In Memory of the Tertiary Sisters of St. Francis of Hall in Tyrol – Victims of National Socialism and War

The Congregation of the Tertiary Sisters of St. Francis, whose missionary and charitable spirit dates back to their foundress Maria Hueber (1653–1705), had long been dedicated to education, especially of girls, and to caring for the needy. In 1928, the provincial seat for North and East Tyrol was established in Hall in Tyrol, from where the sisters carried out their service.
With the "Anschluss" of Austria in 1938, National Socialist terror directly struck this community. In March 1938, the sisters' beloved school building in Hall was taken from them overnight, the teachers were dismissed and replaced by personnel loyal to the regime. The following years were marked by systematic repression: sisters were dismissed from teaching, forced to work in armaments factories, arrested, and interrogated. Nevertheless, they continued their quiet, conscientious resistance—through prayer, passing on their faith, and charitable work.
The Second World War, unleashed by the Nazi regime, ultimately caught up with these women of charity in a cruel way. While they were following their calling to care for the wounded or provide shelter to those seeking refuge, the bombing war struck them on two fateful days.

In Memory of the Three Sisters Who Died in Feldkirch on October 1, 1943
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In 1942, 18 Tertiary Sisters from Hall were assigned to serve at the reserve military hospital in Feldkirch. During an Allied bombing raid on Feldkirch, which also hit the hospital and killed over 200 people, three of these sisters lost their lives.

Name (Religious Name)
Birth Name
Lifespan
Age
Sister Maria Creszentia
Alger
1885 – 1943
58 years

Sister Adelheid
Hofmann-Norz
1909 – 1943
34 years

Sister Thaddäa
Zabernigg
1914 – 1943
29 years

In Memory of the Eleven Sisters Who Died in Solbad Hall on February 16, 1945

The heaviest bombing raid on Hall in Tyrol on February 16, 1945, claimed 70 lives. Among them were eleven Tertiary Sisters who had sought shelter in the "Haus zum Guten Hirten" (House of the Good Shepherd) and were hit by the bombs there. This tragedy ended the lives of:

Name (Religious Name)
Baptismal Name
Lifespan
Sister Kreszenz
Elisabeth Staiger
1866 – 1945

Sister Margaretha Alacoque
Felizitas Glatz
1890 – 1945

Sister M. Rosa
Theresia Mark
1888 – 1945

Sister Katharina
Christina Maier
1879 – 1945

Sister Elisabeth
Berta Zimmer
1878 – 1945

Sister Alkantara
Maria Winkler
1888 – 1945

Sister Johanna
Maria Hofmann
1891 – 1945

Sister Felizitas
Rosina Handler
1887 – 1945

Sister Margarita
Anna Geistberger
1890 – 1945

Sister Agnes
Anna Gmeiner
1890 – 1945

Sister Cherubina
Anna Fuchs
1899 – 1945

Their Legacy

These fourteen sisters stand as representatives for the fate of an entire religious community that suffered under the Nazi dictatorship. They did not become victims of war by chance. Their death was the direct consequence of an ideology that hated their life's work—faith, education, and mercy—and sought to systematically destroy it.
Their quiet, steadfast perseverance through the years of persecution and their final service to their neighbors in the military hospital or in the air-raid shelter are a lasting testament to resistance born of Christian conviction. They died because they remained true to their vocation, even during the war.
May their memory be held in honor. Their sacrifice admonishes us to defend freedom, faith, and humanity against all forms of injustice and tyranny.

"I build firmly on God's goodness and mercy." – Maria Hueber