Family Name: Hurter- Ammann (Von), Henriette

Nationality: Austrian

Date of Arrival in India: 17/01/1926

Death: 7/4/1984 at Eichgraben, Austria

The year 1926 brought a valiant woman, Mother Klemens Maria Hofbauer from Austria. True to her name, she was a woman of compassion blessed with a blend of wisdom, vision and hard work. She was the most zealous of missionaries; she gave herself without counting the cost in India, where she was called from north to south and east to west to establish new educational foundations. Whatever she initiated still thrives with life and class, for example Stella Maris College, Stella Matutina, Tanjore Sacred Heart Schools, Fatima High School and Primary Teacher Training School in Kazipet.

Mother Klemens was well known in government circles and in the Ministry of Education for her commitment to empower the Indian youth, especially young girls. She took a lively interest in the outlying villages as well, to sow the seeds of education with her motto – What can better empower a new generation than education!