Ernst Thrasolt

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Grave of Ernst Thrasolt in the old cathedral cemetery of the St. Hedwigs parish in Berlin

Ernst Thrasolt (pseudonym for Matthias Josef Franz Tressel ; born May 12, 1878 in Saarburg (district of Beurig), † January 20, 1945 in Berlin ) was a German Roman Catholic priest , poet, co-founder of the Catholic youth movement , pacifist and savior of the Jews .

Life

Matthias Tressel was born into a rural and artisanal family. He attended the Friedrich-Wilhelm-Gymnasium in Trier and, after graduating from high school in 1899, studied Catholic theology at the Trier seminary of the diocese . In March 1904 he was ordained a priest and worked as a chaplain in various places ( Halsenbach , Illingen , Heimersheim , Boppard ) and as the rector of a welfare institution in Alf on the Moselle . After the parish exam in 1907, Thrasolt was appointed pastor of Haag (Hunsrück) in 1908, and then in 1915 to pastor of Langsur .

First literary and journalistic work

As a pastor in Haag, Ernst Thrasolt published his first volume of poetry in 1908, which met with a lively response and was followed by others. In 1908 he became editor of the existing since 1891, since 1909 in the publishing of the People's Association for Catholic Germany appearing ivy. Illustrated youth magazine . It is considered to be one of the "earliest roots of the Catholic youth movement". In 1913 Thrasolt took part in the First Free German Youth Day on the Hoher Meissner . When the magazine Efeuranken was discontinued in 1913, he founded the magazine Dasheilige Feuer .

The turn to pacifism and the years in Berlin

When the Bishop of Trier withdrew his pastoral position in 1915 for violating celibacy , Thrasolt fell into a deep crisis. Finally, he volunteered as a war volunteer. He worked in the medical service and headed a mobile library in the occupied Baltic States . His brothers Nikla and Hanni both died in the war. After the war, Thrasolt looked for a job in Berlin and made contact with Carl Sonnenschein . Sonnenschein arranged for him to be a chaplain in the Carmelite convent in Berlin-Weißensee . Thrasolt remained "connected to his opposing friend Sonnenschein" - according to Kurt Tucholsky in his review of Thrasolt's Sonnenschein biography - until his death. What Sonnenschein could not understand with Thrasolt was his advocacy for the Catholic youth movement and the youth movement in general. Conversely, Thrasolt rebuked Sonnenschein for the fact that, according to Thrasolt, he had alleviated the consequences of the First World War in a charitable manner, but that Sonnenschein (like contemporary Catholicism as a whole, Thrasolt - self-critically - did not assume it) failed to engage in war oppose:

“The blame for the fact that the catastrophe (1914) did not prepare and not secure the Catholics everywhere was due to state Catholicism, the small short-sighted devotion of Christians to the state, the self-abandonment of their Christian citizenship over the lens of citizenship, renunciation to Christian honor for national honor, the betrayal of the baptismal oath for the sake of the flag oath, the sinking of one's own personal conscience into unscrupulous public opinion. "

Tucholsky enthusiastically agreed with Thrasolt: “I will give Thrasolt high credit for the fact that a Catholic finally comes to take away from Caesar what Caesar is not . That touched me deeply. Bravo!"

Thrasolt had reversed under the impact of the war. Until 1914, as editor of the journal Das heilige Feuer, he had also given individual ethnic , anti-Semitic and social Darwinist authors their say. After the war, The Holy Fire moved to a left Catholic and pacifist position. Thrasolt became a member of the German Peace Cartel and the Peace Association of German Catholics . He headed the Association of Radical Pacifist Groups in Germany , which was founded in 1926, and was a member of the board of directors of the Association of War Resisters .

In 1921 he founded the radical pacifist magazine Vom frohe Leben in Berlin and was - under the pseudonym "Christian Imboden" - its editor until the magazine was banned by the National Socialists in 1933. In addition, from 1932 he wrote for the Catholic Church Gazette for the Diocese of Berlin , the church newspaper of the Diocese of Berlin established in 1930 .

Although he was branded as a priest emeritus of the Trier diocese in his homeland, he remained firmly attached to his homeland, his parents' house and his native language. This is proven by his two volumes of poetry Behaal meech liew (1922) and Fänk bei Bo'r unn! (1935), both of which are written in the Moselle Franconian dialect and describe work and life in the small farming village of the time. He dedicated Behaal meech liew to his “Mootter en their finfunsiwwenzsten Läwensjoar un Doudesjoar”.

Under the National Socialist dictatorship

During the Nazi era , Thrasolt's works were partially banned, and the magazines he worked on were discontinued. As one of the “most notorious pacifists in Germany”, Thrasolt was banned from writing. He was under constant surveillance by the Gestapo . From 1934 he lived in a lonely log cabin in Schildow , north of Berlin. There he offered shelter to politically persecuted people and Jews. He provided them with food; He was able to help some Jews to flee to the Netherlands. On December 6, 1944, Thrasolt's log cabin fell victim to the fire bombs. Numerous works and manuscripts were irretrievably lost.

Thrasolt died soon afterwards in the St. Hedwig Hospital and was buried in Berlin's Old St. Hedwigs Cemetery on Liesenstrasse next to Carl Sonnenschein. His estate is in the Diocesan Archives in Berlin.

Importance as a poet

Ernst Thrasolt was considered to be the "innovator of Germany's religious poetry". For Wilhelm Knevels he was “the most important religious poet among modern poets of the Catholic denomination”.

During the Nazi era, his lyrical work was ostracized and Thrasolt was a "non-person". He was forgotten - except in his home country.

Honors

In 1911 the Catholic-Theological Faculty of the University of Würzburg awarded Thrasolt the Würzburg Poet Prize, which it bestows every six years "for the best work in the field of Christian-religious poetry".

1953 honored Ernst Reuter , Governing Mayor of Berlin, Ernst Thrasolt 75th birthday. He unveiled a memorial on Thrasolt's grave and named a street in Charlottenburg after him.

In his hometown and in Green streets were also named after him.

Fonts

Poetry

  • De profundis. Spiritual songs . Kösel, Kempten and Munich 1908 (and numerous other editions).
  • Breastfeeding people. Poems from nature and life . Kösel, Kempten and Munich 1909.
  • Scents of the soul. Spiritual poems . Alber, Ravensburg 1911 (further editions by Ohlinger Verlag, Mergentheim and Vier Quellen Verlag, Leipzig).
  • In memoriam. Remembrance songs for the dead . Vier Quellen Verlag, Leipzig 1922.
  • Behaal meech liew. Poems enn soar-musel-Franconian Mondoart by Ernst Thrasolt . Verlag der Scholle, Berlin-Weißensee 1922.
  • Divine songs of a clergyman . Vier Quellen Verlag, Leipzig 1923.
  • Fänk at Bo'r unn Poems enn Soar-Musel-Franconian Moonndoart . Kittler, Leipzig 1935.
  • Songs of Hope More-Verlag, Berlin 1973, ISBN 3-87554-111-1 .

prose

  • The widow. A peasant story . J. Kösel & F. Pustet, Munich 1925.
  • Sagas and legends of the Saar , edited by Ewald Meyer. W. Rassier, Saarburg 2000, ISBN 3-922127-11-8 .

Biography and Hagiography

  • Monks and nuns. Legends . Vier Quellen Verlag, Leipzig 1922.
  • Dr. Carl Sunshine. Man and his work . J. Kösel & F. Pustet, Munich 1930.
  • The martyrology of Germania. Historical prayer readings for the daily memory of the German saints . Laumann, Dülmen 1939.
  • Eduard Müller, the Berlin missionary vicar. A contribution to the history of Catholicism in Berlin, the Mark Brandenburg and Pomerania . Published by Alfons Erb . More publishing house, Berlin 1953.

Other works as an author

  • Not war! Peace! Christ's peace! A speaking choir . Verlag der Scholle, Berlin-Weißensee 1931.
  • Christ in the big city . Verlag der Scholle, Berlin-Weißensee 1931.

As editor

  • Spiritual war songs . Paulinus, Trier 1915 (sheet music and texts)

As editor of magazines

  • Ivy tendrils (1908–1913)
  • The Holy Fire (1912-1915)
  • On the happy life (1921–1933)

literature

in order of appearance

  • Johannes Mumbauer : The German poetry of the newest time , vol. 1. Herder, Freiburg 1931; on Ernst Thrasolt: pp. 597–607.
  • Hugo Hagn: Catholic poets in words and pictures . Saarbrücken printing and publishing house 1934; on Ernst Thrasolt: pp. 205–216.
  • Walther Ottendorf-Simrock: Are the mountains still standing? In memory of Ernst Thrasolt . In: Eifel-Jahrbuch , born in 1957, pp. 83–87.
    • Revised version under the title Whether the mountains are still standing? A memorial sheet for the priest-poet Ernst Thrasolt . In: Heimatjahrbuch des Kreis Ahrweiler , born 1959, pp. 42–46 ( online) .
  • Matthias Laros : Our greatest homeland poet . In: The People's Friend. Home calendar of the Trier region . 1958, pp. 35-37.
  • Walther Ottendorff-Simrock: Time goes on to eternity. An encounter with Ernst Thrasolt . Henn, Ratingen 1959.
  • Nikolaus Appel: Three Saarland folk poets and writers: Ernst Thrasolt, Bernard Michael Steinmetz, Johannes Kirschweng . In: 400 years of the Friedrich-Wilhelm-Gymnasium Trier . Trier 1961, pp. 103-124.
  • Elisabeth Antkowiak: "Whom you, Lord, only met once". Memorial book for Ernst Thrasolt . St. Benno-Verlag, Leipzig 1962.
  • Philipp Wey: Ernst Thrasolt (1878-1945). Priest, poet and writer . In: Yearbook of the district of Trier-Saarburg , year 1978, 140–152.
  • Birgit Wichmann: The priest and poet Ernst Thrasolt was born 100 years ago . In: Paulinus Calendar , year 1978, pp. 68–71.
  • Johannes Günther: Ernst Thrasolt (1878–1945) . In: Wolfgang Knauft (ed.): Co -builder of the Diocese of Berlin. 50 years of history in character images . Morus-Verlag, Berlin 1979, ISBN 3-87554-176-6 , pp. 55-66.
  • Arno Klönne : Art. Ernst Thrasolt . In: Helmut Donat , Karl Holl (ed.): The peace movement. Organized pacifism in Germany, Austria and Switzerland . Econ-Taschenbuch-Verlag, Düsseldorf 1983, ISBN 3-612-10024-6 , p. 387.
  • Klaus Peter Decker: Ernst Thrasolt and Nikolaus Ehlen - two intellectual creators of the Catholic youth movement . In: Yearbook for the Bernkastel-Wittlich district , 1983, pp. 133-139.
  • Josef Zierden : The Eifel in literature. A lexicon of authors and works . History Association Prümer Land, Gerolstein 1994; on Ernst Thrasolt: pp. 239–242.
  • Martin Persch :  THRASOLT, Ernst. In: Biographisch-Bibliographisches Kirchenlexikon (BBKL). Volume 11, Bautz, Herzberg 1996, ISBN 3-88309-064-6 , Sp. 1504-1508.  ( Article / beginning of article in Internet archive )
  • Ewald Meyer, Bernd Gehlen: Ernst Thrasolt - almost forgotten? In: Beuriger reading and picture book . Edition HP Merten, Kastel-Staadt an der Saar 2004, pp. 308-314.
  • Bernhard Walcher: "The old God lives, still lives in war". Catholic war theology and lyric pastoral care in the work of Ernst Thrasolt (1878–1945) . In: Ralf Georg Bogner (ed.): Under the spell of Verdun. Literature and journalism in the southwest of Germany in the First World War by Alfred Döblin and his contemporaries. International Alfred Döblin Colloquium Saarbrücken 2009 . Lit, Bern 2010, ISBN 978-3-03-430341-5 , pp. 77-98.
  • Christian Schwarz, Bernhard Walcher: Thrasolt, Ernst . In: Killy Literaturlexikon , 2nd, fully revised. Ed., Vol. 11: Si – Vi . de Gruyter, Berlin 2011, ISBN 978-3-11-022040-7 , pp. 511-512.
  • Otto Weiß : Cultural Catholicism. Catholics on their way to German culture 1900–1933 . Pustet, Regensburg 2014, ISBN 978-3-7917-2615-1 , pp. 90-91.

Audio samples of the poems in Moselle Franconian dialect

Footnotes

  1. ↑ Johannes Mumbauer: The German poetry of the newest time , vol. 1. Herder, Freiburg 1931, p. 597.
  2. ↑ Entry on Ernst Thrasolt in the Rhineland-Palatinate personal database , accessed on March 19, 2017 .
  3. ↑ Walther Ottendorf-Simrock: Are the mountains still standing? In memory of Ernst Thrasolt . In: Eifel-Jahrbuch , born in 1957, pp. 83–87.
  4. ^ Franz Henrich : The leagues of Catholic youth movement. Their importance for liturgical and eucharistic renewal . Kösel, Munich 1968, p. 24.
  5. ↑ Gregor Hufenreuter : The Holy Fire. Catholics and the Volkish Movement before 1914 . In: Michel Grunewald, Uwe Puschner (ed.): The Catholic intellectual milieu in Germany, its press and its networks (1871–1963) . Lang, Bern 2006, ISBN 3-03910-857-3 , pp. 169-189, here p. 172.
  6. ^ A b St. Hedwig-Friedhof I: Ernst Thrasolt Memorial
  7. ↑ Gotthard Klein: The People's Association for Catholic Germany 1890-1933. History, meaning, doom . Schöningh, Paderborn 1996, ISBN 3-506-79980-0 , pp. 131-132.
  8. ^ Kurt Tucholsky: Carl Sunshine . In: Die Weltbühne , January 6, 1931.
  9. ↑ Quoted from Kurt Tucholsky: Carl Sonnenschein . In: Die Weltbühne, January 6, 1931.
  10. ^ Kurt Tucholsky: Letters to a Catholic, 1929–1931. Rowohlt, Reinbek bei Hamburg, 3rd edition 1970, ISBN 3-498-06463-0 , p. 54.
  11. ↑ Gregor Hufenreuter: The Holy Fire. Catholics and the Volkish Movement before 1914 . In: Michel Grunewald, Uwe Puschner (ed.): The Catholic intellectual milieu in Germany, its press and its networks (1871–1963) . Lang, Bern 2006, pp. 169–189, here pp. 176–179.
  12. ↑ Gregor Hufenreuter: The Holy Fire. Catholics and the Volkish Movement before 1914 . In: Michel Grunewald, Uwe Puschner (ed.): The Catholic intellectual milieu in Germany, its press and its networks (1871–1963) . Lang, Bern 2006, pp. 169–189, here p. 184.
  13. ↑ Arno Klönne: Art. Ernst Thrasolt . In: Helmut Donat, Karl Holl (ed.): The peace movement. Organized pacifism in Germany, Austria and Switzerland . Econ-Taschenbuch-Verlag, Düsseldorf 1983, p. 387.
  14. ↑ Gregor Hufenreuter: The Holy Fire. Catholics and the Volkish Movement before 1914 . In: Michel Grunewald, Uwe Puschner (ed.): The Catholic intellectual milieu in Germany, its press and its networks (1871–1963) . Lang, Bern 2006, pp. 169–189, here p. 186.
  15. ↑ Andreas Mix: Help in the Catholic milieu. The survival of convert Annie Kraus . In: Wolfgang Benz (ed.): Survival in the Third Reich. Jews in the underground and their helpers . CH Beck, Munich 2003, ISBN 3-406-51029-9 , pp. 131-142, here p. 136.
  16. ↑ Walther Ottendorf-Simrock: Are the mountains still standing? A memorial sheet for the priest-poet Ernst Thrasolt . In: Heimatjahrbuch des Kreis Ahrweiler , born in 1959, pp. 42–46.
  17. ↑ Elisabeth Antkowiak: "Whom you, Lord, only met once". Memorial book for Ernst Thrasolt . St. Benno-Verlag, Leipzig 1962, p. 31.
  18. ↑ a b Diözesanarchiv Berlin: inventory information on inventory V187 .
  19. ^ Johannes Mumbauer: The German poetry of the newest time , vol. 1. Herder, Freiburg 1931, p. 598.
  20. ↑ In: The religious in the latest lyric poetry (1927), quoted from Martin Persch: Thrasolt, Ernst . In: BBKL, Vol. 11, Bautz, Herzberg 1996, ISBN 3-88309-064-6 , Sp. 1504-1508.
  21. ^ Ludwig K. Walter: Education - University - Theology in Würzburg. History of the theological faculty in Würzburg , Würzburg 2010, p. 99.

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Thrasolt, Ernst
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Tressel, Matthias; Tressel, Matthias Josef Franz
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German Roman Catholic priest and writer
DATE OF BIRTH May 12, 1878
PLACE OF BIRTH Saarburg
DATE OF DEATH January 20, 1945
Place of death Berlin