Franz Bachler

Franz Bachler OSB (born May 8, 1915 in Abtenau as Anton Bachler ; † April 28, 2003 in Salzburg ), was a Benedictine and long-time archabbot of the Archabbey of St. Peter in Salzburg, the oldest monastery in German-speaking countries.

Live and act

Bachler was born in 1915 as a farmer's son and the youngest of nine children in Abtenau-Lindenthal near Salzburg. In 1934 he entered the Benedictine monastery of St. Peter and received the religious name of St. Francis of Assisi . In addition to studying theology and philosophy, Franz Bachler received training in mathematics and physics at the University of Innsbruck, with a view to his assignment as a teacher at the newly established Stiftsgymnasium, which was not reopened after the war after the National Socialists closed it. Ordained a priest in 1941 , Father Franz was subsequently a cooperator in Abtenau, novice master , spiritual and prefect in the St. Benedict College, as well as spiritual director of the Marian Congregation and Oblate Rector of St. Peter. In 1956 the convent elected Franz Bachler to support the aged Archabbot Jakobus Reimer as abbot coadjutor with the right of succession; from October 7, 1958, he was the 85th abbot and 3rd archabbot in charge of the oldest monastery in the German-speaking area. During his 41-year reign, almost all of the buildings in St. Peter's Monastery were renovated in 1957 and 1981. Archabbot Franz carefully introduced the renovations of Vaticanum II into the Benedictine monastic life of his approximately 1300-year-old monastery. In 1997 he resigned from the office of archabbot for reasons of age and is thus the abbot with the longest abbatiate in the history of the St. Peter monastery.

In addition to his duties as Archabbot of St. Peter, Franz Bachler also held supraregional offices in the Benedictine order. Among other things, he was the first and permanent assistant of the Salzburg Abbots' Conference and from 1963 to 1987 a member of the presidium of the Austrian Benedictine Congregation . From 1969 to 1993 he was also chairman of the liturgical commission of the Austrian Benedictine Congregation. In addition, he held the office of chairman of the Superior Conference of the Archdiocese of Salzburg for many years . For his work as priest and abbot, Franz Bachler was honored with several high ecclesiastical and secular awards. He was buried in the abbot's vault of the collegiate church of St. Peter .

Fonts

• St. Peter - today , in: St. Peter in Salzburg. The oldest monastery in the German-speaking area . 3rd national exhibition May 15 - October 26, 1982. Treasures of European art and culture. Office of the Salzburg Provincial Government - Culture Department, Salzburg 1982, pp. 227–232.

literature

• Adolf Hahnl: Excerpts from the list of abbots of St. Peter , in: Reinhard Rinnerthaler (Ed.): Erzabtei St. Peter in Salzburg , Verlag St. Peter, Salzburg 1986, pp. 43 - 47. - ISBN 3-900173-48 -6 .

predecessor	Office	successor
Jakobus Reimer	Abbot of the pen St. Petersburg 1956 / 58 - 1997	Edmund II. Wagenhofer