German Missionaries in Australia

Born in Esbeck (Westphalia) in 1872, Bernhard (Bohle) Hoffmann entered the novitiate in 1893 soon after the Pallottines had established a presence in Limburg, and received his habit in the same year at age 21. He made his first profession in 1896 and was sent to Kribi mission in Cameroon where he instructed in carpentry. He wrote to the Limburg Provincial Kugelmann in January 1894: ‘When you see how one boy or another sneaks in at the back of the church to thank God, above and beyond the prescribed prayers, it gives you plenty of joy.¹ He later claimed that he was known as ‘Doctor Sango’ at Engelberg, because medical assistance was lacking so that staff often had to rely on their own resourcefulness.² It appears that he was sent back to Germany after a few years.

In October 1902, now age 30, he departed with Fr. Rensmann and Brothers Graf and Zach for Beagle Bay. Less than six months later he claimed that his copy of Rodriquez, spiritual readings of which every Brother had a copy, had been eaten by white ants.³ He acquired a reputation as a ‘good carpenter but a poor religious’.⁴ Mission superior Walter engaged him in stock work to save costs⁵ and complained:

Everything here is as usual, I will send Br. Bernhard, who has conducted himself badly and brazenly towards myself and others, home soon as soon as I have the money. It really is a mistake to send such unreliable people into the mission. I hope you will not make the same mistake as Fr. Kugelmann, who has caused us unspeakable difficulties and suffering in this way.⁶

In German

Hier geht alles noch seinen alten Gang, den Br Bernhard der sich sehr schlecht und unverschämt gegen mich und andere betragen hat werde ich demnächst sobald ich Geld habe nach Hause schicken. Es ist überhaupt ein Fehler in die Mission solche unzuverlässige Leute zu schicken. Hoffentlich machen Sie nicht auch die gleichen Fehler wie P. Kugelmann der uns dadurch unsäglich viele Beschwerden und Leiden verursacht hat. ⁷

But it was not until Fr. Bischofs took over as mission superior that Br. Bernhard was sent home:

But one thing is certain, whether it is me or someone else who has to work with these Brothers, Brs. Bernhard and Sixt must be sent away, because it is rather difficult to get along with them. For the moment I will manage but it can’t go on for long with these two, because in my opinion these two have shortcomings that cannot be tolerated in the noviciate. They want to rule and where there are such people a communal life can never really blossom. My judgement will be borne out. If P.W. [Fr Walter] had got rid of them earlier I am sure he would not have had so many difficulties.⁸

In German

Aber eines ist sicher, auch wenn ich oder ein anderer mit diesen Brüdern zu schaffen hätte so müßten doch Br. Bernhard und Sixt fortkommen, denn mit ihnen ist es immerhin schwer richtig auszukommen. Für den Augenblick werde ich schon fertig werden, aber sehr lange kann es doch mit den beiden nicht gehen, denn nach meiner Ansicht haben die beiden einen Fehler den man im Noviziate nicht durchgehenlassen darf. Sie wollen herrschen und wo es solche Leute gibt dort kann nie wahres geimeinschaftliches Leben blühen. Späterhin wird sich mein Urteil bestätigen. Hätte P W sich früher dieser beiden entledigen können, ich bin sicher er hätte nicht soviele Schwierigkeiten gehabt. ⁹

Hoffmann was sent back to Limburg in 1906 and his superiors were at a loss what to do with him. He had a reputation for heavy drinking and they feared that in the motherhouse in Limburg he would cause unrest.¹⁰ Eventually he was stationed in Freising, a new seminary and college established by Kugelmann in 1919. Although Pallottines were not permitted to wear civilian clothing, he requested a new civilian jacket, a knitted undervest, and an old overcoat because he had given his to Br. Labonte who ‘suffered even more from the cold’ (Brother Labonte had been at Beagle Bay from 1903 to 1911).¹¹

Hoffmann was in charge of the Pallottine carpentry workshop with up to nine secular apprentices, an initiative welcomed by the government to offer an alternative to the socialists and communists who would otherwise dominate the youth scene. In 1921 the police investigated reports that Hoffmann’s private carpentry workshop was accepting private contracts. Hoffmann denied this charge. Kugelmann (former General and Provincial) heard that Hoffmann was sending the apprentices to fetch beer, and was going about town with another Brother in civilian clothing, smoking on the streets and frequenting pubs - it might have been alright in Cameroon, ‘but not here’.¹² After he was sent away, one of the Fathers in Freising observed that now there was not nearly as much complaining.¹³

In 1924 Hoffmann was co-directing the craft training college for aspirants (Handwerkerfortbildungsschule) in Limburg with Br. Josef Bauer. He was found in possession of unauthorized books and illustrations (which he claimed were in connection with his medical skills.¹⁴) At age 54 he was also in secret correspondence with a young woman, exchanging ‘poste restante’ letters. One of his letters was intercepted at the destination and interpreted as an attempt to enter into trafficking. The Limburg police was authorized to place the correspondence under surveillance and arrest the recipient. The Generalate in Rome directed Limburg to expel Hoffmann at once in order to protect the Society from ill repute.¹⁵ He was forced to resign, but the allegation never came to trial and there was no conviction.

In the process of separating themselves from Hoffmann as directed by Rome, the Limburg Society entered into a highly unusual arrangement in May 1926, undertaking to pay him a monthly pension, which would be somewhat increased if he could not find employment. In October he applied for a position with the Salvatorians at Steinfeld (via Urft), for which he received a frank but supportive reference from Provinzial Laqua. In 1937 he was master carpenter at the Salvatorian college at Klausheide (via Paderborn) but malicious allegations between the apprentices and the master had led the Superior to ask Hoffmann not to enter the workshop any more. Now age 65, it was alleged that ‘He can’t handle the apprentices.’ ¹⁶

This was his last paid position. By the time he was 77 he had appointed a house painter to act as his legal guardian and claimed that he had not received his monthly payments from Limburg for six months and was now destitute. Limburg received a typed letter from an independently wealthy unknown teacher of no fixed address claiming that she intended to bestow a million Dollar inheritance from her unnamed uncle in America on the Pallottine Society if they agreed to continue to support Hoffmann. In 1951 the cost of Hoffmann’s aged care facility had increased beyond his pension and legal action against the Pallottines was settled out of court with a negotiated increase in Hoffmann’s pension. In the following year Hoffmann again appealed for an increase and was told that Limburg had financially supported him for the last 26 years, that he should have subscribed to old age insurance in his subsequent employments, and that the Pallottines no longer felt responsible for him. He died two months later.