Joseph Ludwig Colmar
Encyclopedia
Joseph Ludwig Colmar was a German Catholic Bishop of Mainz
.
, he secretly remained in the city, and administered the sacraments. After the fall of Robespierre he went about preaching and instructing.
Napoleon appointed him Bishop of Mainz; he was consecrated at Paris, 24 August 1802. The metropolitan see of St. Boniface had been vacant for ten years; the cathedral
had been profaned and partially destroyed during the siege of Mainz in 1793; a new diocese had been formed under the old title of Mainz, but subject to the Archbishop of Mechlin; revolution, war, and secularization of convents, monasteries, and the property of the former archdiocese had affected his new diocese. Colmar rebuilt and reconsecrated the cathedral, and by his influence saved the Speyer Cathedral
which was about to be destroyed by order of the Government.
He opened a seminary (1804), which he placed under the direction of the Venerable Libermann; he visited parishes and school, and reorganized the religious structure which the Revolution had swept away. He was an active adversary of Wessenberg and the rationalistic liberal tendencies represented by him and the Illuminati
. He tried to reintroduce several religious communities in his diocese, but accomplished, however, only the restoration of the Institute of Mary Ward (Dames Anglaises). Shortly before his death he established the sisters of Divine Providence in the Bavarian part of his diocese (the former Diocese of Speyer
).
During the epidemic of 1813 and 1814, after the battle of Leipzig
, he personally served the sick and dying. Colmar edited a collection of old German church hymns (1807) and several excellent prayer books. His sermons were published in seven volumes (Mainz, 1836; Ratisbon, 1879).
Bishop of Mainz
The Diocese of Mainz is a diocese of the Catholic church in Germany. It was created in 1802 with the abolition of the old Archbishopric of Mainz. The diocese is suffragan to the Archdiocese of Freiburg; its district is located in the states of Rhineland-Palatinate and Hesse...
.
Life
After his ordination (20 December 1783) he was professor of history and Greek at the Royal Seminary, and curate at St. Stephen's, Strasbourg. During the reign of terror, brought about at Strasbourg by the apostate monk, Eulogius SchneiderEulogius Schneider
Eulogius Schneider was a Franciscan monk, professor in Bonn and Dominican in Strasbourg.- Life :...
, he secretly remained in the city, and administered the sacraments. After the fall of Robespierre he went about preaching and instructing.
Napoleon appointed him Bishop of Mainz; he was consecrated at Paris, 24 August 1802. The metropolitan see of St. Boniface had been vacant for ten years; the cathedral
Mainz Cathedral
Mainz Cathedral or St. Martin's Cathedral is located near the historical center and pedestrianized market square of the city of Mainz, Germany...
had been profaned and partially destroyed during the siege of Mainz in 1793; a new diocese had been formed under the old title of Mainz, but subject to the Archbishop of Mechlin; revolution, war, and secularization of convents, monasteries, and the property of the former archdiocese had affected his new diocese. Colmar rebuilt and reconsecrated the cathedral, and by his influence saved the Speyer Cathedral
Speyer Cathedral
The Speyer Cathedral, officially the Imperial Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption and St Stephen, in Latin: Domus sanctae Mariae Spirae in Speyer, Germany, is the seat of the Roman Catholic Bishop of Speyer and is suffragan to the Archdiocese of Bamberg. The cathedral, which is dedicated to St...
which was about to be destroyed by order of the Government.
He opened a seminary (1804), which he placed under the direction of the Venerable Libermann; he visited parishes and school, and reorganized the religious structure which the Revolution had swept away. He was an active adversary of Wessenberg and the rationalistic liberal tendencies represented by him and the Illuminati
Illuminati
The Illuminati is a name given to several groups, both real and fictitious. Historically the name refers to the Bavarian Illuminati, an Enlightenment-era secret society founded on May 1, 1776...
. He tried to reintroduce several religious communities in his diocese, but accomplished, however, only the restoration of the Institute of Mary Ward (Dames Anglaises). Shortly before his death he established the sisters of Divine Providence in the Bavarian part of his diocese (the former Diocese of Speyer
Diocese of Speyer
The Diocese of Speyer is a diocese of the Catholic Church in Germany. The diocese is located in the South of the Rhineland-Palatinate and comprises also the Saarpfalz district in the east of the Saarland. The bishop's see is in the Palatinate city of Speyer.The current bishop is Karl-Heinz...
).
During the epidemic of 1813 and 1814, after the battle of Leipzig
Battle of Leipzig
The Battle of Leipzig or Battle of the Nations, on 16–19 October 1813, was fought by the coalition armies of Russia, Prussia, Austria and Sweden against the French army of Napoleon. Napoleon's army also contained Polish and Italian troops as well as Germans from the Confederation of the Rhine...
, he personally served the sick and dying. Colmar edited a collection of old German church hymns (1807) and several excellent prayer books. His sermons were published in seven volumes (Mainz, 1836; Ratisbon, 1879).