Hall of Fame
Daughter of Deutschland
Blessed Theresa Gerhardinger was inducted into the Bavarian Hall of Fame on September 3, 1998.
Ludwig I 1786-1868
Background of the Bavarian Hall of Fame
In 1842 King Ludwig I established the Bavarian Hall of Fame (Valhalla) to honor German-speaking persons. Mother Theresa asked King Ludwig's help in legal and financial affairs. There are 10 vignettes exploring this relationship.
Mother Theresa: Pioneer in Women’s Rights and Human Rights
Bavarian Minister of Education, Culture Science and the Arts, Hans Zehetmair said: “Mother Theresa…is not only a person of German tongue who did something significant, as required by King Louis for the Valhalla, but her work that continues to the present day has made a decisive contribution to the improvement of life and education for women and girls. In fact, Sister Mary Theresa could be called one of the most important pioneers for women’s rights and human rights in our area.”
Bavarian Minister of Education and S. Brunhild Teufel, SSND,
Provincial of the Bavarian Province.
Mother Theresa had been Honored in the Church’s Hall of Fame through her Beatification
Fredrich Cardinal Wetter, Archbishop of Munich and Friesing added these comments: “I would like to thank the Bavarian State Government for taking up my suggestion and passing a resolution to pay tribute to a woman who highly deserves to be honored by our country in this way. John Paul II beatified Mary Theresa Gerhardinger on November 17, 1985, thereby assigning her a place in the ‘Church’s Hall of Fame.’”
Bishop Muller, Cardinal Wetter, S. Rosemary Howarth (General Superior),
Prof. Uhlig, State Minister Zehetmair
Believe in the Transformative Power of Education
Sister Rosemary Howarth, SSND General Superior stated, “God’s cause is the only concern of our hearts” is Mother Theresa’s word for today, September 3. With this statement, we catch a glimpse of what motivated her to be so passionate about education. For if God’s dream is for the fullness of life for each person and for all persons, then for Theresa education was a means for that dream to become a reality. I can hear her say to us: ‘Believe in the transformative power of education.’”
Learn more about the Valhalla.