Franz Brand (Grand Dean)

Franz Brand (* 29. September 1806 in Ludwigsdorf , district Nowa Ruda , province of Silesia ; † 1. June 1878 in Nowa Ruda ) was a German theologian and 1869-1878 United dean and vicar of up to 1972 Archdiocese of Prague belonging Glatz . In the Kulturkampf he resolutely represented the ecclesiastical position and had to accept numerous state repression.

Life

Franz Brand was the son of Anton Brand, a miller from Ludwigsdorf, who owned the Brandmühle. After graduating from the Royal High School in Glatz , he studied theology at the University of Breslau . On February 26, 1831, he was for the Archdiocese of Prague in Wroclaw for priests ordained. First he was employed as a chaplain in his home parish Ludwigsdorf for 12 years, then in the same capacity in Neurode, where he became pastor in 1848. He also worked as a district school inspector for the Neurode district.

After the death of the great dean Anton Ludwig , Franz Brand was appointed prince-archbishop vicar and grand dean of the County of Glatz on April 2, 1869 by the Prague archbishop Friedrich zu Schwarzenberg . His term of office fell during the anti-church time of the Kulturkampf , which turned primarily against the Roman Catholic Church . Because of the regulations of the May Laws , the pulpit paragraph prohibited priests from mentioning or commenting on political events in their sermons. In addition, no pastors and chaplains could be hired. As the Grand Dean, Franz Brand had made some new appointments before the Kulturkampf Acts were passed, which the authorities judged to be illegal. Therefore, he was sentenced to a large fine. Since he refused to pay this, his personal property was auctioned off. Two wealthy citizens of Neuroder bought the confiscated property and publicly returned it to the Grand Dean. In 1874 he and all other clergymen who supervised schools were deprived of the office of district school inspector. After he had appointed a successor in 1875 after the pastor's death in Wünschelburg , he was again on trial for violating the law. The newly appointed pastor of Wünschelburg was removed from his office.

Grand Dean Franz Brand died on June 1, 1878 after several strokes. A few days later he was buried in the Neuroder churchyard . A successor could not be determined by the Archbishop of Prague, as the appointment would not have been recognized by the Prussian authorities. They endeavored to limit contact with Prague and to incorporate the County of Glatz into the Prussian diocese of Breslau . The appointment of the neuroder pastor Ernst Hoffmann was therefore only made as administrator of the Glatzer deanery. The job description "Deputy who fulfills the duties of a dean" was tacitly accepted by the Prussian authorities. It was not until 1881 that Franz Nitschke could be appointed grand dean and vicar.

Ignaz Reimann (1820–1885) dedicated his Festive Mass in C major, op. 114 for choir and orchestra, to Franz Brand.

literature

• Arno Herzig , Małgorzata Ruchniewicz : History of the Glatzer Land. DOBU-Verlag et al., Hamburg et al. 2006, ISBN 3-934632-12-2 , pp. 242-244
• Vicar General and Grand Dean Franz Brand, pastor in Neurode . In: Arnestuskalender 1933, Arnestus-Druckerei Glatz, p. 15