Willy Bokler

Willy Bokler (born September 1, 1909 in Villmar ; † February 12, 1974 ) was a Catholic clergyman who was particularly dedicated to youth work. From 1952 to 1965 he was Federal President of the BDKJ .

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Study and resistance to National Socialism

After his school days ( Franziskanergymnasium Watersleyde (NL), Abitur 1930 in Hadamar ), Bokler studied at the Philosophical-Theological School of Sankt Georgen ( Frankfurt am Main ) and was ordained a priest in 1935. At the time of the distress caused by National Socialism , the best preachers were called to the Bishop's Youth Welfare Office in Wiesbaden, and in 1941 Bokler took over youth work from Pastor Dirichs , who later became the Limburg bishop . He was considered a dangerous opponent by those in power at the time. In 1938 the local Nazi party authorities said: “... works with extraordinary activism. His sermons ... should be heard all over the place with the church door open. When it thunders off, the walls shake. He combines a skillful expression with his outbursts of temper and anger. He is particularly active in camouflaged pastoral care for young people. It seems advisable to closely monitor his sermons. Bokler is a passionate fanatic who uses every opportunity to declare war on our worldview. "

Establishment of the BDKJ after 1945

Bokler commented on the end of the war on the first pilgrimage for young men to Marienthal in May 1945 with the words: “I thank the Americans for having liberated us.” As a systematic, he saw the development of a “Catholic youth body” (later BDKJ) based on three pillars founded: faith school - life training - community of action. For him, the third point specifically meant: not escape from this world, but penetration into all areas of life; Influence society in a new Germany through faith and strengthened by the community. The "actions" related to education and training with the help of adult employees in the fields of sport, press work, culture, politics and social affairs. In the “Action Culture” the sections art (Hofheimer Werkkunst), music, literature and theater were found.

Willy Bokler was a founding member of the Villmar CDU . Quote: "If I hadn't become a theologian, I would have become a politician". In Hesse he became chairman of the state youth committee and gained recognition across party lines. So the SPD State Secretary Heinz Westphal about Willy Bokler: "... the development of a sustainable concept of political youth education and the targeted promotion of the educational role of sport in youth work in the Federal Republic are his very special work."

In 1952 he followed the call of the German Bishops' Conference as head of the main office for youth work and as Federal President of the BDKJ in Altenberg (later in the youth center in Düsseldorf ) and thus succeeded his great master Ludwig Wolker . As Federal President, Willy Bokler shaped youth pastoral care and youth work in the church for 13 years. At that time, the BDKJ, the largest youth organization in Germany, had over 1 million members, 30 magazines with a circulation of 760,000 copies, 12 leadership magazines with 55,000. In addition, he was a member of the Advisory Board for internal management issues in the Bundeswehr.

Popular sport

The sport was Willy Bokler and was a focus in his life's work. Even in high school he was considered one of the best athletes in the school. As a member of the German Youth Force (DJK), sport was an integral part of youth education, harmony of body and soul under the motto of the founder of the DJK, Prelate Carl Mosterts : “Glorify God in your body!” Bokler was concerned with it Popular sport and competitive sport. After the re-establishment of the DJK (1949), he was its association president from 1953–1968. Until his death he was a member of the executive committee of the German Sports Association (chairman of the committee for science and education).

theology

Prelate Bokler spent the fourth and last phase of his life in Wiesbaden as managing director of the Conference of German-speaking Pastoral Theologians . The task was to “make the council a reality ”. His work was u. a. down in the "Pastoral Theological Information" published by him, in which names such as today's Cardinals Karl Lehmann and Walter Kasper can be found.