The following Catholics who refused to cooperate with an evil regime and suffered martyrdom for refusing to take an oath of loyalty to the anti-Christ Adolf Hitler. FRANZ JAEGERSTAETTER Franz Jägerstätter (also spelled Jaegerstaetter in English) (20 May 1907 – 9 August 1943) (born as Franz Huber) was an Austrian conscientious objector during World War II. Jägerstätter was sentenced to death and executed for his refusal to fight for Nazi Germany. He was later declared a martyr and beatified by the Catholic Church. Accused of Wehrkraftzersetzung (undermining of military morale), Jägerstätter was sentenced to death for sedition in a military trial at the Reichskriegsgericht in Berlin-Charlottenburg on 6 July 1943. He was deported to Brandenburg-Görden Prison on 9 August, where he was executed by guillotine in the afternoon, age 36. Jägerstätter's last recorded words before his death were, "I am completely bound in inner union with the Lord". In June 2007, Pope Benedict XVI issued an apostolic exhortation declaring Jägerstätter a martyr. On 26 October 2007, he was beatified in a ceremony held by Cardinal José Saraiva Martins at the New Cathedral in Linz. His feast day is the day of his baptism, 21 May. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franz_Jägerstätter FRANZ REINISCH Fr Franz Reinisch SAC (February 1, 1903 – August 21, 1942) was a member of the Schoenstatt Movement. He was a Catholic priest and refused to take the oath of allegiance to Hitler, for which he was executed. On 15 April 1942, Reinisch arrived a day later than ordered in the barracks in Bad Kissingen and immediately declared his refusal to swear the oath of allegiance to Hitler. He publicly noted that he would swear allegiance to the German people but not Adolf Hitler. He was arrested and brought before a court-martial, charged with undermining military morale. His trial dragged on, so he was brought in May to the Berlin-Tegel prison, where the prison chaplain denied him communion for failing to perform his duty. In August he was moved to Brandenburg in Berlin, where he would be sentenced. In prison he wrote the poem "You're the Great People", as a dirge in anticipation of a death sentence. On 20 August 1942 the death sentence was read aloud at 20:00 by the public prosecutor. Reinisch said, "This convict is not a revolutionary; a revolutionary is a head of state or a public enemy who fights with fists and violence. I am a Catholic priest with only the weapons of the Holy Spirit and the Faith; but I know what I am fighting for." Reinisch prayed that night then wrote a farewell letter to his parents and siblings. His final words from the prison cell were, "Love and suffering into joy, F. Reinisch". On 21 August 1942 he made his final confession at midnight. At 01:00 he received Holy Communion. At 03:00 he gave all he had to his family, including a cloth in which the Eucharist was wrapped, his crucifix and rosary, some books and his farewell letter. At 03:30 his shoes and socks were taken off, his hands were tied behind his back, and he was led to the basement execution chamber where, at 5:03, he was beheaded by guillotine. On 28 May 2013 the Bishop in Trier, Stephan Ackermann, started the process for beatification for Reinisch. The postulator for this process is Father Heribert SAC. His feast day is 21 August https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franz_Reinisch JOSEPH RUF Josef Ruf is one of the few Catholic conscientious objectors known by name during WW2. On the evening before his execution, Josef Ruf had the opportunity to write to his family and the Christ the King Society. Both letters have survived (copies). In it, Josef Ruf asks forgiveness for the suffering he had to inflict on his relatives, but also affirms his conviction that he had to act in this way “to do justice to God's will”. MICHAEL LERPSCHER Michael Lerpscher (born November 5, 1905 in Wilhams (Allgäu), † September 5, 1940 in Brandenburg prison ) was a religiously motivated conscientious objector . He was executed in 1940 . Michael Lerpscher was a lay brother of the Christ the King Society , which was founded by Max Josef Metzger . In 1999, the Catholic Church accepted Michael Lerpscher as a martyr in the German martyrology of the 20th century . MAX JOSEPH METZGER Max Josef Metzger (born February 3, 1887 in Schopfheim ; † April 17, 1944 in the Brandenburg-Görden prison ) was a German Catholic priest who was sentenced to death on October 14, 1943 by the People's Court under the chairmanship of its President Roland Freisler on October 14, 1943 because of his pacifist convictions and was executed after six months.
I was surprised to find out there is a picture of Father Joseph Kentenich while he was in Dachau. He was there for 3 years plus, of course, he is the founder of the Schoenstatt apostolate, he is 2nd to the right, the one wearing glasses and of course, he was German. Father Joseph Kentenich indeed, survived the camp and lived a long life. Lived in South America, live in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA and so on. Home — JKentenich.com : Dachau of course, was one of the more notorious concentration camps, Some German Lutheran Pastors too like Bonhoeffer were killed in prison as well. The movie, I had forgotten about the opening where he was in Harlem before the war, at a Church service. It's just beyond me how the savagery of WWII could have ever happened and yes, we have had episodes since World War II, sad.
That picture is amazing! It appears that he and the men he are with are smiling .. there faces almost seem joyful. To be joyful and at peace in a place like that can only come when you have the spirit of Christ within you. Clearly Fr. Kentenich was animated by Jesus. Beautiful. Great example for our own times.
The 2nd name above: FRANZ REINISCH Fr Franz Reinisch SAC (February 1, 1903 – August 21, 1942) was a member of the Schoenstatt Movement. He was a Catholic priest and refused to take the oath of allegiance to Hitler, for which he was executed.
Speaking of Catholic Martyrs, it looks like Pope Francis is planning to finish of the Traditionalist folk this Holy Week coming with a Final Merciful Coup De Grace of the bullet to their old brains. This to drive them all into despairing, shrieking Schism, which was, I suppose, after all, his fixed intent all along. To drive these poor people into the wilderness. May God forgive him.
Thank you for mentioning Rev Bonhoeffer. I received infant baptism in a Lutheran church which my parents attended until I was 6 years old. Its pastor, Rev Adix, was a very nice and gentle man. I remember he'd put a bit too much pressure on my little hand in the greeting line, on which I wore a birthstone ring. Ouch! He didn't mean to of course, and I didn't tell him. I still wish, since my parents would always be Protestant, that they'd stayed there and Rev Adix had been my pastor all through growing up. But soon they went over to a Nazarene church, which was more "lively" and running on emotions. I've never forgotten Rev Adix, and if I can find the photo of him presiding over my infant baptism, I'll scan and post it. Yeah.
They seem to be trying to make some of these poor innocent victims Saints now. I don't know if any have been even been declared Servants of God; but it seems to be in the works. I did some reading, I'm sure there is a whole lot more. Back to Franz Reinisch and I'm sure these others are just as heroic so not to take anything away from anyone else: Apparently, a bit of a stage play on his life, from this link: Franz Reinisch - Die Aufführung (franz-reinisch.org) A lot more study on this is needed. When he was in prison, Dachau: Franz Reinisch - Wikipedia Remember as background, he was a Schoenstatt member (Schoen - beautiful , Statt - place is the translation). The father of the Schoenstatt movement is of course, Father Kentenich who spent 3 years plus and survived Dachau. Wow, sounds like Father Reinisch was beheaded in a guillotine which the Nazis did sometimes use: On 12 September 1941, Reinisch received the call-up to join the Wehrmacht. By this time he was convinced that Hitler was the personification of the Antichrist, and argued against taking the oath of allegiance to Hitler, even though refusing it would bring severe consequences. Although many tried to convince him otherwise, Father Joseph Kentenich, who by this time was in concentration camp at Dachau, strengthened him in his resolve. He often prayed before the image of Mary at the Shrine of Schoenstatt: "Dear Mother Thrice Admirable, let me live as an ardent Schoenstatt apostle and die!" See wikipedia for more. So, he said "Dear Mother Thrice Admirable", MTA, that's Schoenstatt jargon, that is the painting the movement uses (which has a humble beginning as well, around 1915, they were looking for an image, they were able to get the MTA for a low cost but were not sure if they liked it, as posted before, this is Mother Thrice Admirable). (My note, by the way, on amazon, they have the book, "150 questions over Schoenstatt" for free, the thing is, is its actually in Spanish called "150 preguntas sobre Schoenstatt", but at least, it is free reading). Amazon has a book, The Priest Barracks: Dachau 1938 – 1945: Zeller, Guillaume: 9781621640998: Amazon.com: Books At the Nazi concentration camp Dachau, three barracks out of thirty were occupied by clergy from 1938 to 1945. The overwhelming majority of the 2,720 men imprisoned in these barracks were Catholics―2,579 priests, monks, and seminarians from all over Europe. More than a third of the prisoners in the "priest block" died there. So, maybe at some point, I will try to read this. I note the wikpedia article also mentions: Franz Jägerstätter - Wikipedia Here is an image of Father Reinisch going quite a ways back. Lots to read up on. Holy Martyrs, please pray for us! Sounds like he was executed for not joining the war effort. Copious amounts of reading on all of these things. Lastly, National Review had some sort of article on Catholics these past two weeks, I was pleasantly surprised that they were using this image below, that is called a "pilgrim shrine", you can take it anywhere. That's part of their charism. :
I really don't ever want to read anything about that time / place again ( ), but recently I found a copy of The Last Days of Maximilian Kolbe (https://www.amazon.com/last-days-Maximilian-Kolbe/dp/0911782354) ... and I might read "The Priest Barracks."
St. Max was in Auschwitz, anyway, I read some kindle book on him, I believe that was only $2.99, in that range. It was very good. He built a city of the Immaculata in Japan, and that book seems to say he used total divine providence, that he really had no funding. Out recently are letters and another volume, writings of St. Maximilian. Even the kindle is a bit expensive but at some point, I'd like to read it. I also have letters of St. Vincent dePaul but now, that seems to be available to raed free online.
From the writings of Saint Maximilian Kolbe: "The will of Mary Immaculate is so closely united with the Will of God that they seem to be only one will...Her will is united to and identified itself in the closest way with the Will of God. She lives and operates only in God and through God. So we should not be afraid to say that our only and deepest wish is to do the Immaculates will as accurately as possible. By doing this, we shall belong to Her every day more. And She shall take possession of our whole being. The first seven centuries were only the preparation the idea, the cause. Now comes the realization of that truth, the manifestation of the Immaculate Virgin to souls; Her introduction to souls with all the blessed effects which follow from it. In every country there must arise Cities of Mary Immaculate...you will soon see tears flowing from the eyes of the most hardened sinners; prisons will be emptied; honest workers will unite; families will overflow with virtue, peace, and happiness; all discord will be banished, for it is now the new era."
What is amazing with St. Maximilian, here we are sort of dividing the topic on two different threads, but what amazes me is we all know his story about Auschwitz but there really is so much more. He established those cities of the Immaculata in of course, the homebase of Poland but also, not only Japan but India too. It's almost lie though he established that Knights of the Immaculata and it continues on, I don't think the present day has nearly the same phenomenal success that he did or ever has since his departure. It was really his vision and work that did it. He really must have been gifted. The flagship magazine and apparently, a radio station too. And I know, he was at times, so sickly, he had only one lung because of a bout with TB and another article says that happened 20 years prior than his time in Auschwitz. If that wasn’t enough, between 1930 and 1936, Kolbe undertook a series of missions to the Far East, at first in China, and then in Japan and Malabar in India. With only one lung from a bout with tuberculosis, living in abject poverty and working tirelessly, Kolbe’s health was failing. Maximilian Kolbe and the Redemption of Auschwitz (aleteia.org)
I'm puzzled, Lynne. I'm probably wrong, but in St. Kolbe's quote above, shouldn't it read at the end, ..."for is it not the new era?"
St. Maximilian also said, "...one's degree of perfection depends on the union of one's will to the Will of God..." In a letter to another Priest he wrote, "We are hers without limits most perfectly hers; we are, as it were, herself...may she herself think, speak, and act through us. We want to belong to such an extent to the Immaculate that not only nothing else remains in us that isn't hers, but that we become, as it were, annihilated in her, changed into her, transubstantiated into her, that she alone remains so that we may be as much hers as she is God's...What magnificent mission! Divinizing man to the God-Man through the Mother of the God-Man." I for myself see St. Maximilian as not only a martyr but also a white martyr as he gave himself completely to God through Mary abandoning everything, even his life, to Her. This is a prayer of Pope St. John Paul II (another white martyr): Immaculate Conception, Mary my Mother, Live in me, act in me. Speak in and through me. Think your thoughts in my mind. Love through my heart. Give me your dispositions and feelings. Teach, lead and guide me to Jesus. Correct, enlighten and expand my thoughts and behavior. Possess my soul. Take over my entire personality and life, replace it with Yourself. Incline me to constant adoration and thanksgiving. Pray in me and through me. Let me live in you and keep us in this union always. Amen
The truth is stated so beautifully in this statement. It is why God created the Immaculate Conception and why He is so offended by our blasphemies against the Immaculate Conception and why Our Blessed Mother asked for reparation for sins against her Immaculate Heart as she did at Fatima through Lucia. Jesus came and redeemed us to Our Father in Heaven with His suffering and death, but God gave dominion over the earth to man and we ourselves must still be purified to be perfect even as Our Heavenly Father is perfect to be with Him. So our dear Father in Heaven not only sent His only begotten Son to save and redeem us to Him, He also gave us the Immaculate Conception, His perfect creation to purify us to the state He originally intended for man. Perhaps only in Heaven can we begin to understand this great gift of the Immaculate Conception. I Paul am made a minister. [24] Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up those things that are wanting of the sufferings of Christ, in my flesh, for his body, which is the church.
