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| Maria and one of her children in 1968 |
It was the love of children that made Maria Weber embark on her journey as an SOS mother, but she did a few others things in life first. There were a few detours en route. Maria Weber was born into a farming family in Burgenland in Austria. During the war, after she had completed her schooling, she became a postal worker, but as she explains "I didn't enjoy it very much. I wanted to work more with people." The parish priest told her about a seminary that provided training for women's professions in the church: Maria Weber attended and then went on to become his parish assistant. But her thyroid upset all her plans. Doctors advised Maria to live somewhere above 1,000 metres, so she became a parish assistant in Pfunds, a village in the heart of the Tyrolean mountains. There she heard about Hermann Gmeiner's SOS Children's Village in Imst for the first time. "I bought a 'brick' for 3.60 shillings, for the 'Christmas House'. A year later, I moved into the very same house as its SOS Children's Village mother."
A mother and her children
Eight boys and girls made up 'her' SOS Children's Village family when Maria Weber arrived in Imst on 24 June 1951. And they did then go on to become one family. Of course it was not all easy - "Each day presented a challenge: cooking, washing, cleaning, and ironing for nine people. I went to the doctor's with the children and to see their teachers, supervised homework, and held their hands when they were sick." For 25 years she followed children through their life's journey; children whose unhappy fate had led them to an SOS Children's Village. Not all of them managed to shake off this heavy baggage. One of her sons succumbed to alcoholism. Instead of a candle, he wanted a bottle of schnapps on his grave. Another son spent years in prison as a result of his drug addiction. Maria Weber visited him there every other weekend. When he was released, she gave him 14,000 euros "to make a fresh start". He has been clean for 18 years. He too was a guest at Maria Weber's birthday party.
Franz, or "little Franzie" as Maria Weber affectionately called him, managed to make it too. "He was not one of the most well-behaved, but one of the sweetest", Maria says, smiling. Franz has now reached the ripe old age of 71, and has a special story to tell. His father died in the war and his mother disappeared in the chaos of that time. Franz was placed in a police federation home in Vienna and it was there that he read about Hermann Gmeiner's SOS Children's Villages one day. "I knew right away that I wanted to go there". His dream was fulfilled: Hermann Gmeiner travelled personally to Vienna to bring the boy to the SOS Children's Village in Imst. Franz remained in Maria Weber's family for ten years, became an engineer, went to sea and travelled the world, then started a family. Maria Weber is very proud of him.
From Imst to Hinterbrühl
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| Amidst a new generation of children from SOS Children's Village Hinterbrühl |
The SOS Children's Village Imst was not to be the last stop on Maria Weber's life journey. When SOS Children's Village Hinterbrühl was completed in 1957, Hermann Gmeiner sent Maria to the new village. The children in her Imst family were adamant that they wanted to go with her, and they ended up achieving it too.
Maria Weber still lives in Hinterbrühl today, in what is known as the 'Mothers' House' for retired SOS Children's Village mothers, surrounded by memories of her eventful life. "I am content", she says, "for your needs become modest with age." She goes to church every day, as her faith has been with her throughout her life and has given her strength, such as during the difficult time when little Adelheid was dying. She was only four years old when she died of thyroid cancer. "She was so sweet. It hit me terribly hard." Another example was when Sepp died of a tumour: he had joined Maria Weber's family when he was four months old.
In spite of it all, Maria Weber is happy about the way her life has turned out. She never wanted children of her own, and she never missed having a husband at her side. "It was a good path to take", she says with complete conviction, "and as far as I was concerned, the children were always my own children." The 'children' see it the same way; for them, Maria Weber is their mother. As Maria explains, it is one of the greatest compliments when one of her children says, "I want to bring up my children just like you did." Then she really knows "that I can't have done such a bad job."