Johannes Theodor Laurent

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Johannes Theodor Laurent (born July 6, 1804 in Aachen , † February 20, 1884 in Simpelveld ) was Vicar Apostolic of Luxembourg .

Life

Johannes Theodor Laurent came from a family with modest wealth. His father, Franz Laurent from Luxembourg, had 14 children with his wife Gertrude Schönen from Aachen. After attending grammar school in Aachen, Johann Theodor studied theology in Bonn for two years . Since he did not like the lectures of Professor Georg Hermes , he moved to the diocese of Liège , in whose seminary he continued his studies. Here he was ordained a priest on March 14, 1829. From 1829 to 1835 he was vicar in Heerlen , from 1835 to 1839 pastor in Gemmenich , Belgium , part of today's Plombières. In the Cologne church dispute , which was escalating at that time , in which he was involved through his own writings, Laurent stood on the side of the founder of the Aachen priestly circle and ultramontanist , the pastor Leonhard Aloys Joseph Nellessen and argued against the theses of Hermesianism .

Laurent, who was friends with the Leuven professor Karl Möller as well as with the Brussels nuncio Raffaele Fornari , was appointed Vicar Apostolic of the North and titular bishop of Chersonesus in Creta on September 17, 1839 . On December 27, 1839, he was ordained bishop in Liège . Since Laurent was rejected by the Prussian government due to his position in the church dispute, the appointment did not actually come into effect and on November 15, 1840, he applied for a dismissal from his office. Until then he had stayed in Aachen again.

Appointed Vicar Apostolic of Luxembourg on December 1, 1841 , the appointment was kept secret for some time at the request of William the Second of the Netherlands , the Grand Duke of Luxembourg (in personal union King of the Netherlands). Here it hit like a bomb and there was an argument between the strictly Roman-minded Laurent and the liberal government. Laurent, more daredevil than diplomat, tried to establish a seminary, a regulated parish system and a stronger ecclesiastical influence on the schools.

In the course of the revolution of 1848/49 there were also false accusations against the bishop and increased efforts by the government to remove him. Finally he left Luxembourg on May 1, 1848. Numerous requests, such as those of the King of the Netherlands, did not result in the government giving in. Finally, at the request of Pope Pius IX , Laurent submitted . , resigned on June 2, 1856. This was accepted on July 10, 1856 and the government in Luxembourg granted him a pension. On May 20, 1856, a declaration of honor was made in Luxembourg that rehabilitated the bishop.

In Aachen he lived in his brother's house, city archivist and librarian Josef Laurent , and from here he participated in the founding of various monasteries. Especially that of the sisters of the poor child Jesus , whose spiritual director he also became and whose church he preached regularly. In 1879 he followed them, as they had to go into exile as a result of the Kulturkampf , to Simpelveld and acted as their chaplain. His grave is in the monastery cemetery of the sisters.

Laurent was a complicated person to deal with and had a certain imbalance. Guided by feelings and moods in his actions, he followed his sympathies and antipathies and could easily appear spontaneously and energetically in his utterances. At other times he was full of melancholy and melancholy. But when it came to the Catholic Church, he was full of energy and without compromise and always ready to fight. He saw himself as a fighter of an orthodox faith, full of aversion to anything that smelled of Hermesianism . Equipped with great theological knowledge, however, he was less of a scholar than an agitator and striker. His courage, sincerity, and piety also instilled respect in his opponents.

Works

  • Justification of the Archbishop of Cologne against the political accusations of the Minister of Altenstein . 1838
  • St. Peter of Alkantara golden book of prayer and meditation . Aachen 1839
  • Heaven harp. Catholic hymn book, also for domestic use . Luxbg. 1846
  • Catechism of the Roman Catholic Religion, initially for the Vicariate Apostolic Luxembourg . Luxbg 1847-1883
  • Greater Catechism . Luxbg. 1847-1879
  • Little catechism . Luxbg. 1848-1883
  • Jesus Christ, the truth, the way and the life . Pulpit lectures. Cologne 1850
  • The temporal blessings of Christianity . Pulpit lectures. Cologne 1851
  • St. Mysteries of Mary the Virgin Mother of God . 3 vols. Mainz 1856-1870
  • Les mystères de la s. Vierge Marie, Mère de Dieu . Sermons. 2 vol. Bruxelles 1857
  • Speech on the 50th anniversary of the priesthood of the Hochw. Dr. LAJ Nellessen . Aachen 1858
  • Christological sermons . 2 parts. Mainz 1860
  • St. Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Matthew, Mark, Luke and John translated and explained. A manual for lay Catholics . Freiburg 1878
  • Oberhirtliche files 1842-1848; Spiritual lectures from 1871 and 1874 . 4 vols. Mskr. ASK.
  • Sunday classes on the catechism. New course . Bd. 1 Mskr. ASK.

literature

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Laurent, Johannes Theodor
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German clergyman, Vicar Apostolic of Luxembourg
DATE OF BIRTH July 6, 1804
PLACE OF BIRTH Aachen
DATE OF DEATH February 20, 1884
Place of death Simpelveld