Wilhelm Meyer (pastor)

Wilhelm Meyer

Wilhelm Meyer (* 1879 in Peine , † 1957 in Germete ) was a German Catholic priest and founder of the "Serviam" order.

Life

He grew up in Peine in the diocese of Hildesheim . He received his training as a priest in Paderborn . He then worked as a pastor in various cities in the Ruhr area . As a pastor in Unna-Königsborn , he inspired young people to proclaim the closeness of God through action and word and thus to support and supplement the work of the priest in the community. In view of the plight of single mothers in particular after the First World War , in 1922 he founded the Sacred Heart Institute for Family Care and Pastoral Aid, a spiritual community whose members were to contribute to the renewal of Christian life through their life with the present God. In 1924, the growing community under Meyer's leadership received episcopal recognition.

In 1926, through the mediation of his pupil Clementine Tillmann, with the guarantee of her father Johannes Tillmann, his institute was able to acquire an estate in Germete near Warburg for 40,000 RM . As the House of Germete , he developed a center of community out of it. In 1938 the first sisters of the community were called to Brazil . In 1939 the Secret State Police from Bielefeld ordered the dissolution of the institute and expelled Pastor Meyer, his 86-year-old mother and the sisters from the Germete house. However, the building was acquired by the Franciscan Sisters of Waldbreitbach against the will of the National Socialists . As early as 1945 the sisters gathered again and in 1946 they were able to buy back the Germete house. They gradually expanded it as a retirement home , recreation and education center. In addition, the establishment of subsidiary institutes in Brazil, later also in Bolivia and Mozambique , was continued.

Meyer remained spiritual director of the institute until his death in 1957.

Honors

The "Pastor-Meyer-Weg" in Germete was named after him.

Web links

• Homepage of Serviam