Bruder Konrad, Bronzeskulptur von Hubert Weber, St.-Konrad-Kirche Hof
Conrad
von Parzham (dans le siècle Johann Birndorfer) naît le 22 décembre 1818 à
Venushof de Parzham, près de Passau en Bavière. Dernier d'une fratrie de douze
enfants, vécut une jeunesse simple, aimant la nature en aidant ses parents, de
pieux cultivateurs bavarois.
Orphelin
à seize ans, il tenta par la suite de poursuivre des études au monastère
bénédictin de Deggendorf à Metten, participant avec les moines aux travaux
agricoles. Il vivait dans un pays qui conservait ses traditions populaires,
profondément chrétiennes. Il était robuste et droit.
A 23 ans,
il entra dans le Tiers-Ordre franciscain. Il était spécialement dévoué à son
rosaire et assistait à la messe quotidienne. Il aurait pu continuer à vivre une
vie heureuse et paysanne ; mais à 31 ans refusant le mariage, cet homme
distribua sa part d'héritage à ses frères et à diverses institutions
religieuses.
Il entra
chez les Capucins de Sainte-Anne d'Altötting. Il fit son noviciat à Laufen.
Ensuite il devint jardinier du couvent et fit sa profession en 1852, sous le
nom de Conrad.
Devenu
portier du Couvent d' Altötting, toujours calme et patient, le Frère Conrad,
heureux de vivre dans ce sanctuaire marial, menait une vie humble et
recueillie. Sa dévotion à Notre Dame et ses conseils furent bientôt connus de
la population locale qui se pressait aux portes du couvent. Sa réputation dans
toute la Basse-Bavière se développa à une époque, où eut lieu un réveil du
Catholicisme bavarois.
Craignant
de perdre son autonomie, face aux puissances protestantes (la Prusse), la Bavière
puisait aux sources de la tradition catholique, dans un mouvement de charité et
de dévotions populaires. Cet élan de piété allait de pair avec une prospérité
grandissante. Notre époque, où les richesses matérielles détournent souvent de
la Foi, est bien différente de celle du royaume bavarois d'alors...
Mais il
existait bien sûr des souffrances matérielles et morales que le Frère Conrad
tentait de soulager avec patience et ténacité, sous le regard de la Vierge. Il
avait mission de distribuer aux pauvres les produits agricoles et le pain du
couvent et bien sûr de la bière, brassée au couvent, qu'il voulait légère. Il
accueillait d'incessants groupes de pèlerins. De nombreuses conversions eurent
lieu aussi.
Il
collabora aussi à l'œuvre du « Liebeswerk »
destinée à l'enfance abandonnée.
C'est
ainsi que se déroula une vie simple dédiée aux humbles travaux. Le 18 avril
1894, se sentant fatigué, il se coucha pour se préparer dit-il à
l'éternité ; il rendit son âme le 21 avril.
Konrad von Parzham a été béatifié par Pie XI (Ambrogio Damiano
Achille Ratti, 1922-1939) en 1930 et
canonisé quatre ans plus tard.
Sources principales : alexandrina.balasar.free.fr ; wikipédia.org (« Rév. x gpm
»).
©Evangelizo.org 2001-2016
SOURCE : http://levangileauquotidien.org/main.php?language=FR&module=saintfeast&id=3506&fd=0
Die 1933/34 erbaute katholische Kirche St. Konrad von Parzham (auch Bruder-Konrad-Kirche) steht in der Ortsmitte von Esthal im Pfälzerwald
Saint Conrad de Parzham
Frère
capucin (✝ 1894)
Confesseur.
Jusqu'à
l'âge de trente ans, il travailla avec ses parents dans leur ferme de Porzham
en Basse-Bavière. Puis il alla se présenter au couvent des Capucins qui
desservaient le célèbre sanctuaire marial de Notre-Dame d'Altötting. Ils le
reçurent comme frère convers ou laïc vivant au monastère. Ils firent de lui le
portier du couvent pendant 44 ans, accueillant avec sourire et patience
fournisseurs, visiteurs et pèlerins. Beaucoup de religieux et de religieuses
reconnurent qu'ils devaient leur vocation grâce à quelques-unes des paroles
tombées de ses lèvres quand ils venaient en pèlerins ou en commerçants. Un
bénédictin curieux a calculé qu'en raison de quarante coups de sonnettes par
jour, saint Conrad dut accomplir près de 500.000 actes de vertu dans sa vie
d'accueil.
Die Kirche St. Konrad in der Gartenstadt 1960
Conrad de Parzham
Capucin, Saint
1818-1894
Né le 22 décembre 1818 à Venushof de Parzham, près
de Passau en Bavière, Jean Birndorfer, dernier d' une fratrie de douze enfants,
vécut une jeunesse simple, aimant la nature en aidant ses parents, de pieux
cultivateurs bavarois.
Orphelin à seize ans, il tenta par la suite de
poursuivre des études au monastère bénédictin de Deggendorf à Metten,
participant avec les moines aux travaux agricoles. Il vivait dans un pays qui
conservait ses traditions populaires, profondément chrétiennes. Il était
robuste et droit.
A 23 ans, il entra dans le Tiers-Ordre franciscain.
Il était spécialement dévoué à son rosaire et assistait à la messe quotidienne.
Il aurait pu continuer à vivre une vie heureuse et paysanne ; mais à 31 ans
refusant le mariage, cet homme distribua sa part d'héritage à ses frères et à
diverses institutions religieuses. Il entra chez les Capucins de Sainte-Anne
d'Altötting. Il fit son noviciat à Laufen. Ensuite il devint jardinier du
couvent et fit sa profession en 1852, sous le nom de Conrad.
Devenu portier du Couvent d' Altötting, toujours
calme et patient, le Frère Conrad, heureux de vivre dans ce sanctuaire marial,
menait une vie humble et recueillie. Sa dévotion à Notre Dame et ses conseils
furent bientôt connus de la population locale qui se pressait aux portes du
couvent. Sa réputation dans toute la Basse-Bavière se développa à une époque,
où eut lieu un réveil du Catholicisme bavarois. Craignant de perdre son
autonomie, face aux puissances protestantes (la Prusse), la Bavière puisait aux
sources de la tradition catholique, dans un mouvement de charité et de
dévotions populaires. Cet élan de piété allait de pair avec une prospérité
grandissante. Notre époque, où les richesses matérielles détournent souvent de
la Foi, est bien différente de celle du royaume bavarois d' alors...
Mais il existait bien sûr des souffrances
matérielles et morales que le Frère Conrad tentait de soulager avec patience et
ténacité, sous le regard de la Vierge...Il avait mission de distribuer aux pauvres
les produits agricoles et le pain du couvent et bien sûr de la bière, brassée
au couvent, qu'il voulait légère. Il accueillait d'incessants groupes de
pèlerins. De nombreuses conversions eurent lieu aussi.
Il collabora aussi à l'œuvre du "Liebeswerk"
destinée à l'enfance abandonnée.
C'est ainsi que se déroula une vie simple dédiée
aux humbles travaux. Le 18 avril 1894, se sentant fatigué, il se coucha pour se
préparer dit-il à l'éternité... Il rendit son âme le 21 avril.
Il fut béatifié par Pie XI en 1930 et canonisé
quatre ans plus tard.
St Conrad of Parzham
Feast
Day– April 22
St Conrad of
Parzham, whose baptismal name was John, was the son of the devout and honest
couple George Birndorfer and Gertrude Niedermayer. He was born on a farm near
the town of Parzham in Bavaria in the year 1818.
From his earliest
years, St Conrad of Parzham gave indications of his future sanctity by his
modesty and love of solitude. The fervor of his devotion was noticeable
especially when he prayed in church, the distant location of which was no
hindrance to his visiting it frequently even in inclement weather.
St Conrad of
Parzham was inflamed with great love for the Blessed Virgin, and each day
fervently recited the rosary. On feast days he frequently made a journey to
some remote shrine of the Mother of God. During such pilgrimages, always made
on foot, he was constantly engaged in prayer, and when he returned in the
evening, he was usually still fasting.
Having spent his
youthful years on the farm, closely united to God by means of interior union
with Him, St Conrad of Parzham decided at the age of 31 to bid farewell to the
world. After disposing of a very large inheritance, he received permission to
be admitted as a lay brother among the Capuchins.
Immediately after
his profession he was sent to the convent of St. Anne in the city of
Altoetting. This place is particularly renowned among all others in Germany for
its shrine of the Mother of Mercy, and hundreds, even thousands of the faithful
come there daily. Because of the great concourse of people in this city, the
duty of the porter at the friary is a very difficult one.
As soon as he arrived, this
charge was given to Conrad, who retained it until his death. Diligent at his
work, sparing in words, bountiful to the poor, eager and ready to receive and
help strangers, Brother Conrad calmly fulfilled the task of porter for more
than 40 years, during which time he greatly benefited the inhabitants of the
city as well as strangers in all their needs of body and soul.
Among the virtues
he practiced, he loved silence in a special way. His spare moments during the
day were spent in a nook near the door where it was possible for him to see and
adore the Blessed Eucharist. During the night he would deprive himself of
several hours of sleep, to devote the time to prayer either in the oratory of
the brothers or in the church. Indeed, it was quite generally believed that he
never took any rest, but continually occupied himself in work and exercises of
devotion.
On a certain feast
day, when he had ministered to a large number of pilgrims, he felt his strength
leaving him. He was obliged to manifest his weakness to his superior. Obedience
sent him to bed. Only three days later, little children, to whom the news of
Conrad's sickness had not been given lest they be overly saddened, gathered as
by instinct around the friary, reciting the rosary.
As Blessed Father
Francis had died to the music of the birds he loved, so his son died with the
voices of the children, these lovely creatures of God, ringing in his ears.
On April 21, 1894,
the Capuchin porter heard the sound of the Bell for which he had so patiently
waited. For the last time he ran to the Door. But this time the Door was
literally his Christ.
His heroic virtues
and the miracles he performed won for him the distinction to be ranked among
the Blessed by Pope Pius XI in the year 1930. Four years later, the same pope,
approving additional miracles which had been performed, solemnly inscribed his
name in the list of saints.
*from: The
Franciscan Book of Saints, ed. by Marion Habig, ofm.
Châsse de Saint Conrad de Parzham,
Bruder Konrad-Kirche Altötting
(Landkreis Altötting, Oberbayern)
Conrad of Parzham, OFM
Cap. (AC)
Born in Parzham (near Passau), Bavaria, Germany, December 12, 1818; died April
21, 1894; beatified in 1930; canonized in 1934. John Birndorfer, as he was
known in the world, belonged to those reflective peasant souls who are led by
their work with nature almost automatically to preoccupation with the
supernatural. For him to be alone in the fields was to be alone with God.
When at the age of
31, he realized that God was calling him to a monastic life, he left Parzham,
renounced his prosperous farm, and joined the Capuchins as a lay brother. After
taking his solemn vows he was sent to the monastery of Altötting, Germany.
Beside the monastery is a shrine of the Mother of God, annually visited by
several hundred thousands of pilgrims. In such a cloister, where the bell never
rests, the doorkeeper's job is unusually heavy.
For 41 years,
Brother Conrad attended to the cloister door and performed his duties with
perfect tact and care and with imperturbable patience, always humble, pious,
helpful, unassuming, and diligent. No one ever saw him irritable or churlish.
No one ever heard from his lips malicious gossip or frivolous judgment or even
an idle word, although he had dealings with innumerable people in the course of
many years. His occupation made such demands on him that he often did not find
time to eat with the brothers.
His
self-sacrificing charity towards pilgrims and the poor, children and itinerant
journeymen won him the hearts of the people, and the striking answers to his
prayer caused people to recommend themselves to his good offices in prayer.
Three days before
his death he recognized that he was no longer able to cope with the throngs at
the door and relinquished his office (Attwater, Attwater2, Benedictines,
Schamoni).
Saint Conrad of Parzham
Also known as
- Conrad Birndorfer
- Hansel Birndorfer
- Johann Birndorfer
- Johannes Birndorfer
- John Birndorfer
- Konrad….
- Corrado….
Profile
Youngest of nine children born to a farming family in a region recovering from the Napoleonic wars. His mother died when he was 14. Devoted from an early age to solitary prayer
and peacemaking, he was a familiar site at all the churches and shrines
in his region, often waiting at the door at sunrise for first Mass.
Capuchin
tertiary at age 31; Capuchin
novice
at age 33, taking the name Conrad. Assigned to the shrine of Our Lady of Altotting. For more than 40 years Conrad was a porter, admitting people to the friary, obtaining supplies,
dispensing alms, encouraging all to open themselves to God,
and generally assisting the thousands who came to the friary on pilgrimages. Worked with local children, teaching them the faith
and practices, and supported charities
for them. Noted for the gifts of prophesy and of reading people’s hearts.
Three days before
his death he realized he could no longer perform his duties, and
relinquished the position; he then celebrated Mass,
and took to his sick bed for the last time. Local children whom he had taught the rosary
recited it outside his window until the end.
Born
- 22 December 1818 at Parzham, Bavaria, Germany as Johann Birndorfer
- Capuchin-Franciscan Province of Mid-America
- Catholic Student Association
- doorkeepers
- Passau, Germany, diocese
of (since 1984)
Saint Konrad of Parzham
(Altötting)
Based on the original German
of Rector Georg Albrechtskirchinger
of Rector Georg Albrechtskirchinger
A
New Gift from God
In the little known village of Parzham, Germany,
around the year 1800, there lived and worked a farmer – Bartholomew Birndorfer.
The tiny village lay in the valley of the Rott (Rottal), a stream that flows
into the torrential river Inn, whose waters flow, in turn, into the river
Danube. "Bartl" was a wealthy farmer. The old saying fit him well:
"In Rottal dwells the pride of the farmer – his beautiful horses – his
field – his timber." Bartl had twenty-two cows, ten horses and one hundred
twenty-five acres of fertile soil all around his comfortable log cabin with its
flat shingle roof. But hard times came when a devastating and unruly
Freemasonic revolution swept over the land. The government siezed the
monasteries and confiscated their goods. The so-called "Freethinking
Enlightenment" spread doubts against the Faith, mocked piety and, in many
families, lessened the bond of good morals and holy virtues. The wars of the
tyrant Napoleon raged in Europe; in 1809 Rottal, too, was laid waste. Continual
torrential rains in 1816 and 1817 caused a painful famine. Not until 1818 was
there a turn for the better – a real year of plenty. As often as a full
cartload of crops arrived at the barn, the farmer with his wife and children
would kneel down, pray three Our Father's and thank God for His gifts with
tears of joy.
The graces of this year were not to come to an end
until another child was born to the Birndorfer family. It was the 22nd of
December, shortly after midnight. Later that same day the baby boy was taken by
horse-drawn sleigh through deep snow to the parish church and was baptized with
the name Johannes Evangelist. Arriving again at home, his mother clasped her
"Hansel" in her arms and thanked the Lord of life and death
affectionately for this child of God, which the Lord had given her. She was
happy about the beautiful name. Would it have some mysterious significance? At
any rate, year after year and day after day, through vivid stories of the Boy
Jesus, she would make that Holy Life come alive for her little boy, so that he
would imitate the example held out to him and taste the delights of divine
love.
Pious
Childhood
The blonde-haired, blue-eyed Hansel was thriving
visibly. After his cradling, he began making expeditions across the floor. He
soon found his way everywhere. In the kitchen he would play with fir-cones and
sticks. He waddled through every room. He got acquainted with the chickens, the
dog and cat, the cattle and horses. The household brought up Hansel as it had
brought up the other children. He enjoyed the best visual instructions. Farm
life and Christian example were both placed before his senses. When poor people
or hired hands came, tired and worn, to ask a night's lodging, Hansel would
fetch milk and bread for them. He took his place with the house occupants for
daily prayers and the Rosary. Often he was found praying in a quiet nook. No
one disturbed him there, neither the farm-hands nor the maids. He had no
patience for any indecency in the children at the village square. All the
adults were amazed how recollected Hansel was at prayer and that his intense
devotion was so obvious on his countenance. No wonder everyone was so fond of
him and called him a little angel!
At age six Hansel became a student. He learned
reading, writing and arithmetic, Bible History and the "Canisi" – as
this little catechism was called – in which St. Peter Canisius had condensed
the truths of the Catholic Religion into short and clear lessons. Attentive and
diligent, Hansel took in every subject with a laudable persistence. Once he
brought home an award for receiving a high grade on a test. During this school
year, Hansel also distinguished himself as quite a special person. On the
half-hour's journey to the school in Weng, he would sometimes go apart from his
noisy comrades and would silently and secretly pray several Our Father's.
Sometimes he would induce a fellow-student to offer Our Heavenly Mother a
Rosary. When a quarrel and fight broke out, Hansel would intervene and make
peace. When he did not succeed, he regarded it as better to just be on his way.
Children acting rowdy with each other or speaking in a shameful manner would
call out when they saw little Johannes, "Quiet! Quiet! Hansel Birndorfer
is coming!" Their bad words would stick in their throats. Cursing gave
pain to his soul. Should he hear any blasphemy, he would fall to his knees,
weep and beg the Lord God for mercy on the blasphemer. Whoever saw this was
deeply moved. Gradually such blasphemies were held back in his presence.
Throughout the parish and school, people would ask, "What kind of boy is
this?" And they would receive the answer, "He is an angel among
men."
After finishing school, Hans advanced step-by-step in
the hard work of farming. He worked in the stable; he mowed the meadows; he
drew the plow. Although still young in years, he already viewed his life and
his world as a bridge over the river of time to God, the Eternal. So he never
forgot throughout all his occupations, to maintain his union with the Lord of
Heaven and Earth. Good intention and the worship of God ennobled his work.
Under the hottest sunshine, Hans wore nothing on his head. One day, his father
feared he would suffer a heat-stroke. So, a few days later, he admonished him
to wear a hat. The boy answered, "Father, shouldn't someone take his hat
off when he is going to pray?" His father replied, after a short
consideration, "Yes, of course. But tell me, do you pray the whole time
you are working?" As Hansel answered this question in the affirmative, his
father was astonished, but said nothing to dissuade him from this. He saw that
work in union with God made his son happy.
Grief and pain soon associate themselves with
happiness. Hans was fourteen years old when death took away from him his
exemplary, quiet mother. Only two years later, his good father also was carried
away from the farm to the cemetery in Weng. His mother dead! His father dead!
What great, bitter sorrow! Hans wept pitiably.
The
Young Man
An orphaned farm, an estate being inherited, in
Bavarian villages puts the whole community in turmoil. Everyone asks,
"What will happen to the farm now?"
The brothers and sisters took over the inheritance
together. For the time being, Hans, the youngest of them, eagerly and willingly
looked after the work of the two hired hands. No one was more punctual,
conscientious and dutiful. He worked from early morning until late evening. He
also brightened every workday through the thought that all work must be a
divine service and tend to God's greater glory. He strove continually to give
more time to interior recollection, contemplation and prayer. Sometimes one
might have seen him in a cart, the reins in his right hand and an open prayer
book in his left. Once, while he was absorbed in spiritual reading, the reins
lay limp. The horses went off the road and the wagon tipped over, spilling the
whole load. In complete tranquility he loaded it up again. At home he spoke of
his accident. His brothers and sisters were of the opinion that "...prayer
is certainly good; but it is not necessary to pray all the time!" Hans
only answered, "But it's not forbidden either." They were astonished
at his intense conviction and were silent; they knew that, in fact, many a cart
had tipped over when no one was praying.
When there was a break in the farm work, Hans liked to
withdraw back into the hay barn. On its door he had hung pictures of the Savior
and his patron Saints. Before them he used to thank the Creator who provided
the grass for fodder and cattle, and he would say a little prayer of petition.
On the eve of Holydays he would sit, now and then, on
the bench in front of the house and just meditate there. He would think about
the numberless creatures of the earth and gigantic forms in the heavens, about
the sun, moon and stars, about the great Almighty God. One evening an old
maid-servant sat down nearby. She tried to coax him to come and have a talk
with her. Hans, distracted from his contemplation, nodded his head, mumbled a
little and let her talk. But as soon as she began to gossip about people and
slander them, he cut her off: "It's not good to gossip about people. It is
wiser to pray the Rosary. May God preserve you." He got up and went to his
room.
There stood his home altar. It was simply arranged. On
the table was a small case with a picture of the Mother of God; above it was a
crucifix; in front a flickering oil lamp; on either side candlesticks with
white candles, besides several paper flowers and little fir boughs. Here he lay
the offering of his bodily fatigue and his self-discipline. Here he examined
his conscience every evening. Here he gazed at the picture of the Throne of God
before him and held conversation with the Lord God. Here he read, in the still
of the night, the Holy Scriptures. Sometimes a rooster would crow, the sun
would rise up and break through the clouds of night with its beams of light,
and the man of prayer would go to his day's work as fresh and strong as if he
had slept the entire night. And his sister Therese would find his bed still
made.
Almost every morning, Hans went to church. Whether it
snowed or rained, whether a gale blew or the stream through which he had to
wade swelled and overflowed its banks – nothing could hinder him from attending
Mass in Weng or St. Wolfgang. Sometimes he stood from 3:30 a.m. in the church
courtyard, or, in really bad weather, in the little vestibule in the front of
the church and waited until the sacristan came and unlocked it.
The first day of the Christian week was for Hans fully
and completely the day of the Lord and of the victory of Christ. Just at the
crack of dawn, he would make a holy hour at the church in Griesbach. There he
would go to confession and, at the quiet early morning Mass, would receive the
Body of the Lord. Then he would go to Weng for the Parish High Mass, and then
back home. In the afternoon he liked to go to the Devotions at Birnbach,
although it was an hour's journey from Parzham. He was always the first to
arrive at the church. He took his place in the front pew of the Gospel side,
next to the wall, and prayed with intense attention. After the Devotions, when
all the people were gone, he conversed with the Savior. He knelt before the
altar and remained up to two hours before the Blessed Sacrament. And thus on
Sundays, streams of divine grace would flow into his heart and assist his work
throughout the week.
Other young men sought their Sunday relaxation in the
public houses. Only once did Hans attend a theater performance by the Birnbach
Youth Union, of which he was a member. It so happened that right in the middle
of the play, he let out a hearty laugh. The sound grated on the ears of the
audience and seemed to echo, as the embarassing event stuck in his memory.
The most beautiful leisure time Hans experienced was
when he went on pilgrimage, alone or with like-minded persons, to the Mother of
God at the beloved Shrine of Altötting or to the Church of Maria Hilf, situated
in the countryside high above the city of Passau and the river Inn. Such
pilgrimages were physically very fatiguing. Between 1:00 and 2:00 a.m. they
would get up and walk six hours, fasting and praying all the way until the
journey's end. When they were not actually praying, they would speak of life's
struggles on the side of God. Hans, usually so quiet, found words to edify his
companions with the Mysteries of Redemption. After visiting the miraculous
image, they would go to confession and receive Holy Communion, and give thanks
to God for temporal blessings and spiritual graces. For a mid-day rest, they
would sit on the bank of a stream near the church and eat whatever they had
brought with them. Afterwards, they would visit the church again, pray until
the departure time and then again walk six hours back, with joyful hearts,
until they had their home soil under their feet.
On St. Leonhard's day, Hans went every year to the
Solemn Blessing of Horses at Aigen am Inn. At this pilgrimage church there
labored a Father Dullinger. Hans chose this priest to be his spiritual
director. Through him, he got to know better about the various Religious
Orders. One by one, he examined their particular obligations: perpetual
adoration, celebration of daily Mass, sacrifice for the conversion of sinners,
prayer to assist and console the faithful departed, assistance for those
struggling to preserve purity and virginity, intimate devotion to Mary, as well
as worship of the Most Holy Trinity. As a member of the Third Order which St.
Francis had founded for lay people, the Franciscan spirit grew in him. For nine
years Hans went every fourteen days over the hills to his confessor, and back
again. Each time it was a march of ten hours, and on the whole it required a
determined step to advance on the mysterious path to this destination, which
God had determined, but which Hans did not yet clearly see.
At
the Crossroads
All at once the news broke into his quiet,
hardworking, interior life. Two sisters and a brother had left and married. The
others still cultivated the farm together. Nothing had changed much. But a
sadness set in, invisible yet palpable. The farm was still a bachelor home. A
bachelor home is unnatural for a farmer. An unmarried farmer lives only for
himself. A real farm is anchored in the family. Only through marriage does the
family live on, the farm prosper and farm life remain worth enduring and happy.
One evening, this sadness burst out around the farm
house. His brothers and sisters demanded that Hans get married and take over
the farm. Hans laid his elbows on the table, closed his eyes, clasped his hands
in front of his face and thought over the situation. He looked back on days
gone by, when his father and mother were keeping house at the farm and the
children, quiet and happy, were unconcerned about the future. When his parents
were alive, they had often said, "Son, we are leaving the farm to you. The
future heir is soon liable to be unsettled. You can change that by marriage.
The Birndorder Family must continue to live on this farm." The demand had
surprised Hans. He knew that, having grown up with animals, crops and soil, he
had become a good farmer, that he had received a great talent for farming and
that he truly had enjoyed it. On the other hand, he found in himself another
talent: the beautiful life of union with God, with Christ and with Mary. In
worth and rank it was higher than the stars. And thus Hans stood at the
crossroads: the cloister or the farm. He made the most important decision of
his life. Slowly he let his arms sink to the table, opened his eyes, raised his
head high and spoke in a firm voice, "The family can live on in another
line. The house and farm will still stand. My life should be to listen to God
and Him alone. I am going into a cloister. Now you know. The good God has not
forgotten me. He has already prepared a place for me." The die was cast.
His brothers and sisters quietly surrendered to their fate.
Shortly thereafter a letter arrived. It announced that
the Capuchins in Altötting were willing to accept Hans Birndorfer into the
Order. Hans was overjoyed. He recalled the words of Christ: "If thou
wouldst be perfect, go, sell all thou hast and give to the poor, and thou shalt
have treasure in Heaven. And come, follow Me." According to this request,
his family paid him for his portion of the property. Thereafter he gave one
portion of the money to the poor of the neighborhood and the other he donated
for the expansion of the cemetery in Weng. Now he was stripped of all
possessions, like St. Francis of Assisi. The way to his new goal was free. He
bid farewell to his home and his parents' graves and began his journey to
Altötting.
Time
of Probation
With his entrance into the Capuchin family, Hans
Birndorfer received a new name – Konrad. The coming months would show whether
he had really turned his back on the world and whether he could endure being
totally dependent on the charity and mercy of other men.
For a good year and a half, he was given to the Porter
of St. Anne's Cloister as an assistant. He overcame the difficulties that arose
with patience and humility. In the meantime, he wrote to his family: "When
I first came it was somewhat difficult to be among so many Brothers. It was a
long time before I could call them all by name. Now, thanks be to God, I can
not only remember their names but also where their cells are, in case I have to
fetch them." Suddenly, to his regret, he was transferred to Burghausen on
the Salzach. Here he had to care for a sick priest. Here also he encountered
the elderly Tirolian, Gabriel Engel. This Father had, in fifteen tireless
years, re-established the Capuchin Order in Bavaria, where it had withered up
after the decade-long troubles of the "Cloister Storm" of the
"Enlightenment". This genuine reformer became for Konrad at that time
a tremendous example of manly virtue and Religious observance.
The two year pre-school was soon at an end. Konrad had
been observed long enough for it to be known that he was fit for the Religious
Life. Now he would be sent to the little Cloister at Laufen on the Salzach. At
that time the Novitiate for lay brothers was there. Konrad was solemnly clothed
with the brown cowl and the long hood. It was September 17, 1851. With the
clothing began the decisive year of probation for the new Religious – the
Novitiate. There he would learn to know exactly the obligations of the Order
and how to fulfill them. And the community would examine him – whether he was
really suited for the Religious life in general, and for the Capuchin Order in
particular. Konrad wrote his former home: "Pray very hard for me, that I
may get through this year successfully; that I may not just wear the habit, but
rather obtain the spirit of a true Capuchin brother."
He himself prayed and worked untiringly for this goal.
This meant: to learn to embrace the Holy Rule with the vows of poverty,
chastity and obedience; to make diligent progress in Christian doctrine and in
contemplative prayer; to root out weaknesses and faults and to cultivate
virtues, and in particular to obey without any interior resistance. There was
manual labor in addition. Konrad worked as an assistant to the gardener. Much
of his new way of life came easy to him. It was harder to always deny his own
will, even to the point of abandoning well-cultivated good habits, if the
Novice-Master demanded it. Often it cost him a struggle, which brought
humiliations and penances with it.
At the end of the year of probation, Konrad wrote down
together his experiences and reflections. He set up a plan of life for himself
with eleven headings:
1. I will really accustom myself to
live always in the presence of God and ask myself often, would I do this or
that if my confessor or superior saw me? How much more so in the presence of
God and my guardian angel.
2. I will often ask myself when crosses
and sorrows come: Konrad, why are you here?
3. I will avoid leaving the cloister as
much as I can, except when charity towards neighbor demands it, or on account
of obedience or health, or on pilgrimage or some good purpose.
4. I will truly strive to preserve
fraternal charity in myself and others. I will thus watch over myself, that I
may utter no word that would be contrary to charity. Their faults, failings and
weaknesses I will patiently endure; and I will, as far as is possible, cover
them with the mantle of charity, when it is not otherwise a duty to disclose
them to my superior, in order to put an end to them.
5. I will observe silence exactly and
perpetually as far as is possible. I well be very sparse in speech, and this in
order to avoid many faults and that I may be able to converse with God so much
the better.
6. At meals I will always, as much as
possible, remain in the presence of God, always keep myself in check and deny
myself those foods which I desire the most; rather I will take that especially
which I like the least in order to practice mortification. And I will always
avoid eating anything outside meal times.
7. I will always go promptly to choir,
as soon as I hear the bell, when I am not otherwise hindered.
8. I will avoid the opposite sex as
much as possible, unless obedience imposes a duty in which I must deal with women.
I will be rather serious and keep custody of my eyes.
9. I will always fulfill obediences
exactly and promptly and especially I will make every possible effort to seek
to deny my own will in all things.
10. I will truly strive both to observe
minor points of the Rule as well as to overcome as much as possible every
deliberate imperfection. I will never deviate from the Holy Rule even so much
as an inch, come what may!
11. I will always strive to have a truly
intense devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary, and will truly strive to imitate
her virtues.
These resolutions, composed with deliberation and full
trust in the assistance of Jesus and Mary, contained nothing too ponderous to
fulfill. No heroism was promised. With caution, in view of human weakness and
external circumstances, sensible limits were established – such as with the
words: "I will make every possible effort..."; "...as much as I
can." Good intentions! Is not the road to Hell paved with them?
Resolutions must be firm. Let us see what Konrad really accomplished and what
virtues he developed – as much as he could!
The 4th of October, 1852, the Feast of St. Francis,
was Konrad's Profession Day. He knelt on the step of the altar, placed his
hands in those of his superior and spoke the solemn oath of his irrevocable
dedication to God: "I vow and promise Almighty God, the Most Blessed
Virgin Mary, St. Francis, all the Saints and you, Father, for the rest of my
life to observe the Rule of the Friars Minor, living in obedience, without
possessions, and in chastity." The Novitiate was completed.
The
New Occupation
A few days later, the Father Guardian from Laufen
spoke after the morning Mass, "Konrad, God calls you! You are to go at
once to Altötting to the Cloister of St. Anne. There you will take over the
office of Porter." Konrad knelt down, begged a blessing for the journey
and set off across the countryside through Shusters Rappen. When he arrived at
the pilgrimage town, he was assailed by a great fear. He had hoped to be
permitted to live in silent solitude behind cloister walls. So many people, of
different rank and station, of different character and intention, asked here
for information and help. Would he not from one fault, slip and fall into many
others? In his distress, Konrad went first to the church and begged Christ for
His grace. Then he rang the bell and thus announced the commencement of his
service.
The beginning was hard. The office of Porter at
Altötting proved to be the most difficult and troublesome in all Bavaria. And
so it was the greatest responsibility that an Order could give to a Brother.
That a man with only one year's membership in the Order was chosen for the
office, was taken by some of the older Brothers as a personal insult. Envy
worked through their hearts. As soon as Konrad arrived, they were really nasty
towards him. They weren't going to tolerate him in the cloister. For several
days they would not even give him a cell. Truly he had become the least and
poorest of all. At first they considered his piety and eagerness to serve as acts
of hypocrisy. Their malevolent speech reached the ears of the Father Guardian.
He tested him before everyone, when he said sharply, "Brother Konrad is
about to find out that he is just a charity-case for us." These words must
have been a slap in the face to a man of honor, who had left a beautiful farm
to serve God alone. But, contrary to expectations, Konrad did not stomp out. He
accepted the humiliation with a bow of the head. He didn't even bat an eye. A
more cheerful glimmer shone on his countenance. This noble self-control
convinced his superiors and reconciled him with his brethren. He had left on
all a lasting good impression.
A great deal of work was packed into the course of a
day for the Porter, which for him consisted of twelve to sixteen working hours.
Konrad received the mail and carried it to Father Guardian. He administered the
donations for the House and recorded the Mass stipends with the requested
intention.
Merchants brought to him their wares and bills.
Pilgrims left with him their religious items – such as candles, Rosaries and
Happy Death Crucifixes – to be blessed, and beseeched him to fetch a priest for
confession. Visitors would ask him to bring one of the Capuchins – a relative
or friend – to the parlor to speak with them. He would offer hospitality to
benefactors and clerics.
The poor of the village, children and vagrants who
came begging were given bread and soup or beer. And all these tasks Konrad
performed without resentment or complaint, without agitation or anger. He
worked ever with an unalterable patience, with a joyful countenance, with a
friendly tone of voice. There were days when the bell summoned the porter to
the cloister door two hundred times! And how Konrad obeyed it! When it rang, he
would break off from praying or speaking, or even set the mouthful of food back
on to his plate, just as he was bringing it to his mouth. Yes, it was the same
when he had to go and fetch one of the Fathers – he would hasten instantly back
to the porter's station, even two or three times, as often as the bell was
rung. The sound of the bell was for him the voice of God.
It was astonishing, with what love Konrad cared for
the poor. To the Brothers who baked the bread, he often made the request,
"I beseech you, put something together wherewith the poor can really have
something good." As soon as the cloister family had finished a meal,
Konrad would go to the kitchen and take whatever he could find that was still
edible to the porter's station, to give to the hungry. If someone would reproach
him on this account, he would answer with an intimate and full trust in God,
"What a man gives to the poor is all returned to him." Sometimes the
cook had nothing more to give, or he kept back some available sausage, fearing
that some of the Brothers would not have enough at the next meal. When this
happened, Konrad would say, "Then I'll eat nothing," take his portion
and give it away. No one knows how many baskets of bread, pitchers of beer and
bowls of soup Konrad carried away and distributed in the course of his
religious life. But the people gave him forever the characteristic name –
Father of the Poor.
All the poor children of Altötting knew Brother Konrad
very well. Day after day they would run to the monastery portal, and
impetuously ring the bell. As soon as they saw Brother Konrad standing in the
cloister entrance, they would hush their chatter, fold their hands and pray
with him the Hail Mary devoutly. He became stern if any of them rushed through
it. He would warn them with the saying, "Above all else, we Capuchins must
pray!" After the prayer the little ones would call out
cheerfully, "Please, Brother Konrad!" Then he would give each child a
loaf of bread. One or the other would receive some good counsel along with it.
Then they would run off with a happy, "God bless you!" Everyone in
the pilgrimage town acknowledged him to be the Children's Friend. And the
little boys and girls continued to love him long after their childhood years.
Immersed
in God
As porter, Konrad demonstrated a heroic devotion and
loyalty. At all times and until his last days, he was at the service of
everyone who claimed his attention, with a constantly steady willingness and
love. This virtue sprang from his religious spirit, from his intense union with
God.
Where did his heart dwell? Nearby the porter station,
under a stairway, is the tiny, dark Alexius Cell, barely large enough for a
kneeler. A narrow crack in the wall afforded a view of the tabernacle in the
monastery chapel. In this stairway cell, Konrad knelt before his Beloved and
adored the Son of God, hidden and ignored in the Blessed Sacrament. There one
would find him in the free minutes between the business of the day. There he
would make his first holy hour, every day at 3:30 in the morning. And when
everyone else had gone to their evening's rest, he would speak yet longer with
God by the dim light of a candle. Nevertheless he would go punctually at
midnight to the communal chanting of Matins in Choir, the daily morning
offering of the Capuchins.
The same love he had toward the Blessed Sacrament, we
find in Konrad also toward our Crucified Redeemer. Out of his deep devotion to
the Passion and Death of Christ, Brother Konrad drew strength and salvation.
Compelled by this love for the Cross, he daily made at midday the holy Way of
the Cross. In his cell hung a crucifix with a painful countenance. Before this
image he was accustomed, especially in the evening, to contemplate and meditate
in silence. He often took it down from the wall and held it in his hands,
whispering fervent prayers to his beloved Savior, and perceiving what He would
answer. In a letter to his sister, Resl, Konrad wrote, "The Cross is my
book. One glance at the Cross teaches me how I ought to act in every
circumstance. There I learn patience and humility and meekness and to carry
every cross; yes, to me the cross is sweet and light."
The disciple of Christ and friend of the Cross at the
cloister door in Altötting was also a Marian Knight – a tender devotee of the
Blessed Virgin Mary. How often and with what recollection he recited daily the
beautiful Ave Maria! The Little Rosary of the Immaculate Conception was always
hanging from the middle finger of his left hand. As a rule he prayed daily the
Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary. What a grace-filled experience it was
for him to daily serve Mass at 4:30 a.m. in the Chapel of Grace
(Gnadenkapelle). And at midday he would go regularly to the Gnadenkapelle,
kneel motionless and pray before the miraculous image (Gnadenbild) of Our Lady
of Altötting in deep recollection of soul. What a beautiful scene before God
and man! Many people saw Konrad's prayers to the Mother of God like fiery
spheres issuing out of his mouth.
A sense of piety and of continual worship of God shown
forth on Konrad's countenance. It indicated a constant, steady expression of
cheerfulness; it gave continuous testimony of the peace and joy of his soul,
which he found in God.
To
His Dying Breath
Certainly, the course of years takes its toll on the
body. The innumerable privations and overburdenings that he had demanded from
his body had left scars. Furrows had burrowed across his face; his hair had
turned white; he was tormented by aches and pains; his back was hunched over.
Konrad was becoming weak. Everything he did was painful. He was always cold.
His limbs grew stiff. His knees shook. 75 winters lay behind him.
On April 18, 1894, Brother Konrad tapped along,
supported by a strong cane, on his way to the Gnadenkapelle. It was the last
time he would ever serve Mass beneath the statue of Our Lady of Altötting. On
returning to the monastery, he managed to drag himself around for a few more
hours. But in the afternoon he had to tell his superior, "Father Guardian,
it's the end!" The doctor came and said to Konrad, "That's just too
hard a job for you at your age, down there in that cold hallway. You're
completely worn out." Without a complaint the dying man endured his pain
and weakness. On the third day, Saturday, April 21, he received Extreme
Unction. In the evening the infirmarian gave him another spoonful of medicine
and said, "Now I have to go and check on our sick Brother Benjamin."
Konrad replied, "Of course, you may go. I won't be needing you any
more." At 7:00 p.m. the cloister family assembled together for Night Prayers.
Someone knocked at the main door. Shortly thereafter the porter's bell rang.
Konrad thought the assistant porter had not been able to hear the metallic
voice. In obedience to the bell, the dutiful old man lifted himself with his
last ounce of strength. He took the candlestick with the burning candle in his
trembling hand, staggered and tottered to the door of his cell and altogether
collapsed. A novice coming that way and finding him, called immediately for
help. Capuchins came hurrying to the spot. They carried the dying man to his
cot. A Father recited the prayers for the dying. The Ave bell rang peacefully
from the bell-tower of Altötting. Konrad smiled, looked heavenward with joyful
eyes and departed this life. It was between 7:00 and 8:00 in the evening, the
time when he had always prayed to Our Lady as the "Help and Consolation of
the Dying".
"Take thy rest now, thou tireless hero of
charity, of fortitude and of faith! True, thou hast never crossed the Alps, nor
sailed across the sea. Rather, thou wert for more than forty years a continuous
watchman out of obedience; but with this obedience, thou didst elevate the
lowest of offices to serve as a knight of Christ, and it was on this account
the equal of the noblest of undertakings!" (Pope Pius XII)
The
Dead Lives!
In the Imitation of Christ, we read:
"He is truly great, who has great love." He is great, who always
fulfills his duties perfectly out of love for God. This was fully and
completely valid in the case of the Capuchin Brother Konrad of Parzham. The
Church therefore, on Pentecost Sunday, 1934, after due deliberation and much
prayer, proclaimed and declared that he is a Saint.
"Brother Konrad's tomb, truly a tomb of the
living! It teaches and admonishes, consoles and heals, and leaves a life that
had withered in full bloom again! This tomb is adorned with an altar full of
glory; hymns of praise and thanksgiving are sung before it; all around it shine
burning lights, and a jubilant festive joy fills the Christian people who find
in Brother Konrad a new, powerful patron Saint – Konrad is the shining ornament
of Bavaria and all the German people, as well as for the universal Church of
Christ!" (Pope Pius XII)
Holiness consists in forming our day out of the love
for Christ. Holiness is our life's work, our contribution to society, the
necessary step we take towards achieving eternal salvation. The saintly life is
for us an example and a mirror, light and help.
Saint Konrad of Parzham, pray for us!
St. Konrad von Parzham in Falkensee
San Corrado (Giovanni Evangelista) Birndorfer da Parzham Cappuccino
Venushof, Parzham, 22 dicembre 1818 - Altötting
(Bassa Baviera), 21 aprile 1894
Nacque a
Venushof in Parzham il 22 dicembre 1818 da una famiglia di ricchi contadini
dalla spiccata devozione. Penultimo di dodici fratelli, rimase orfano a 16
anni. Da subito si dedicò alla vita spirituale secondo la tradizione cattolica
bavarese frequentando assiduamente la celebrazione eucaristica quotidiana. Ma
coltivò nella sua vita anche tutte le forme della più autentica pietà popolare
della sua regione, la Baviera. Conosciamo poco dell'infanzia ma sappiamo per
certo che a 19 anni tentò, senza esito, di studiare nel ginnasio dei
benedettini di Metten a Deggendorf. Era il 1841, invece, quando professò la
regola del Terz'Ordine francescano e nel 1849 entrò tra i cappuccini di
Altötting come terziario. Durante il noviziato a Laufen fu incaricato di
aiutare l'ortolano e il giardiniere del convento. Il 4 ottobre 1852 emetteva la
professione solenne e fu rimandato ad Altötting con l'ufficio di portinaio del
convento di Sant'Anna, che ora è dedicato allo stesso san Corrado, dove rimase
fino alla morte, avvenuta il 21 aprile 1894. (Avvenire)
Etimologia:
Corrado = consigliere audace, dal tedesco
Martirologio
Romano: Ad Altötting nella Baviera in Germania, san Corrado (Giovanni) Birndorfer
da Parzham, religioso dell’Ordine dei Frati Minori Cappuccini, che svolse per
oltre quarant’anni l’umile servizio di portinaio e, sempre generoso verso i
poveri, non congedò mai nessun bisognoso senza prima offrirgli benigne parole
di cristiano conforto.
Nella
numerosissima schiera di santi, beati e venerabili della grande Famiglia
Francescana, spiccano singolari figure di frati, pieni di santa umiltà e
semplicità, i quali raggiunsero questa meta, adempiendo con scrupolo e carisma
personale, all’umile compito di portinaio del convento in cui vissero per lungo
tempo o addirittura tutta la loro vita religiosa.
E come s. Serafino da Montegranaro (12 ottobre), s. Pasquale Baylon (17 maggio), il beato Mariano da Roccacasale (31 maggio), tutti francescani e il beato Andrea Bassette canadese della “Congregazione della Santa Croce” (6 gennaio), anche san Corrado da Parzham, trascorse tutta la sua vita di cappuccino, facendo il portinaio del suo convento di Altötting in Germania.
Era nato il 22 dicembre 1818 nella fattoria di Venushof in Parzham presso Passau (Baviera), penultimo dei 12 figli dei coniugi Birndorfer, al battesimo ebbe il nome di Giovanni Evangelista.
A 16 anni era già orfano di entrambi i genitori; dalle scarne testimonianze venne descritto come un ragazzo mite, allegro, dolcissimo, amante della natura, sano e forte per i lavori dei campi a cui si dedicò.
Amava il lavoro e mentre dissodava il terreno, recitava il rosario che teneva sempre legato al polso; pur essendo figlio del padrone, lavorava volentieri con e fra i dipendenti, diffondendo serenità, armonia e gioia.
Appena poteva, si raccoglieva in preghiera, devota, solitaria e prolungata, nelle varie chiese e santuari del circondario e spessissimo si accostava alla santa Eucaristia; a 19 anni tentò di frequentare il ginnasio dei Benedettini di Metten a Deggendorf, ma senza esito; nel 1841 a 23 anni, professò la Regola del Terz’Ordine Francescano.
Avrebbe dovuto amministrare l’azienda ereditata dai genitori, ma sentendosi chiamato alla vita religiosa, vi rinunziò; divise la sua parte ereditata tra i poveri e alcune Istituzioni ecclesiastiche e a 31 anni nel 1849, Giovanni Evangelista Birndorfer bussò alla porta del convento cappuccino di S. Anna ad Altötting.
Fece il noviziato a Laufen e qui ebbe l’incarico di aiutare l’ortolano e il giardiniere del convento; nei primi tre anni fu impegnato nella formazione alla vita cappuccina, perfezionando le virtù e lo spirito di preghiera.
Il 4 ottobre 1852, si consacrò per sempre al Signore, facendo la professione religiosa e prendendo il nome di Corrado; poi fu rimandato al convento-santuario di Altötting nella sua Baviera destinato all’ufficio di portinaio.
In quest’umile ma delicata funzione, visse per ben 41 anni fino alla morte, contento di vivere in quel luogo, sede dell’antico Santuario della Madonna, centro e riferimento della religiosità e pietà bavarese.
Fra Corrado da Parzham svolse il suo compito, in apparenza monotono e senza importanza, con tatto e zelo, con fedeltà e poche parole, sempre calmo e paziente, mai annoiato, nervoso o triste, sempre pronto all’obbedienza e disponibile; edificava i confratelli ed i pellegrini del Santuario mediante l’esercizio della carità e di una inalterabile pazienza.
Ben presto in tutta la Bassa Baviera, si diffuse la fama di quel “santo portinaio” e alla porta del convento di S. Anna, ora dedicato a San Corrado, cominciarono a suonare la tipica campanella, molte persone per chiedere proprio all’umile frate aiuto e conforto; ormai tutti sapevano che il suo cuore era sempre aperto ad accogliere i fedeli.
Devoto della Vergine e dell’Eucaristia, dotato di doni straordinari, come la profezia, operò un risveglio di fede nelle province circostanti, un padre Pio da Pietrelcina dell’epoca.
Al portinaio del convento cappuccino, era affidato anche il compito di distribuire il cibo ai poveri, e lui, sempre con la corona in mano, lo faceva con soddisfazione, illuminandosi nel volto, riflettendo l’esempio del Poverello d’Assisi.
Era la sua ‘felicità terrena’, distribuiva minestra, pane e carne ai poveri, agli accattoni, ai garzoni operai, ai ragazzi, andando in cucina a scegliere i pezzi migliori; sordo alle esortazioni a moderare la sua generosità.
“Tutto ciò che si dà ai poveri, ritorna nuovamente dentro con abbondanza”, era la sua risposta ai confratelli; cooperò anche all’opera benefica ‘Liebeswerk’, in favore dell’infanzia abbandonata e in pericolo; la sua generosità si allargava ai numerosi pellegrini del santuario, ai quali distribuiva birra e pane, raccomandando però al confratello fra Deodato, addetto alla birreria del convento, di farne “molta e leggera”.
Lavorò fedelmente fino alla fine; il 18 aprile 1894 al termine di una giornata stressante, si mise a letto “per prepararsi all’eternità”. Morì all’alba del 21 aprile 1894 a 76 anni.
Dopo l’approvazione dei miracoli attribuiti alla sua intercessione, papa Pio XI lo dichiarò Beato il 15 giugno 1930 e cosa insolita per i processi di canonizzazione, dopo solo quattro anni, il 20 maggio 1934 lo stesso pontefice lo proclamò Santo.
La festa liturgica è il 21 aprile, giorno del suo trapasso.
Autore: Antonio Borrelli
