Wilhelm Wenker

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Wilhelm Wenker (born September 19, 1874 in Telgte , † August 16, 1956 in Gelsenkirchen ) was a German Roman Catholic pastor . He worked from 1910 to 1956 as a pastor of the parish of St. Hippolytus in Gelsenkirchen-Horst and was known as the "Savior of Gelsenberg".

Life

Wilhelm Wenker completed his Abitur at the Paulinum in Münster in 1894 , studied Catholic theology in Münster and was ordained a priest on June 4, 1898 . He then took on a position as chaplain and vicar in the parish of St. Lamberti in Gladbeck . From 1905 he was vicar pastoral and educational in the district Rentfort , where he became parish rector on December 2, 1908 . On December 19, 1910 he was introduced to his office as pastor of the St. Hippolytus parish in Gelsenkirchen-Horst, which he held for almost 46 years.

National Socialism

In December 1918 Wilhelm Wenker became the country's dean of the deanery appointed Gladbeck. The celebration of his 25th parish anniversary was banned by the National Socialists in 1935. Wenker did not hesitate to take on the new rulers and was interrogated several times by the Gestapo . On March 6, 1943, Wenker was appointed honorary provost and in June 1948, on the occasion of his golden jubilee as a priest, he was appointed honorary cathedral chapter.

Rescuer von Gelsenberg 1948

When the Western Allied High Commissioners ordered the dismantling of the Gelsenberg Petrol AG hydrogenation plant in Horst (today BP ) in April 1949 , this led to violent disputes between the plant employees and the dismantling teams. On May 31, 1949, there was a large protest march through Horst and a demonstration on the sports field "Auf dem Schollbruch". Wilhelm Wenker spontaneously sat down at the head of the procession and gave a speech in front of thousands of demonstrators, with which he went down in town history as the “Savior of Gelsenberg”. The dismantling was stopped and in 1950 Gelsenberg resumed operations.

In November 1950, after his 40th parish anniversary, Wenker received the honorary citizenship of the city of Gelsenkirchen because of his work against the dismantling of Gelsenberg. On November 30, 1955, he was awarded the Federal Cross of Merit, 1st class . He refused higher ecclesiastical offices several times in order to remain in his community.

Aftermath

Wilhelm Wenker was buried in the old cemetery in Horst. In him that reminds Propst-Wenker Street in Gelsenkirchen-Horst, a 1957 inaugurated memorial plaque in the tower of St. Hippolytus and a 1,982-positioned at the church memorial.

Individual evidence

  1. ^ A b c d Wilhelm Wenker: Provost with political commitment and honorary citizen of the city of Gelsenkirchen , city of Gelsenkirchen
  2. ^ Andreas Jordan: Wilhelm Wenker, Pastor , Gelsenzentrum , Portal for Urban and Contemporary History, August 2008
  3. ↑ a b c Propst Wenker - a man with "Horster format" died 50 years ago ( memento from September 30, 2015 in the Internet Archive ), Familienpost Online , September 2015
  4. ^ Georg Meinert: The Rescue of Gelsenberg ( Memento from December 12, 2015 in the Internet Archive ), Westdeutsche Allgemeine Zeitung , May 29, 2009
  5. ↑ Heinz Kolb: Cemetery in Horst - North also known as "Bone Park " tells a piece of local history , Lokalkompass Gelsenkirchen, May 26, 2011
  6. ^ Probst-Wenker-Strasse , onlinestreet.de
personal data
SURNAME Wenker, Wilhelm
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German Roman Catholic pastor
DATE OF BIRTH September 19, 1874
PLACE OF BIRTH Telgte
DATE OF DEATH August 16, 1956
Place of death Gelsenkirchen