Antonius Maria Bodewig

(1839 - 1915)

Spiritual founder of the Missionary Sisters of the Queen of Apostles. Teacher, Jesuit, Visionary.

Early Life

Antonius Maria Bodewig was born on 2nd November 1839 in Bonn, Germany, to Constantine and Elisabeth Bodewig. Bodewig showed early promise and at age 17, after completing his gymnasium studies, entered the Society of Jesus in Muenster on 21st August 1856, taking vows in 1958.

After noviciate, the young Bodewig studied philosophy in the province’s formation house at Aachen, 1861-63. From 1864-66 he attended a language course at the University of Bonn. 1869-72 he taught in the Society’s Stella Matutina College in Feldkirch, Austria. He was ordained priest May 3rd 1871 at Maria Laach by Bishop Eberhard of Trier. Completing his theological studies in 1872 at Maria Laach, he received the mandate to go to the mission field of the Bombay-Pune Mission, India. It was said that he knew 17 languages and had four doctorates.

At this time, Bishop Meurin was in charge of the vicariate of Bombay and, influenced by the thinking of Robert de Nobili, promoting the idea of a missionary endeavour among the Indians which would not attempt to impose western European cultural values. Bodewig adopted his ideas with enthusiasm and in 1879 registered to learn Sanskrit, Marathi, English, Indian Philosophy and Mythology.

However, his studies were cut short when Bishop Meurin sent Bodewig to Igatpuri. Following the methods of Robert de Nobili, Bodewig was advised to adopt the dress and lifestyle of an Indian Brahmin in an attempt at evangelizing high caste Hindus.

Robert de Nobili

Nobili, an Italian Jesuit, had arrived in Madurai, South India in November 1606. He soon realised that the lack of success in the missions was due to the great differences in culture between European and Indian people. De Nobili understood that Western cultural standards of dress and behaviour are distinct from the core teachings of the gospel. For instance, eating beef, drinking alcohol, infrequent bathing and entering holy places with shoes on were considered barbarous and filthy by the indigenous people. De Nobili installed himself as a Hindu Sannyasi in a simple house of his own where he began to study tamil and later Telugu and Sanskrit. His converts continued to wear Indian clothing and retain the traditional sandalwood ashes on their forehead – anything not connected with any religious tenet may be regarded as forms of Indian culture. De Nobili met with strong opposition although his method was approved by Pope Gregory XV in 1623, with certain provisions.

The Igatpuri Experiment

On his arrival at Igatpuri, Fr Bodewig began an ashram way of life as recommended by Bishop Meurin, becoming a strict vegetarian, which he found difficult. However, there were no high caste Hindus in Igatpuri and Bodewig’s radical way of life divided local Christians. From Igatpuri, he moved to Nasik but met with little success.

Recalled to Bombay, Fr Bodewig taught at St Xavier’s College in March 1875 and was asked to edit the newly-formed periodical of the Bombay Debating Club, a pet project of the bishop. When this subsequently failed, Bodewig, jobless, was moved to Deolali, near Igatpuri, as a military chaplain. The mercurial Bishop Meurin then recalled Bodewig and asked him to prepare lectures for the Bombay Debating Club which he himself gave, giving no credit to Bodewig. By September 1875 relations between the two had reached breaking point and Bodewig returned to Europe in 1876.

His Last 12 years as a Jesuit

Between 1876 and 1888 Bodewig was transferred from one country to another. Frustrated by his experiences in India, he determined to initiate a concrete plan for the conversion of India via the ideas of De Nobili. The Jesuits, however, wanted him to teach in their schools and an impasse was reached. Bodewig was sent to North America and told to forget all ideas about India. Finally, in frustration, Bodewig left the Society of Jesus and moved to the Archdiocese of Cologne as a diocesan priest.

Working as an assistant priest, Fr Bodewig began to formulate ideas about a new missionary society for the conversion of India. He published "Indien und Seine Heiden Missionen" (India and its Pagan Missions) in which he laid down his ideas for evangelising India. A gifted speaker, he began to lecture and publish widely, and soon gained a dedicated group of followers.

Early Success

In September 1st 1892, Fr Bodewig was released from pastoral ministry and founded a small community of enthusiastic young men in Cologne. The Archbishop raised no objection and soon the group expanded to include a community of young women who provided for themselves by nursing the sick of the town, with a view to eventual mission work in India. A second similar house of sisters was set up in 1893 in Munich. In 1894 Fr Bodewig went to Rome to obtain Vatican approval of his new society and publicly lectured about India and his ideas for a mission. Greatly encouraged by a letter of commendation from Cardinal Ledochowski of Propaganda Fide and the approval of other prominent churchmen he returned to Cologne.

Bodewig was a guest speaker at the German Catholic Congress at Cologne on 30th September 1894. In his speech he presented his Missionary Society of the Immaculate Conception for the Conversion of Pagan India. After his speech the proposal was accepted unanimously: “The 41st General Assembly will bring to the knowledge of German Catholics the Missionary Society for India”. However, Rome had given no definite approval and news of Bodewig’s independent actions reached Archbishop Krementz of Cologne who felt that his authority had been undermined. He may also have been offended that the second edition of Fr Bodewig’s book appeared without his imprimatur.

Setbacks and Dark Clouds

Bodewig was to pay dearly for having offended Krementz. He was branded insubordinate and rebellious and ordered to give up his work for the Indian mission, which he refused to do. Accordingly, Card. Krementz suspended Bodewig a divinis, forbidding him to exercise his priestly ministries until the matter could be settled.

Archbishop Krementz followed this by informing the Holy See of his actions, thus closing all doors in Rome to Fr Bodewig. There ensued a whispering campaign against Fr Bodewig alleging, among other things, that he had obtained money fraudently. His bank account was frozen, denying him access. Disgruntled ex-members of the society were encouraged to make allegations that are not now possible to verify.

The Wilderness Years

Fr Bodewig could no longer remain in Cologne and moved his members to Munich, planning eventually to settle in Belgium. In December 1895 fourteen sisters and eight brothers left for the mission in Dacca and Lahore, arriving penniless to hear that their group was not recognised and they must return home or join other congregations. Archbishop Krementz, working through the Holy See, ensured that ecclesiastical authorities were prejudiced against Fr Bodewig in advance. The Belgian Archbishop of Mechelin ordered that the sacraments be denied to Fr Bodewig and his group.

Bodewig’s group now had no funds and no supporters in the hierarchy. They were to remain six years in the wilderness. In 1896 Pope Leo XIII dissolved the society. At this point Paulus Moritz, Fr Bodewig’s right hand man, reluctantly left and joined the Indian Mission as a Franciscan.

Unable to function as an approved society, the group moved to Belgium and lived in common as private persons. Cardinal Krementz died in 1899 but it would be some years before the tide of opinion would change. A visit and petition to Rome in 1901 was unsuccesful, the group changed its name to ‘Philanthropic Association of the White Star’. By 1910 there were 18 brothers and 85 sisters living in five houses.

Renewed attempts to gain official recognition met with limited success. Slowly, with the aid of Count Sacconi and Sister Xaveria Blas acting as mediators, the official attitude against Fr Bodewig began to soften. Many bishops were tacitly sympathetic but dared not give active support.

Finally in December 1913, Cardinal Mercier of Mechelin accepted Fr Bodewig into his archdiocese and lifted all suspensions from him and his group. Full of joy, Fr Bodewig renewed plans for an audience with the Pope and the chance to re-establish a Missionary Society. Pope Leo X was reputed to be very favourable but again things were stalled by the outbreak of World War 1 and the death of the Pope. The Belgian authorities seized the group’s house and land and ordered the deportation of the group. Fr Bodewig, now in poor health, went to Holland.

The group was scattered for a while, but some of the sisters reached Vienna, where the future mother house would be established. The next Pope, Benedict XV, agreed to meet Fr Bodewig in January 1915. The journey was too much for the increasingly frail Fr Bodewig and he died in Rome on the eve of the scheduled audience.

The Aftermath

The members of Fr Bodewig’s society were scattered in different parts of Europe until the end of the War. Some lived in convents, some with private families; many tended sick and wounded soldiers.

In the early years of the Missionary Sisters of the Queen of Apostles the founder’s name was hardly known, on account of his troubles with church authorities. It was to be the work of a follower of his, Paul Sonntag, to establish the order and fulfil the dream of Fr Bodewig.