December 11, 1926 – December 24, 2022
Julianna Lang was born on December 11, 1926, in Jánossomorja, Hungary, her parents’ second and last child, and was baptized one day later in the parish church of St. John. Her parents were Matthias and Maria Lang, born Bucher.
Julianna spent her childhood years in her homeland, where she also attended school. In 1936 she received her first Holy Communion in the parish church, and in 1939 her Holy Confirmation in her home church.
After finishing her compulsory schooling, she helped her parents with their farm-work.
After the end of the war in 1945, there was increasing hostility against the ethnic Germans living in other countries. So, in 1946 – like many thousands of other ethnic Germans – Julianna was expelled from her homeland. Since her home was on the Hungarian-Austrian border, she and her parents fled to Austria, to the neighboring region of Burgenland and applied for asylum. In 1953 she was granted Austrian citizenship. They chose Breitenbrunn on Lake Neusiedl in Burgenland as their adopted home. She lived there with her parents and helped them with their agricultural work. During this time, she met a chaplain from Bruck an der Leitha. When she told him that she wanted to enter a convent, he advised her to enter the order of the Sisters of the Sorrowful Mother, who were active in Bruck. On May 14, 1948, she entered the community in Vienna Simmering. There she received the habit on August 12, 1949, and was given the name M. Corona of Our Lady of Fatima. Since there was no novitiate in Vienna at that time, she was sent to Abenberg, Germany, to the Marienburg Monastery. This was where she completed the first year of her novitiate and at the same time learned some practical skills, working in the sewing room. In 1950 she returned to Vienna, where a novitiate had now been opened.
In 1951 she took her first holy vows in Vienna, renewed them in 1954, and celebrated her perpetual vows on August 12, 1956.
In 1952 she was tasked with taking over the sewing room and serving her sisters with the practical knowledge she had acquired. Back then this was a major responsibility, since the sisters sewed all of their clothes themselves: underwear, habits, the hoods worn under their veils, and the veils themselves, which were very elaborate at that time. Sr. Corona taught the young sisters how to label the linens. In 1964, the sewing room was assigned to another sister for two years. Then Sr. Corona took over again. After the Special General Chapter in 1969, she took two courses in drawing patterns.
Sr. Corona attended a Course for Lay Theologians from 1969 – 1971, passing all 11 required exams. She then asked her General Superior, Mother Wendelina Graml, to allow her to continue her education in order to be able to teach religion. In September 1971 she enrolled in an evening class in Religious Education for working professionals. Not having a high school diploma made her feel inadequate at first, but she was diligent in her studies and greatly enjoyed the course. Once she had completed it, she taught for a short time at the elementary school in Florian-Hedorferstraße in Vienna Simmering. She writes: “This is how to proclaim the Good News of Christ today: start from the children’s life experience, introduce a story from their environment, then move on to the Bible reading. Prior to this I have conversations with the individual pupils […], then we apply what we have
learned to the life of each child. Free prayer is usually in the middle or at the end of the lesson, as well as free drawing. Oh, children should feel joyful during this lesson and experience that religion itself is something joyful.”
In addition to her daily household chores, Sr. Corona trained as a pastoral assistant, attending an adult education course which she completed in 1978.
On October 1, 1978, the Bishop appointed her to the Parish of Schottenfeld, 1070 Vienna as a pastoral assistant. This became a new home for her, since she had always felt that the community she had lived in until then did not truly understand her. She continued to work in the parish until her retirement and far beyond.
We will continue to remember her, time and again, with gratitude, for her deep piety, her joy in continuing education through spiritual literature, her simplicity and her love for the poor, to whom she always gave food coupons and an encouraging word, especially when serving in her parish Schottenfeld. She also had a special place in her heart for the children whom she accompanied during their preparation for their First Communion for many years. She served faithfully in the chancery at her parish, every day, until the summer of 2019.
Subsequently, as she grew weaker, her inner loneliness, forgetfulness and being dependent on care became a great challenge for her. The countless hours she spent in chapel in faithful prayer always restored her strength.
During her last years, she was lovingly cared for in the Simmering community. It was above all Sr. Susanna Fieglmüller who did this in a very self-sacrificing way. When she could no longer live at home, Sr. Corona was transferred to a nursing home in Simmering that has a special dementia ward. The home was only 10 minutes away from the convent, so that the sisters were able to visit her often.
On her 96th birthday, all of the sisters from Simmering came to visit her. By this time, she was quite weak and could no longer stand. The sisters sang for her, and sometimes with her, choosing some of her favorite songs. Although Sr. Corona’s mind often wandered off to places we could not reach, she whispered a quiet ‘thank you’. We said goodbye knowing that God would soon fulfill her desire to finally allow her to return home to Him.
In the days before she passed away, prayers (especially ‘Hail Mary’) were recognizable among her virtually inaudible words. Again and again she stretched out her hands toward heaven. Perhaps she could already see heaven opening its doors to her. It was very moving to witness the change in Sr. Corona in the last days and weeks of her life. Although she had always been very reserved about expressing closeness, during her last days she often touched her visitors’ faces with her hands.
On December 24, she died peacefully in her sleep. She had already received the Last Rites several times.
Now she has returned home to her God and Creator. We are grateful for the gift of her life. She reached her goal; God completed her life. We who are still on our way ask her to continue to pray for us by God, as she did on earth for so many hours.
The funeral took place on January 13, 2023 at the Simmering Cemetery. Fr. Karl Seethaler OT concelebrated the funeral alongside Sr. Gudrun, who acted as funeral director. Afterwards, the Resurrection Mass took place in the Sisters’ Chapel (Simmeringer Hauptstraße 175, 1110 Vienna). The main celebrant was Chaplain (Parish of the Good News, Vienna) Albert Reiner, one of Sr. Corona’s former First Communion children, and the concelebrant was Fr. Albert Michelitsch ofmcap, who was Sr. Corona’s confessor for many years.
Submitted by Sr. Gudrun Schellner