Adolf Bolte

Coat of arms as Bishop of Fulda (1959–1974)

Coat of arms as auxiliary bishop in Fulda (1945–1959)

Adolf Bolte (born November 15, 1901 in Hanover , † April 5, 1974 in Fulda ) was Bishop of Fulda .

Life

Adolf Bolte's parents came from Eichsfeld , the father was a master bricklayer and ran a construction business. Bolte attended high school in Heiligenstadt and lived in the episcopal Konvikt. After graduating from high school in 1922, he studied theology in Paderborn, Freiburg and Innsbruck. Here he became an active member of the corporations of the Cartel Association of Catholic German Student Associations (KV) , in Paderborn near Teutoburg, in Freiburg with Germania-Hohentwiel and at KStV Rhenania Innsbruck .

After being ordained priest in 1928, Bolte was initially a pastor in various places in Eichsfeld, in 1931 he became prefect at the Episcopal Boys' Convict in Heiligenstadt and in 1941 dean and provost at St. Marien. In 1945 Pope Pius XII appointed him . as titular bishop of Cibyra and auxiliary bishop in Fulda. He received his episcopal consecration in the still destroyed cathedral of Fulda on June 29, 1945 by the then Bishop of Fulda, Johann Baptist Dietz ; Coconscrators were the Hildesheim bishop Joseph Godehard Machens and the Paderborn auxiliary bishop Augustinus Philipp Baumann .

As auxiliary bishop, Bolte was responsible for the entire church building industry, he also led the reconstruction of the cathedral in Fulda, which was completed in 1954 for the anniversary of Boniface. In 1955 Bolte also became vicar general of the diocese. After the age-related resignation of Dietz, Bolte was elected bishop by the Fulda cathedral chapter in 1959 and on June 30, 1959 by Pope Johannes XXIII. appointed Bishop of Fulda.

During his entire term of office, Bolte initiated the construction of over 100 churches and chapels. The religious further education of the Catholics in his diocese was particularly close to his heart. In 1965 Bolte founded the theological college in Fulda. He also founded the Institute of Religious Sociography of the Diocese, which was able to present differentiated studies of church attendance before the Second Vatican Council.

In 1968 he suffered a stroke from which he could not fully recover. He died in 1974 after a heart attack and was buried in the Johanneskapelle in Fulda Cathedral.

Episcopal coat of arms

The coat of arms of the auxiliary bishop, split, shows a black bar cross in front in silver / white, the coat of arms of the Diocese of Fulda (Fürstabtei Fulda), in the back two white / silver hearts on top of each other, above with a white / silver cross (Heart of Jesus), below pierced with a white / silver sword from which white / silver flames beat (Herz-Mariae).

Behind the shield is the bishop's cross, above it the green galero (bishop's hat ) with the six green tassels (fiocchi) hanging down.

His motto Sursum corda (Up the hearts), from the introduction to the preface .

The coat of arms of the bishop, divided into four, shows the diocese coat of arms in fields 1 and 4 and in red, a white / silver heart in fields 2 and 3.

Appreciations

Bolte was an honorary ring bearer and honorary citizen of Fulda, also bearer of the Great Cross of Merit with Star of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (1969). The Catholic student union Thuringia Marburg in the KV appointed him their honorary philistine.

The Adolf-Bolte-Straße in Fulda is named after him.

literature

• Robert Jauch in Siegfried Koß, Wolfgang Löhr (Hrsg.): Biographisches Lexikon des KV. 3rd part (= Revocatio historiae. Volume 4). SH-Verlag, Schernfeld 1994, ISBN 3-89498-014-1 , p. 14 ff.

Web links

• Literature by and about Adolf Bolte in the catalog of the German National Library
• Entry on Adolf Bolte on catholic-hierarchy.org

predecessor	Office	successor
Johann Baptist Dietz	Bishop of Fulda 1959–1974	Eduard Schick