In memory of Father Karl Bausenhart

Obituary

"Then I looked,
and there was the Lamb, standing on Mount Sion!
And with him were one hundred forty-four thousand
who had his name and his Father’s name written on their foreheads.
And they sing a new song before the throne
and before the four living creatures and before the elders.
They have been redeemed from humankind as first fruits for God and the Lamb."
(Rev. 14, 1-4; Reading of 27.11.2006)

The news that reached us on the afternoon of 27 November 2005, that our confrere, Fr Karl Bausenhart, had died of an embolism of the lungs in the hospital in Cologne-Frechen, came like a bolt from the blue. After spending a number of weeks in hospital in Essen on account of a severe infection, Fr Bausenhart was again admitted to hospital near Cologne on 20 November. It turned out that another bacterial infection had caused his illness, but it was expected that it would respond to treatment. At this point a sudden and unexpected embolism of the lungs ended his life.

Although we cannot understand God’s plan at this moment, God has called our confrere to himself in our heavenly Sion while he was still at the height of his powers. He was only 55.

Karl Bausenhart was born on 21 March 1951 as the first of four brothers in Ellwangen, Jagst. He spent his childhood and youth with his parents and brothers in Aalen-Wasseralfingen, where his father was working in the finance department. After his basic schooling in Wasseralfingen, he attended the humanistic Gymnasium in Ellwangen. His matriculation in 1969 brought Karl to a turning-point in his life.

Through his parents – as he himself put it – he had been in contact with Schoenstatt and the Schoenstatt Movement "already from birth". While he was at school, he was actively engaged in building up the Schoenstatt Youth for young men in his Swabian home province, where he has gone down in history as a co-founder of the "Schwarzhorn Section". At the end of his schooling he felt powerfully drawn to Schoenstatt. He had already felt for a long time that he wanted to become a priest and give his whole life for Schoenstatt. Through gaining work experience at the centre for young men in Schoenstatt in 1969 he came somewhat closer to realizing his wish. In the following year he entered the Novitiate of the Schoenstatt Fathers, and together with ten other young men set off on his way to the priesthood. He and his confreres were most enthusiastic about "Mount Sion" and Fr Kentenich’s vision of the "Sion community", and this set its mark on their course ideal: "Sion Patris in Paternitate".

Karl Bausenhart completed his philosophical and theological studies in various stages at the Josef Kentenich College and at the University of Muenster, as well as at the Catholic Theological Academy in Warsaw, Poland. Fr Karl’s profound fellow feeling for our Polish confreres, and his commitment to the foundation of the community in that country, reaches back to his studies in Warsaw. Shortly before he completed his studies, Karl was ordained Deacon in April 1978 in Muenster, and already on 9 December of that year he was ordained to the priesthood on the Liebfrauenhoehe in his home diocese of Rottenburg-Stuttgart by the bishop at that time, Bishop George Moser, a good friend of the Bausenhart family.

The circumstances in which the international community of Schoenstatt Fathers found itself at that time meant that immediately after his ordination and First Mass, Fr Karl was sent to Spain to attend a language course lasting a number of months. From there he set off in Spring 1979 for Buenos Aires, Argentina, for his first priestly task as youth chaplain to the Schoenstatt Young Men. Still today people in the Argentinian Schoenstatt Family, especially in Villa Ballester, recall the key role played by "Padre Carlos" during the building of the Schoenstatt shrine there. He was full of enthusiasm, and the friendly, attractive and humorous German Father made a deep impression on them. He was to work in Argentina for four year, then in 1983 he was recalled to Germany to take up his studies again and work as the spiritual director and study assistant to the students at the international Josef Kentenich College in Muenster. As spiritual director, and not least as a popular German teacher, he was of great service to the community seminarians from all over the world, and he was in contact with a large part of the younger generation of the Fathers’ community.

Fr Karl’s manifold abilities, and above all the financial gifts he had inherited from his father, as well as his readiness to get involved in all sorts of initiatives and projects, led to his being increasingly drawn into responsible tasks in the leadership of the Province community of the Schoenstatt Fathers, but also of the Sion community as a whole. So, from 1985-1990 while the DDR still existed, he acted as Rector from West Germany of the house community of the Fathers there. Also before the fall of the Iron Curtain, he accompanied our first Czech confreres in the underground on their way into our community. He was recalled from Muenster to Schoenstatt and was Rector of the Provincial House on Mount Sion from 1988-1992, while at the same time working as Provincial Procurator and member of the Provincial government, as well as Manager of the Patris-Verlag, a publishing house owned by the community.

After the General Chapter of the Schoenstatt Fathers in 1992, Fr Bausenhart was appointed Procurator General, and for the next twelve years served the whole community. This required many journeys all over the world – as a cosmopolitan citizen, as it were. Because of his physical constitution and size this cost Fr Karl many difficulties and problems, but he bore them with calm patience and a great deal of humour. As a financial expert he was constantly called upon for advice and help in building up and extending the community in the different regions. He took an interest in everything he encountered, and he was never short of ideas – sometimes they were too big and too plentiful for them all to be carried out. He not only spent himself with great love and patience in serving the financial interests of the individual communities in the different countries and continents, but also got involved as far as he could in a number of social projects, especially in South America, India and Nigeria, which won the hearts in many places, so that he was very popular everywhere. Besides all the practical and financial matters he had to care for, his rich talents and priest and pastor were naturally not neglected. Throughout these years he accompanied many individual people in their spiritual lives, and from 2004 accepted the task of spiritual director of the newly founded women’s community, "Mary on the Way". He did so because he believed and was convinced that a divine initiative was behind it.

When his term of office as Procurator General came to an end in 2004, Fr Bausenhart transferred to our house in Essen, and soon became the Rector of the community there. Here he began his new task as chaplain to the Schoenstatt Family Movement in the dioceses of Northern Germany. Also here he still had many ideas and great plans he wanted to fulfil.

Throughout his life Fr Bausenhart felt a particular bond to our father and founder, Fr Kentenich, even though he had only met him once on the Liebfrauenhoehe when he was a boy. So it was something that was always close to his heart to study, and sometimes also edit, the founder’s works. His love for Fr Kentenich also found expression in all he did for the so-called "Bundesheim" (Covenant House) in Schoenstatt, where Fr Kentenich had lived and worked for years. In the last few years Fr Bausenhart made it a habit to stay in the Bundesheim when he was in Schoenstatt. The many years he worked for Fr Kentenich’s place of birth in Gymnich are also a sign of his attachment to the founder. In the last two years he initiated many activities in Gymnich. As a result Fr Kentenich became well known to a far wider public. On Sunday, 19 November, Fr Karl was actively involved in this year’s celebration of Fr Kentenich’s birth. A day later, greatly weakened by an infection, he was taken from Gymnich to hospital, where God called him to himself a few days later.

When she heard the news of his sudden death, someone who worked with Fr Bausenhart said quite spontaneously, "He still had so many plans!" Yes, our confrere was torn quite unexpectedly out of a very active life. And yet, when we look at his earthly life, which has so suddenly ended, we see the immeasurable blessing we have all been given through Fr Bausenhart. With his great heart and mind, in which many worlds found a place, with his deep emotions and his all-embracing love that took in so many people and cultures, he initiated countless projects and set much in motion both within his own community and outside it. For this blessing, for all that he has done for our Sion community and for so many people at so many places all over the world, we are deeply grateful. We thank him, who is now connected with us in a new way from eternity. We thank above all our Triune God, who gave us this confrere.

In his Will Fr Karl Bausenhart greeted us all and wrote, "Motivated by the exceedingly great and merciful love of God the Father, and in the covenant with the beloved Mother of God, our Queen of Sion, I send you all my final greetings and priestly blessing on this earth. Pray for me, so that I may pray fully for you."

In faith, and in our common covenant of love with the Mother of God we remain united, and expect that we will meet again one day in eternity. Together there we will be allowed to co-operate in the further realization of our father and founder’s vision of Mount Sion.

Schoenstatt, Mount Sion, 2 December, 2006
For the Community of the Schoenstatt Fathers,
Fr. Franz Johannes Bruegger
Provincial Superior

Translation: Mary Cole, Manchester, Engand