Adolf Kajpr

Adolf Kajpr SJ ( July 5, 1902 in Hředle in the Beroun district - September 17, 1959 in Leopoldov ) was a Czechoslovak Catholic priest , Jesuit and editor of Catholic publications. He commented not only on central issues of the Catholic faith, but also on current social and political issues. Because of his views he was persecuted and imprisoned by the National Socialists (1941–1945) and Communists (1950–1959). After nine years of communist imprisonment, he died at the age of 57 "in a call to holiness and martyrdom ".

Life

Childhood and Adolescence (1902–1927)

Adolf Kajpr was born as the son of Adolf Kajpr (1859–1906) and Anna. Kytková (1861–1905) was born and baptized on July 12, 1902 in the Church of St. Lawrence in nearby Žebrák . The parents were tenants of an inn and a butcher's shop. After the mother's death, the father returned to his hometown of Bratronice with his sons and died shortly afterwards. The sons were raised in the Christian faith in the family of an aunt. Adolf Kajpr attended elementary school from 1908 to 1916, left it prematurely for financial reasons and worked as a day laborer , became a shoemaker and finally did an apprenticeship in the nearby mill in Roučmida. He was preparing to attend high school with the aim of studying. 1924–1926 he did his military service in the Czechoslovak Army and was then accepted at the Archbishop's High School in Prague , administered by the Jesuits .

Joined the Society of Jesus (1928–1937)

After the sixth grade , he entered the novitiate of the Congregation of the Society of Jesus , a he from 1928 to 1930 in Velehrad completed. He passed the school leaving examination with distinction. On August 15, 1930, he took his religious vows in Velehrad. 1930-1932 he studied philosophy in the Belgian Egenhoven and 1932-1936 theology in Innsbruck . There he was ordained a priest on July 26, 1935 and then celebrated the Primary in the St. Ignatius Church in Prague and in the All Saints Church in Bratronice . For the tertiary he stayed in Paray-le-Monial in France from 1936 to 1937 and returned to his homeland after graduation.

Priesthood and press apostolate (1937–1941)

From 1937 Kajpr lived and worked in the Jesuit residence at St. Ignatius Church in Prague. He fulfilled his duties in the order, was active in pastoral care , led the retreats . He taught Christian philosophy at the Theological School of the Archdiocese of Prague (1940-1941). The press area became the focus of his work. He became the editor of four religious magazines in which he published his own contributions: Obrození ( Rebirth ) (1939-1940), Dorost (Offspring) (1939-1940), Nové směry ( New Directions ) (1940-1941) and Posel Božského Srdce Páně ( Messenger of the Divine Heart of the Lord ) (1937–1941).

The magazine Dorost aroused the displeasure of the occupiers in 1939 when a photo montage appeared on the front page of Christ as Heracles defeating the three-headed hellhound Kerberos , who guarded the people in the realm of the dead and held the swastika in his mouth as a symbol of National Socialism.

The editors Alois Koláček SJ and Adolf Kajpr SJ were warned several times by the Gestapo. Koláček was arrested in March 1940 and the Dorost magazine was banned in April . However, Kajpr cared about youth so much that he began to publish the Nové směry (New Directions) circular without the approval of the authorities. He encouraged his readers and listeners to believe, hope and authentic patriotism .

He spoke of Christ as the only true leader of mankind and of the fact that a Christian must stand on the side of the proponents of good, justice, justice and equality of all people and nations, even if he should love his homeland above all. In February 1941 he protested just from this conviction, however, is that collaborators on the Saint Wenceslas invoked to justify the more their view of the membership of the Czechs to the kingdom. Thereupon the Gestapo stopped the publication of the paper.

Captivity in Nazi concentration camps (1941–1945)

On March 20, 1941, Kajpr was arrested for "articles of agitation and hate" against the Reich. Initially he was imprisoned in Prague-Pankrác , then in the Theresienstadt concentration camp , with a “break” from work in the field detachment, where he had to prepare a building with a garden for Gestapo members in Nová Huť (today Nižbor ) near Beroun .

After another temporary stay in Pankrác, he was deported to Mauthausen concentration camp in September 1941 . There he worked in the notorious quarry. In May 1942 he was transferred to the Dachau concentration camp , where he lived in the so-called priest block until the end of the war . Among other things, he was used in the "Plantage" command. Kajpr kept in touch with the Prague Jesuits in writing. Dachau was liberated on April 29, 1945. Less than a month later, on May 21, 1945, Kajpr returned to St. Ignatius in Prague. On August 12, 1947, the President of the Republic presented him with two state awards for his services.

Renewed priestly and editorial work (1945–1950)

On August 15, 1945, Kajpr took his fourth vow and became a professor at the Society of Jesus. He was also active as a preacher, leading spiritual renewals and retreats. He published the magazine Dorost (youngsters) again. He became editor-in-chief of the magazine Katolík: list pro kulturu a život z víry (The Catholic: A Journal for Culture and Living in Faith) , which for Kajpr also became a platform from which he understood the Gospel from 1945 to 1948 of Christian life and the apostolate as well as his perception of what happened at that time.

The paper mainly influenced the faithful in their perception of the development of Czechoslovakia in the post-war period, in which the power of the communist party increasingly manifested itself. Kajpr himself was a man of strong social sentiments. But in open polemics against Marxism-Leninism , he warned that any atheistic humanism would necessarily lead to concentration camps, prisons, executions and many other forms of persecution. In February 1948, the magazine Katolík ( The Catholic ) was declared hostile to the state and reactionary and Kajpr's permission to print was withdrawn. The magazine perished.

Kajpr then devoted himself completely to pastoral care. In his homilies he encouraged the listeners to believe and continued his polemics against materialism and Marxist criticism of religion.

Arrest and Communist Captivity (1950–1959)

On March 14, 1950, Kajpr was arrested on the instructions of the Minister of Justice and chairman of the State Authority for Church Affairs Alexej Čepička . In general, it should be demonstrated that the church is an enemy that is dangerous to society and that must be stopped. The process should also prepare an intervention against all male members of the order (so-called Action K) . Kajpr was selected for his notoriety and criticism of communist ideology and practice.

He was arrested for "articles of agitation and hate" against the people's democratic order and also for "corrosive" homilies and " espionage " in favor of the Vatican . The trial took place from March 31 to April 5, 1950. Kajpr was found guilty of high treason and sentenced to 12 years' imprisonment and additional sentences.

He was then held first in Prague-Pankrác, then in the Mírov prison , in Valdice ( Valdická kartouza prison ) and finally in the Leopoldov fortress in Slovakia . Fellow prisoners reported, among other things, about Kajpr's deep faith and piety, his spiritual speeches addressed to the imprisoned priests, admonitions sent secretly to laypeople, exercises, the preparation of secret novices of the Society of Jesus and lectures and discussions on philosophy, liturgy and literature .

death

On September 13, 1959, Kajpr suffered a heart attack while at work and was taken to the prison hospital, but on September 17, 1959, he suffered a second heart attack and died. The prison authorities, in consultation with the top authorities, decided to bury him in the local cemetery in a grave marked only with a number. It was not until the Prague Spring that his remains were exhumed on October 24, 1968 and buried on October 25 in the crypt of the Jesuits in the Vyšehrad cemetery in Prague.

The trial was repeatedly reviewed in the years that followed. The judiciary changed its decision based on changes in political circumstances. It was not until December 16, 1993 that the court ruled to rehabilitate Kajpr for having been illegally deprived of his personal freedom. With that he was declared innocent.

Kajpr was a member of the Society of Jesus for 31 years and a priest for 24 years. He was imprisoned for 12.5 years.

Beatification process

The call for beatification was already loud after Kajpr's death. Pope John Paul II praised him as one of the friars who succeeded in setting an example of great venerability through a life of Christian virtues (April 26, 1997), even under the conditions of the National Socialist concentration camps and prisons, and said of him, he "died in the call of holiness" (May 20, 1995).

Over time, Kajpr's employees and confreres as well as numerous contemporary witnesses and later researchers commented on the remarkable testimony of his life and paid tribute to his life's work and martyrdom.

In autumn 2017, the Superior General of the Society of Jesus Arturo Sosa approved the proposal of the Provincial of the Czech Province Josef Stuchlý SJ and gave his consent to begin the process of beatification of Adolf Kajpr. For the first phase, which takes place at the diocese level , theology professor Vojtěch Novotný was appointed vice postulator from the Catholic theological faculty of Charles University . He applied to the Archbishop of Prague to examine the life and martyrdom of Adolf Kajpr. Adolf Kajpr's bones were transferred to St. Ignatius Church in Prague on September 22, 2019.

Mind and work: servant of the word

One of Kajpr's distinctive characteristics was the ability to "do the service of the word"; H. to proclaim the good news about Jesus Christ and his work in various forms. Kajpr showed ways how the fellowship of people with Christ or the Church can be and lived daily and how this should manifest itself in actions. Kajpr realized the preaching of the word primarily as a sermon: he was known as a skilful, stirring, excellent preacher. His second area of activity was the editing work in magazines in which he himself participated, in the post-war period especially in Der Katholik: a journal for culture and life in faith. Kajpr understood the task of the Christian press not only as providing information, but also as an educational mandate.

Kajpr showed his love for the homeland in harmony with Christianity. He emphasized democracy among all state-building trends , although he was well aware of its weaknesses. He pointed to their contradictions with Christianity and the danger that human dignity will suffer if the political system turns away from God.

bibliography

Kajpr's bibliography, which mainly consists of contributions to the papers he edited, can be found in the following book: Vojtěch Novotný: Maximální křesťanství: Adolf Kajpr SJ a list Katolík . (Maximum Christianity: Adolf Kajpr SJ and the sheet Der Katholik) . Karolinum, Prague 2012, pp. 266–291.

A total of 104 speeches by Kajpr have survived from the post-war period; they are presented in the publication Vojtěch Novotný: Ministry verbi: Kázání Adolfa Kajpra o mši svaté, o posledních věcech člověka ao rozličných aspektech víry . ( Ministry verbi: Adolf Kajpr's sermon on Holy Mass, on the last things of man and on various aspects of the faith.) Karolinum, Prague 2017.

literature

Vojtěch Novotný: Ministry verbi: Kázání Adolfa Kajpra o mši svaté, o posledních věcech člověka ao rozličných aspektech víry . ( Ministry verbi: Adolf Kajpr's sermon on Holy Mass, on the last things of man and on various aspects of the faith.) Karolinum, Prague 2017.
Novéna o otci Adolfu Kajprovi (Novena on Father Adolf Kajpr): (July 5, 1902 - September 17, 1959) . Selected and arranged by Michal Altrichter. Publishing house Centra Aletti Refugium Velehrad-Roma, Olomouc 2017.
Vojtěch Novotný: Maximální křesťanství: Adolf Kajpr SJ a list Katolík (Maximum Christianity: Adolf Kajpr SJ and the newspaper Der Katholik) . Karolinum, Prague 2012.
Jan Pavlík: Vzpomínky na zemřelé jezuity, narozené v Čechách, na Moravě av moravském Slezsku od roku 1814 . ( Memories of deceased Jesuits who were born in Bohemia, Moravia and Moravian Silesia since 1814.) Refugium Velehrad-Roma, Olomouc 2011, pp. 341–347.
Adolf Kajpr: Svědectví doby (contemporary testimony) . Czech Christian Academy, Prague 1993.
Further homilies, lectures and texts about Adolf Kajpr and excerpts from his texts are available on the website of the St. Ignatius Church in Prague.

Web links

Individual evidence

↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h For more details see Vojtěch Novotný: Maximální křesťanství: Adolf Kajpr SJ a list Katolík. (The maximum Christianity: Adolf Kajpr SJ and the newspaper Der Katholik) Karolinum, Prague 2012
↑ Beatification process opened for Czech Jesuits. Jesuiten.org, August 2, 2019, accessed November 19, 2019 .
↑ Alexander Heidler: Na památku umučeného Kneze a novináře Adolfa Kajpra (To commemorate the tortured to death priests and journalists Adolf Kajpr). In: Nový život ( New Life ) 1959, Vol. 11, No. 12, p. 258.
↑ ATJ, f. Adolf Kajpr, typescript FORMÁNEK Jan. Vděčná vzpomínka řádových spolubratří na desáté výročí přenesení tělesných pozůstatků O. Adolfa Kajpra TJ, velké kněžské osobnosti stoletesk . ( Grateful memory of the friars on the occasion of the tenth anniversary of the delivery of the remains of O. Adolf Kajpr TJ, the great priestly personality of the Czech Jesuits in this century ).
↑ Čemus Richard. V. Novotný: Maximální křesťanství (Maximum Christianity). Brázda: časopis nepomucenských alumnů 2012–2013 (Furche: Journal of Nepomuk Alumni 2012–2013), No. 3, pp. 9–10.
↑ Čemus Richard: Vojtěch Novotný, Maximální křesťanství. Adolf Kajpr SJ and list Katolík (Vojtěch Novotný, Maximales Christianentum. Adolf Kajpr SJ and Das Blatt Der Katholik), Karolinum, Prague 2012. Archivum Historicum Societatis Iesu vol. 82, 2013, no. 163, pp. 305–314.
↑ Maximální křesťanství. Ultimate Christianity. Adolf Kajpr SI and the Katolík Periodical. Retrieved May 18, 2019 (Czech).
↑ Beatification: Kostel sv. Ignáce v Praze. Retrieved May 18, 2019 .
^ Homilies, sermons and texts: Kostel sv. Ignáce v Praze. Retrieved May 18, 2019 .

personal data
SURNAME	Kajpr, Adolf
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	Czechoslovak Catholic priest, Jesuit and editor of the Catholic press
DATE OF BIRTH	July 5, 1902
PLACE OF BIRTH	Hředle
DATE OF DEATH	17th September 1959
Place of death	Leopoldov

[VN-1] ↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h For more details see Vojtěch Novotný: Maximální křesťanství: Adolf Kajpr SJ a list Katolík. (The maximum Christianity: Adolf Kajpr SJ and the newspaper Der Katholik) Karolinum, Prague 2012

[2] Beatification process opened for Czech Jesuits. Jesuiten.org, August 2, 2019, accessed November 19, 2019 .

[3] Alexander Heidler: Na památku umučeného Kneze a novináře Adolfa Kajpra (To commemorate the tortured to death priests and journalists Adolf Kajpr). In: Nový život ( New Life ) 1959, Vol. 11, No. 12, p. 258.

[4] ATJ, f. Adolf Kajpr, typescript FORMÁNEK Jan. Vděčná vzpomínka řádových spolubratří na desáté výročí přenesení tělesných pozůstatků O. Adolfa Kajpra TJ, velké kněžské osobnosti stoletesk . ( Grateful memory of the friars on the occasion of the tenth anniversary of the delivery of the remains of O. Adolf Kajpr TJ, the great priestly personality of the Czech Jesuits in this century ).

[5] Čemus Richard. V. Novotný: Maximální křesťanství (Maximum Christianity). Brázda: časopis nepomucenských alumnů 2012–2013 (Furche: Journal of Nepomuk Alumni 2012–2013), No. 3, pp. 9–10.

[6] Čemus Richard: Vojtěch Novotný, Maximální křesťanství. Adolf Kajpr SJ and list Katolík (Vojtěch Novotný, Maximales Christianentum. Adolf Kajpr SJ and Das Blatt Der Katholik), Karolinum, Prague 2012. Archivum Historicum Societatis Iesu vol. 82, 2013, no. 163, pp. 305–314.

[7] Maximální křesťanství. Ultimate Christianity. Adolf Kajpr SI and the Katolík Periodical. Retrieved May 18, 2019 (Czech).

[8] Beatification: Kostel sv. Ignáce v Praze. Retrieved May 18, 2019 .

[9] Homilies, sermons and texts: Kostel sv. Ignáce v Praze. Retrieved May 18, 2019 .