Fortunatus Thanhäuser (Bernhard Thanhäuser)
German Brother Hospitaller of St John of God who founded the Sisters of Charity of St John of God in India
Who they were
Born in Berlin, he entered the Hospitaller Order of St John of God in 1935, was deported from Silesia by the Polish communist authorities in 1951, served as novice master and vice-provincial in Germany, and left for India in 1969, founding the Sisters of Charity of St John of God there in 1977; he died at Kattappana in Kerala. The order gives his birth as 27 February 1918 in Berlin, where the Hagiography Circle has 15 October 1922.
The miracles
No miracle has been approved. The cause is at its first stage.
Why that counted as sanctity
The order's Indian province prays for the canonisation of the Servant of God; the eparchial inquiry at Idukki ran from 22 November 2014 to 31 January 2023 and was declared valid on 21 June 2023.
The cause
Fortunatus Thanhäuser (Bernhard Thanhäuser) is named a Servant of God; the cause continues. Favours received, and offers of help, go to the postulation, the office that carries the cause forward: The cause of Fortunatus Thanhäuser (Bernhard Thanhäuser).
Connected on this site
- John of God Saint“Born in Berlin, he entered the Hospitaller Order of St John of God in 1935, was deported from Silesia by the Polish communist authorities in 1951, served as novice master and vice-provincial in Germany, and left for India in 1969, founding the Sisters of Charity of St John of God there in 1977; he died at…” — this site's research
Checked against the sources listed on 24 September 2026. Corrections welcome.