Friedrich Anton Harbort

Friedrich Anton Harbort (born March 9, 1834 in Halle (Westphalia) ; † October 8, 1866 in Oschersleben ) was a Catholic theologian and pastor in Oschersleben.

Life

After studying theology in Paderborn , Anton Harbort was ordained a priest in 1859 by Bishop Konrad Martin in Paderborn Cathedral. He then sends him to the Episcopal Commissariat in Magdeburg , where he takes up his first position in Groß Ammensleben .

In the spring of 1860 he was transferred to Oschersleben, where he took care of the Catholic guest workers from Silesia and Eichsfeld as a pastor . In order to give the girls in the community in particular a certain amount of education, Anton Harbort asks the Paderborn bishop for support, whereupon in 1863 the founder of the Congregation of the Sisters of Christian Love set up a branch of her order in Oschersleben. Now that the school system has been largely regulated, Pastor Harbort tries to build a church that will provide the necessary space for the congregation, which is growing every day. For this he wrote appeals and poems in which he asked for support for his missionary work. From 1863 to 1866 he also traveled through Germany to draw attention to his situation.

Due to the outbreak of cholera in Oschersleben, Pastor Harbort has to almost stop collecting donations, as many of his parishioners, who mostly belong to the lower social class, are affected by this disease. Inadequate sanitation and the lack of isolation options for the sick, the disease is spreading more and more. On October 7, 1866, Pastor Harbort was called three times to Großalsleben, around six kilometers away, to help the sick and dying there. On his last trip to Großalsleben, he finds a thirteen-year-old boy whom he washes and tends to and thus saves his life. However, he infects himself and dies of the disease the next day. Pastor Harbort is buried in the Oschersleben cemetery with the great sympathy of the Catholic and Protestant Christians of Oschersleben as well as many citizens of the city.

His brother August Harbort followed his position as pastor in Oschersleben in the same year . Since 1945 a street in Oschersleben has been called "Anton Harbort".