The Daughters of the Divine Redeemer are a Catholic congregation of women religious that became an autonomous community at Sopron in 1867 after sisters formed in the Niederbronn tradition began serving abandoned children, orphans, the sick, and the poor in Hungary.[1]
The Daughters of the Divine Redeemer are a congregation of Roman Catholic nuns, with a motherhouse at Ödenburg, Hungary; they were founded in 1863 from the Daughters of the Divine Saviour of Vienna.
Origins
The congregation belongs to the family of communities that developed from the work of Blessed Alphonse Marie Eppinger at Niederbronn. Bishop János Simor of Győr requested sisters for Sopron after learning of their service in Vienna.
Four sisters arrived at Sopron on 19 May 1863 under Sister Basilissa Gürtler. Their first work cared for abandoned sick people and children and educated orphans. This mission, rather than an abstract organizational plan, formed the immediate setting of the new branch.
Sopron motherhouse
The growing work moved from the bishop's house to a larger property outside the city walls on 31 May 1866. That house served as the congregation's motherhouse until the political upheavals of the twentieth century.
Autonomy in 1867
A decree of 13 June 1867 made the Sopron house independent under ecclesiastical authority. The date distinguishes the beginning of the mission in 1863 from the canonical emergence of the autonomous congregation four years later.
Growth and provinces
The sisters founded schools, cared for sick and elderly people, served orphans, and opened houses in the territories of the Austro-Hungarian monarchy and beyond. Political borders eventually produced Austrian, Slovak, Hungarian, and American structures while the communities retained a shared spiritual ancestry.
The general administration moved from Hungary to Rome in 1955 under communist pressure and later to Eisenstadt. Such moves were acts of governance and survival; they did not create a new religious family or erase the congregation's Sopron origin.
Spirituality and life
The congregation's name centers its life on Jesus Christ the Divine Redeemer. Consecrated life is expressed through public vows, common prayer, community, obedience to proper law, and apostolic service to people in need.[2]
Its works have varied with time and place, but education, health care, care for children and the elderly, and pastoral ministry remain characteristic. Service is not merely philanthropy added to religious life; it proceeds from consecration and participation in the Church's mission.
Names and related institutes
English sources use Daughters of the Divine Redeemer and Sisters of the Divine Redeemer. Similar names also belong to communities descending from Niederbronn in other jurisdictions. Exact congregation, province, and proper law should therefore be identified before assigning a house or sister.[3]
The historical relationship among these institutes is real but does not make them one juridic institute. An encyclopedia should link the family history while preserving each congregation's autonomy, leadership, and canonical identity.
From the 1913 Catholic Encyclopedia
Motherhouse at Oedenburg, Hungary; founded in 1863 from the Daughters of the Divine Saviour of Vienna. This congregation has 37 filial houses and 300 sisters, who conduct schools of all kinds and care for the sick.[4]
References
- 1.Divine Redeemer Sisters: congregation history — Official English history of the Sopron foundation, apostolate, and autonomy
- 2.Congregation of the Sisters of the Divine Redeemer — Official general history of the community and its later development
- 3.Sisters of the Divine Redeemer, Austrian province — Official provincial account of the Niederbronn roots, provinces, and generalate
- 4.1913 Catholic Encyclopedia: Daughters of the Divine Redeemer