Franz Pfanner

Franz Pfanner (born at Langen, Vorarlberg, Austria, 1825; died at Emmaus, South Africa, 24 May1909) was an Austrian Trappist monk, founder of Mariannhill Abbey in South Africa.

Life

In 1850 he was ordained priest and was given a curacy in his native diocese. Nine years later he was appointed an Austrian army chaplain in the Italian campaign against Napoleon III, but the war was over before he could take up his appointment. After serving as chaplain to the Sisters of Mercy at Agram for several years, he went to Rome, and there saw the Trappists for the first time. Whilst waiting for his bishop's permission to join this order, he went on a pilgrimage to Palestine.

In November, 1864, he was professed at the Trappist monastery of Marienwald in Austria, and was made sub-prior a few weeks later. He again went to Rome in 1866, where he reorganized the well-known monastery at Tre Fontane. Then he conceived the idea of a foundation in Turkey. The difficulties seemed insuperable, but in 1869 he was able to open the monastery of Mariastern in Bosnia, which was raised to the status of an abbey in 1879.

In that year Bishop Ricards of the Eastern Vicariate of the Cape of Good Hope was in Europe, seeking Trappists to evangelize the Kafirs. When all others had declined the invitation, Abbot Franz resolved to relinquish his settled abbey and face fresh difficulties in South Africa. At the end of July, 1880, he arrived at Dunbrody, the place purchased by Bishop Ricards for the work. But on account of the drought, winds and baboons, he declared the site unsuitable after a trial of several years. With the permission of Bishop Charles Jolivet, O.M.I., of the Natal Vicariate, he then (December, 1882) bought from the Land Colonization Company a part of the farm Zoekoegat, near Pinetown. The monastery of Mariannhill was built here.

Finding the need of a sisterhood to teach girls, with characteristic energy he founded the Sisters of the Precious Blood [ [http://www.cpsmissionarysisters.com/past_and_present.php Missionary Sisters of the Precious Blood > Past and Present ] ] .. In 1885 Mariannhill was created an abbey, and Prior Franz Pfanner elected the first mitred abbot. Numerically, it shortly (1898) became the largest Christian monastery in the world, with 285 monks [Richard Elphick, T. R. H. Davenport, "Christianity in South Africa: A Political, Social, and Cultural History" (1997), p. 199.] .

But in 1893 he resigned his prelacy and began life again in the mission station of Emmaus, where he remained until his death.

Formation of the Missionary Order

A few months before Abbot Franz's death the Holy See, at the petition of the Trappists of Mariannhill, made a considerable change in their status. The Cistercian Rule in its rigour, for which Abbot Pfanner was most zealous, was found to be an obstacle to missionary development in some particulars. Hence the name of the order was changed to that of the Missionary Religious of Mariannhill, and they were given a milder rule.

References

*A. L. Balling (1980), "Abbot Francis Pfanner, A Missionary Who Made History"

Notes

External links

* [http://www.dacb.org/stories/southafrica/pfanner_franz.html "Dictionary of African Christian Biography"]
* [http://chi.gospelcom.net/lives_events/more/pfanner.shtml "Christian History Institute"]
* [http://www.mariannhill.de/dcms/sites/cmm/francais/geschichte/abbot/pfanner.html Timeline]
* [http://www.bbkl.de/p/pfanner.shtml BBK page]