Albert Joy

Albert Freude (born September 28, 1877 in Mettingen , † August 12, 1956 in Bevergern ) was a German Roman Catholic pastor . The long-time dean of the Ibbenbüren dean's office was an honorary citizen of the then city of Bevergern.

Life

Pastor and dean

In 1937/1938, the parish church of St. Marien was expanded to include the south aisle (right) and the sacristy under Dechant Freude

Born in Mettinger, Albert Freude first visited the Collegium Ludgerianum in Münster in preparation for the priesthood, and after graduating from high school he studied Catholic theology at the Collegium Borromaeum and in the seminary . On June 6, 1903, he received the Great Cathedral in Muenster by Bishop Hermann Jakob Dingelstad the priesthood . He then worked as a chaplain in Ramsdorf , Harsewinkel and Gronau . On April 12, 1929, he was appointed pastor of St. Marien Bevergern and solemnly introduced in May. From 1932 onwards he was first definitor and from 1936 dean of the Ibbenbüren dean's office. Despite his old age, he held this position of leadership until the beginning of 1954 and was then made an honorary dean in recognition of his services.

Difficulties during the National Socialist dictatorship

The Catholic clergyman opposed National Socialism and tried to limit its influence in Bevergern during the “Third Reich” - after all, the hometown of the temporary SA chief Viktor Lutze . A catchphrase from those years was: “There is joy in Bevergern.” Nevertheless, the dean did not escape reprisals from the National Socialists. In addition to the usual restrictions imposed on the Catholic Church, he was sentenced in 1939 to a fine of 500 Reichsmarks . Albert Freude had not betrayed a Franciscan priest, who had helped out in Bevergern for the forty-hour prayer and had found open words on the pulpit about the situation of the times, whereby he also spoke disparagingly about the Nazi regime. Thereupon the father was searched but not found because he had left Bevergern prematurely. Dechant Freude, for his part, refused to provide any further information about the clergyman. As a result, a lawsuit was brought against him and he was fined.

Great commitment for the Bevergerner parish

Dechant Freude also had the New Cemetery laid out - from there the Dechant-Freude-Weg has led back to the historic old town since 1966

The Dean's Joy Bridge is part of the Dean's Joy Path

Dechant Freude was a popular, popular and exemplary pastor close to the people, not least because he moved a lot during his time in Bevergern. So he had the new cemetery built, which was inaugurated on May 27, 1934. His most important project, however, was the generous expansion of the parish church of St. Mary, which had become too small for the growing parish. Bishop Clemens August Graf von Galen was also convinced of this fact in 1934 when he gave the sacrament of Confirmation in Bevergern and then suggested that the church be enlarged. In order to implement the project, not only did the Bevergern Catholics raise considerable sums in the following years, but Dechant Freude also successfully raised donations from neighboring communities. In 1937/1938 the south aisle and the sacristy were added. Dechant Freude made sure that this extension was adapted to the character of the old part of the building. The art connoisseur also took care of the beautification of the church. On October 1, 1939, Auxiliary Bishop Heinrich Roleff consecrated the enlarged parish church.

During the Second World War in 1942 the large and middle bells of the parish church were confiscated and removed from the church tower shortly before Easter. Only the small bell remained in the church. When the war front rolled across Bevergern in the last days of the war around Easter 1945, its windows and vaults were damaged. Immediately after the end of the war, Dechant took pleasure in repairing the damage to the parish church. In Lünen, about 100 km away, he found the large bell ("death bell") of the parish church, which had been confiscated in 1942, but not melted down because of its old age. This bell returned to Bevergern as early as July 1945. In 1950 and 1951, the parish bought two more bells, so that the parish church now had a four-bell ring. In addition, the church received a heating system and an electric bell . Dechant Freude also had the organ in the parish church completely renewed in 1953 and expanded in 1954/1955. He also commissioned a new Marian altar . With all these changes, Albert Freude gave the parish church of St. Mary its current appearance. As chairman of the board of trustees of the Bevergerner hospital, Dechant Freude also carried out extensive modernizations for this medical facility. In the spring of 1956, the pastor broke ground for the new building, but he was never to see its completion. He was also president of the church choir.

Honorary dean becomes honorary citizen

Grave of Albert Freude in the New Cemetery ( → Detail of the grave )

As a local researcher, Albert Freude also did a great job recording the history of Alt-Bevergern. Together with Anton Hilckman , he published the Bevergern font in the past and present in 1952 .

After celebrating his golden jubilee as a priest in 1953 with the participation of the entire Bevergern citizenship, he was presented with the honorary citizenship of the city in 1954 on the occasion of his 25th anniversary as pastor of St. Marien in recognition of his services to Bevergern. Honorary dean Albert Freude died on August 12, 1956 at the age of 78. He was buried on August 16 with great sympathy from the citizens and his spiritual confreres at the group of the cross in the new cemetery that he had laid out in 1934. In 1966, the city of Bevergern renamed the New Way to Dechant-Freude-Weg after its honorary citizen . This path leads from the town center over the Dechant-Freude-Brücke to the New Cemetery.

literature

• NN: Honorary dean Joy 25 years in Bevergern. All of Bevergern commemorates his old pastor . In: Ibbenbürener Volkszeitung , Volume 56, No. 86 from April 10, 1954
• NN: Bevergern said goodbye to honorary dean Joy. Yesterday the deserved pastor was buried - strong mourning entourage . In: Ibbenbürener Volkszeitung , Volume 58, No. 191 of August 17, 1956
• NN: Dechant joy in Bevergern unforgettable. Would have been 93 years old next Monday . In: Ibbenbürener Volkszeitung from September 26, 1970

Web links

Commons : Albert Freude  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b c d e f} N.N .: Dechant joy in Bevergern unforgotten. Would have been 93 years old next Monday . In: Ibbenbürener Volkszeitung from September 26, 1970
2. ↑ ^{a b c d e f} N.N .: Honorary dean Joy 25 years in Bevergern . In: Ibbenbürener Volkszeitung from April 10, 1954
3. ↑ -gk-: Bevergern in a brown past - more tragedy than fame . In: Ibbenbürener Volkszeitung from January 9, 1990
4. ↑ what this meant in detail for the Bevergerner parish, cf. also NN: The Bevergerner parish church - center of the city. Parish history over the years - closely linked to political development . In: Ibbenbürener Volkszeitung from June 2, 1967
5. ↑ ^{a b c d e f g} N.N .: The Bevergerner parish church - center of the city. Parish history over the years - closely linked to political development . In: Ibbenbürener Volkszeitung from June 2, 1967
6. ↑ ^{a b c} N.N .: Bevergern said goodbye to honorary dean Joy . In: Ibbenbürener Volkszeitung from August 17, 1956
7. ↑ The Church of St. Marien Bevergern ( Memento from March 4, 2016 in the Internet Archive )
8. ↑ Information from the home associations of the town of Hörstel on the local street names ( Memento from September 22, 2008 in the Internet Archive );