Adolph Kolping ( December 8, 1813 in Kerpen near Cologne; † December 4, 1865 in Cologne) was a German Catholic Priest. December 8 is the 342nd day (343rd in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1813 is a common year starting on Friday (link will take you to calendar). ... Cologne Cathedral with Hohenzollern Bridge Cologne (German: (help· info) [kÅ“ln]; Kölsch: Kölle) is Germanys fourth-largest city after Berlin, Hamburg and Munich. ... December 4 is the 338th day (339th on leap years) of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1865 is a common year starting on Sunday. ...

Kolping grew up as the son of a shepherd. At the age of 18 he went to Cologne as a shoemaker’s assistant. He was shocked by the living conditions of most people living there and this caused him to decide to become a priest. At 23 he attended a Gymnasium (German grammar school) and afterwards studied theology in Munich, Bonn and Cologne. Munich and the Bavarian Alps Munich (German: München (pronounced listen) is the largest city and capital of the German Federal State of Bavaria. ... Bonn is a city in Germany (19th largest), in the Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia, located about 20 kilometres south of Cologne on the river Rhine in the north of the Siebengebirge. ...

On April 13, 1845 he was consecrated as priest in Cologne’s “Minoriten” church. First he worked in Elberfeld, now part of Wuppertal, as chaplain and teacher of religion. In 1847 he became second president of the Catholic Association of Journeymen (founded the preceding year by Johann Gregor Breuer), which gave young journeymen religious and social support. 13 April is the 103rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (104th in leap years). ... 1845 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... Wuppertal university Wuppertal is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. ...

In 1849 he returned to Cologne as the vicar of the cathedral and established Cologne’s Association of Journeymen. He united the existing journeymen-associations as the "Rheinischer Gesellenbund" ("Federation of Journeymen of the Rhine Region") in 1850. This fusion was the origin of today’s international "Kolpingwerk." Until his death he labored to spread and federation of journeymen associations. In the year of his death (1865) there were already more than 400 journeymen associations worldwide. In the broadest sense, a vicar (from the Latin vicarius) is anyone acting as a substitute or agent for a superior (compare vicarious). In this sense, the title is comparable to lieutenant. ...

In 1854 Kolping founded the weekly newspaper "Rheinische Volksblätter" ("Rhine Region People’s Paper"), which quickly became one of the most successful press organs of his time. In 1862 he became principal of Cologne’s "Minoriten" church.

On December 4, 1865 Kolping died. He was buried in Cologne’s "Minoriten" church. December 4 is the 338th day (339th on leap years) of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1865 is a common year starting on Sunday. ...

On October 27, 1991 he was beatified by Pope John Paul II. October 27 is the 300th day of the year (301st in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 65 days remaining. ... 1991 (MCMXCI in Roman) is a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Pope John Paul II (Latin: ), born Karol Józef Wojtyła (May 18, 1920 – April 2, 2005) reigned as pope of the Roman Catholic Church for almost 27 years, from October 16, 1978 until his death, making his the second-longest pontificate. ...

In Germany nowadays, the Kolpingwerk founded by him has more than 275,000 members in 2,730 local Kolping-families. That makes it the biggest social federation in Germany. The Kolpingwerk seated in Cologne has approximately 500,000 members worldwide and is organized in 6,000 Kolping-families.