In Pace Christi

Fr. Franz Xaver Kieferle was born on 6 December 1919 in Mengen, a small town in the diocese of Rottenburg-Stuttgart, in the state of Baden-Württemberg. He was the eighth of nine siblings. The parish priest stated that his family was very devout, stood by the Church and had an excellent reputation in the community. “Thus Fr. Franz grew up in a very Catholic environment. After the first years of primary school his parents sent him to St. Josef, a diocesan boys hostel, where he stayed for one year. Then he entered the minor seminary of the Comboni Missionaries in Ellwangen. Fr. Spindler, the formator responsible for him at St. Josef’s diocesan hostel wrote: “Franz Kieferle was a pupil at our institute from April 1932 to 1933. His religious life was good; in his behaviour he developed a community spirit towards his fellow students and he was loyal to his superiors. With his behaviour he seems fit for religious life and to be a missionary.”

The years of war and with the Comboni Missionaries

Studies in Comboni junior seminaries (also called apostolic schools) at that time did not complete matric before the novitiate, so Franz in 1936 entered the noviciate in Bamberg and in 1938 made his first profession. There he also started his philosophical and theological studies at the diocesan theological faculty. Then, like many others of his confreres, he was drafted into the army in 1940 (as a medical orderly). His younger brother, Alfons, was also just about to enter the novitiate when he too was drafted. While Alfons fell in action, Franz survived five years of war and four years as a prisoner of war in Russia. Even his vocation survived in spite of all the terrible experiences he had to go through and, when in 1949 he came back, he continued his studies. On 29 July 1951 he was ordained priest in the cathedral of Bamberg.

From 1952 until 1958 he was a formator in our minor seminary in Bad Mergentheim and the following two years in Unterpremstätten near Graz (Austria). In those days the young priests were given tasks they had not been especially trained for. Fr. Franz, nevertheless, set to work with all his good will. He had a fiery character and at times he acted on the spur of the moment, which became a trademark of his. He was very kind by nature, honest to himself and to others, so that, whenever he realised he had gone too far, he was the first to apologise. As boys’ prefect he insisted very much on discipline, also influenced by his military background, because he wanted to help them to be people always ready and willing to prove their worth.

His years in Spain

In 1959 Fr. Franz was sent to Spain. Until 1967 he was the superior of the new apostolic school in Saldaña. The year he arrived in Saldaña, though, the school did not exist, it still had to be built. It’s construction, in fact, only started in 1960. He had, then, to face two challenges: to learn Spanish and to supervise the construction work. Full of energy, he threw himself into these two tasks and managed to overcome both of them spurred on by his fiery character. While the school was being built, the students attended the local “Instituto Laboral”, a kind of junior high school. Once the building was completed, the students were taught at home, so that teachers had to be found and employed. Fr. Franz, also through his ability to find and keep contacts, employed the teachers he needed and successfully negotiated with the town and government offices for the necessary permissions.

In 1967 he became the superior of the community of Palencia. The building had been started in 1966 and the General Administration had asked Fr. Franz to supervise the work and to see that everything went smoothly. In the heat of the moment sometimes he was inclined to decide things on his own and to do things quickly. The Superior General had a hard time in slowing him down. After three years in Saldaña, the first Spanish novices moved into the house.

During his period in Spain, Fr. Franz came into contact and got to know many of the Spanish students and novices. Some of them he met later on as priests or Brothers in Peru, working in his own community.

Reunion of the Institutes

From the very beginning Fr. Franz had been very much in favour of the reunion of the two Comboni Institutes. As a matter fact, the strongest desire for the reunion originated in Spain. Through his easiness to get in contact with other people and through his spontaneous hospitality he contributed a lot to the events that brought the two Comboni Institutes back together. In Spain the practical steps for the reunion were taken nine years before the juridical ones.

His work in Peru

After this important contribution, in 1970 he was transferred to Peru. He was 50 years of age. He accepted the transfer with some bewilderment and a bit of heartache, due to his age and the impression that perhaps he was not needed in Spain any more.

One has to admire his courage for starting a new venture. Actually, even in Peru he set to work immediately, as it was his nature. First he became parish priest at San Pedro in Huánuco, where he devoted himself to pastoral wok, carried on the service of providing a kitchen soup for the children (comedor parroquial), made himself available for prayer groups, worked with the cursillo groups and trained his catechetical workers. In these activities he put all his energy without sparing himself. The then Superior General, Fr. Georg Klose, wrote to him on 14 December 1976: “I am happy about the many positive voices I hear about your work in Huánuco. But please, don’t forget your health, because even though all that zeal is praiseworthy, common sense should not be put completely aside. Undoubtedly one can serve God and the people for a longer time if done through reasonable planning rather than through blind zeal and possibly undermining one’s strength.” After eight years in Huánuco he was called to minister the parish of Pio X in Mirones, Lima. Also there it was difficult for him to slow down. In the meantime people from Huánuco had collected signatures for a petition to have him back. The petition shows how popular he was among them. For Fr. Franz, was quite easy to become friend to all kinds of people.

When his strength began to decline, he was made chaplain of the Sisters in the college Maria Goretti in Lima.

His last years in Germany

1997 for health reasons Fr. Franz went back to Germany, after 27 years of tireless pastoral work in Peru. The last six years of his life he was looked after by the caring community for the elderly and sick in Ellwangen. He passed away on 10 September 2003. May the Lord grant him life eternal as the reward of his missionary life.

Fr. Georg Klose, mccj

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P. Franz Xaver Kieferle era nato il 6 dicembre 1919 a Mengen, una cittadina della diocesi di Rottenburg-Stuttgart (stato di Baden-Württemberg). Era l’ottavo di nove figli. Il parroco scrisse che “la famiglia era molto devota, attaccata alla Chiesa e che godeva di una buona reputazione”. Così P. Franz crebbe in un ambiente profondamente cattolico. Dopo i primi anni di scuola elementare, i genitori lo mandarono al S. Giuseppe, un collegio diocesano per ragazzi, dove rimase per solo un anno. Infatti entrò presto nel seminario minore dei Missionari Comboniani a Ellwangen. Il suo formatore al collegio diocesano, P. Spindler, scrisse di lui: “Franz Kieferle fu studente del nostro istituto da aprile 1932 al 1933. La sua vita spirituale era buona, il suo comportamento ha mostrato un miglioramento nello spirito comunitario verso i suoi compagni, era leale con i superiori. Dal suo comportamento sembra adatto alla vita religiosa e missionaria”.

A quel tempo gli alunni dei nostri seminari minori (chiamati anche scuole apostoliche) normalmente non completavano il ginnasio prima del noviziato, così Franz nel 1936 andò a Bamberg per il noviziato e nel 1939 emise i primi voti. A Bamberg compì gli studi di filosofia e teologia nella vicina facoltà teologica. Purtroppo, come molti altri dei suoi compagni, nel 1940 fu chiamato alle armi nel corpo medico. Anche suo fratello minore, Alfons, stava per entrare in noviziato quando fu chiamato alle armi. Mentre Alfons morì in guerra, Franz sopravvisse a cinque anni di guerra e quattro di prigionia in Russia. Anche la sua vocazione sopravvisse nonostante tutte queste difficoltà e, di ritorno dalla prigionia nel 1949, riprese gli studi. Fu ordinato sacerdote il 29 luglio 1951 nella cattedrale di Bamberg.

Dal 1949 al 1958 fu prefetto nel seminario minore di Bad Mergentheim e nei due anni seguenti a Unterpremstätten, vicino a Graz. A quel tempo, ai giovani sacerdoti venivano affidati simili incarichi senza una preparazione specifica, ma P. Franz si mise all’opera con tutta la buona volontà. Aveva un carattere impulsivo, anche se fondamentalmente buono. Era onesto con se stesso e quando si accorgeva di aver oltrepassato i limiti, sapeva chiedere scusa. Come prefetto dei ragazzi insisteva sulla disciplina, per aiutarli a diventare uomini pronti un giorno a dimostrare di che tempra fossero.

Nel 1959 fu mandato in Spagna. Fino al 1967 fu superiore del nuovo seminario minore di Saldaña. Quando giunse a Saldaña, però, la scuola non c’era: doveva essere ancora costruita. I lavori iniziarono nel 1960. Dovette così affrontare due sfide: una, l’apprendimento dello spagnolo, l’altra, la costruzione del seminario. Pieno d’entusiasmo, si buttò nel lavoro della costruzione della casa e, con la sua determinazione, riuscì a completarlo. Gli alunni del primo anno avevano le lezioni in seminario, gli altri frequentavano le scuole pubbliche. Così si dovettero cercare e trovare insegnanti per quelli del primo anno. Con la sua capacità di avvicinare le persone, trovò i maestri di cui aveva bisogno e risolse con successo i vari problemi con gli uffici municipali e governativi.

Nel 1967 divenne superiore della comunità di Palencia. Nel 1969 si iniziò la costruzione della nuova casa di Palencia. L’amministrazione generale chiese a P. Franz di supervisionare i lavori. Per prevenire la possibilità che prendesse decisioni avventate, proprio per la sua impulsività, il Superiore Generale dovette invitarlo a procedere con maggiore cautela. Tre anni più tardi, i primi novizi spagnoli entrarono in quella casa. Nel periodo trascorso in Spagna conobbe molti studenti, con alcuni dei quali, oramai divenuti sacerdoti e Fratelli, ebbe l’opportunità di lavorare più tardi.

All’età di 50 anni fu mandato nelle missioni del Perù, dove si mise subito al lavoro, con un coraggio ammirevole. Fu prima parroco a San Pedro, Huánuco, dove si dedicò al lavoro pastorale, occupandosi anche quotidianamente della cucina per i ragazzi di strada, assistendo i gruppi di preghiera, lavorando con il gruppo del “cursillo” e preparando gli agenti pastorali per il servizio catechistico. Anche in questi incarichi mise tutto il suo impegno, senza risparmiarsi. Il Superiore Generale di quel tempo, P. Georg Klose, il 14 settembre 1976, gli scrisse: “Sono contento delle tante belle cose che sento riguardo al tuo lavoro a Huánuco. Ma sii prudente, abbi più riguardo alla tua salute. Tutto quello zelo è lodevole, ma non si deve trascurare completamente la propria salute. Sono sicuro che si può servire Dio e la gente meglio e più a lungo con una programmazione pianificata, piuttosto che con uno zelo esagerato che può danneggiare le proprie forze”. Dopo otto anni a Huánuco, P. Franz fu inviato nella parrocchia di Pio X a Mirones, Lima, sempre per il lavoro pastorale. Anche qui era difficile far rallentare la sua attività. Nel frattempo, la gente di Huánuco aveva sottoscritto una petizione per chiedere che P. Franz fosse rimandato tra loro. Un fatto significativo, che dimostra quanto popolare fosse con la gente. P. Franz si sentiva a suo agio con ogni tipo di persona.

Quando le forze fisiche cominciarono a diminuire, fu per parecchi anni cappellano delle suore del collegio di S. Maria Goretti a Lima.

Nel 1997, per ragioni di salute, P. Franz ritornò in Germania dopo 27 anni di lavoro pastorale in Perú. Durante gli ultimi sei anni di vita fu assistito con affetto dalla comunità per ammalati ed anziani di Ellwangen. Morì il 10 settembre 2003. Per la sua vita spesa nel servizio missionario, possa il Signore donargli il premio eterno.

Da Mccj Bulletin n. 222 suppl. In Memoriam, aprile 2004, pp. 105-110

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P. Kieferle Franz Xaver (06.12.1919 – 10.09.2003)

  P. Franz Xaver Kieferle wurde am 6. Dezember 1919 in Mengen, Diözese Rottenburg-Stuttgart, geboren. Er war das achte von neun Kindern der Familie. Der Pfarrer schrieb an den Direktor des Knabenseminars der Diözese: „die Familie ist sehr fromm, sehr kirchentreu und genießt einen guten Ruf“. Franz wuchs also in einer sehr katholischen Umgebung auf. Nach einigen Jahren Volkschule in seinem Heimatdorf schickten ihn seine Eltern in ein Knabenseminar der Diözese. Aber bereits nach einem Jahr wechselte er ins Missionsseminar der Comboni-Missionare von Ellwangen. Sein Erzieher im Diözesanseminar empfahl ihn den Missionaren mit folgenden Worten: “Franz Kieferle weilte als Student in unserem Konvikt von April 1932  bis 1933. Sein geistliches Leben ist gut gewesen, im Benehmen seinen Mitstudenten gegenüber hat er sich gebessert und sein Verhalten den Oberen gegenüber ist loyal gewesen. Er bringt gute Voraussetzungen für das Ordens- und Missionsleben mit“.

  Damals begannen die Studenten unserer Seminare das Noviziat vor dem vollen Abschluss des Gymnasiums. So begab sich Franz am 18. Juli 1936 ins Noviziat nach Bamberg und legte dort am 17. Juli 1938 die ersten zeitlichen Gelübde ab. In Bamberg hat er auch Philosophie und Theologie studiert.

  Leider musste auch er wie die meisten seiner Mitschüler 1940 in den Krieg ziehen und wurde dem Sanitätsdienst zugeteilt. Sein jüngerer Bruder Alfons stand vor dem Eintritt ins Noviziat, als ihn der Einberufungsbefehl erreichte. Er kehrte nicht mehr aus dem Krieg zurück. Franz überlebte fünf Jahre Krieg und vier Jahre Gefangenschaft in Russland. Er blieb seiner Berufung treu trotz der großen Herausforderungen, begab sich nach der Heimkehr 1949 gleich nach Bamberg, um sein Studium wieder aufzunehmen. Am 3. März 1951 legte er die ewigen Gelübde ab und wurde im Dom von Bamberg am 19. Juli 1951 zum Priester geweiht. 

  Von 1952 bis 1958 war P. Franz Erzieher im Missionsseminar von Bad Mergentheim und von 1958 bis 1959 im Seminar von Unterpremstätten, in der Nähe von Graz. P. Franz begann mit viel gutem Willen aber ohne besondere Vorbereitung seine Aufgabe als Erzieher. Er war von Natur aus impulsiv, aber im Grunde ein herzensguter Mensch. Er war ehrlich mit sich selbst und sobald er merkte, dass er die Grenzen überschritten hatte, bat er um Verzeihung. Als Erzieher bemühte er sich, den Studenten Ordnung und Disziplin beizubringen und sie für das nicht einfache Missionsleben vorzubereiten.

  1959 wurde er für Spanien bestimmt, nachdem die damalige Generalleitung der MFSC beschlossen hatte, im kleinen Städtchen Saldaña, in der Provinz Palencia, ein Knabenseminar zu eröffnen, um Missionare für Peru auszubilden. In der zweiten Hälfte von 1960 wurde mit dem Bau des Seminars begonnen und bereits im Oktober des gleichen Jahres zogen die ersten Studenten ein, denn es eilte, da sie im nahegelegenen Instituto Laboral das Schuljahr beginnen sollten. P. Kieferle wurde zum ersten Rektor und Hausoberen ernannt. Er musste vor allem die spanische Sprache lernen und das kirchliche und soziale Milieu des Landea studieren. Das Seminar wurde am 3. Dezember 1960, am Festtag des hl. Franz  Xaver, feierlich eingeweiht. Bald stellte es sich heraus, dass das Programm des Instituto für zukünftige Priester und Missionare ganz ungeeignet war. So wurde mit Hilfe von Lehrpersonen und eigenem Personal der Unterricht im Seminar selber erteilt. P. Kieferle leitete das Seminar als Direktor bis Herbst 1967.

  1965 wurde in Palencia das Noviziat eröffnet und P. Kieferle 1967 zum Hausoberen der neuen Gemeinschaft ernannt, da sein Vorgänger in diesem Amt wieder nach Peru zurückgekehrt war. Nachdem das Noviziatsgebäude in Palencia für die wachsende Zahl der Novizen ungeeignet und zu klein war, wurde auch dort ein Neubau aufgeführt und P. Kieferle die Begleitung der Bauarbeiten anvertraut. Als 1970 die italienischen und deutschen Comboni-Missionare, die zur gleichen Zeit Niederlassungen in Spanien gegründet hatten, die Wiedervereinigung der beiden Kongregationen nach einem Referendum und mit Zustimmung der beiden Generalleitungen vorausgenommen hatten, gab es wieder große Personalverschiebungen. P. Kieferle verließ nach zehn Jahren intensiver Aufbauarbeit Spanien und erhielt 1970 Sendung nach Peru. 

  Er war inzwischen 50 Jahre alt geworden. Er wurde nach Huanuco versetzt und gleich zum Pfarrer von San Pedro ernannt. Auch hier machte er sich sofort an die Arbeit. Er kümmerte sich neben der täglichen Seelsorgsarbeit um die Ausspeisung von Straßenkindern, um Gebetsgruppen, arbeitete beim Cursillo mit und bildete Katechisten aus. Bei all diesen Aufgaben war er voll und ganz dabei, so dass ihm der damalige Generalobere P. Georg Klose am 14. September 1976 schrieb: “Ich freue mich über Deine Arbeit, die Du in Huanuco leistest. Aber sei bitte vorsichtig und schau auch auf Deine Gesundheit. Ich bin überzeugt, dass man Gott und den Menschen besser und länger dienen kann mit einem geordneten Programm, anstatt mit einem übertriebenen Eifer, der die Gesundheit unterminieren kann“.  Nach acht Jahren intensiver Arbeit in Huanuco wurde P. Franz nach Mirones/Lima in die Pfarrei Pio X versetzt. Auch dort kniete er sich gleich in die Seelsorge hinein und es gelang kaum, ihn etwas zu bremsen. Nach seinem Weggang von Huanuco schickten die Gläubigen der San Pedro Pfarrei einen Brief mit vielen Unterschriften und baten, P. Franz möge wieder zu ihnen zurückkehren. Das zeigt, dass er bei den Leuten sehr beliebt war. Er kam mit allen zurecht. Nachdem ihm die Pfarrarbeit wegen seiner nachlassenden Gesundheit zu sehr anstrengte, wurde er zum Kaplan der Schule Maria Goretti in Lima ernannt.

  1997 kehrte P. Franz aus gesundheitlichen Gründen nach Deutschland zurück, nachdem er 27 Jahre lang als Missionar in Peru gearbeitet hatte. Er fand liebevolle Aufnahme und Pflege im Seniorenheim der DSP in Ellwangen, wo er am 10. September 2003 verschieden ist. Er hat sein Leben im Dienst Gottes und der Menschen aufgebraucht. R.I.P.  (P. Georg Klose mccj)