Heinrich Festing
Heinrich Festing (born December 10, 1930 in Ratsiek near Lügde-Sabbenhausen ) is a German Catholic theologian . For 30 years he was General President of the International Kolping Society and in this office he was the seventh successor to Adolph Kolping .
Life
Heinrich Festing attended elementary school in Sabbenhausen from 1937 to 1945 and then did an apprenticeship as a carpenter , which he completed on May 17, 1948 with the journeyman's examination. He worked in the profession he had learned for another four years before entering the evening grammar school in Neuss in 1952 .
After graduating from high school on July 17, 1956, Festing studied philosophy and theology in Paderborn and Lyon . In Paderborn he became a member of the Teutoburg Catholic student association in the KV . On 21 December 1961 he received in the Cathedral of Paderborn the priesthood . After that he was vicar in Bigge in the Sauerland until 1965 .
From 1965 to 1972 he was Diocesan President of the Kolping Society in the Archdiocese of Paderborn. On March 18, 1972, the 20th German Central Assembly elected him General President of the International Kolping Society and Central and Federal President of the German Kolping Society. He was re-elected four times as General Praeses. The office of Federal President had already been taken over by Alois Schröder in 1996. His successor as General President of the Kolping Society was Axel Werner in 2002 . In the service for the handover on June 23, 2002, Heinrich Festing said, among other things: “I am wearing the chasuble that Pope Pius IX. in June 1862 Adolph Kolping gave as a token of appreciation. It is only worn on certain festive occasions. I am now handing it over to Adolph Kolping's 8th successor. "
When Festing took over the international Kolping Society in 1972, there were Kolping Families in 14 countries in Central Europe; in 2002 there were Kolping Families in 56 countries doing development work on four continents.
Despite his numerous tasks, in particular in the involvement of the Kolping Society in the so-called Third World, Festing belonged to the most diverse institutions and bodies of the Kolping Society and the Catholic Church. During his time as General Praeses he was Rector of the Minorite Church in Cologne , President and Chairman of the Kolping House International and Chairman of the Association of Kolping Houses e. V.
Festing also found time for the Kolping Families , the basic groups of the Kolping Society. He took part in festive events, took part in discussion groups and got into conversation with young Kolping members when the opportunity arose.
Festing also made a name for himself as an author with writings about Adolph Kolping and meditative works . Among other things, he wrote the book Adolph Kolping and his work, in which he gives an overview of the life and work of the great social reformer Kolping and describes the development of the Kolping Society from its beginnings to modern times. Festing published his autobiography in 2014 under the title "With Kolping in the world - memories".
In 1970 he was appointed Knight of the Order of Knights of the Holy Sepulcher by Cardinal Grand Master Eugène Cardinal Tisserant and invested in Cologne Cathedral on December 5, 1970 by Lorenz Cardinal Jaeger , Grand Prior of the German Lieutenancy . He is an officer of the order. He was awarded the Golden Palm of Jerusalem for his commitment in the Holy Land .
honors and awards
For his unselfish work in the spirit of Adolph Kolping within the Catholic Church and in society both within Germany and abroad, Heinrich Festing received the following honors and awards:
- 1970 Accolade as Knight of the Holy Sepulcher
- 1972 Appointment as monsignor by Pope Paul VI.
- 1979 Appointment as prelate by Pope John Paul II.
- 1985 Awarded the " Cross of Merit on Ribbon of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany " by Federal President Richard von Weizsäcker
- 1987 Appointment as honorary canon at the high cathedral church in Cologne by Joseph Cardinal Höffner
- 1998 Awarded the "Cross of Merit 1st Class of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany" by Federal President Roman Herzog
- 2000 Awarded the “ Pro Cultura Hungarica ” order of the Republic of Hungary
Individual evidence
- ↑ KV yearbook 2010 p. 615
- ↑ Martin Grünewald. Kolpingblatt, July / August 2002, page 3
- ↑ Academic Monthly Gazette 2014 p. 326
- ^ Heinrich Festing. Adolph Kolping and his work. Herder, Freiburg 1981, ISBN 3-451-19476-7
- ^ Heinrich Festing. With Kolping in the world - memories. Bonifatius, Paderborn 2014, ISBN 978-3-89710-580-5
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Festing, Heinrich |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | German clergyman, General Praeses of the Kolping Society and Rector of the Minorite Church in Cologne (1972–2002) |
| DATE OF BIRTH | December 10, 1930 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Ratsiek |