Barnabas Huber

Barnabas Huber , baptismal name: Franz von Paula (born April 13, 1778 in Gutenberg near Oberostendorf ; † July 29, 1851 in Augsburg ) was a German Catholic clergyman.

Life

Barnabas Huber was born the son of Johann Nepomuk Huber (1748–1816), owner of a mill that had been in the family since 1651, and his wife Maria Kreszentia.

He attended the monastery school of the imperial abbey Ottobeuren and had lessons with the teachers Ulrich Schiegg (mathematics), Maurus Feyerabend (1754-1818) (history) and Kaspar Eberle (1751-1811) (organ).

In 1793 he joined the Ottobeuren Benedictine Abbey and took the name Barnabas. On November 13, 1794, he took his religious vows . On 30 May 1801, he received his ordination to the priesthood.

The abbot Honoratus Göhl (1733-1802) gave him the teaching post of the Greek language and later became custodian of the library of the monastery.

During the invasion of the French army under General Jean-Victor Moreau in Swabia, he accompanied the abbot on his escape and stayed by his side.

When the Reichsstifte were abolished by the Reichsdeputationshauptschluss , he was to be given the management of several parishes. However, he refused all of them and decided to take the position of educator for the sons of Prince Anselm Maria Fugger von Babenhausen . He later accompanied them during their studies at the University of Würzburg .

After the prince died, he stayed with his son, Prince Anton (1800–1836), who appointed him court librarian . At the same time he was given responsibility for the school conferences. In his free time he was literary on pastoral theology .

After King Ludwig I of Bavaria had decided to restore the Benedictine order in his empire, Barnabas Huber was appointed abbot of the newly founded St. Stephan monastery in Augsburg in December 1834 . At the same time he was also the prior of the branch monastery Ottobeuren.

Together with Bishop Ignaz Albert von Riegg , after the consecration in the Holy Cross Church in Augsburg on April 20, he traveled to various Austrian Benedictine monasteries in order to win personalities for the new St. Stephan Abbey. He managed to recruit teaching staff for a few years from 15 different monasteries in Austria , Moravia and Switzerland (including Admont , Altenburg , Göttweig , Raigern , Seitenstetten , Kremsmünster , Vienna , Einsiedeln and Marienberg ).

In mid-October the converted monastery building in Augsburg was occupied and on November 5, 1835 the festive and foundation pontifical office with 32 monks took place. With the school year 1835/1836, the various teaching and educational institutions Lyzeum (later Philosophical College until 1969), Gymnasium near St. Stephan and a seminarium puerorum (a pre-school for students who later want to devote themselves to the clergy) were opened. The schools expanded rapidly. However, there was a constant change of teachers in the first few years because the monks returned to their home monasteries.

He was able to overcome resistance from attacks from liberal and ultramontan sides. He succeeded in consolidating the monastery finances.

In 1844 he celebrated his jubilee professorship in Ottobeuren, where he had taken his first religious vows, and received a handwritten letter from King Ludwig I, expressing his condolences .

In 1847, King Ludwig I asked him for a suitable person to become the abbot in the newly established St. Boniface Abbey in Munich . Following his recommendation, his conventual Paulus Birker became the first abbot of this monastery.

Literature (selection)

• Barnabas Huber in New Nekrolog der Deutschen , 29th year 1851, 1st part. Weimar 1853. pp. 573-576.

Web links

• Barnabas Huber in Biographia Benedictina.

Individual evidence

1. ^ Marion Romberg: Johann Nepomuk Huber. May 9, 2013, accessed March 10, 2019 . 

predecessor	Office	successor
-	Abbot of Sankt Stephan, Augsburg 1834-1851	Theodor Gangauf