80 years of Annemarie Fenzl: A life for faith in Vienna!

80 years of Annemarie Fenzl: A life for faith in Vienna!

Wien, Österreich - On February 7, 2025, Annemarie Fenzl, the former diocesan archivist of the Archdiocese of Vienna and right hand of the cardinal Franz König, who died in 2004, celebrates her 80th birthday. At almost 60 years on duty, she is one of the most experienced employees in the archdiocese. In the future, she will continue to lead the Cardinal Royal Archives on a voluntary basis, which has been in the Archbishop's Palace for 15 years. In a conversation, Fenzl expressed that although she recognized the challenges of her long career, her time is seen as a whole, since she always came across good cohesion. The unforgettable advice of their mentors accompanied them through their work, especially the sentence of the former Archbishop Cadjutor Franz Jachym, who confirmed them in the fact that the cooperation was important for the love of Christ.

an impressive career

Fenzl, which was born in Vienna and grew up there, began her professional career in 1965 in the archive of the Archdiocese and took over the overall management of the diocesan archive in 1976. Her close cooperation with Cardinal König, who continued to have importance after his death in 2004, makes her the leading connoisseur of his concerns. In addition to her role in the development of the Cardinal Royal Archives, she is also active as Secretary General of the Cardinal King Foundation, which is dedicated to the preservation of the cardinal's intellectual heritage. Fenzl also praised the important role of Cardinal Christoph Schönborn, who contributed significantly to the establishment of the archive, and emphasized the importance of the project, which now includes over 2,000 archive boxes.

fenzl is optimistic about the future of the archive, which she sees as a “work in progress”. It emphasizes the need for more intensive research on the term of office of Cardinal König, since it is of great interest to both the Austrian and for the World Church History. The archive not only contains personal documents and photos, but also important official files from the time of the second Vatican Council. This extensive collection will become more and more accessible in the coming years, but the development remains a challenge, as it remains to be made to the Kathpress . The experiences and insights of the past decades have been of an invaluable value for the archival work.

In addition to her retrospective considerations, Fenzl expressed some of her core beliefs that she won through her many years of activity. This includes the deeply rooted belief, which is essential for fulfilling work in the church. In view of her impressive years of service, Fenzl remains a respected figure within the archdiocese and an important voice in the discussion about church concerns.