Brother Karl Hofmann OSB

During the night of 18–19 December our confrere

Brother Karl (Ludwig) Hofmann OSB

died suddenly of a heart attack.

Br. Karl was born on 5 August 1939 in Loderwinkl bei Rettenbach as the tenth child of the forestry worker Heinrich Hofmann and his wife Maria, née Eidenschink. He was baptized the following day in the parish church of St. Englmar with the name Ludwig. As he related in his curriculum vitae, at the age of six he went to the primary school in St. Englmar, an hour away, and then, after a school was built in Rettenbach itself, to the primary school there, from which he graduated on 15 July 1953 completing the eighth grade. During his school years, Ludwig Hofmann was also an altar boy in the community of the Brothers of St. John of God in Kostenz.

As his pastor wrote, Ludwig Hoffmann was already interested in religion as a schoolboy. Thus, on 1 September 1953, his life’s journey led him to the brothers’ seminary of our monastery, with the desire, as he himself wrote, “to be allowed to serve God in the missions.”

Initially he was assigned to the bakery for an apprenticeship. He completed this apprenticeship on 9 October 1956 with the journeyman’s examination. On 3 September of that year he had already entered the monastery and on 7 September was admitted to the postulancy. Entrance into the novitiate followed on 14 September 1957 when he received the religious name of Br. Karl (Charles Borromeo). Br. Karl made his first profession on 15 September 1958 and on 8 December 1964 he bound himself to our monastic community for life. After entering the monastery he worked in the garden. Here Br. Karl did further apprenticeship training and passed the assistant’s exam in Ortenburg on 16 September 1958. For two years he worked as an assistant in the garden. He was transferred to the farm on 31 May 1960. From 1960 to 1962 he took the courses in our then agricultural school. Agriculture remained our confrere’s area of work. He also managed this operation until he gave it up in 2005. His main concentration was field cultivation. In addition, Br. Karl took care of the extensive forest area of the abbey until his old age. Br. Karl was always interested in the development of the monastery. For many years he was involved in the monastery fire brigade.

The last decade of his life was marked by the increasing ailments of old age, which necessitated the need of a walker. He spent the last quarter of the year in the monastery infirmary, where he then unexpectedly passed away during the night of the Fourth Sunday of Advent. Thus we hope that he will be safe with the Lord, whose coming we celebrate at Christmas.

We ask for prayers for our deceased confrere.

Prior Administrator Richard Multerer
and the Community of Schweiklberg Abbey