Ludwig Nieder
Ludwig Nieder (born May 1, 1880 in Bexbach ; † February 7, 1922 in Deidesheim ) was a Catholic priest from the Speyer diocese , a social reformer and worker pastor active throughout Germany; is also referred to as the " Kolping of the 20th century" .
Life
Ludwig Nieder was born into a family of butchers in the mining community of Bexbach (Mittelbexbach), Diocese of Speyer , Saarpfalz , Kingdom of Bavaria. He attended the Latin school in Homburg , then the grammar school in Zweibrücken . From 1900 Ludwig Nieder studied philosophy in Munich. Here he became an active member of the Catholic student association KSSt.V. Alemannia Munich in the KV . A decisive influence on the young man was his acquaintance with the professor of economics Karl Wasserrab , who lectured on the "social question" and whose social attitude became a role model for Nieder. The devout student felt called to the priesthood and entered the seminary in Speyer in 1903 ; shortly afterwards his father died. On August 14, 1904, Bishop Joseph Georg von Ehrler consecrated him as a priest in Speyr Cathedral .
From 1904 to 1906 the clergyman worked in his home diocese as a chaplain in Diedesfeld , then for a few months in Lingenfeld .
On Laurentius Day, August 10, 1905, a terrible storm had risen over the upper and middle Haardt and destroyed the entire wine harvest within a quarter of an hour due to strong hail. In this general emergency, Nieder acted immediately and obtained the immediate provision of an aid fund with interest-free loan money from the Bavarian state government in Munich to alleviate the worst hardship. In this context, the Palatinate District President Adolf Ritter von Neuffer and the liberal state parliament member Karl Hammerschmidt visited him personally in the rectory to thank him for his exemplary efforts.
Nieder was known in the diocese as a man of Caritas and as a social apostle. On the occasion of a request for support from the Volksverein for Catholic Germany in Mönchengladbach , which was devoted to social reforms, pastoral care and popular education, the government of the Speyer seminary suggested Ludwig Nieder, whom he knew, to do so.
Nieder was delegated from the diocese of Speyer to work in this association, where personalities such as Joseph Joos and Carl Sonnenschein also worked. First he resumed his studies and received his doctorate in Munich in 1909, with a dissertation on the subject: "The work performance of the Saar miners in the royal coal mines near Saarbrücken since 1888. Critical contribution to the measurement and assessment of miners' performance". The work was rated "excellent" and Professor Lujo Brentano described it as "a model of a profound, new prospect opening investigation."
In the same year Ludwig Nieder began his work at the Volksverein, for which he worked tirelessly until his death. Over 60 published works and many speeches testify to his commitment. He warned the youth about false ideologies, encouraged women to do more work in the state and church, trained lay people in conferences on practical social work, gave socio-religious lectures and much more. As the head of the Volksverein, Ludwig Nieder was known and traveled all over Germany.
In the winter of 1921/22 he gave a series of lectures in his home diocese of Speyer. He fell ill with a dangerous flu in February and died on the 7th of the month in the hospital in Deidesheim. His last words were, “Pray for me and keep working; Lord Thy will be done. ” He was buried in his home parish Mittelbexbach and cathedral capitular Franz Joseph Gebhardt , the Palatinate section head of the association, gave him the funeral sermon.
Ludwig Nieder is venerated as a model of faith in the Diocese of Speyer; his grave in Bexbach is popular with visitors. In 1990 the diocese approved a prayer in honor of the priest, in which it says: “God, merciful father, you have called your faithful servant Ludwig Nieder to use his life and work for the social needs of others. Guided by the example of the Mother of God, with whom he was bound by an intimate love to the last breath ... he went all over Germany to preach the gospel of love in word and deed. His goal was a just social order, free from exploitation and injustice, supported by the spirit of Jesus. ... May he remember for us from the heavenly throne. Amen"
Nieder was an honorary citizen of his hometown Bexbach, which is also recorded on his grave monument. A plaque commemorates the son of the city on the house where he was born on Rathausstrasse at the corner of Niederbexbacherstrasse. In addition, Dr.-Ludwig-Nieder-Straße in Bexbach bears his name.
literature
- Jakob Bisson : Seven Speyer bishops and their time. Pilger Verlag, Speyer 1956
- Joseph Joos : "At the wheel of time, memories from the Catholic social movement and politics". Verlag Winfried Werk, Augsburg, no year (approx. 1955)
- Hubert Mockenhaupt: Dr. Ludwig Nieder (1880-1922) - a promoter of the Christian trade union idea. In: Saarpfalz, Blätter für Geschichte und Volkskunde, 1990/4, St. Ingbert 1990, pp. 4–13.
- Hans-Joseph Britz in Siegfried Koß, Wolfgang Löhr (Hrsg.): Biographical Lexicon of KV. 2nd part (= Revocatio historiae. Volume 3). SH-Verlag, Schernfeld 1993, ISBN 3-923621-98-1 , p. 99 ff.
Web links
- Memorial page of the Saarpfalz district to Dr. Ludwig Nieder
- Ludwig Nieder at "Saarland Biographies"
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Down, Ludwig |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | German Catholic priest |
| DATE OF BIRTH | May 1, 1880 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Bexbach , Germany |
| DATE OF DEATH | February 7, 1922 |
| Place of death | Deidesheim |