Transcript Folie 1

AUSTRIA
AUSTRIA
BIOGRAPHY
• 1907 birth as Franz Huber in St. Radegund
his mother was Rosalia Huber, father
Franz Bachmeier. Living in poverty
(both farm-labourers)
• 1917 adopted by Heinrich Jägerstätter
(farmer) „Leherbauer“
• 1927 leaves his village for work as a miner
in Styria
• 1930 return as farmer
(owner) first daughter
born
• 1936 marriage with
Franziska
Schwaninger
• three daughters
• 1938 refusal at NS-“referendum“ (Franz votes
against Germany) Austria becomes a
province of the German „Reich“ („Empire“)
• 1940/41 education as a motorcycle - driver
(German Wehrmacht)
1943
• March 2nd: refusal after order in writing at
Enns baracks in Upper Austria.
Prison in Linz „Ursulinenhof“ (occupied
monastery and school of „Ursuline“ sisters,
used as barracks and army prison)
• May 4th: transport to Berlin
• July 6th: death sentence
• August 9th: execution
After 1943
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No warriors rent for Franziska
Urn arrives 1946 on a moped (autocycle)
Pubilcations are rejected in 1946
Research from Gordon Zahn after 1964
Publications, films, Pax Christi, Erna Putz
Canonization in Linz, 2007
March 2013: Franziska dies early after her
100th birthday. 70 years widow, about 20
great-grandchildren are living.
DEATH SENTENCE
Received 20th July 1943
IN THE NAME
OF THE GERMAN PEOPLE
MILITARY VERDICT
In the criminal case against
the driver Franz Jägerstätter
Company of the Transport Reserve, Section
17 Enns,
Born on 20.5.1907 in Radegund
(Upper Danube),
At present detained in the military remand
prison, Berlin-Tegel
for undermining military morale.
Participants in the hearing on 6th July 1943:
As Judges: Reich´s Military Court Counsellor
Lueben, Session Leader; Air Force General
Musshoff; Vice Admiral Arps; Major General
Schreiber; Senior Reich´s Military Court
Counsellor Ranft.
As Prosector: Senior Reich´s Military Court
Counsellor Dr. Kleint.
As clerk to the court: Senior Reich´s Military Court
Inspector Wagner
Have judged and confirmed as right and just:
The accused is sentenced to death for undermining
military morale and is deprived of all rights to
serve and civil rights.
In the name of the law.
In February 1943 the
accused was ordered in
writing to report for
renewed active military
service in the Transport
Reserve, Section 17, at
Enns on 25th February
1943. At first he did not
report because he
rejected Nationalsocialism and for that reason
was not willing to perfom
military service.
Upon the urging of
Familiy members and
the advice of his local
pastor he finally
reported at the unit
headquarters in Enns
on 1st March 1943.
There he immediately
declared his refusal to
bear arms in military
service because of his
religious convictions.
Under interrogation by
the court officer he held
to that position despite
advice and warnings as
to the consequences of
such refusal. He
declared it would be
violating his religious
conscience if he were to
fight for the National
Socialist state.
He reiterated his refusal
in his hearing before the
investigator for the
Division 487 court in
Linz as well, and to the
representative of the
Military Tribunal´s legal
staff. He declared
himself ready, however,
to serve as a medical
orderly as an exercise
of Christian charity.
Greetings in God, my
dearest, beloved wife
and all my children.
Your letters of July 13
and 25 have
been received, and I am
truly grateful for them.
Today it is exactly four
weeks since we saw
each other for the last
time in this world. This
morning at about 5.30
we were suddenly told
to dress; the car was
already waiting.
Along with several other
men under sentence of
death, I was brought
here to Brandenburg.
We did not yet know
what would happen to
us.
Not until noon was I told
that my sentence was
confirmed on 14 July,
and is to be carried out
today at about 4pm.
Now I wish to write a few
words of farewell.
Dearest wife and mother, I
thank you once more from
my heart for everything that
you have done for me in my
lifetime, for all the love an
sacrifice that you have
borne for me: and I beg you
again to forgive me if I have
hurt or offended you, just as
I have forgiven everything.
I beg, too, that all others I
have ever offended may
forgive me, especially
Father Fürthauer, if perhaps
my words offended him when
he visited me with you. I
forgive everyone from my
heart. May God accept my
life as a sacrifice in
reparation not only for my
sins but for the sins of
others as well.
Dearest wife and mother, it
was not possible for me to
free you from the pain that
you must now suffer on my
account. How hard it must
have been for our dear
Saviour when, trough His
sufferings and death, He
had to prepare such great
sorrow for His Mother – and
they bore this out of love for
us sinners.
I thank our Saviour, too, that
I am privileged to suffer and
even die for Him. I trust that,
in His unending mercy, God
has forgiven me everything
and will not abandon me in
the last hour….
Jesus will now come to me
in Holy Communion and
strengthen me for the
journey of eternity. In Tegel,
too, I had the grace of
receiving the Blessed
Sacrament four times. My
heartfelt greetings to my
dear children. I will surely
beg dear God, if I am
permitted to enter heaven
soon,
that He may set aside
a little place in heaven for all
of you.
And now your husband,
son, father, son-in-law and
brother-in-law greets you
once more before his final
journey. May the heart of
Jesus, the heart of Mary,
and my heart be one, united
for time and eternity. Mary,
with the Child so dear, give
us all your blessings.
Annulment of the death sentence
Berlin District Court
In the case of annulment,
Concerning Franz Jägerstätter, born 20th May 1907 in
Radegund (Upper Danube) Austria,
The sentence of the Reich´s Court Martial dated 6 July
1943 – StPL (HLS) II 53/43 – StPL (RKA) I 98/43 – is
annulled as a result of applications made by Franziska
Jägerstätter, Rosalia Sigl, Maria Dammer und Aloisia
Maier, as well as an application made by the public
prosecution department I at Berlin District Court.
The decision is based on political grounds, as
the person concerned was condemned to death
in order, by this means, to create a politicallymotivated deterrent which the Reich Court
Material sought to achieve by pronouncing a
large number of death sentences on Jehovah´s
Witness and on other church members (cf
Haase, the Reich Court Martial ans Resistance
against Nazi Rule, p. 47)
Berlin, 7th Mai 1997
Berlin District Court. Criminal Divison 17
Baae Lohrengel Groth
Questions for us today
• Which are the political and economic
reasons behind military activities and
mobilizations today?
• Iraq invasion 2003?
• Afghanistan?
• Syria invasion 2013?
• What are we, the EU, doing towards
immigrants from African states?
Violence
• Is our lifestyle relevant for the destruction
of room to live for migrating peoples?
• On which side are we?
• Serve the public by healing the wounds?
(as Franz Jägerstätter had been ready for)
• The loss of an Empire and our obligations
for consequences and outcomes?
• May the heart of Jesus, the heart of Mary
and my heart be one, united for time and
eternity.
• What does this mean in recognizing our
responsibility, duty, consuming, work?
• What does it mean in our action? Act in
your responsibility as Jesus would have
told you to act.
JÄGERSTÄTTER – A SYMBOL
Models of faith such as
Franz Jägerstätter
should not only be
seen from the point of
view of their moral and
religious attitude and
behaviour, but also as
signs of God´s grace,
as symbols that god
places before us at
particular times. They
should guide and
motivate us on our own
Journeys of faith.
Jägerstätter´s
message is to remain
true to one´s
conscience and live
out one´s faith, which
carries a political
responsibility. This
means ordering both
your private and
public life a according
to the will of God,
respecting the
demands of your
conscience and
consequently
assuming social
responsibility, even in
the face of opposition.
Photocredit: Erna Putz, Diözese Linz
Text: Severin Renoldner
alle: Austria
4020 Linz, Kapuzinerstraße 84
http://www.jaegerstaetter.at
[email protected]
Impressum/Offenlegung:
http://www.dioezese-linz.at/offenlegung