notre Dame de l’Immaculée Conception de Castres. She is a member of the theological commission of the Synod, a professor at the Institut Œcuménique Al mowafaqa in Rabat, Morocco and a member of the ATA (Association of African Theologians). Sr. Beatrice is interested in the advancement of women in the African context.

Ute Kemmerling M.A. is historian and doctoral student at the Historical Institute of FernUniversität Hagen in Germany.

Sr. Mary Makamatine Lembo CSC teaches psychology at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome. Her research includes the abuse of nuns in Africa.

Dr. Rebecca Loder-Neuhold studied history and religious studies at the Karl-Franzens University of Graz, Austria, and completed a master’s degree in exhibition and museum design at the Joanneum University of Applied Sciences in Graz. She was a graduate assistant at the University of Fribourg/Freiburg i.Ü., Switzerland and received her doctorate in 2019 from the Faculty of Theology at Uppsala Universitet in Sweden. She currently works as a development cooperation officer in the Department for Europe and International Affairs of the Styrian Provincial Government.

Sr. Tanja Lohr OSF is Vicar General of the Congregation of the Franciscan Sisters of Sießen. The order is active in Brazil, Germany, Italy, Sweden and South Africa.

Prof. Esther Mombo is associated professor at St. Pauls University Limuru in Kenya, teaching church history and theology from women’s perspective.

Prof. em. Dr. Susana Monreal holds a PhD in History from the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Belgium. She is professor emeritus and coordinator of the Permanent Seminar of History and Religion at the Catholic University of Uruguay, an active member of the National Agency for Research and Innovation, Uruguay, and coordinator of the “Religion and Politics” group of the Iberconceptos (University of the Basque Country) project for Uruguay and of the Dictionary of the Cultural History of the Catholic Church in Latin America, a work of the Vatican’s Department of Culture and Education. She is also President of the Council of the Scholarship Organization Latin America-Germany of Montevideo.

Prof. Dr. Katharina Stornig is a private lecturer (Modern and Contemporary History) at Justus Liebig University Giessen.

Shannen Dee Williams, PhD is Associate Professor of History at Dayton University.

FRAUEN OHNE GRENZEN: Die Dynamik der weiblicher Missionswissenschaft zwischen Deutschland und Brasilien (1872-1965)

(WOMEN WITHOUT BORDERS: The Dynamics of Female Missiology between Germany and Brazil (1872-1965))

Im 19. Jahrhundert stieg die Zahl der aktiven weiblichen Ordensgemeinschaften, vor allem im katholischen Europa, stark an, was die Vielfalt der Charismen und die Zahl der Mitglieder anging. Die ausgewogene Verbindung zwischen aktivem Leben (Arbeit) und kontemplativem Leben (Spiritualität) belebte einen Katholizismus der Bewegung (Dufourcq). Diese Gemeinden ermöglichten es den Frauen, Paradigmen zu brechen, häusliche, lokale und nationale Grenzen zu überwinden und Weltbürgerinnen zu werden. Sie waren Frauen in Ausgang (AP), die auf der Suche nach neuen institutionellen, missionarischen und humanitären Herausforderungen waren. Während sie in Deutschland in Zeiten von Kulturkampf (1872-1887) und Nationalsozialismus (1933-1945) Verfolgung erlitten, fanden sie in Brasilien ein breites Missionsfeld. Seit Mitte des 19. Jahrhunderts setzten sich brasilianische Bischöfe für die Romanisierung der Kirche ein. Diese Reformbewegung gewann nach der Ausrufung der Republik im Jahr 1889 an Stärke. Die Kirche war frei von Patronaten, aber arm, sie brauchte finanzielle und personelle Ressourcen, einen Klerus, der im Geiste des Konzils von Trient (1545-1563) vorbereitet war. Dazu wandten sich die Bischöfe an die Kongregationen in Europa. In kurzer Zeit kamen zahlreiche Männer als auch Frauengemeinschaften in Brasilien an. Zwischen 1872 und 1965 kamen aus Deutschland 23 Frauengemeinschaften nach Brasilien. Sie trugen als „transkulturelle Akteurinnen“ (M. Eckholt) entscheidend zur „katholischen Renaissance“ (VIEIRA) bei, und zwar durch ihre Bildungsaktivitäten in Schulen, durch pastorale Dienste, in der Katechese und durch den umfassenden sozialen Dienst, den sie insbesondere für die Armen und Frauen entwickelten.

Friederike Dillenseger

Zwischen Kolonialismus, Weltkrieg und der Perspektive des Glaubens: Die Missionsbenediktinerinnen von Kwiro (1908-1918)
(Between colonialism, world war and the perspective of faith: the missionary Benedictine nuns of Kwiro (1908-1918))
Eine Missionsgeschichte mit dem Fokus auf Frauen in ihren jeweiligen Rollen als Ordensschwestern, Mütter, Lehrerinnen, Katechetinnen oder Krankenschwestern gehört zu den wenig beachteten Gebieten in der Theologie. Der Vortrag wird anhand der Aufzeichnungen der Missionsbenediktinerinnen von Tutzing, die 1908-1918 auf der Missionsstation Kwiro im heutigen Tansania tätig gewesen sind, Leerstellen des traditionell eurozentrisch-männlichen Missionsnarrativs aufzeigen. Ergeben sich aus der Perspektive der Frauen Impulse für eine zeitgenössische Missionstheologie, die Bezug nimmt auf die Auseinandersetzung mit der Geschichte der Mission in den Kultur- und Geschichtswissenschaften, die Debatte um Postkolonialismus und Rassismus sowie aktuelle Entwicklungen in der Kirche auf dem Weg der Synodalität?

In der Annäherung an diese Fragestellung, wird in dem Vortrag die missionsgeschichtliche Relevanz des Zeitfensters der Quellen von Kwiro (1908-1918) erläutert, die Chronik der Schwestern anhand von Textbeispielen vorgestellt, Leerstellen in der Missionsgeschichte aufgezeigt und theologische Impulse formuliert, die sich aus einer feministischen Missionsbetrachtung in Afrika ergeben.

Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Margit Eckholt

„Virgenes Viajeras“ (Sol Serrano) und „AventurIères de Dieu“ (Elisabeth Dufourcq)
Die Praktiken des ZwischenWeltenLebens von Missionarinnen als Ausgangspunkt einer feministischen Missionswissenschaft

(The Practices of the InterworldsLife of Missionaries as a Starting Point of a Feminist Missiology)

Der Vortrag wird aus fundamentaltheologischer Perspektive Grundlagen einer feministisch-theologischen Missionswissenschaft legen. Unter Rückbezug auf kulturwissenschaftliche Ansätze wird bei den vielfältigen Praktiken von Missionarinnen – auf der Reise, „vor Ort“, auf dem Weg zurück in die „Heimat“ – Bezug genommen und Mission als „ZwischenWeltenLeben“ verstanden. Dabei werden frühe missionswissenschaftliche Studien wie die der Steyler Missionarin Sixta Kasbauer einbezogen und in gegenwärtige Kontexte „übersetzt“. So geht es nicht allein darum, das „weibliche Gesicht der Mission“ zu erschließen, sondern eine feministisch-theologische Missionswissenschaft zu entwerfen, die sich als Revision und Korrektur missionstheologischer Ansätze versteht.

Sr. Prof.in Dr. Béatrice Faye

Visibility of Female Figures in the History of the Church in Africa.

“How can women better fulfil their mission in the Church by recognising and promoting their baptismal dignity more fully” (IL, B 2.3). The full and equal participation of women in the Church of our time is the subject of discernment today. In this modest contribution, we want to explore the visibility of women in the history of the Church, particularly in Africa, highlighting their often underrepresented role. Exploring the traces left by women in the Christian movement through space and time reveals a wealth of influence that is often underestimated and sometimes neglected. There is a sense of frustration at past and present misogyny, exclusion, stereotyping and the slow pace of change. Yet these traces, though sometimes discreet, have a significant impact on theological questions and help to shape a thoughtful understanding of Christian mission.

We will see this first in the early days of Christianity, where we can discern traces of women involved in crucial roles. Figures such as Mary Magdalene, often considered to be the apostle of the apostles because of her role in Christ’s resurrection, bear witness to the active participation of women in the founding moments of the Christian faith. However, it is important to recognise that history has sometimes downplayed these contributions, and a reevaluation of these figures is essential for a fuller understanding.

Next, we will look at how theological reflection on the dignity of women has evolved since Vatican II, culminating in John Paul II’s Apostolic Letter Mulieris Dignitatem. For his part, Pope Francis encourages us to recognise the essential role of women beyond motherhood. This includes a reimagining of anthropology, moving beyond stereotypical thinking about women that focuses on service, maternal qualities and Mary as disciple, virgin and wife. Recognising these traces is therefore important for a thoughtful and inclusive understanding of the Christian mission. It invites the Church to continue moving towards the equal participation of all its members in fulfilling its mission in the world.

In revisiting the history of the Church in Africa, we will focus on four significant figures of women: martyrs, slaves, lay Christians and consecrated women who have contributed to the visibility of women. These female figures inspire a new faith and a new theology, offering alternative perspectives. They have helped to broaden the scope of Christian theology by bringing unique perspectives and inviting deeper reflection on the nature of Christian mission. Hence the call to recognise and value the contribution of women, in line with the teachings of Pope Francis. Women have a capacity for theological reflection that is different from that which we men have. The Church is women. And if we don’t understand who women are, what a woman’s theology is, we’ll never understand what the Church is.

Finally, in the contemporary context of the Church in Synod, women bring to the fore issues of justice, equality and dignity, reshaping the understanding of Christian mission. The footprints of women in our Church reveal a call to a mission that transcends gender barriers, embracing diversity and inclusion as essential elements of Christian witness in the world. In other words, the traces of women in the history of Christianity call for a constant reevaluation of ecclesial structures to ensure equal participation in the mission of the Church as a communion rather than a hierarchy of power.

Ute Kemmerling

Vergessene Stimmen? – Drei Missionarinnen aus dem ländlichen Westfalen in der Erinnerungskultur

(Forgotten Voices? – Three Missionaries from Rural Westphalia in the Culture of Remembrance)

Die Missionsgeschichtsschreibung war über Jahrzehnte vorwiegend Teil der Kirchengeschichte. Im Kontext von Kolonialismus und Mission zeigt sich jedoch auch eine sozialgeschichtliche Auseinandersetzung, die die Bedeutung von Frauen in der Mission vermehrt betont. Zunächst standen vorwiegend Frauen in protestantischen Missionsvereinen oder Missionsgesellschaften im Fokus. Als Missionsschwestern und Missions-Ehefrauen waren sie in der Mission sehr präsent. Hingegen ist die Beschäftigung mit der spezifischen Rolle von katholischen Missionarinnen sehr viel jünger. In ihren deutschen Herkunftsregionen wird vielfach an die missionarischen Leistungen der Männer erinnert, deutlich weniger Spuren finden sich zu den missionarisch tätigen Frauen. Der Vortrag nimmt die weibliche Mission konfessionsübergreifend anhand von drei Fallbeispielen aus Westfalen und angrenzenden Gebieten in den Blick. Neben dem missionarischen Tätigkeitsfeld ist es die Erinnerung an die Frauen, die im Fokus steht.

Sr. Mary Lembo

Sexual Violence against Religious Women in the Catholic Church in Africa

This presentation will base on a research from 2014 to 2019: HEALTHY AND MATURE PASTORAL RELATIONS BETWEEN CONSECRATED WOMEN AND PRIESTS – A QUALITATIVE ANALYSIS OF CASES OF ABUSE OF CONSECRATED WOMEN BY PRIESTS

I am addressing sexual abuse of religious women by priest in the context of pastoral relationship and in collaboration relationship where the imbalance of power is evident.

I have chosen to carry out a qualitative research in the approach of Constructing grounded theory of Charmaz (2006, 2014). The reasons for this choice are: a) to understand the experience of the person being hurt and, b) to propose a solution adapted to the reality of the person. Qualitative field research “involves personal contact with the subjects [person] of the research, mainly through interviews and observations of practices in the environment in which the actors operate.” (Paillé & Mucchielli, 2010, p. 9). This method as defined corresponds to this re-search, insofar as the researcher is at the side of the participant who experiences a painful experience, reads it, interprets it, in order to understand, to construct meaning and to find an appropriate solution, together with the participant.

All nine (9) participants, religious women living and working in 5 countries of sub-Saharan Africa, were exposed to situations of sexual misconduct with priests in the context of pastoral relations (PR) or collaboration for pastoral care (CPC). It is sexual abuse in the pastoral rela-tionship (context of power imbalance relationship) and other forms of sexual violence in the PR or CPC of priests towards participants (8) without their consent. One participant was sexually abused as a minor and then exchanged sex for financial support (sexual abuse and sexual exploitation), one was raped (sexual violence), two faced attempted rape (sexual violence), two faced sexual and emotional harassment (sexu-al violence), three were confronted with sexual acts (unwanted touch, unwanted sexual intercourse). In only one out of the nine cases, that the participant believed that she was free, valid consent

In the culture of the participants it is impossible or difficult for a woman or an adolescent to say “no” to a man, especially an older man, and particularly so to a priest. This results from the low status of women in these societies, their lack of formal education, assertiveness and the fact that priests are put on pedestals and are recognized as educated members of the society, make it difficult to open up and tell their stories.

Sexual misconduct in PR and CPC carries with it multiple consequences that affect either: a) their physical integrity (pain, fatigue, pregnancy followed by abortions); b) their psychological integrity (traumatic symptoms, PTSD, ideation of death or suicide, despair, frustration, disap-pointment, helplessness, depression, disgust of self and body, loss of dignity, shame/embarrassment); c) their integrity of their community life (mistrust, collaterals consequences on the other sisters); d) their social integrity (fear of being seen, fear of what will be said, fear of stigmatization); e) their spiritual integrity (weakened faith followed by spiritual disappointment, anger against God, a change in the rela-tionship with Jesus, neglect or abandonment of prayer or one’s state in life, difficulty forgiving and bearing witness to the Gospel); or f) the perception of the future, uncertain and difficult, by participants who chose a different state of life (2) or who persevered in the consecrated life.

To cope with the situations and consequences of sexual misconduct, the participants had sought help in formation (1), in community (2), from spiritual fathers, confessors (2), from professionals (psychologist, psychotherapist and psycho-spiritual guide) (4). One still hesitates, questioning herself about how she can end the sexual misconduct with the priest (1). To prevent sexual misconduct, participants propose methods of education, formation with concrete themes and guidelines.

This research is the only one to bring out underlying relational dynamics or grooming by priests in relations marked by sexual misconduct: a) neutralizing the vigilance of the consecrated women (CW) and their relatives, b) creating familiarity with the family, the community, by implicating and manipulating the superior of the community without her realizing it, in order to have access to the consecrated women, c) making the CW believe she is “special”, by distinguishing her from others, d) providing financial assistance, and e) using cognitive distortions to convince the CW to accept sexual misconduct.

This research has shown that, considering the asymmetry of PR or CPC (between subordinate and superior), the priest, by his identity, his role, and his position, is responsible for any sexual misconduct between himself and the CW. However, the consecrated woman or the girl information must be aware of the internal risk factors: confusion / ambiguity / ambivalence (a tendency to face sexual solicitations with confusion, anxiety, worry, hesitation about refusing priests) and naivety (to have too much or unquestioned confidence in the priests, to idealize them as “holy men” and competent collaborators, the only ones with whom they can collaborate).

Among many consequences of sexual misconducts studied, the merits of this research also consist in outlining the collaterals consequences for other consecrated women of the community and the impact on the Christian’s witness for the Kingdom of God.

This research has made preventive recommendations to: a) help priests and consecrated women and their communities to keep healthy boundaries to protect themselves, the persons of their mission, their ministry and professional relationships, b) to increase awareness of the imbalanced power in pastoral relationships. These recommendations will help the consecrated women to identify, avoid grooming and to decide and act with lucidity, autonomy, and transparency in pastoral or collaborative relationships with the priests. Prepare and sustain them to face the process of their legal complain.

Beside these important preventive recommendations, attention must be giving to the courant situation of some consecrated women and girls in formation, who have suffered sexual abuse or other sexual violence. The research suggests providing structures to listen to, accompany and care for them.

Dr. Rebecca Loder-Neuhold

Weibliche Missionskongregationen und ihre Missionsmuseen im deutschsprachigen Raum

(Female Missionary Congregations and their Mission Museums in German-speaking Countries)

Am Beginn steht eine Einführung in die bisherige Forschungsarbeit über die sogenannten Missionsmuseen und Sammlungen, die katholische Missionskongregationen und Orden in Europa aufbauten (spätes 19. Jahrhundert bis in die Gegenwart). Dieser einführende Vortrag vermittelt die Charakteristika und stellt die bedeutendsten Themen der Auseinandersetzung mit dieser Praxis dar. Vor allem die zeitliche Entwicklung und die Kontexte dieser „wilden Universalmuseen“, die Ethnografika, Naturalia und Kunstgegenstände präsentieren, werden vermittelt.

Im zweiten Teil des Workshops wird in Gruppen gearbeitet. Mehrere Beispiele von Missionsmuseen, die von Frauenkongregationen in Deutschland, Österreich und der Schweiz eingerichtet wurden, werden durch die Teilnehmenden erarbeitet, wofür Unterlagen ausgeteilt werden (Nota bene: passive Englischkenntnisse sind dazu notwendig).

Sr. M. Tanja Lohr

Von der Mutter zur Schwester auf Augenhöhe – (Wie) Geht das? Strukturwandel in der Kongregation der Franziskanerinnen von Sießen

(From mother to sister at eye level – (How) Is that possible? Structural change in the Congregation of the Franciscan Sisters of Sießen)

Der Workshop behandelt Geschichte und Erfahrungen eines schwäbischen Ordens, der sich zu einem internationalen Orden entwickelt. Es geht um den Aufbruch und das Leben in den früheren Regionen und aktuellen Provinzen Südafrika und Brasilien, die Folgen gesellschaftspolitischer Entwicklungen für den Orden wie bspw. das Zusammenleben von Deutschen und Südafrikanerinnen während der Apartheit. Es werden Herausforderungen im Ringen und Wachsen um Selbständigkeit der Länder und der Weg Richtung Augenhöhe mit Deutschland aufgezeigt (Deutschland ist seit 2020 rechtlich auch eine Provinz und der Orden hat eine internationale Kongregationsleitung). Das Zusammenwachsen der Provinzen wird thematisiert, von Vernetzung und Hoffnung gesprochen, ebenso von Gelingen und Misslingen auf dem Weg der Internationalität und dem gemeinsamen Hören auf die Zeichen der Zeit.

Prof.in Dr. Esther Mombo

Women Navigating Gendered Mission and Decolonization in Protestant and Independent Churches in East Africa (1950-2000)

The overwhelming presence of African women in churches in Africa, attests to the fact that the church in Africa is composed of and is sus-tained by women. However, in the history of the churches, the contributions of women are both muted and invisiblized. The African context of the 1950s onwards was characterized by the strive for political and religious independence and African leadership.

It is the African men who got into positions of leadership in both politics and the churches because they had accessed formal education which was offered in missionary schools. Women remained in the background because of the ideology of domesticity that influenced missionary work. Moreover, the mission and the church stories were/are told by and from the perspectives of men. In this paper I discuss narratives of women in the mainline Protestant traditions and African Instituted Churches in East-Africa, whose stories continue to emerge. Using examples of individuals and organizations, I present some of the untold stories of women of faith who founded churches, advocated for women’s ordination, organized women’s fellowships, and the Circle of Concerned Women Theologians.

Prof.in Dr. Susana Monreal

“Humble Women, Powerful Nuns” (Suenens): Missionaries in Latin America”
“Humble women, powerful nuns” is the title of the remarkable book that Kristien Suenens published in 2020. Although the title and the work are dedicated to the study of four Belgian founders, the profile of these women is very similar to that of so many religious women who travelled as missionaries to Latin America: simple and devout women, obedient to the Church, who gradually developed their influence and autonomy. Since 1830, active female congregations arrived in the young independent states, beginning a new stage in the continent’s missionary history. Mostly of French and Italian origin – although they came from all over Europe – the sisters dedicated themselves to education and caring for the sick, elderly and orphans. In view of the existence of secularizing advances, their mission also consisted in strengthening the presence of the Catholic Church, developing a new model of religious life and covering unmet social needs, even supplementing liberal governments.
They were “humble women”, often hidden in patriarchal environments. They were also “powerful nuns” who took charge of their works, managed conflicts with ecclesiastical and civil authorities, and surpassed the image of good women destined to implement the projects of others.

PD Dr. Katharina Stornig

Emanzipation durch Mission? Deutsche Ordensfrauen in kolonialen Kontexten im späten 19. und frühen 20. Jahrhundert.

(Emancipation through mission? German women religious in colonial contexts in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.)
Frauen spielten in den christlichen Missionen des 19. und 20. Jahrhunderts in mehrerlei Hinsicht wichtige Rollen. Im Kontext der enormen Expansion missionarischer Initiativen zur Zeit des Hochimperialismus wurden sie sowohl zu zentralen Akteurinnen als auch zu Adressatinnen christlicher Missionstätigkeit, wie die historische Forschung der letzten beiden Jahrzehnte gezeigt hat. Der Vortrag nimmt die 1889 gegründete Missionskongregation der Dienerinnen des Heiligen Geistes und insbesondere ihre Aktivitäten und Erfahrungen in den damaligen deutschen Kolonien Togo und Neuguinea in den Blick und fragt, inwieweit sich in diesem Zusammenhang für Frauen unterschiedlicher Herkunft und diversen Hintergrunds neue Handlungs- und Emanzipationsräume in ergeben haben.

Prof.in Shannen Dee Williams

America’s Real Sister Act: The Untold Stories and Struggles of Black Catholic Nuns in the United States:

For most people, Whoopi Goldberg’s performance as Sister Mary Clarence in the Sister Act film franchise is the dominant interpretation of an African American nun and the desegregation of white Catholic sisterhood in the United States. In this presentation, Dr. Shannen Dee Williams will chronicle the story of America’s real sister act: the story of how generations of Black women and girls called to the sacred vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience fought against racism, sexism, and exclusion to become and minster as consecrated women of God in the Roman Catholic Church. In so doing, she will turn critical attention to women’s religious life as a stronghold of white supremacy and racial segregation, and thus an important battleground in the long African American freedom strugg