Josef Quadflieg (religious educator)

Josef Quadflieg (born June 19, 1924 in Herzogenrath ; † March 1, 2020 in Trier ) was a German religious educator and wrote a large amount of religious educational literature.

Life

After attending elementary school, Josef Quadflieg switched to the Stadtisches Progymnasium Herzogenrath in 1935. In 1942, after graduating from high school , he was drafted into the armed forces. In 1945 he was wounded in Latvia and was later taken prisoner by the Americans. Transferred to France for mine clearing, he was released from captivity in 1947. He studied at the Pedagogical Academy in Aachen and took up his first teaching position in 1949. He later worked as a teacher in Haaren near Aachen , as a teacher in the Catholic elementary school in Bardenberg and as the principal of this school. After working as a school councilor in Geilenkirchen, he became a church official in the diocese of Trier in 1964 . From 1968 he was head of the newly founded Catechetical Institute (KIBT). It was founded by Bishop Bernhard Stein , receiving impulses from the Second Vatican Council (1962–1965), and was responsible for supporting religious instruction and catechesis as well as promoting religious education in the elementary sector in the Diocese of Trier. The Trier Plan received international recognition. Since 1976, the institute has been developing work aids for religious education in kindergarten. The renowned institute was closed in 2007 by the Trier Bishop Reinhard Marx .

Since 1986 Quadflieg has devoted himself exclusively to his writing activities. He was married and had four children.

The literary work of Josef Quadflieg comprised works of religious education that can be assigned to five groups:

• Catechetical works primarily on the liturgy and the sacraments
• School books for religious instruction
• Bible editions and books on biblical subjects
• hagiographic literature
• narrative literature

In addition, classifying religious pedagogical literature was added to these publications. Some of his books have been translated into 10 languages.

Over the years, at Quadflieg, the orientation of the publications to ecclesiastical liturgical practices and what from a later point of view was naive religious piety clearly receded. In particular, the religious educational and didactic works by Hubertus Halbfas , which reflected and incorporated the results of the historical-critical biblical exegesis, initiated a reorientation at Quadflieg. Quadflieg played a leading role in the conception and implementation of the intentions of the Second Vatican Council and the Joint Synod of the Dioceses in the Federal Republic of Germany (Würzburg Synod).

His publications increasingly showed the character of a non-fiction book. This corresponded to the decline in interest in traditional-catechetical religious children's books since the 1980s and 1990s. With the dwindling of religious upbringing in the family, the demand for books for children with a religious theme increasingly focused on occasions such as the festivals of saints, which are firmly anchored in custom, or first communion. Quadflieg used these occasions to address children and adolescents in a contemporary way about role models. His Bible editions for children enabled appropriate access to the Bible text through introductory and explanatory sections. The image level accompanying the text corresponds to the biblical symbolic language and leads beyond a superficial understanding of the narrated event. His Jesus novel for young people is in line with these publications. His book about great personalities of mankind who moved the world was widely distributed. At the center of these life images of contemporary history is the basic concern that Quadflieg was about in all publications: becoming more human.

Works (selection)

As an author

• The book of the holy patrons , Düsseldorf 1954 (illustration Johannes Grüger )
• Religious stories for little people , Düsseldorf 1956 (illustration Johannes Grüger)
• The Book of the Twelve Apostles , Düsseldorf 1957 (Illustration Johannes Grüger)
• The Child of God , Düsseldorf 1957
• Bilderbibel , Düsseldorf 1958 (together with Willibrord Hillmann)
• The children's book from the church year, Düsseldorf 1959 (together with Hans Hümmeler)
• New pious stories , Düsseldorf 1961 (illustration Johannes Grüger)
• The big book of the holy patrons , Düsseldorf 1962 (illustration Johannes Grüger)
• From the life of the Mother of God, Düsseldorf 1963 (together with Emile D. Probst)
• From the life of St. Francis of Assisi, Düsseldorf 1963 (together with Emile D. Probst)
• We children pray , Donauwörth 1963
• Come, Lord Jesus , Donauwörth 1964
• Let us lift up our hearts and voices , Donauwörth 1964
• Mein Spiel- und Werkblatt , Donauwörth 1964
• What should be memorized in religious education in the second year of school? , Donauwörth 1964
• Little confessional book for children , Donauwörth 1965
• The book of the holy angels , Donauwörth 1965
• Jesus lead us to the Father , Donauwörth 1965
• Come on, Holy Spirit! , Donauwörth 1965
• Dear God and the children , Donauwörth 1965
• From the life of Saint Anthony of Padua, Düsseldorf 1965 (together with Emile D. Probst)
• From the life of Saint Paul, Düsseldorf 1965 (together with Emile D. Probst)
• From the life of St. Martin, Düsseldorf 1965 (together with Emile D. Probst)
• From the life of St. Nicholas, Düsseldorf 1965 (together with Emile D. Probst)
• First communion booklet , Donauwörth 1966
• Handbook for teaching the sacraments with small school children , Donauwörth 1966
• Measurement booklet for children , Donauwörth 1966
• Pony plush back , Donauwörth 1966
• Always with Jesus , Donauwörth 1967

• Twenty-four stories from the Holy Mass , Trier 1967
• What should become of Karl-Hermann? , Trier 1967
• Adventure with the Red Eight , Donauwörth 1968
• The new catechism lesson, Munich 1969 (together with Gabriele Miller)
• Our mother is having a baby, Trier 1969 (together with Lieselotte Mende)
• A hundred prayers for children , Donauwörth 1970
• Small children, big world, Donauwörth 1972 (together with Georg Stein)
• Work aids for religious upbringing and religious instruction in kindergartens and preschool classes , Munich 1972
• Fifty reading stories , Donauwörth 1972
• Religious education course for children , Donauwörth 1972
• Theology in children's heads? , Donauwörth 1972
• The big story book , Düsseldorf 1975
• Fifty new reading stories , Donauwörth 1976
• From the life of St. Francis of Assisi, Düsseldorf 1978 (together with Emil Probst)
• From the life of Saint Anthony of Padua, Munich 1980 (together with Emil Probst)
• Stories from the Holy Mass , Trier 1981
• With Maria through the year , Trier 1982 (Illustration Ivana Bartak)
• The children's book on faith , Düsseldorf 1988
• Children's measuring book, Düsseldorf 1991 (Illustration Dörthe Bäumer)
• The children's book about the sacraments , Düsseldorf 1990
• The new picture Bible , Düsseldorf 1990 (illustration Tomie De Paola)
• If you can tell me where God is , Donauwörth 1992
• Little Children's Bible , Düsseldorf 1992 (Illustration Dörthe Bäumer)
• Get up and go, Düsseldorf 1992 (Illustration Tomie De Paola)
• The hidden treasure, Düsseldorf 1992 (illustration Tomie De Paola)
• The Christmas story, Düsseldorf 1993 (illustration by Tiina Lindström)
• Nikolaus von Myra (illustration by Renate Fuhrmann), Düsseldorf 1994
• Stories from the Old Testament , Düsseldorf 1994 (illustration Tomie De Paola)
• Stories from the New Testament, Düsseldorf 1994 (illustration Tomie De Paola)
• The Three Kings , Düsseldorf 1994 (Illustration Tomie De Paola)
• Children's prayers , Düsseldorf 1994 (Illustration Karin Oest)
• The Bible , Düsseldorf 1994 (with pictures by Rita Frind, drawings by Annemarie and Josef Schelbert)
• The Easter story, Düsseldorf 1995 (illustration by Tiina Lindström)
• The storm on the sea, Düsseldorf 1995 (illustration Tomie De Paola)
• The lost sheep, Düsseldorf 1995 (illustration Tomie De Paola)
• Maria von Nazaret (illustration by Renate Fuhrmann), Düsseldorf 1995
• The Bible for teaching in elementary school and in the orientation level , Düsseldorf 1995 (with pictures by Rita Frind, drawings by Annemarie and Josef Schelbert)
• The Bible for the Classroom, Commentary on the Old Testament , Düsseldorf 1996
• Christophorus , Düsseldorf 1996 (illustration Tomie De Paola)
• Franziskus , Düsseldorf 1996 (illustration Tomie De Paola)
• Good night !, Düsseldorf 1996 (Illustration Karin Oest)
• Hildegard von Bingen , Düsseldorf 1997 (Illustration Renate Fuhrmann)
• Heroes, saints and scoundrels , Düsseldorf 1995
• The little book of the holy patrons , Düsseldorf 1997
• From the rising of the sun , Düsseldorf 1998 (Illustration Karin Oest)
• The Bible for the Classroom, New Testament Commentary, Düsseldorf 1998
• Jesus, story of a living. Youth novel, Düsseldorf 1999
• Francis of Assisi , Düsseldorf 2000 (Illustration Ivan Gantschev)
• Martin von Tours (illustration by Renate Fuhrmann), Düsseldorf 2000
• You moved the world , Düsseldorf 2000
• The history of Christianity , Düsseldorf 2002
• Tamar and her friends tell about Jesus , Düsseldorf 2004 (based on the French original by Jean Debruynne)
• Nikolaus von Myra (Illustration Julian Jusim), Düsseldorf 2005
• Martin von Tours (Illustration Julian Jusim), Düsseldorf 2006
• Mr. von Hochrück and the frogs , Düsseldorf 2006
• Francis of Assisi, Frankfurt 2014

As editor

• I'm there. Teaching work for the primary level. Vol. 1-4. Together with Andreas Baur et al. Donauwörth 1972.
• Trier plan. Religious education for 3-6 year olds . Together with Hildegard Bogerts, Horst-Dieter Noll and a working group of educators. Trier 1976.
• "... a little more human" . Trier 1979.

literature

• Gabriele Miller, Hubert Ries, Dieter Wagner: "Do it like God, become human". A thought book. Josef Quadflieg on his 60th birthday . Bernward, Hildesheim 1984, ISBN 3-87065-329-9 .

Web links

• Literature by and about Josef Quadflieg in the catalog of the German National Library
• Short biography and photo