Pascalina Lehnert | |
|---|---|
 Madre Pascalina in 1983 at age 88 | |
| Born | Josefina Lehnert (1894-08-25)25 August 1894 |
| Died | 13 November 1983(1983-11-13) (aged 89) |
| Occupation(s) | Religious sister Papal secretary and organizer Papal charity office manager |
Pascalina Lehnert (25 August 1894 – 13 November 1983), bornJosefina Lehnert, was a Germanreligious sister who served asPope Pius XII's housekeeper, confidant, and secretary from his period asApostolic Nuncio to Bavaria in 1917 until his death aspope in 1958.[1] She managed the papal charity office for Pius XII from 1944 until the pontiff's death in 1958. She was aSister of the Holy Cross Menzingen.
"Madre Pascalina", as she was called, ledEugenio Pacelli's household in the nunciature inMunich, Bavaria, from 1917 to 1925 and in thenunciature to Germany andPrussia inBerlin from 1925 to 1929, where Nuncio Pacelli wasDean of the Diplomatic Corps. There she became known for organizing the Pacelli parties, "which were auspicious, tastefully sprinkling glitter with the strictest European etiquette. [...] The nunciature was soon a major center of Germany's social and official worlds. Streams of aristocrats, including PresidentPaul von Hindenburg [(in office 1925–1934), who had served as one of Germany'sField Marshals duringWorld War I], were frequent callers, blending with students and workers, anyone whom Pacelli, the shrewdest of diplomats, chose to smile upon."[2]
Pacelli was recalled toRome in 1929 to becomeCardinal Secretary of State. Pascalina soon resided as housekeeper with two other sisters in the Vatican. Herbig, München. During this time Pacelli's sister Elisabetta reportedly displayed some rivalry toward Madre Pascalina. She soon assumed responsibility for managing the domestic affairs of the Vatican residence, overseeing staff, visitors, and correspondence. Her administrative ability and discretion earned her considerable respect among clergy and diplomats alike. During this period, she coordinated charitable efforts and hospitality for numerous official functions, continuing the organizational style she had developed in the nunciature in Germany. Her influence extended to the coordination of daily schedules and the supervision of household operations within the Apostolic Palace, where she became a trusted and efficient steward of the papal household’s internal affairs.
Pius XII responded to Madre Pascalina in the aftermath of the war by organizing a two-tier papal charity. MonsignoreFerdinando Baldelli, Carlo Egger andOtto Faller started on behalf of the pope the officialPontificia Commissione di Assistenza.[3] Madre Pascalina was asked by the Pope to direct his personal charity efforts, officially under Monsignor Giovanni Battista Montini, laterPope Paul VI, with whom she seemed to have a complicated relationship. To assist the pope in the many calls for his help and charity, Pascalina organized and led theMagazzino, a private papal charity office which employed up to 40 helpers and continued until 1959. "It started from modest beginnings and became a gigantic charity."[4]
By Christmas 1944, housing had been provided at thePapal Palace of Castel Gandolfo for 5,000 refugees from the invadingNazi forces. Inside the Vatican, Mother Pascalina was in charge of housing, clothing and food for as manyJewish refugees as the walls could hold. By the end of the war, no less than 200,000 Jews had been sheltered and fed inside the Holy City under her supervision.[5] In addition to this, 12,000 packages were delivered to the children of Rome alone, many of which were handed out by Pope Pius XII himself.[6]
In recognition of her achievements, John XXIII awarded Mother Pascalina the papal honorPro Ecclesia et Pontifice. This was the highest honor the Catholic Church could bestow on women until 1993.[7]
Madre Pascalina wrote her autobiography in 1959. Church authorities permitted its publication only in 1982.[8]
Media related toPascalina Lehnert at Wikimedia Commons.svg)
