Catholic boys' associations for the Kingdom of Bavaria
The Association of Catholic Boys' Associations for the Kingdom of Bavaria , sometimes incorrectly also the Association of Catholic Boys' Associations in Bavaria, was an umbrella organization founded in 1903 by the clergyman Simon Spannbrucker , beneficiary Georg Braun and Prelate Johann Baptist Mehler in Regensburg , to organize Bavarian boys' associations .
founding
An exact date for the formation of the boys' associations is not known, because already before the interference by the Catholic Church . The so-called free or wild fraternities participated intensively in village life. B. organizing dance events or setting up the maypole . The Catholic Church did not hide the influence that the club idea could gain on young people. For example, some spiritual pastors used the opportunity to positively influence the male youth after they left school, in accordance with the ideals of the Church, and supported the merger of Catholic lads' associations.
In order to create a uniform structure, the three Catholic pioneers, clergy council Spannbrucker, beneficiary Braun and prelate Mehler founded the association in 1903. The general purpose of the association was defined in a model statute: Preservation and promotion of: Faith and customs, professionalism and love of home, cheerfulness and jokes.
In the early years, the free and wild lads often defended themselves against the new order of being determined by the priests even in their free time . Due to the supra-regional structure and better organization, however, the Catholic boys' associations quickly prevailed.
At the founding meeting, Simon Spannbrucker was elected the first board member.
In the following years, more boys' associations were founded in Bavaria and neighboring Austria . Especially Simon Spannbrucker showed himself to be particularly zealous and was nicknamed "Burschenvater" while he was still alive.
Fellow sheet
At the special request of Spannbrucker, the association published the »Burschenblatt«. It was the central mouthpiece and organ of the boys' associations. It established the ideal connection between the individual local associations. The sheet was in simple language and was intended to encourage reading. It was divided into the categories "Faith and Customs", "Homeland Love", "Professional Skill" and "Cheerfulness and Joke" according to the goals of the association. The column "General Burschensache" contained contributions to association life. The boys' paper appeared monthly. The first edition dates from July 1904, the last from September 1939. During these 36 years of publication, the title was changed three times. The "Journal for the Catholic Fraternity of Bavaria" was renamed "Zeitschrift für die Kath. Landjugend Bayerns «renamed. From 1934 the paper was called "Zeitschrift für Kath. Burschen". The length of the individual monthly issue fluctuated between 12 and 32 pages. In 1904 the subscription price was 10 pfennigs , excluding postage. The first edition was 5000 pieces. At the beginning of the First World War , the management in Regensburg already had 20,500 subscribers. From 1909, the acceptance of the sheet had become mandatory for all club members.
End and Legacy
The course of the First World War made it difficult for the lads' associations to exist and led to the fact that many local associations ceased to exist. After a brief boom in the post-war years, the National Socialists issued bans on the Catholic boys' associations from 1933 onwards, making all activities of associations and clubs in Germany impossible. After the Second World War , many Catholic boys' associations were re-established in Bavaria. In recent times, too, many young people in rural areas have returned to the values of the boys' clubs. There are regional increases in membership and re-founding, on the other hand, since the ban in the time of National Socialism, clubs that have been inactive until today.
The umbrella organization was not re-established as such. Today, the Bavarian State Association of the Catholic Rural Youth Movement serves as the umbrella organization for Catholic boys' associations .