Sermon Delivered by Bishop Clemens August Count of Galen on August 3, 1941
[The following is from the book, Cardinal von Galen, by Rev. Heinrich Portmann, translated by R.L. Sedgwick, 1957, pp. 239-246.] The Third Sermon, preached in the Church of St. Lambert’s on August 3rd, 1941, in which the Bishop attacks the Nazi practice of euthanasia and condemns the ‘mercy killings’ taking place in his own diocese. My […]
Sermon Delivered by Bishop Clemens August Count of Galen on JULY 20, 1941
[The following is from the book, Cardinal von Galen, by Rev. Heinrich Portmann, translated by R.L. Sedgwick, 1957, pp. 235-239.] The Second Sermon, preached on Sunday, July 20th, 1941, in the Überwasserkirche, Münster. The Bishop returns to his charge against the Gestapo. In the first part of this sermon the Bishop gives in detail the names […]
Sermon by the Bishop of Munster, Clemens August Count von Galen,on Sunday 13th July 1941 in St. Lambert’s Munster
My dear Catholics of St. Lambert’s: I have longed to read personally from the pulpit of this church today my pastoral letter on the events of the past week and in particular to express to you, my former parishioners, my deep-felt sympathy. In some part of the city, the devastation and loss have been particularly […]
The Lion of Munster:Bishop Clemens August von Galen
Susan BrinkmannCS&T Correspondent The killings took place quietly and without the public’s knowledge, in hospitals and medical clinics throughout Germany, beginning in the fall of 1939. The killings were carried out by lethal injection, deliberate starvation, or carbon monoxide poisoning. Everyone involved in them considered them acts of compassion because the victims suffered from disabilities, mentally […]
MASS OF BEATIFICATION OF THE SERVANT OF GOD CLEMENS AUGUST GRAF VON GALEN
HOMILY OF CARD. JOSÉ SARAIVA MARTINSVatican Basilica Sunday, 9 October 2005 The tomb of the Supreme Pontiff Hadrian VI, well known for many centuries as the last non-Italian Pope, is located in the Church of Santa Maria dell’Anima, the national church of Germany in Rome. The following epitaph is engraved on his sepulchral monument: “Unfortunately, the […]
The Lion of Munster
“Neither praise nor threats will distance me from God.’ – Blessed Clemens von Galen The Nazis hated and feared Clemens August Graf von Galen in life and no doubt they still hate and fear him, at least those now enjoying the amenities of some of the less fashionable pits of Hell. Going into Lent, I am […]
Faith and Fatherland
Fr Thomas McGovern Preparations are under way to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of the Allied landings in Normandy, which brought about the historic liberation of Europe from the Nazi regime. As this great event is remembered it is appropriate to recall the heroic resistance offered by the Church to the persecution carried out in the […]
ADL Expresses Gratitude to Pope for Beatification of “The Lion of Muenster”
New York, NY, October 12, 2005 … The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) expressed gratitude to Pope Benedict XVI over the beatification of World War II-era German Bishop Clemens August von Galen – known as the “Lion of Muenster” – who courageously spoke out publicly against the Nazis’ murderous policies. During an Oct. 9 Vatican ceremony, Pope Benedict hailed […]
Introduction to Clemens August, Count von Galen
Most Reverend Reinhard Lettmann Bishop of Münster Clemens August, Count von Galen was born on 16th March 1878 in Burg Dinklage in Oldenburg. As the eleventh of thirteen children he grew up in the safeness of a deeply religious family. He attended the secondary school of the Jesuits in Feldkirch and obtained his leaving certificate at Vechta […]
Blessed Denunciation
Fr. Frank PavoneNational Director, Priests for Life “Once admit the right to kill unproductive persons . . . then none of us can be sure of his life.” So spoke Cardinal Clemens von Galen, of Munster, Germany, in 1941. This Cardinal was called the “Lion of Munster,” because he roared with the voice of the […]