Wilhelm von Reiser

Wilhelm von Reiser, the fourth bishop of Rottenburg

Wilhelm Reiser , from 1881 by Reiser (born May 13, 1835 in Egesheim , † May 11, 1898 in Ellwangen ), was a Catholic theologian, priest and bishop of Rottenburg.

life and work

Episcopal coat of arms from the time as auxiliary bishop

Wilhelm Reiser was born as the son of the mayor and weaver Leonhard Reiser in Egesheim in Württemberg . After studying philosophy and theology at the University of Tübingen , he was ordained a priest in 1859. From 1870 to 1879 he was director of the Wilhelmsstift . After various professional positions, he was appointed cathedral capitular in Rottenburg am Neckar in 1879 . Between 1880 and 1882 and 1883 to 1886 he was a representative of the cathedral chapter and a member of the second chamber of the state estates in Stuttgart. On August 31, 1886 he was by Pope Leo XIII. appointed titular bishop of Enos and auxiliary bishop in Rottenburg with the right to succeed him. After the death of Bishop Karl Joseph von Hefele , Reiser succeeded him on July 11, 1893 as the fourth Bishop of Rottenburg. He always let the mandate associated with the episcopate in the second chamber of the state parliament rest.

Contemporary witnesses described Bishop Reiser as amiable, affable, humble and selfless. He was characterized by restless zeal and commitment. The episcopate Reiser was under the sign of industrialization . Pope Leo XIII had the basic guidelines. outlined in its social encyclical “ Rerum Novarum ” as an appeal to action. The implementation was the responsibility of the bishops. Bishop Reiser supported the founding of Catholic workers' associations with solidarity and commitment.

The industrialization in Württemberg led to a change in the denominational areas and borders, especially in the central Neckar area and in the larger cities. Reiser was known as the "apostle of the diaspora " and was particularly concerned about pastoral work and the building of churches in these areas.

He found his final resting place in the bishop's crypt in the Sülchen cemetery church . Von Reiser was a member of the theological society Herzynia , Tübingen.

Honors

• 1881 Knight's Cross 1st Class of the Order of the Württemberg Crown , which was associated with the personal title of nobility
• 1893 Commentary Cross of the Order of the Württemberg Crown

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Court and State Manual of the Kingdom of Württemberg 1886 , p. 29
2. ↑ Court and State Manual of the Kingdom of Württemberg 1894 , p. 31

literature

• Frank Raberg : Biographical handbook of the Württemberg state parliament members 1815-1933 . On behalf of the Commission for Historical Regional Studies in Baden-Württemberg. Kohlhammer, Stuttgart 2001, ISBN 3-17-016604-2 , p. 711 .
• Hubert Wolf:  Reiser, Wilhelm von. In: New German Biography (NDB). Volume 21, Duncker & Humblot, Berlin 2003, ISBN 3-428-11202-4 , p. 390 f. ( Digitized version ).
• Hubert Wolf:  Wilhelm von Reiser. In: Biographisch-Bibliographisches Kirchenlexikon (BBKL). Volume 7, Bautz, Herzberg 1994, ISBN 3-88309-048-4 , Sp. 1578-1581.
• Bishop Dr. Wilhelm Reiser, 1893-1898 . In: Groß, Werner: For you Bishop - With you Christ. The bishops of the Rottenburg-Stuttgart diocese 1828–2003. Ostfildern 2003, pp. 37–41.

Web links

• Entry about Wilhelm von Reiser on catholic-hierarchy.org (English)
• Church and burial place of the bishops of Rottenburg am Neckar

predecessor	Office	successor
Karl Joseph von Hefele	Bishop of Rottenburg 1893 - 1898	Franz Xaver von Linsenmann