Sister of the Holy Cross Alena Thöny (1912-2005)

Photo: Sister of the Holy Cross Alena Thöny. From: Private archive of the Monastery of the Holy Cross in Hall in Tyrol.

Introduction: A Nun in the Resistance

Sister Alena (Rosa) Thöny (1912-2005) was not only a dedicated teacher and chronicler of the Sisters of the Holy Cross in Hall in Tyrol, but also a contemporary witness to the systematic suppression of religious life during the Nazi dictatorship. Her life story and her written account from 1970 provide a powerful testimony to the fate of religious communities, who were expropriated, deprived of their places of work, and ultimately forced to work in Nazi institutions.

Biographical Overview: Sister Alena Thöny

Life PhaseEvents and Milestones
Early Life Born on July 11, 1912, in Schruns, Vorarlberg. Worked in her parents' butcher shop; attended a commercial school in Feldkirch (1928-1930).
Entry and Training Entered the Sisters of the Holy Cross in Hall in 1932. Graduated from the Commercial Academy in Innsbruck and completed her Matura (university entrance exam) in 1938. A planned university study was prevented by the political situation.
War Years Worked as a secretary at the Mehrerau Sanatorium (Bregenz) and at the reserve military hospital located in the order's provincial house in Hall.
Illness In 1944, contracted a severe spinal disease resulting in years of being bedridden, from which she recovered through strong willpower and faith.
Work as a Teacher From 1956, teacher at the order's own domestic science school; served as its director from 1972 until her retirement. An engaged organizer of celebrations.
Historical Work For decades, maintained the province's chronicle. In 1970, authored an extensive report on the province's 100-year history, which detailed the Nazi era.
RecognitionIn 1990, awarded the Medal of Merit of the State of Tyrol.
Later Life Died on July 21, 2005, after suffering a stroke in 2001.

Historical Context: Systematic Oppression and Forced Labor

The report by Sister Alena Thöny describes how the provincial house in Hall was gradually confiscated by the Nazi authorities from 1938 onwards and converted into a reserve military hospital. This was part of a nationwide policy to eliminate church influence and utilize church resources for the war economy.
Targeted Measures Against Religious Communities:
1.     Closure of Institutions: Schools, kindergartens, and care homes were systematically closed to "seize the youth."
2.     Expropriation and Expulsion: Monasteries and provincial houses were forcibly cleared and used for military or other state purposes.
3.     Professional Bans: State diplomas were made mandatory, especially for nursing sisters, and previously earned diplomas were often unlawfully revoked.
4.     Conscription for Labor: Authorities recruited labor from the displaced religious communities, particularly for nursing in the now state-controlled military hospitals and general hospitals.

Affected Religious Communities in Hall in Tirol

Sister Alena's report focuses primarily on the Sisters of the Holy Cross. However, according to historical sources, several other communities in Hall were affected by similar fates:
Religious Community
Possible Form of Involvement / Forced Labor
Sisters of the Holy Cross
Obligated to work in the reserve military hospital located in their own, confiscated provincial house.

Salesian Sisters of Thurnfeld
Obligated to perform nursing services in the military hospital at the Sisters of the Holy Cross.

Tertiary Sisters
Obligated to perform nursing or kitchen duties in Feldkirch and Hall in Tirol.

Adoration Sisters
Obligated to perform nursing services in the military hospital of the Sisters of the Holy Cross.

Sisters of the Good Shepherd
Obligated to perform nursing services in military hospitals in Hall in Tirol.

Quote from the 1970 Report: A Symbol of Resistance

A particularly striking example of the sisters' non-violent yet determined resistance is described by Sister Alena in her report:

"The Crosses Stay!"

"Once, when a commission was walking through the rooms of the provincial house that had become a military hospital, one of the gentlemen commanded: 'The crosses must go!' To this, Sister Lukretia, the superior at the time, replied in a firm tone: 'Gentlemen, the crosses stay! And they will still be hanging long after you and I are gone.' The crosses were indeed not removed afterwards."

Conclusion: Remembrance and Appreciation

The life of Sister Alena Thöny spans an arc from personal suffering through illness and political oppression to decades of blessed work in education and historiography. Her written legacy preserves the memory of a dark chapter in which pious life and charitable work were criminalized and instrumentalized for the purposes of an unjust regime.
The story of the Sisters of the Holy Cross and the other affected communities in Hall stands as an example of the fate of countless religious men and women in the German Reich, whose steadfast resistance and forced services alike should be part of Europe's memory of Nazi forced labor.

​(See also blog: Sisters of the Holy Cross in Hall in Tirol, Salesian Sisters in Thurnfeld, Tertiary Sisters, Sisters of the Good Shepherd in Hall in Tirol)