Josef Salzmann (missionary)

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Josef Salzmann
Mural painted in 1888 at St. Francis Seminary (Salesianum) Milwaukee; Josef Salzmann on the far right, with the map in hand

Josef Salzmann (born August 17, 1819 in Münzbach ; † January 17, 1874 in St. Francis , Wisconsin , USA ) was an Austrian Catholic priest (ordained in 1842), theologian and missionary in the Archdiocese of Milwaukee .

Life

Josef Salzmann, born in Münzbach in Upper Austria, was ordained a priest in 1842, received his doctorate in theology in 1845 and was chaplain in Gleink , Sankt Wolfgang and Ried im Innkreis .

In 1847 he followed the urgent appeal of the first Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee John Martin Henni , who was visiting Upper Austria, and in 1847 he took a sailing ship to Baltimore and on to Milwaukee .

There he was initially entrusted with the rural mission and was soon one of the most famous missionaries in the northwest. Because of his success, the bishop called him pastor of St. Mary's Congregation in Milwaukee. German freethinkers wanted to prevent the success of the young advocate of the Catholic Church by all means and Salzmann led a bitter fight against them.

The lack of priests encouraged him to think about founding a larger and more appropriate seminary for the seminary that was set up in a wooden hut next to the archbishop's house in 1846. He collected the necessary funds on a trip through several states and after many difficulties the St. Francis provincial seminary (known as Salesianum) was opened in 1856 with 25 students. Michael Heiss , the second Archbishop of Milwaukee, was the first rector . The seminary became one of the most prominent in the United States, producing several hundred priests and 23 bishops.

Salzmann was also a co-founder of the first Catholic Educational Academy in the United States, the Catholic Normal School of the Holy Family, now Pio Nono College, in St. Francis.

The American branch of the St. Cecilia Society, which he also co-founded, had a great influence on the development of authentic church music in the United States and owes its existence and growth to it.

Salzmann died in St. Francis Milwaukee in 1874 and is buried in the church of the seminary he founded.

There the painter Johann Schmitt from Baden made a mural in 1888 with the title "The Consecration of St. Francis de Sales ". On the right side he grouped extras that had nothing to do with the original story, but were significant for the church history of Wisconsin . On a surviving photo, the following people standing next to each other can be identified starting from the right: Father Josef Salzmann (as the founder with the plan in hand), next to him Bishop Friedrich Xaver Katzer (who taught there for 9 years as a professor) and Bishop Johann Martin Henni (with full white hair; in whose pontificate the seminary was established). Unfortunately the splendid and historically interesting picture was painted over in 1972.

literature

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ About the painting in St. Francis Seminary Milwaukee ( Memento of the original from September 6, 2006 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www-lib.iupui.edu
personal data
SURNAME Salzmann, Josef
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Salzmann, Joseph
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Austrian-American priest, theologian and missionary
DATE OF BIRTH 17th August 1819
PLACE OF BIRTH Münzbach (Upper Austria)
DATE OF DEATH January 17, 1874
Place of death St. Francis, Wisconsin