NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Alfred Delp

Fr. Alfred Delp, S.J. (born 15 September 1907 in Mannheim; died 2 February 1945 in Berlin) was a German Jesuit priest who was executed for his resistance to the Nazi régime in Germany. Image File history File links AlfredDelp. ... is the 258th day of the year (259th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1907 (MCMVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Monday of the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ... Mannheim is a city in Germany. ... is the 33rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1945 (MCMXLV) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar). ... This article is about the capital of Germany. ... The Society of Jesus (Latin: Societas Iesu), commonly known as the Jesuits, is a Roman Catholic religious order. ... Widerstand (German: resistance) is the name given to the resistance movements in Nazi Germany. ... Nazi Germany, or the Third Reich, commonly refers to Germany in the years 1933–1945, when it was under the firm control of the totalitarian and fascist ideology of the Nazi Party, with the Führer Adolf Hitler as dictator. ...

Early life and education

Alfred Delp was born in Hessian Lampertheim, near Mannheim, Germany, to a Catholic mother and a Protestant father. Although he was baptised as a Catholic, he attended a Protestant elementary school and was confirmed in the Lutheran church in 1921. Following a bitter argument with the Lutheran pastor, he requested and received the sacraments of First Communion and Confirmation in the Catholic Church. His Catholic pastor recognized the boy's intelligence and love for learning and arranged for him to study at the Goetheschule in Dieburg. Possibly because of the dual upbringing, he became later an ardent proponent of radically better relations between the Churches. ^[1] Protestantism is a general grouping of denominations within Christianity. ... The Lutheran movement is a group of denominations of Protestant Christianity by the original definition. ... Year 1921 (MCMXXI) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar). ... Dieburg is a town in Hesse, Germany. ...

Thereafter, Delp's youth was moulded mainly by the Bund Neudeutschland Catholic youth movement. Right after passing his Abitur – in which he came out on top of his class – he joined the Society of Jesus in 1926. Following philosophy studies at Pullach, he worked for 3 years as a prefect and sports teacher at Stella Matutina Kolleg in Feldkirch, Austria, where in 1933, he first experienced the Nazi regime, which forced an exodus of virtually all German students from Austria and thus the Stella Matutina ^[2] with a controversial 1000 Mark law, to be paid by everybody before entering into Austria. With his Director, Rev. Otto Faller and Professor Alois Grimm, he was among the first to arrive in the Black Forest, where the Jesuits opened Kolleg St. Blasien for 300 some students forced out of Austria. ^[3] After St. Blasien, he completed his theology studies in Valkenburg, Holland (1934-1936), and in Frankfurt (1936-1937). Abitur (from Latin abire = go away, go off) is the word commonly used in Finland and Germany for the final exams young adults (aged 18, 19 or 20) take at the end of their secondary education, usually after 12 or 13 years of schooling. ... Seal of the Society of Jesus. ... Year 1926 (MCMXXVI) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Stella Matutina was an initiatory Order dedicated to the dissemination of the traditional teachings of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn through the process of initiation. ... National Socialism redirects here. ... The Stella Matutina was an initiatory Order dedicated to the dissemination of the traditional teachings of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn through the process of initiation. ... A map of Germany, showing the Black Forest in red. ... The Kolleg St. ...

Ministry

In 1935, Delp published his Tragic Existence, propagating a God based humanism ^[4] and reviewing the existentialism of Martin Heidegger. In 1937, Delp was ordained a Catholic priest in Munich. Delp had wanted to study for a doctorate in philosophy at the University of Munich, but he was refused admission to the university for political reasons. From 1939 on, he worked on the editorial staff of the Jesuit publication Stimmen der Zeit ("Voices of the Times"), until the Nazis suppressed it in April 1941. He was then assigned as rector of St. Georg Church, part of Heilig-Blut Parish in the Munich neighbourhood Bogenhausen. ^[5] He preached both at Heilig Blut and at St. Georg, and also secretly helped Jews who were escaping to Switzerland through the underground. Martin Heidegger (September 26, 1889 â€“ May 26, 1976) (IPA ) was a highly influential German philosopher. ... Year 1937 (MCMXXXVII) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about religious workers. ... For other uses, see Munich (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Philosophy (disambiguation). ... With approximately 48,000 students, the Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich (German: Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München or LMU) is one of the largest universities in Germany. ... Year 1939 (MCMXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... For other uses, see Munich (disambiguation). ... Underground Resistance (commonly abbreviated to UR) are a musical collective from Detroit, Michigan, in the United States of America. ...

Resistance

Outspoken opposition to the Nazis by individual Jesuits resulted in harsh response from government officials, including imprisonment of priests in concentration camps. The government takeover of church property, "Klostersturm", resulted in the loss of valuable properties such as that of 'Stimmen der Zeit', and limited the work of the Jesuits in Germany. The Jesuit provincial, Augustin Rösch, Father Delp's superior in Munich, became active in the underground resistance to Hitler. The Nazi party used a right-facing swastika as their symbol and the red and black colors were said to represent Blut und Boden (blood and soil). ...

It was Augustin Rösch who introduced Delp to the Kreisau Circle. As of 1942, Delp met regularly with the clandestine group around Helmuth James Graf von Moltke to develop a model for a new social order after the Third Reich came to an end. Delp's role was to explain Catholic social teaching to the group, and to arrange contacts between Moltke and Catholic leaders, including Archbishop (later Cardinal)Preysing of Berlin.^[6] The Kreisau Circle (German: Kreisauer Kreis) was the name the Gestapo gave to a group of Germans centered at the Kreisau estate of Helmuth James Graf von Moltke in order to envision an alternative to Nazism. ... Year 1942 (MCMXLII) was a common year starting on Thursday (the link will display the full 1942 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Helmuth James Graf von Moltke Helmuth James Graf von Moltke (born 11 March 1907 in Kreisau bei GrÃ¤ditz, Lower Silesia [now KrzyÅ¼owa in Poland]; died 23 January 1945 in Berlin) was a German jurist, a member of the opposition against Hitler in Nazi Germany, and a founding member... Catholic social teaching comprises those aspects of Catholic doctrine which relate to matters dealing with the collective aspect of humanity. ...

Arrest and trial

After the July 20 plot failed, a special Gestapo commission arrested and interrogated all known members of the Resistance. Delp was arrested in Munich on 28 July 1944 (eight days after Claus von Stauffenberg's attempt on Hitler's life), although he was not directly involved in the plot.^[7] He was transferred to Tegel Prison in Berlin. While in prison, he secretly began to say Mass and wrote letters, reflections on Advent, on Christmas, and other spiritual subjects, ^[8] which were smuggled out of the prison before his trial. On December 8, 1944, Delp received a visitor, Franz von Tattenbach SJ, sent by Rösch, to make his final vows to the Jesuit Order. This was not allowed, but the attending policemen did not understand what was going on.^[9] Delp wrote on the same day, It was too much, what a fulfillment, I prayed for it so much, I gave my life away. My chains are now without any meaning, because God found me worthy, to be chained Vincula amoris to his love. ^[10] Claus von Stauffenberg The July 20 Plot was an attempt to assassinate Adolf Hitler, the dictator of Germany, on July 20, 1944. ... For other uses, see Munich (disambiguation). ... is the 209th day of the year (210th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1944 (MCMXLIV) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Claus Philipp Maria Schenk Graf[1] von Stauffenberg (15 November 1907 â€“ 21 July 1944) was a German army officer and one of the leading figures of the failed July 20 Plot of 1944 to kill Adolf Hitler and seize power in Germany. ... Hitler redirects here. ... This article is about the capital of Germany. ...

He was tried, together with Helmuth James Graf von Moltke, Franz Sperr, and Eugen Gerstenmaier, before the People's Court Volksgerichtshof on 9-11 January 1945, with Roland Freisler presiding. Alfred Delp, Helmuth von Moltke, and Franz Sperr were sentenced to death by hanging for high treason and treason. ^[11] The court had dropped the charge against Delp of cognizance of the July 20 plot, but his dedication to the Kreisau Circle, his work as a Jesuit priest, and his Christian-social worldview were enough to seal his fate as a victim of the Nazi "system of justice".^[12] Helmuth James Graf von Moltke Helmuth James Graf von Moltke (born 11 March 1907 in Kreisau bei GrÃ¤ditz, Lower Silesia [now KrzyÅ¼owa in Poland]; died 23 January 1945 in Berlin) was a German jurist, a member of the opposition against Hitler in Nazi Germany, and a founding member... Eugen Karl Albrecht Gerstenmaier (born 25 August 1906 in Kirchheim unter Teck; died 13 March 1986 in Bonn) was a German Evangelical theologian, resistance fighter in the Third Reich, and a CDU politician. ... The Volksgerichtshof (German for Peoples Court) was a court established by Hitler after the Reichstag fire to handle those accused of political criminal offences, such as treason. ... Year 1945 (MCMXLV) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar). ... Judge Freisler Roland Freisler (October 30, 1893 â€“ February 3, 1945) was a prominent and notorious Nazi German judge. ... This article is about death by hanging. ... {{main|Treason}} High treason, broadly defined, is an action which is grossly disloyal to ones country or sovereign. ... For other uses, see Treason (disambiguation) or Traitor (disambiguation). ... A trial at the Old Bailey in London as drawn by Thomas Rowlandson and Augustus Pugin for Ackermanns Microcosm of London (1808-11). ...

Execution

While he was in prison, the Gestapo offered Delp his freedom in return for his leaving the Jesuits, but he rejected it. Of all prisoners, only Delp had to wear chains and leg irons up to his execution. ^[13] The sentence was carried out on 2 February 1945 at Plötzensee Prison in Berlin..^[14] The very next day, Roland Freisler was killed in an air-raid. A special order by Heinrich Himmler, normal agricultural soil is too decent for him, was now carried out. The body of Alfred Delp was cremated and his ashes distributed over open sewage fields somewhere near Berlin, nobody knows where. ^[15] The (contraction of Geheime Staatspolizei: â€œsecret state policeâ€) was the official secret police of Nazi Germany. ... is the 33rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1945 (MCMXLV) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar). ... PlÃ¶tzensee is a lake in Berlin with an area of 7. ... Strategic bombing is a military strategem used in a total war style campaign that attempts to destroy the economic ability of a nation-state to wage war. ... Himmler redirects here. ...

Posthumous honours

In September 1949, Rev. Superior Otto Faller at Kolleg St. Blasien unveiled memorial plaques for two NS slain former educators and teachers, Alfred Delp and Alois Grimm, whose ashes were buried there. Some thirty years later, Kolleg St. Blasien named its new theatre hall after Alfred Delp. The Alfred Delp Memorial Chapel was built in Lampertheim in 1965. Many schools in Germany are named after Alfred Delp, among them one in Bremerhaven. In Mannheim, a Catholic student residence is named for him. The guesthouse on the campus of the Canisius College in Berlin also bears his name. In Dieburg, the uppermost level at the Gymnasium, the Alfred Delp School, the Catholic community centre, the Father Delp House, and a street are named after him. The Bundeswehr named its barracks in Donauwörth the Alfred-Delp-Kaserne. The Kolleg St. ... The Kolleg St. ... Bremerhaven is a city in the federal state of Bremen, Germany. ... Mannheim is a city in Germany. ... A gymnasium (pronounced with or, in Swedish, as opposed to ) is a type of school providing secondary education in some parts of Europe, comparable to English Grammar Schools and U.S. High Schools. ... The Bundeswehr (German for Federal Defence Force; ) is the name of the unified armed forces of the Federal Republic of Germany and their civil administration and procurement authorities. ... A barracks housing conscripts of Norrbottens regemente in Boden, Sweden. ... Known as Nordschwabens freundliche Mitte (North Swabias Friendly Center), DonauwÃ¶rth is a city in the German State of Bavaria (Bayern), in the region of Swabia (Schwabenland). ...

Alfred Delp in his own words

Notes

^ Alfred Delp, Im Angesicht des Todes,Frankfurt, 1961, pp 138-139
^ Josef Knünz SJ, 100 Jahre Stella Matutina 1856-1956, J.N.Teutsch, Bregenz 1956; p.132
^ Josef Knünz SJ, 100 Jahre Stella Matutina 1856-1956, J.N.Teutsch, Bregenz 1956; p.134
^ Alfred Delp, Tragische Existenz. Zur Philosophie Martin Heideggers (1935), in: SdZ, 37-147 sand, Sein als Existenz. Die Metaphysik von Heute (1933), in: SdZ, 557-590
^ Karl H. Neufel, Alfred Delp SJ, in: Gestalten der Kirchengeschichte, Band 10,2: Die neueste Zeit, Stuttgart, Berlin, Köln 1993
^ Gill, An Honourable Defeat, p. 164
^ See July 20 Plot, especially Note 4
^ Alfred Delp, Im Angesicht des Todes,Frankfurt, 1961
^ Afred Delp, Kämpfer, Beter, Zeuge, Herder Freiburg, 1962, p.63
^ Afred Delp, Kämpfer, Beter, Zeuge, Herder Freiburg, 1962, p.63
^ Urteil des Volksgerichtshofs Berlin, 1.Senat vom 9.bis 11. Januar 1945 (1L439/44 - 1L397/44 - OJ 21/4 G Rs - OJ 38/44 gRs
^ Benedicta Maria Kempner, Priester vor Hitlers Tribunalen,Alfred Delp,Bertelsmann,1996, p.71
^ Benedicta Maria Kempner, Priester vor Hitlers Tribunalen,Alfred Delp,Bertelsmann,1996, p.72
^ See July 20 Plot, Note 5, regarding executions of people not guilty of July 20 conspiracy
^ Afred Delp, Kämpfer, Beter, Zeuge, Herder Freiburg, 1962, p. 120
^ Alfred Delp, SJ, Advent of the Heart, Ignatius Press 2006, p.77
^ Alfred Delp, SJ, Advent of the Heart, Ignatius Press 2006, page 19
^ Alfred Delp, SJ, The Prison Writings, Orbis 2004, p.xvi
^ Letter to Eugen Gerstenmaier, in Kollegbrief St. Blasien, Sommer 1965, p. 7-8
^ Alfred Delp, SJ, The Prison Writings, Orbis 2004, p.xvii

Claus von Stauffenberg The July 20 Plot was an attempt to assassinate Adolf Hitler, the dictator of Germany, on July 20, 1944. ... Claus von Stauffenberg The July 20 Plot was an attempt to assassinate Adolf Hitler, the dictator of Germany, on July 20, 1944. ...

Literature

External links

The German National Library (Deutsche Nationalbibliothek) was established in 1990 during the German reunification by merging the Deutsche BÃ¼cherei Leipzig (founded 1912, later the national library of East Germany) and the Deutsche Bibliothek Frankfurt (founded 1947, later the national library of West Germany). ... This article or section reads like an advertisement. ... Widerstand (German: resistance) is the name given to the resistance movements in Nazi Germany. ... Nazi Germany, or the Third Reich, commonly refers to Germany in the years 1933–1945, when it was under the firm control of the totalitarian and fascist ideology of the Nazi Party, with the Führer Adolf Hitler as dictator. ... is the 258th day of the year (259th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1907 (MCMVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Monday of the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ... Mannheim is a city in Germany. ... is the 33rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1945 (MCMXLV) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar). ... This article is about the capital of Germany. ...

Contents

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