Georg Hansemann

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Georg Hansemann (born October 2, 1913 in Varaždin , Croatia; † August 12, 1990 in Graz ) was an Austrian religious educator .

Life

Georg Hansemann studied German, English and Catholic theology at the University of Graz from 1931 to 1936 . After his ordination in 1936, he was a chaplain and religion teacher in Bad Aussee , Leoben and Murau .

In 1939 he was banned from teaching by the Nazi authorities ("You have a negative attitude towards the National Socialist state and exert an influence detrimental to the (sc. Nazi) movement ..."). In 1940 he became a doctor of theology at the University of Vienna with a thesis on The Harmatia in Romans doctorate . From 1945 to 1950 Hansemann was spiritual at the seminary in Graz, from 1945 to 1946 as a university chaplain and from 1946 to 1948 as a diocesan youth chaplain.

From 1950 he was supplent, from 1960 associate professor for catechetics at the University of Graz . On June 16, 1958 , he completed his habilitation in Graz with the work Kierkegaard's theory of the awakening of faith ( Catechesis as a service to the faith , 1960).

In 1961 Hansemann was founding director of the newly established Graz University Institute for Catechetics and from 1966 to 1975 he was a full university professor and chairman of this institute. From 1976 to 1978 he was also a pastor at St. Georgskolleg Istanbul. In 1978 he retired.

Georg Hansemann was invested in the Order of Knights of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem in Salzburg in 1955 . From 1960 to 1987 he was Prior of the Graz Commandery of the Grave Knight.

He is buried in the St. Leonhard Cemetery in Graz .

Scientific approach

Georg Hansemann's teaching activities in Austria between 1960 and 1975 led to a renewal in religious education and catechetical practice. Lively communication with the spiritual currents of the time ( Second Vatican Council , ecumenism , modern literature) and with concrete practice (Hansemann also remained as a university professor until his retirement as a religion teacher at a vocational college) led him to a broad view of catechetical and Religious education task, which - in accordance with Austrian tradition - included religious instruction in schools as well as extracurricular youth work, religious adult education, work with special professional groups (pharmacists, doctors, teachers, ...) and the training of religious teachers in regular diocesan advanced training events.

Hundreds of religious teachers met annually at the all-Austrian catechist conferences organized and led by him (conference reports: series message and teaching 1961 ff.). Their themes (proclamation of Christ, faith, prayer, confession, etc.) reveal Hansemann's starting point in the legacy of kerygmatic theology as well as the spiritual encounter with Søren Kierkegaard , Franz Xaver Arnold and Michael Pfliegler . This led him to the concept of an "existential catechesis " which u. a. is characterized by the importance and attention of individuals as members of communities. Hansemann recognized that the Church's expectations of religious instruction in schools are often too high and unrealistic. Instead of maturity in faith as the educational goal of religious instruction, he therefore spoke of awakening faith, with the subjective and objective experience of faith playing a key role. "Many of H's considerations on religious instruction in schools and on the existential side of the act of faith, on the importance of the human prerequisites on the part of the child, on indirect communication and on awakening the faith, mark the direction, focus and questions that determined the further development of catechesis".

In Austria, Hansemann prepared the anthropological turn in religious education that began in 1968, whereby a - in the "metaphysical vacuum" often remaining modest - talk of God must be measured again and again in terms of commitment to fellow human beings. Hansemann also realized this in his life: until his death, in addition to his scientific work, he looked after a large “fan community” and countless poor people as friends and life coaches.

Main publications

  • Catechesis as a service to the faith. A catechetical study of Kierkegaard's theory of the awakening of the faith. Dissertation, Graz 1958.
  • Religious Education Today. From preschool to adulthood. Graz 1976.
  • As editor and co-author: Message and Teaching series. 9 volumes. Graz 1961–1971.
  • Spiritual thoughts on texts of the Apocalypse. 20 tape cassettes for theological adult education, Graz 1983 f.

literature

  • Norbert Mette, Folkert Rickers (Hrsg.): Lexicon of religious education. Vol. 1, Col. 793 ff, Neukirchen-Vluyn 2001.
  • Wolfgang Arnold: Georg Hansemann - priest at this time. Graz - Esztergom - Paris 1995.
  • Edgar Josef Korherr : Georg Hansemann on his 70th birthday. In: CPB 96/1983 311-315.
  • Berchtold F. Müller: Religious Education - Service to Faith? The association of faith service and school instruction. Inaugural dissertation, Münster 1977, 69-100.

source

For a detailed biography as a source for this article, em. Univ.-Prof. I would like to express my thanks to Edgar J. Korherr.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Berchtold F. Müller: Religious Instruction - Service to Faith? The association of faith service and school instruction. , Münster 1977
personal data
SURNAME Hansemann, Georg
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Austrian religious educator
DATE OF BIRTH October 2, 1913
PLACE OF BIRTH Varaždin
DATE OF DEATH August 12, 1990
Place of death Graz