Bartholomäus Holzhauser

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Bartholomäus Holzhauser, contemporary painting
Bartholomäus Holzhauser in the Ruhmeshalle, Munich.
Photo of Holzhauser's grave in Bingen, 1913

Bartholomäus Holzhauser (born August 24, 1613 in Laugna ; † May 20, 1658 in Bingen ) was a Catholic priest , founder of the "Institute of Communal Priests" (so-called " Bartholomites "), later pastor or dean in Bingen and advisor to the Elector of Mainz.

Life

Origin and early work

Holzhauser was born the son of a poor shoemaker in the Swabian town of Laugna. After attending a Latin school in Augsburg and the Jesuit High School in Neuburg an der Donau he began his university studies in 1633 in Ingolstadt . He completed this in 1640 as a licentiate in theology. Already Pentecost 1639 he was the ordained priest Service.

Already during his studies the burning desire arose to found a community of world priests based on the basic pillars of living community , community of property and the exclusion of women from the spiritual household . The cause and stimulus for the project were the circumstances during and after the Thirty Years' War , when many priests were driven out or even apostate. The still loyal clergy were often "lone fighters" who could not talk to anyone or advise. In order not to starve to death, they also had to take care of all sorts of worldly business in the stable and in the field, which often led to a neglect of spiritual duties. Holzhauser wanted to “collect the stones scattered around the sanctuary”, localize priests from a certain area, take in young men into these houses to train them as priests, and manage the finances together to free the clergy from worrying about food and shelter liberate them or offer them security in the event of illness. Basically, it was the progressive idea of ​​a “cooperative of world priests to bundle forces inwards and outwards”, namely to consolidate spirituality and organization internally and for a more efficient apostolate externally.

Founder of the priestly community

Holzhauser first gathered the three priests Kettner , Gündel and Rottmayer around him in Ingolstadt , then they moved via Altötting , where they consecrated the Maria work, to the archbishopric of Salzburg , which was largely spared from the war . Johann Christoph von Liechtenstein-Kastelkorn , Salzburg suffragan bishop of the Chiemsee diocese , supported their cause and assigned them to the former collegiate monastery of St. Laurentius in Tittmoning . The first community of the "Bartholomeans" or "Bartholomites", as they called the new - or better rediscovered in the ecclesiastical antiquity - the spiritual way of life arose here under the protection of the bishop, who was very keen on them. Holzhauser's arrival there on August 1, 1640 was later considered the founding date of the priestly community, although there was no formal act of founding it. Holzhauser's brother Melchior, later pastor of Büdesheim near Bingen, also joined the association here. The work grew, and priests from Bavaria and Salzburg increasingly joined. In 1642, Bishop of Liechtenstein also transferred the parish of St. Johann in the Tyrolean Leukental to Holzhauser . There, too, he founded a branch of the community that gathered around him in the rectory.

When Bishop Johann Christoph von Liechtenstein-Kastelkorn died in 1643, intrigues were forged against Holzhauser and his new spiritual way of life at the Archbishop's Curia in Salzburg. Attempts were made to oust the priests' union from the area, but this did not succeed. Nevertheless, this prevented the group from flourishing further for the time being. Holzhauser was able to inspire the bishops of Chur and Augsburg for his work - the former even issued a letter of recommendation to his priests to join the community - but from the mighty Salzburg, where the archbishop had ruled as Primate Germaniae since 1648 , the efforts were largely nullified .

In 1646 Bartholomäus Holzhauser was allowed to Emperor Ferdinand III. and Elector Maximilian of Bavaria present a memorandum on his work and his intentions. The far-sighted Prince of Bavaria immediately recognized the benefits of the new foundation and recommended it to Rome, where in the spring of 1647 Pope Innocent X recognized "the pious and holy purpose of the institute".

Appointment to the Archdiocese of Mainz

In 1653, the Elector of Mainz Archbishop Johann Philipp von Schönborn came to Bad Gastein for a cure . As a travel companion there, he received the dean of Salzburg Cathedral, Count Karl von Liechtenstein-Kastelkorn , a relative of the late Chiemsee Bishop Johann Christoph von Liechtenstein-Kastelkorn . He made the elector aware of Holzhauser and its founding. Schönborn asked for the priest and his comrades to be introduced to him, asked for a new memorandum that Holzhauser presented to him at the Reichstag in Regensburg , and became increasingly enthusiastic about the idea.

Schönborn called the Bartholomites to Würzburg , where he was also bishop, and gave them the seminary there. Here, too, Neider tried to thwart the work, which the elector vigorously prevented. In addition, he wanted to have Bartholomäus Holzhauser, who is known to be holy, as a consultant close by. On February 5, 1655, he asked him emphatically in a personal letter to come to the Rhine and begin his blessed work here: “... We await your arrival with ardent longing and wholeheartedly recommend your prayers. This is written to you in his own hand, who loves you with all his heart, Johann Philipp, Elector of Mainz. "

Holzhauser was reluctant to say goodbye to Tyrol, but nevertheless went to Rheinhessen , since he considered it necessary for his foundation and his apostolate. In spring 1655 he arrived in Mainz and was appointed pastor and dean in nearby Bingen by the cathedral chapter . Vicar General Wilderich von Walderdorff , who later became Bishop of Vienna, introduced him personally on April 8th of that year and introduced him. Here and in the surrounding area, Holzhauser sustainably reformed religious life and pastoral care. He also moved in with his brother Melchior, who became pastor of Büdesheim (today a district of Bingen). Another old colleague of Holzhauser, Dr. Rieger from Eichstätt, died in 1659 as pastor of Heppenheim (Bergstrasse) .

Bartholomäus Holzhauser (left), in conversation with Archbishop Johann Philipp von Schönborn (center) and King Charles II of England (right). Contemporary painting.

During his tenure in Bingen, Holzhauser often stayed as an advisor to Archbishop Johann Philipp von Schönborn at his side in the Geisenheim summer residence . He asked him to go there when King Charles II of England was staying here. Bartholomäus Holzhauser had a long conversation with the monarch at the invitation of the elector and is said to have predicted his life and the later reign. That is said to have impressed Charles II and was probably the cause of his tolerance for Catholics and his change of faith at the end of his life.

Shortly before Holzhauser's death, his community began to prevail, but later declined more and more. The main reason for this was the changing circumstances of the time, especially the health of the diocesan structures in the course of the Counter-Reformation and as the fruit of the Council of Trent , in which Holzhauser's association also played an active part. Nevertheless, the idea of ​​world priests' associations persisted and repeatedly inspired groups in the clergy. For example, 4 Mainz and 2 Worms auxiliary bishops belonged to the priestly community, among them the important bishop Christoph Nebel (1690–1769). It was not until the secularization of 1803 that the last organizational remains of Holzhauser's foundation disappeared. But as early as 1858 the priest Johannes Ibach and other clergymen to Marienthal (Geisenheim) , in the Rheingau, where the memory of Holzhauser's work was still alive, founded a new " Vita communis " according to his rule. Ibach was called back by the Limburg bishop Peter Josef Blum after the Nassau state government massively suppressed the young community, urged it to dissolve and wanted to expel the members of the state. The idea of ​​a common life of world priests still persists and is right now, in the age of the acute shortage of priests and the shrinking church structures, again as a model for the future.

Post fame

Bartholomäus Holzhauser died at the age of 45 with a reputation for holiness and is venerated - especially in the area around Bingen - to this day. His grave with a beautiful monument is in the local parish church. On it one recorded u. a. the honorary title: "The restorer of the common priestly life in Upper Germany". The Auxiliary Bishop of Mainz Matthias Starck , once Holzhauser's chaplain in Bingen, who had also donated the final sacraments, described him as "the perfect model of a priest, filled with ecclesiastical sentiments and zeal for the soul, adorned with all virtues, but especially distinguished by humility and simplicity." Approaches to beatification of the dean of Bingen have not yet been officially pursued. However, devotional pictures with the picture of Bartholomäus Holzhauser were and are being produced and distributed. Cardinal Karl Lehmann von Mainz gave a laudation on the 350th anniversary of the priest's death.

In the birthplace of Laugna , Bartholomäus-Holzhauser-Platz and a bell in the parish church are named after the famous son of the community.

Holzhauser is also honored with a bust in the Munich Hall of Fame .

See also

literature

Web links

Commons : Bartholomäus Holzhauser  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ On Auxiliary Bishop Matthias Starck, Holzhauser's chaplain in Bingen
  2. ^ Text from Cardinal Lehmann's laudation
personal data
SURNAME Holzhauser, Bartholomew
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Founder of the first secular priestly community
DATE OF BIRTH August 24, 1613
PLACE OF BIRTH Laugna
DATE OF DEATH May 20, 1658
Place of death Bingen