Wenceslaus Straussfeld

Tomb of Wenceslaus Straussfeld in the cemetery of the St. Ludwig College

Wenceslaus Straussfeld (born December 7, 1867 in Bochum as Wilhelm Straussfeld , † July 27, 1933 in Cologne ) was a German theologian.

Wilhelm Straussfeld was accepted as a novice in the Saxon Order Province ( Saxonia ) of the Franciscan Order at the age of 15 and was given the order name Wenceslaus . After studying philosophy and theology and being ordained a priest on August 15, 1891, he initially worked in various church teaching posts, where he made a name for himself as a reformer in school education . On his initiative, the St. Ludwig College was built in Vlodrop ( Netherlands ) in 1909 , which was intended as a modern educational institution especially for students from Germany . Because of the Kulturkampf , the Saxon Franciscan Province had to relocate its boarding school to Watersleyde in the Netherlands in 1976 and to Harreveld near Winterswijk in 1882 . At the urging of Wenceslaus Straussfeld, she was able to move from Harreveld to the new building in Vlodrop. Straussfeld later worked as a pastor in Neviges , where he also worked for the construction of a new pilgrimage church . However, the First World War prevented the project.

Straussfeld worked as a pastor as well as an advisor and campaigner for the Center Party . In his environment he was seen as a determined person who energetically put his will into practice. He belonged to the generation of clerics who returned to leading positions in the church after the Kulturkampf .

He died on July 27, 1933 after a long illness in Cologne and was buried in the cemetery of the St. Ludwig College. His grave is still there today, and the entire cemetery is still tended by the Dutch population despite the Franciscans' departure.

literature

• Gisela Fleckenstein:  Straussfeld, Wenceslaus (Wilhelm). In: Biographisch-Bibliographisches Kirchenlexikon (BBKL). Volume 11, Bautz, Herzberg 1996, ISBN 3-88309-064-6 , Sp. 43-45.

Web links

• Literature by and about Wenceslaus Straussfeld in the catalog of the German National Library