Karl Foltz

Pastor Karl Foltz, around 1905

Karl Foltz , often also Carl Foltz (born August 14, 1865 in Grünstadt ; † April 29, 1961 in Waldfischbach ) was a priest of the Diocese of Speyer as well as dean , clergyman , prelate and long-time pastor of Waldfischbach-Burgalben. He and his sister founded the local Catholic parish church.

Life

Karl Foltz was born in Grünstadt in the Upper Palatinate in 1865 , where he also attended Latin school. He studied theology and was ordained a priest on August 18, 1889 by Bishop Joseph Georg von Ehrler in Speyer Cathedral .

Foltz then worked as a chaplain in various parishes of the diocese: 1889–93 in Blieskastel , 1893–96 in Kaiserslautern and 1896–99 in Landau (Palatinate) . In April and May 1899 he acted briefly as parish administrator of Klingenmünster , from May 25, 1899 he was first administrator, then pastor in Schwanheim in the south of the Palatinate . Here he remained a priest until April 23, 1907. On that day, Karl Foltz took over the parish of Waldfischbach, which he held for 27 years and where he was to live as a pensioner for another 27 years.

Foltz was a zealous pastor who strongly enlivened the religious life of his parish through popular missions and personal piety. He also held office during the difficult times of the First World War and the emergence of National Socialism . The pilgrimage site of Maria Rosenberg , which belongs to the community , was very close to his heart.

Prelate Karl Foltz

The parish church donated by Pf. Foltz and his sister

However, what made him well-known in his parish and later adopted home of Waldfischbach-Burgalben was the foundation of the new parish church of St. Joseph in 1929. The previous Catholic church in the town was much too small for the larger population. At an exposed location, on the mountain above the confluence of the Fischbach and Schwarzbach rivers , Pastor Foltz had a new church built, for which he founded the church building association as early as 1925. His sister Franziska Habermann, also from Grünstadt, had emigrated to the USA, where she ran a meat factory with her husband and owned a large fortune. On the mediation of her brother, the widowed sister - who had nothing to do with Waldfischbach - sent him large sums from America for the construction of the new church in his parish, and he too contributed whatever he could with his own money. The architect Wilhelm Schulte sen. in Neustadt an der Weinstrasse drew up the plans and on July 7, 1929 the foundation stone was laid by Bishop Ludwig Sebastian , who also consecrated the church on August 31, 1930. At the same time, a new rectory was built on the south side of the choir. In total, Pastor Foltz and his sister had donated almost half a million marks for the property, church and parsonage through his mediation. Then both financed the further interior work and the inventory. Because of its imposing mightiness, St. Joseph's Church is sometimes also called "West Palatinate Cathedral" , it is a defining feature of the town.

On May 1, 1934, Karl Foltz retired and moved to the Maria Rosenberg pilgrimage site, located in the parish area. Dean Foltz was clergyman and papal honorary prelate . On the Rosenberg he lived again for almost a generation as a pensioner and auxiliary pastor.

Obituary notice from Prelate Foltz

In 1959, Karl Foltz, as the oldest priest of the diocese at the time, celebrated his 70th anniversary of ordination there, for which Bishop Isidor Markus Emanuel traveled specially from Speyer. He also received congratulations from the Archbishop of Munich, Cardinal Joseph Wendel , who came from Blieskastel . Foltz has been friends with his family since he was a chaplain in Wendel's hometown.

Prelate Karl Foltz died in Maria Rosenberg in 1961 and was buried in the presence of Bishop Emanuel, District Administrator Rieth and the pastor from Grünstadt, Theodor Nauerz . He received a grave of honor in the baptistery of his church. In addition, the parish had a bronze relief made in the church as a memorial to him and his sister. The political municipality of Waldfischbach-Burgalben named the “Prälat-Foltz-Straße” after him as a thank you for his work .

literature

• Fritz Claus : "Maria Rosenberg" , publishing house of the Zweibrücker Volkszeitung, 1911, with a separate chapter on Pastor Karl Foltz
• Julius Konrad: “100 Years of the Catholic Parish Waldfischbach-Burgalben” , Festschrift, Catholic Parish Waldfischbach, 1972
• The pilgrim : "A long life in the service of the Lord - Prelate Karl Foltz celebrates his 70th anniversary as a priest" , pilgrim no. 34 of August 23, 1959
• The pilgrim: "Prelate Karl Foltz gone home" , pilgrim no. 19 of May 7, 1961
• The Pilgrim: Burial Report and Obituary Notice, Pilgrim No. 20, May 14, 1961

Web links

• Website of the Diocese of Speyer with the parish church of St. Joseph, Waldfischbach