Godehard Joseph Osthaus
Godehard Joseph Osthaus (born February 28, 1768 in Hildesheim ; † December 30, 1835 there ) was Bishop of Hildesheim from 1829 to 1835 . As the first Hildesheim bishop for around 300 years he came from the urban bourgeoisie and no longer the aristocracy , as the first Hildesheim bishop for around 800 years he was no longer ruling prince . His episcopate falls into the phase of external and internal renewal of Catholic life after the end of the Holy Roman Empire .
Career
Godehard Joseph Osthaus, born and raised in Hildesheim, studied theology and law at the universities of Strasbourg, Göttingen and Würzburg after finishing high school at the Josephinum . As early as 1783 he received a canonical at the Mauritian pen , whose dean he became in 1796. He was ordained a priest two years later .
In the period of upheaval after the secularization of the duchy of Hildesheim (1803) and the Mauritian monastery (1810), when the cathedral chapter was suspended, Osthaus was one of the negotiators and administrators on behalf of the over seventy-year-old bishop Franz Egon von Fürstenberg . 1815-1824 he was a member of the Catholic Consistory in Hildesheim , a transitional authority.
After the new definition of the Hildesheim diocesan boundaries ( Circumcription Bull Impensa Romanorum Pontificum 1824), it took another four years until the new cathedral chapter could be constituted on July 1, 1828 after old legal and pension claims had been clarified with the approval of the Curia and the Hanoverian government. As dean of the cathedral, Osthaus became its chairman.
Bishop election
Bishop Franz Egon died in 1825, the interim administrator Karl Klemens von Gruben in 1827. The cathedral chapter, newly constituted under the leadership of the Paderborn Bishop and Apostolic Vicar for Hildesheim Friedrich Klemens von Ledebur , unanimously voted in September 1828 for Ledebur as his successor. At the request of the Prussian King Friedrich Wilhelm III. However, who valued Ledebur and wanted to keep him in his province, he refused. Now the cathedral chapter drew up a list of candidates that was accepted in Hanover, and on March 26, 1829, elected Godehard Joseph Osthaus as the new bishop of Hildesheim. The papal confirmation came in July. On October 4, 1829, Bishop von Ledebur Osthaus donated his episcopal ordination .
Episcopal work
As a bishop, Osthaus was particularly keen to have a good understanding with the state authorities. He was indulgent when it came to financial and funding issues. On the other hand, he was not willing to compromise on the obligation of mixed denominational couples to raise their children in a Catholic way, which also affected state marriage law.
The reorganization of the diocesan seminary at Brühl is thanks to the careful work of Bishop Osthaus . Personally, he is described as agile and amiable.
literature
- Thomas Scharf-Wrede: The Diocese of Hildesheim in the 19th century , ISBN 2-87718-891-4 , pp. 12-14.
Web links
| predecessor | Office | successor |
|---|---|---|
|
Karl Klemens von Gruben (as diocese administrator) |
Bishop of Hildesheim 1829 - 1835 |
Franz Ferdinand Fritz |
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Osthaus, Godehard Joseph |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Bishop of Hildesheim |
| DATE OF BIRTH | February 28, 1768 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Hildesheim |
| DATE OF DEATH | December 30, 1835 |
| Place of death | Hildesheim |