(obituary of Fr. Albert Kavka, O.Carm.)
Those who "get lost" during their pilgrimage or stay in Kostelní Vydří and wander to the small cemetery on the opposite hill will be most impressed by the gravestone of a young priest with his photograph. The seventieth anniversary of the death and burial of Carmelite P. Albert Kavka, which has quietly passed, prompts us to briefly uncover the veil of forgetfulness that today shrouds his life story.
When we delve into the order's records from that time and overcome the barrier of the Latin language, his life opens up before us through the obituary, which was intended to help other religious brothers reflect on the life of the deceased and to pray for him.
P. Albert Kavka, alumnus of the College of St. Albert in Rome, from the village of Kostelní Vydří1 (Moravia), departed to the comfort of angels in heaven on January 5, 1934. There is no doubt that all who, like us, lived alongside him for some time in the international college in Rome admired his remarkable gifts of honest spirit, angelic goodness, and keen talent.
He was born in Vienna on November 7, 1910, but as a boy came with his parents to Kostelní Vydří, where our fathers have a convent with the parish. When he realized he was called to the Order of the Brothers of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, he went to Rome, where, after completing his novitiate at the College of St. Albert, he made his profession on July 26, 1929. He began his studies then, and it is remarkable how quickly he progressed in them. Nevertheless, his spirit was not overwhelmed by school matters, for he refreshed his soul by cultivating virtues, especially humility and obedience, and he was beloved by all. Stricken by a severe illness, he remained cheerful, fearing only that he might lose the grace of being ordained a priest. However, God did not deny him this consolation. Indeed, he was ordained on November 12, 1933. The following day, he returned to Kostelní Vydří and was forced to lie down in the hospital. On January 5, 1934, he breathed his last, receiving from the Lord the eternal reward. One can say of him the saying of Wisdom: “He quickly became perfect, and so he fulfilled long years.”2
It is interesting that the obituary is relatively long, despite the fact that Brother Albert, as a young man in the order, had "achieved nothing" and deaths were not so uncommon among the students. While the very laudatory tone of the obituary can at least in part be attributed to the principle of "speak well of the deceased," it is clear that the author had a personal and deeper relationship with Albert. Who wrote the obituary is something we can only speculate. Based on the emphasis on the virtues of P. Albert, I would wager on P. Jan Brenninger, who was a great teacher of ascetic life in the order at that time and also worked at the College of St. Albert. It is evident that the author of the obituary knew P. Albert from Rome and had a rather vague idea of Vydří.
Let us try to supplement the information in the obituary with additional data that can be uncovered. P. Albert was born as the firstborn child of his parents in Vienna, where he was baptized and given the name Václav. His parents were married in Vienna but only came there for work, like many of our people at the time. About his father, we know he was a tailor in Volfířov, but he originated from Salačova Lhota near Pacov. The parents likely soon moved from Vienna to Volfířov, as he died there on July 29, 1918, from pulmonary tuberculosis. He did not reach the age of thirty-seven. After her husband's death, it is likely that his mother moved to his hometown, as in 1930 Václav Kavka indicated Květinov as his home municipality in the political district of Německý Brod.
Between Václav Kavka's stay in Volfířov and Kostelní Vydří, we must look for the beginnings of his journey into the Carmelite order. What did monastic life in Kostelní Vydří look like at that time? In 1920, the German Carmelites left, and only the Czech Carmelite P. Albert Veleba continued to serve in the parish, along with possibly one other German Carmelite. The second Czech Carmelite, Prokop Valena, was still studying theology in Rome. In the summer of 1925, he had his first mass in Vydří but then continued his studies in Rome.
It is certain that the following year – in October 1926 – Václav Kavka arrived at the international Carmelite College of St. Albert in Rome to prepare for entry into the order. He was sixteen years old. Less than two years later, on July 25, 1928, he began his novitiate, and upon its completion, he made his profession on July 26, 1929. It is interesting that he took the name Albert, considering that one Albert (P. Veleba) was already in Vydří... This could suggest that he had a deeper relationship with P. Veleba? It is hard to say. At that time, it probably was not customary for a candidate to choose their own religious name.
In the following years, he studied philosophy and theology at the order’s school in Rome. During this time, he also made his solemn profession into the hands of the prior of the College of St. Albert – P. Jan Brenninger (as a representative of the General Prior) on October 16, 1932. Meanwhile, in Vydří, P. Prokop Valena began to serve as parish priest and prior in place of P. Veleba, who had left. He firmly counted on the new Czech Carmelite priest in his future plans.
However, a serious illness unexpectedly manifested in Albert Kavka. Therefore, in the fall of 1933, in his fourth year of theology, earlier than usual, he received diaconate on October 29 and then priestly ordination on November 12, 1933. The following day he had his first mass in Rome. Immediately afterward, he traveled back to his homeland.
While doctors in Rome (according to his words) claimed he did not have tuberculosis, a local doctor in Dačice, who was the home physician and a friend of the Vydří Carmelites, and whom Prior P. Valena had called, diagnosed tuberculosis at such an advanced stage that he gave no hope for recovery at first glance.
Prior P. Prokop was surprised by the doctor’s words; he could not believe it. But when P. Albert was refused admission to the pulmonary sanatorium to which the prior had turned, he realized that the situation was serious. The doctor (of whom the prior claimed that he was the best in Dačice) advised hospitalization and pointed out the risk of infection to those who came into contact with the sick. The prior was seriously troubled by the thought of what to do if no facility would want to hospitalize the sick P. Albert. Ultimately, P. Albert was transferred to the Public Hospital in Třebíč. Although the doctor anticipated at least another six months of life, after just fourteen days in the hospital, P. Albert died on January 5, 1934. He was 23 years old. The convent doctor held his Roman colleagues accountable for not recognizing the seriousness of the illness right away and not paying enough attention to it.
The funeral took place on January 8, 1934, and it was solemn; many people attended. P. Albert was buried in the forest cemetery against the monastery, with P. Prokop Valena officiating. The preserved correspondence between the prior and P. Jan Brenninger attests to how deeply the death of the young brother affected him.
And yet, his concerns about the future of the order in our country were unfounded. In that sad autumn of 1933, a new candidate came to Kostelní Vydří all the way from Slavičín – František Minařík. After some time spent in Vydří, he was sent to Vienna and from there to Germany. Before Christmas, he began his novitiate in Straubing and then made his vows. He received the religious name Methodius. However, he never personally met P. Albert Kavka.
Prepared by P. Gorazd, O.Carm.
