Alois Koch SJ: Father Paul Peus SJ - Priest and Youth Leader in the MJC Trier

On occasion of the four-hundredth return of the arrival of the first Jesuits in Trier on 20 June 1560 a ceremony took place in the Jesuit Church, in which the well-known church historian Erwin Iserloh held the ceremonial address. He lectured on the activity of the Jesuits in university and school, but also about the pastoral care in the Trier country. In the end he asked for the reasons to which the beneficial working of the Fathers and the religious success were due. He mentioned serveral important men of the Socitety of Jesus, among others particularly Friedrich Spee, the great fighter against the witch delusion. Then he named Father Paul Peus, who had been buried a few days ago.

But the actual reasons for the beneficial working of the Jesuit Order in Trier were for Professor Iserloh not human ingenuity and greatness, but the absolute devotion to serve God and the church. The report of the "Provinznachrichten" reads then:

"Then Professor Iserloh attached to that the reminder to remain connected to the Fathers of the Society of Jesus in thanks, and to serve - as they did - the Lord and the church in holy readiness and noble-minded devotion. There were obvious parallels between their and our time. For the church the dangers of our time are at least just as great, if not even greater than then. They require the complete and unselfish devotion of all Christians - not only of the priests, but also of laymen and -women - to serve God." ("Aus der Provinz", July 1960, P. 36)

Which is called here the crucial reason for the beneficial working of the Jesuit Order, "the absolute devotion to serve God and the church", marks in special way the working of Father Paul Peus, who was from 1933 to 1960 President of the 'Sodality of Our Lady from 1617'. In my opinion the time has come to keep the memory of this priest and youth educator awake, although Father Peus is still "living on" in the memory of many people who went through his "school". There have been also various laudatory appraisals on the occasion of his death on 13 June 1960. Father Rainer Rendenbach wrote a wonderful obituary, and Heinrich Denzer represented 1994 his life and activity in Trier in a biography. But the "inside" of this working was in my opinion somewhat neglected.

In this connection it has to be mentioned that in the years after his death the memory of Father Peus found obviously only small interest in the community which owed to him so much. In the booklet

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"350 Jahre MJC Trier" from the year 1967 he is mentioned with a few lines, and this in connection with the sporting activities. The brochure "Jugendarbeit im Aufbruch - Mergener Hof Trier" from the year 1974 does not mention him, likewise the report "Momentaufnahmen 1982". At the end of the booklet "10 Jahre Mergener Hof" (1979) is asked the question, where "the MJC-faithful of the last 30 years" remained, the many "friends and followers from the Peus-Plümer-era". Perhaps their absence has to do with the fact that the "MJC faithful" felt the "fundamental change" as not agreeable to Father Peus' thinking, and to their own convictions.

Hence I have set about - also encouraged by old members of the MJC - writing not only a biography of Father Peus, but to emphasize just the "inside" of his working. Of course, I used the work of Heinrich Denzer and the obituary of Rainer Rendenbach in the "Mitteilungen aus den deutschen Provinzen der Gesellschaft Jesu". But there have been in the "Archiv der deutschen Provinz SJ" in Munich also important letters and statements of Father Peus, particularly a "Basic Program" with his "Guidelines", but also - in a further statement - with Concrete Tasks, which had both been written by him in January 1949 for the then Provincial Father Deitmer. These became programmatic for the concrete work in the MJC. In the archives of the diocese Trier were many "Monthly Plans" from the years 1945 - 1960, not least the "Sodalenbrief" from August 1946. Many details from the twenty seven years of his working in Trier have been written down in the "Diaries" and in the "Historia Domus Trevirensis" (history of the Trier Jesuit Residence), in particular the many pastoral activities. Just these two "sources" of the Ignatius House illustrate that Father Peus' work reached far beyond Trier.

The collection of letters and photos, which he had entrusted to a friendly family, was lost at the end of the Second World War by bombs and plunderings (see Denzer, P. 19). But obviously after his death his sermons and lectures have not been secured. If from the correspondence the letters which refer to the Welschnonnen Church and to the renovation of the Stumm Organ, remained, then it is to assume that also writings and texts on other "topics" existed, of which one "disposed" after his death.

Since he has - after his return home from war captivity 1920 - published many poems and reports in magazines, I arranged these texts, as far as they are still accessible,

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in an appendix: Poems, reports from the youth work, and contributions about sport. These to a large extent unknown texts reveal quite a bit of the personality of their author.

I am especially grateful to the archivists in Munich and Trier, but also to serveral fellow members of the Sodality of Our Lady, who gave many suggestions by their answers and narrations. I hope that this small biography will help that Father Paul Peus' importance as an exemplary priest and educator is apprecitated not only by those who knew him but also by others. Not least I would like to express with it the thanks for guidance and companionship, which I was allowed to experience by him.

Trier, 3 Juli 2006

Alois Koch SJ

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II. Childhood and Youth (1896 - 1923)

The province archives of the German Jesuits in Munich keeps the "Geneological Tree" of Father Peus. It is signed by Pastor Bayer, the minister of the St Gangolf Church in Trier, with the date of 22 May 1937, and authorized with the parish seal. From this - at that time "necessary" - geneological tree follows that he had the second Christian name "Carl", and that his parents and all his ancestors originate from Sauerland: Warstein, Meschede, Eversberg etc. occur repeatedly. The parents moved to Duisburg, where the father was an attorney of a shipping company in Ruhrort. There Paul was born on 8 June 1896 as the second of twelve children, of whom 1937 two were no longer alive. His younger brother Ferdinand became diocesan priest, and as such religion teacher in Moers and religious adviser for the ND (Bund Neudeutschland) along the Nether Rhine. He died 1956 by a car accident.

The emphatic educating aim of his parents was reverence for God, but also for humans. Expression for it is that the parents went with their children also on workdays often to the Mass. At home the praying was a matter of course. Thus it does not surprise that Paul became already early an altar boy. The liturgy could never be solemn enough for him, which one could observe also later in his Trier time, and which lets understand that he at the age of sixteen had in mind to become a Benedictine monk.

The father insisted that Paul got the school leaving certificate. But it seems that Paul was not particularly keen on school. That was - as Rendenbach in his obituary remarks -

"hard for the so spirited Paul, who had in the meantime discovered also his fondness of the fine arts, and had begun to draw, to paint, to write poetry, and to make music. Thereby the sport was not neglected: athletics, rowing and above all swimming." (Rendenbach, P. 496)

With West German championships in swimming Paul fared well and achieved some prizes. On the eve of the First World War he undertook together with some friends a longer travel in a rowing boat on the Rhine. When after the mobilization probably in Düsseldorf a barrier was put across the Rhine, and the rowing on seemed no longer possible, there they stooped and dared - as he told - the undercrossing of the obstacle; which gave them certainly some trouble with the police at their arrival in Duisburg.

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At the outbreak of the First World War Paul was eighteen years old, and was in the highest class (Obersekunda). Without having the school leaving certificate, carried along by the general enthusiasm to fight for the native country, he presented himself as war volunteer. He came to a regiment of the veteran reserve at the front within France. In January 1915 the organized position, in which he was with other comrades, was undermined by the Frenchmen and blown up into air. Paul was buried; he survived, because Frenchmen excavated him. As a prisoner of war he came to Tunis in North Africa, where he had to spend nearly five years. That was a hard and difficult time for him in many respects. So he had e.g. to drag stones for the building of a jetty-wall. But the psychological burden, above all the religious doubts, were worse than the hard manual labor. He later described his situation as "prisoner" in a poem:

After a short time as interpreter near Orleans he came home at long last 1920. His desire however to enter soon into the Jesuit Order could not be realized first, because he had to help his father in the care for the living of his younger brothers and sisters. Hence he went as an apprentice into a hardware trade firm. There he acquired a so large confidence that the power to act and sign on behalf of the firm was given to him. Besides he engaged himself in the "Deutschen Jugendkraft", the Catholic sport federation which had just been created; and was also a member of the Duisburg "Literaturklub". He wrote some contributions for the Duisburg Catholic newspaper, and edited an own magazine with the for him characteristic title "Feuer und Funken" ('Fire and Spark'). In the "Leuchtturm", the semi-monthly of the ND youth (students) he published several poems, but also some short meditations, e.g. "Our Fight for Chastity", on "Wandering", on "Devotion to Our Lady in the Spell of the City" etc. (see "Documentation", P. 89-95) In the Duisburg ND-group

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he was soon active at the top; probably under his influence it chose the programmatic title "Gral".

For his further life however the encounter with Father Johannes Kipp SJ became important. From 1919 to 1921 Father Kipp cared for a group of students in Essen. It went by the name of "Alfredus-Kreis Essen im Bund Neudeutschland". Within the ND Father Kipp created for selected students of the upper classes a "Sodality of Our Lady", which he named "Sacrum". Whether Paul belonged to this sodality, cannot be found out any longer. A clue could be the poem "Sacrum", which was published years later in the "Leuchtturm" (see "Documentation", P. 85 f). Anyhow, several vocations for priesthood or religious orders came out from this group. Center of the youth work became the castle Baldeney. Paul came across this group; there he was eventually 'Gaugraf' (district count), before he entered into the Jesuit Order. Since Father Kipp became at the end of 1922 the aid of the Magister Noviciorum in the noviciate of the Jesuits in s' Heerenberg, one can assume that he had his share in making possible for "Old Peus" the entrance into the Order, and the way to priesthood although he had not got the school leaving certificate.

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III. Noviciate and Academic Years (1923 - 1933)

On 13 April 1923 Paul Peus began his two years' noviciate in s' Heerensberg (Netherlands). Magister Noviciorum was Father Paul Sträter, with Father Kipp, the former Gaukaplan (district chaplain) as Socius (aid). Paul got - which was amazing - an own room, also for the editorship of "Feuer und Funken".

When Father Kipp in July 1923 was shifted to Kaunas (Lithuania) by Father Provinzial Bley, in order to open a new school in the buildings of the former Jesuit College, the Novice Peus gave a farewell speech at the parting academy, which remained in the memory of the fellow Jesuits, and contributed to their amusement. He spoke about the "Tragedy of the Jesuit's Life" and meant obviously the readiness to make time and again a new start in the apostolic work.

After the end of the Noviciate Paul studied philosophy for two years in the College Valkenburg near Maastricht (Netherlands). They were followed - likewise in Valkenburg - by four years study of theology. He owed it to the still valid "privilege" that participants in the First World War could be ordained priest on the ground of their age after the second academic year, that he could take the holy orders on 27 August 1929.

Also during his acadamic years Paul cultivated his talent and wrote poems with religious topics; also the topic "sport" is already treated by him. Thus he gives in a long article in the magazine "Deutsche Jugendkraft" "Advices for our Swimmers". The sub-title reads: "Memories from the Practice and Suggestions for the Practice". Another article is concerned with the topic "Jungführertum ist der Ruf Gottes"(to become a leader of a youth group is the Call of God) - applied to the situation in the DJK. (See "Documentation", P. 105 - 113)

Gladly he told later of his first longer activity as pastoral substitute in Berlin after the ordination, and how well he had succeeded in hiding his inexperience. Only the sexton inquired on the first morning, how often he had already said Mass. In his eagerness he came soon across the problem of "cohabitations"; and he began to set them right, until an old experienced priest explained to him that in a big-city the moral principles were used somewhat differently than one imagined it during the studies. What matters is, not to put a marriage in order as fast as possible, but to wait and to make sure whether the young

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people, who had often inconsiderately married, fit also together, and to lead them only then to the wedding altar. The new priest took this advice to heart, and since then he let it to the minister to set the marriages right.

After the long academic years in Valkenburg Father Peus was sent to Münster in Westphalia and was for one year President of the Sodality of Our Lady. In summer 1932 he traveled from there to St Acheul near Amiens in North France, in order to complete his last practical training year, the Tertianship. That his working in Münster was beneficial and impressive can be seen also by the fact that he got more letters from Münster than all his fellow Jesuits together. Rendenbach notices:

"First only newspaper cuttings were enclosed with the letters, but soon also whole newspapers arrived. But Father Instructor was not delighted with this, and stacked them in a corner of his room up to the end of the third probation year. But those were mistaken who believed that Father Peus would now no longer attach any importance to the old newspapers. He packed them all up and sent them to Trier, the place of his new and final destination." (Rendenbach, P. 498)

In these nine academic years he acquired not only a solid knowledge in philosophy and theology. Above all the growing into the Ignatian Spirituality was crucial, i.e. into that way of thinking and acting, which was founded by the "Spiritual Exercises" of Ignatius of Loyola. Just on it is based primarily the style of leadership typical for him. Not least the coining influence on the members of the MJC - especially on those many young men who found during his time the way to priesthood -, is based on this "way of life".

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IV. President of the MJC

1. The Time from 1933 up to the Prohibition 1937

In September 1933 Father Peus took over as vice-President of Father Wildt the leadership of the MJC with its about 300 members. The President appointed by the bishop was since 1931 - as successor of Dr. Chardon - Jakob Wickert, religious teacher at a secondary school. When he 1935 resigned from the office for reasons of health, Nikolaus Irsch, a member of the Cathedral Chapter, was his successor until spring 1937. At this time the Vicar General of Meurers transferred verbally all rights of the President to Father Peus. Capitular Irsch remained however chairman of the "Protective Association" of the registered association "Young Men's Sodality of Our Lady"

In the spring 1933 in Germany the National Socialism had come into power. The German bishops had published at the end of March a "Declaration", in which was - in view of the "guarrantees" promised in the governmental declaration of Hitler - said that the "condemnation of certain religious-moral errors" expressed in former times, was not removed, but the express warnings against them were "no longer seen as necessary" (see in addition Hürten, P. 189 f). It was the attempt to get "the right to take part in forming the new order by this readiness for reconciliation" (Volk, P. 456). In the episcopal "Declaration" of March 28th is said then:

"It has to be acknowledged that by the highest representative of the German Reich, who is at the same time the authoritarian Leader of that movement, declarations have been given publicly and solemnly, by which the inviolability of the Catholic faith teachings and the constant tasks and rights of the church are taken into account, as well as the validity of the conventions made by the individual German countries with the church is expressly guaranteed to the full extent by the government. ... For the Catholic Christians ... there is also in the present time no need of a special reminder of loyalty toward the legal authority, and of conscientious fulfilment of the civic obligations - under fundamental refusal of all illegal and subversive behavior." (Kirchlicher Amtsanzeiger für die Diözese Trier, volume 77, 1933, P. 56)

All the more one thought after the signing of the Reichskonkordat in July 1933, that the existence of the Catholic church and its youth federations was guaranteed by this Convention. Even Ludwig Wolker misjudged at that time the claim to totality of the NS-regime, when he believed, "that we

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acknowledge the German state of National Socialist coinage, its ideas, its leadership, its forms, and place ourselves with whole readiness and whole loyalty to its disposal", as an article in the "Wacht" reads (quoted by Schellenberger, P. 107).

On this background it is understandable that the Catholic youth federations and also the MJC took part in national demonstrations in Trier (see Denzer, P. 16). The "Trierische Landeszeitung" reported on the torchlight procession on 21 March 1933, the "Day of Potsdam":

"Also the Catholic youth federations with their numerous standards and pennants took part in the torchlight procession, to stress thereby anew that they are ready and determined, as in the past so also in the future to cooperate in the reconstruction of the native country, faithfully to the motto which the Catholic youth of Germany chose on the Trier Realm Conference two years ago: For Christ's Kingdom and a new Germany." (TLZ, 22 March 1933, title page)

But soon the first dark clouds approached, and the Bishops' Conference expressed by a resolution on 31 May 1933 its concern about the Catholic youth organizations. One said it was "intolerable" that the church youth is "regarded and treated as of inferior right and second-class", and that coercion is used to join "other world-descriptive organizations", i.e. the HJ (Hitler Jugend) (Kirchlicher Anzeiger, Volume 77, 1933, P. 140 f). In this situation Father Peus began his work in September. When in the round of leaders one came to speak about the political situation, Father Peus stated emphatically, as Rendenbach (P. 499) and Denzer (P. 15) report alike:

"And if we have to go into the catacombs with our banners - we will never capitulate."

With these words he had won the hearts of the group leaders and had determined the course for the coming years. But he did also a lot to "immunize" his boys against the National Socialist message of salvation:

"He had and knew ... always ... the new anti-literature and saw cleverly and effectively to it that it was further spread; also we boys had to help thereby." (Rendenbach, P. 506)

For this "immunizing" not only of the members of the MJC a contribution is informative in the MC-magazine "Junger Heerbann U. L. Frau", which was edited by Father Peus. This contribution with the heading "God the Guardian of the Moral Order" is not signed with a name, but comes obviously from him, at least it is approved by him. In this contribution

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the views of the NS ideology are stated, and rejected in all clarity:

"There is a moral order. And the foundation of this order is called: God. The personal transcendent God, the master of nature and Lord of humans. The judging, rewarding, punishing God. But is this personal judge of the world not rejected just today? Is it not a "Jewish-Christian" view of God? It does not correspond to the "Germanic thinking and feeling", so one says today. And one fights against this "non-German view of God". This beginning is impossible. One may try and try it. One will never succeed in overthrowing God as master of the moral order. Why not? Because each human heart is subjected to his law. ... What is more, the attempt is irresponsible, to build up a moral order without the judge of the world. He is the foundation, he alone. If God falls, then the world will fall, then humans will fall. ... Are here not terrible injustices and ruthlessnesses, are here not brutalities in hundreds and hundreds cases on this earth? Think of the suppression, the exploitation, the enslavement of innocent humans, of the infuriating violation of substantial human rights, which we experience in each decade somewhere in the world. Do not all these things call for atonement, for a compensatory justice? Do those cases not force themselves upon any observing human? And do they not demand imperiously the highest judge, who rewards the good and judges the bad? ... The nature, which is made so marvelous meaningful in small and large things, ... cannot end for thousands and thousands of thinking humans in the senselessness of unpunished revilement! If there is no rewarding and punishing God, then humans are worse off than animals. "("Junger Heerbann U. L. Frau", Volume 1935, No. 7)

He had not any illusions; and he knew that it would come to an argument of life and death: "Res venit ad triarios = the matter comes to the Triarier" - a proverbial idiom of the Romans, which means that the battle enters into the crucial phase; if the third line of battle with the well-tried soldiers is broken through, the defeat is inevitable.

"The youth belongs to us National Socialists - to nobody else!" (Letter of the "Gau Koblenz-Trier", 5.6.1934) On the ground of this view already on 3 January 1934 an order of the Trier head of the district president forbade to the Catholic youth to wear uniforms and to carry along flags and pennants outside the churches (see Schellenberger, P. 64 and 183). By that also for the members of the MJC the familiar dress was cancelled. Also sports and popular sports were forbidden to the whole Catholic youth. In his "Rundbrief an die auswärtigen Sodalen"

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from 1 November 1934 Josef Weber, the Prefect of the MJC, writes - surely in agreement with Father Peus: "The sporting activity of the MJC was hit hard by this. The city assigns no longer sports fields." Thereby also the entire range of sports and the participation in the contests of the sport federation "Deutsche Jugendkraft" was cancelled.

In the "Circular" of the Prefect the difficulties for the activities of the MJC are mentioned. The "membership in confessional associations" is at present "not without many difficulties":

"A hard year lies behind us. ... Large propaganda waves tried to tear gaps into our lines. The success was till now quite moderate. ... One thing we all know: We will have to go through hard fights yet."

On 20 July 1935 then a decree "About the Activities of the Confessional Youth Federations" for the whole Deutsche Reich, which was then specified and sanctioned on 23 July by Mr. Himmler, the Reichsführer of the SS:

to wear uniforms (attire of the federation, togs etc.), uniform-similar dresses and pieces of uniforms, which suggest the affiliation to a confessional youth federation. Among these are also the wearing of uniforms or of pieces which belong to the uniform and are covered by civilian clothes (e.g. coats), as well as each other uniform dresses, which can be seen as replacement for the past uniform.
to wear badges which show the affiliation to a confessional youth federation.
to march up in formation, to wander and camp in public, furthermore the maintenance of own orchestras and bands.
to carry along publicly or to show banners, flags and pennants, except the participation in traditional processions, pilgrimages, First Masses and other church festivities, as well as funerals.
Any practice and introduction to sport and military sport of all kinds.

Those who violate this decree, or who encourage or incite to such an offence will - in pursuance of §§ 33, 55, 56 of the police administrative law - be punished with a fine or with detention. Pieces of uniforms or badges, banners, flags and pennants which are worn, respectively carried along are to be confiscated."
(See "Documentation", P. 64 f)

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On the background of this "decree" a letter of the Vicar General of Meurers from 8 June 1936 to Father Peus is understandable, which reads: "I judge it is more correct, if the MJC does not take part in the Corpus Christi Procession in formation in this year".

One can imagine the difficulties with which Father Peus was confronted in view of this situation. The group hours, the prayers of the Sodality, and the General Communion could take place unhindered up to the prohibition 1937. But there were some "losses" of members who had shifted during those years to the Hitlerjugend (HJ), and to the Jungvolk. Add to this that in schools each association membership had to be registered in the classbook; it was forbidden to belong simultaneously to the HJ and to a confessional association. Already on 29 July 1933 the Reichsjugendführer Schirach had issued this prohibition of "double membership" (see Hürten, P. 278, and Schellenberger, P. 37).

It did not come into Father Peus' mind to loosen - in view of these circumstances - the demands on the members, in order to keep them up to scratch. Characteristic for this is his procedure in view of the consecration of MJC-members at the beginning of the year 1937. He sent the "dismissal from the MJC to all "candidates", because they had not the necessary eagerness" (Rendenbach, P. 498); most of them acknowledged the conditions, but fifteen came not back. (Denzer, P. 15)

Naturally many outside activities (e.g. travels and camps) could in this situation no longer take place. But the proper religious work continued. The whole work of the Catholic youth found however a sudden end on 10 November 1937. On this day the "Gestapo" issued the following order:

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As reasons for the dissolution were mentioned, "that one had constantly offended against the prohibition of travels, group hours, sport, and games" (Denzer, P. 17). This "order" of the Gestapo hit also the MJC; it too was dissolved. Bishop Bornewasser entered a "solemn and public protest" by a pastoral letter, which was signed on 24 November, and reminded with regard to the MJC of "the patriotism of the MJC Trier, to which the prohibition also applied; there is said:

"Beside many other things also the old Young Men's Sodality of Our Lady from 1617 in the city Trier is concerned by the abolition. Because this Sodality is one of the oldest Congregations in Germany, I dedicate a special word to it. Many Trier citizens from all social classes were in their youth members of this Congregation. For three centuries it is most intimately connected with the history of the bishop city. The people of Trier appreciate and praise its beneficial working only too well. In the First World War 200 members of the Congregation were in the field, 52 soldiers died for their native country. The first war volunteers of this Young Men's Sodality of Our Lady took almost without exception part in the storm on Langemarck, and all laid down thereby their life, among them the Prefect of the Congregation. Now also this so deserving Young Men's Sodality has been dissolved. Its entire fortune was seized. Also the youth centre in the Sichel Street used by Sodality and the Bishop-Korum-House, which is devoted to the memory of our great bishop Michael Felix Korum, which serves the pastoral care for the church youth of the whole diocese, and to which the faithful of our diocese contributed with spontaneous donations in large number. The flag of the 300 years old Congregation was taken away from the vestry of the Welschnonnen Church during a prayer. "(Heintz, P. 331 f)

But the bishop had no success with his intervention. Thereupon he ordered the responsible persons to comply with the prohibition, at the same time he stated unmistakably:

"The church youth pastoral is carried on in the sense and to the extent of the 'Episcopal Guidelines for the Catholic Youth Pastoral' from April 1936 in all parishes." (Feilzer, P. 428)

But this new and determining "Collection- and Structure Principle of Church Youth Pastoral" (Hürten, P. 131) originated not only in the "emergency", but corresponded also to a theological thinking, which existed already for a long time, and was based on a new "view of the church". Hürten characterizes this thinking as follows:

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"The more the celebration of the Eucharist was seen as unifying bond of the church, the more the differentiation of the faithful, which was determined by social, worldly conditions, i.e. the founding of groups and the religious independent existence of federations, must appear as disturbing element for the unity of the church, which - according to a more and more spreading view - let the church become an event for the parishioners in their parish." (Hürten, P. 131)

It probably was - the "Diarium" points to it - on 11 November. The Gestapo entered in the morning about half past seven the house, in order to seize the correspondence of Father Peus. It was probably on this occasion that he declared, he would continue working "with a weapon, against which you are powerless". The officials asked scornfully: "And which would that be?" The answer read: "With the weapon of prayer!" Whereupon the officials said: "You may pray; but we will keep a sharp eye on you." (Denzer, P. 18) The "Historia Domus" notices for the prohibition of the MJC only: "Deus providebit = God will provide (a good end)."

In the spring of the following year, on 9 April 1938, the MJC as registered association was dissolved, and its fortune confiscated in favor of the Prussian state. Probably at this time happened an occurence, which Father Jakob Nöthen described after the war. The "Diarium" of the Ignatius House names the fourth December as date. Since the congregation rooms in the Bishop-Korum-House had been cleared out, the Gestapo assumed that the looked for furniture was deposited in Father Peus' rooms in the Ignatius House. The report reads as follows:

"Our house was troubled twice by the Gestapo. The first time in the course of the abolition of the Young Men's Sodality of Our Ladys, which was led by Father Peus as Vice-president. It was in the year 1937 sooner or later. We sat just at the dinner-table, when we heard footsteps of several people on the stairs, which lead to Father Peus' flat. Father Superior Schiefer and I as Minister followed them, and in the living room of Father Peus we found two people of the Trier Gestapo, who with a list in their hands - it was the inventory list of the Congregation - pointed at those pieces of furniture which should be carried down by two men into the furniture van which was waiting before the front-door. We asked the officials after their wish. We learned from them in a very irritated tone, that they were about to take the furniture of the Sodality of Our Lady. They had not been in the rooms of the congregation in the Bishop-Korum-House, hence they must probably be here in the rooms of the Father. We denied that quite decidedly, but would not have gone through with our protest without the inventory of the Ignatius House, which had been compiled 1934 on order of Father Provincial, and in which all the furniture in Father Peus' rooms

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was listed. When they had understood this, they moved away - not without threats. But nothing happened. - The Sodality of Our Lady had foresightedly saved its things long ago." (Nöthen, P. 167)

Reading the "Diaries" about the years up to the prohibition of the MJC one is more and more astonished at the various pastoral activities of Father Peus, which went beyond the framework of his work within the Congregation. So-called "Prayer Weeks" are mentioned, Youth Weeks as far as to Düren and Wuppertal, courses of Spiritual Exercises for members of the Congregation, pupils at secondary schools, and graduates of secondary schools, tridua (three days of religious reflexion), Lent- and youth sermons, but also religious weekends and assistance at Sundays in the neighbourhood of Trier.

The editorship of the already mentioned MC-magazine "Junger Heerbann U. L. Frau" took up an important part of his activity - probably already starting from 1934. The sub-title "Blätter für marianische Lebensgestaltung � Sodalenstimmen der Marianischen Jugendkongregation" (Sheets for Organizing our Lifes after Our Lady's Example - Voices of Members of the Sodality) points out the focal points of the magazine. Not only the appropriate religious topics were treated; there are to be found also many contributions of members of the Congregation about the life in the MC. But at the same time the magazine was for Father Peus also a forum to formulate guidelines and principles for the young people for their mental argument with the NS-ideology. Thus is said in the report written by him about the "Retreat in Neresheim" in August 1935 (see below P. 101 - 105):

"A member of the Sodality has to know the important faith questions, he has to know his faith and must be able to justify it. How then would he be able otherwise to engage himself in the modern faith argument mentally! Just the lively discussion showed that the youth does not stand inactively in the maelstream of religious confusions. They do not swim along. They swim in victorious conviction of the truth 'versus torrentem'. ... Neresheim became a proof that our community is not bound at marching in step, at uniforms, and flying banners."

Between the lines was clearly recognizable, which and who was meant. That is also expressed in a contribution, which is quoted in Father Peus' long report, and that with the preliminary remark: "Has it been catacomb mood which was in and around us?"

"The whole Catholic youth knows and feels it only too clearly: Religious emergency is blowing over us. Only the strong can withstand. Which is dry, crumbles off. The church needs today responsible humans, on whom it can rely absolutely. ... If we stood in former times with Christ on the Mount of Transfiguration, in order be happy with him, then God wants

19

to see us, the youth, today with him on the Mount of Olives, where we struggle that the Kingdom of God is victorious not only over us, over our own weaknesses and imperfections, - today we have to measure up to the strongest storm. Our faith and our ideals want to be defended today. ... Today we have to be not the candle in a silent sanctuary, but the torch in a storm. "("Junger Heerbann U. L. Frau", Volume 12, 1935, No. 10; see below S.101)

2. The Time of Prohibition 1937-1945

Due to the prohibition from November 1937 regular work had become impossible for Father Peus. The group hours, the prayer of the Congregation, and the General Communion had to be omitted. Any attempt to continue the work in the usual way would have - as ignoring the order about the dissolution of the MJC - led to prison or concentration camp for the President. As first measure from his side the entering of the Ignatius House was forbidden to the younger members, after Father Peus had - because of the seizure of the Bishop-Korum-House - shifted his activities into the Ignatius House.

In the 'Sodalenbrief' from August 1946 Father Peus and his Prefect Heinrich Denzer describe the new situation and the method of working, but also the "mental bases" of the engagement:

-labour service

There were even still some holiday trips with boys, so to St Blasien in summer 1938, and to Thuine (Emsland) shortly before the outbreak of the war. Here it was that Father Peus went with the boys into a bath for swimming.

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From a gentleman, with whom he engaged in conversation, he was taken - as he told later smiling amusedly - for the head master of a Trier school. When one of the boys got into danger while swimming and called aloud after "Mr. Father" for assistance, he jumped into the water, helped him, and snapped at him: "Shut up at once!" The mentioned gentleman noticed nothing and congratulated to the successful rescue action.

For the time of the war the 'Sodalenbrief' describes the activity of the President as follows:

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After the first air blitz on Trier, on 19 December 1944, the President left - in the course of the forced evacuation - the burning city and went to Kyllburg, where in the St Joseph Hospital his mother and sister lived after their evacuation. Also from there he contacted the youth and the soldiers immediately on all possible ways. Still at the end of February he went by bicycle through the Eifel and to the Mosel. So he could visit about fifty MJC-families during the evacuation. Then the end came and with it the hope for a new beginning.

Worth mentioning is that Father Peus during an attendance in Saarlouis (at that time the city was called "Saarlautern"!) was injured on 6 Oktober 1943 in an air raid. He had a large flesh-wound in the left half of his face, also his left hand was broken, and his legs injured. After a first-aid dressing he went into the Herz-Jesu-Hospital in Trier, where the face wound was sutured up.

Also in the prohibition time one is astonished at Father Peus' various pastoral activities. He could give several Youth Weeks, among others in Saarbrücken and Rheydt, but above all many Spiritual Exercises for young

22

men, high school students, high school graduates, and recruits of the armed forces. Add to this the retreats, 'Triduen' (three days) for youth, sermons, and temporary substitutions.

Father Peus wrote then finally about this time of suppression and prohibition and testified with these lines the spirit of faith, in which he and the faithful of the MJC found and went their way in this difficult time:

"We prayed day by day, and under Our Lady's protection we sticked together through emergency and death. The prayer and the faithfulness of the members of the Sodality were not in vain. Surrounded by thunderstorms the sign of Christ and of Our Lady radiated in all the storms and dangers for us. It gave strength to us for sticking together." (Sodalenbrief, P. 5)

3. The MJC after the War: 1945-1960

A. The New Beginning of the Years 1945/46

In the last months of the war Trier was under American artillery bombardment and had to endure 1944 three heavy air raids before Christmas. Between the 1 and 3 March 1945 Trier was then taken by American troops. At this time still about 3000 humans were in the city. Electricity, gas, and water pipelines were to a large extent destroyed. Also the Ignatius House had been damaged by artillery shells, not least the work rooms of Father Peus.

He returned shortly after Easter, hence at the beginning of April from Kyllburg to Trier. The "Sodalenbrief" from August 1946 describes the new start of the work in the MJC in this way:

"With the bicycle he climbed over the rubble of the city. The Ignatius House still existed. His rooms were uninhabitable because of direct artillery hits. With the help of the first boys the 'bus', i.e. the rooms at the garden veranda, was set in order. With that a home was there already. Day by day glad reunions took place, and everyone lend a hand to set the MJC up again. A permission for this was not needed from any side. Who then wanted to acknowledge the illegalities of the state police! The MJC was a religious community and was subordinated to the church jurisdiction only. Besides the MJC had not been extinguished in the eight prohibition years; it lived on hidden like in catacombs. For all members of the Sodality it was a matter of course that the MJC, to which they had been faithful under personal dangers, revived immediately again as soon as the outside force had ended. Hence with the collapse

23

of National Socialism the MJC threw the camouflage off, and arose again." (Sodalenbrief, P. 5 - 6)

On 19 August 1945 the first titular feast of the MJC could be celebrated. In the first "Monatsplan" the invitation to the members reads:

"After eight years of suppression by force of its religious communal living the MJC from 1617 celebrates again in church freedom its titular feast 'Assumption of the Blessed Virgin'."

In the solemn High Mass in the Welschnonnen Church, which was filled up to the last standing-room, Father Peus said the thank words to the Queen of the Congregation. In the afternoon the first admission took place. Seventeen members said their candidate promise, eleven candidates were incorporated as members into the Congregation.

First the President could rely in his work only on the boys who were already 1937 in the MJC, or had come to it by brothers and relatives. Because only on 1 October 1945 the school instruction began again, and with it the possibility of enlisting further members. But on 8 September Father Peus undertook already with thirty five boys a pilgrimage to Saarburg-Beurig, where they celebrated the Mass. The group hours, film hours, walking-tours, even lectures began again. So lectures of Professor Thoma and Professor Höffner, the later archbishop of Cologne, are mentioned.

Not least there were already from June 1945 in the Ignatius House private lessons or assistance with regard to the reopening of the school instructions, because many pupils had large gaps in all subjects, so e.g. in Latin, French and mathematics. It was a proper schooling at a time when in Trier still nobody had in mind to teach or to further the young people. Father Peus was convinced that idleness would have devastating consequences for the young people. When from the new city administration the instruction came that each private instruction was forbidden by the French occupation authorities, Father Peus did little trouble about it. He took - as Denzer writes -

"the view that the MJC had been forbidden by the National Socialists and had now risen again, in all other respects we are an association which is only subordinated to the bishop, and to church law." (Denzer, P. 25)

On 24 March 1946 the second celebration of admission into the MJC in the first year after the war became a highlight. The 'Sodalenbrief' reports about it:

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"Suffragan Metzroth as member of the MJC did us the honour to celebrate it, and also to preach a sermon to us. It was a pleasure to see after many years also the headmasters and teachers of the schools among the invited guests again. Twenty members made their promise to Christ the King, twenty five the candidate promise, and fourteen consecrated themselves for ever to Our Lady. Mr. Klassen, the band-master of the cathedral, with his cathedral choir, and cathedral organist MJC-member Paul Schuh were always gladly ready - as also during the war years - to give to our festivities the artistic setting." (Sodalenbrief, P. 7)

All efforts aimed at overcoming the mental, moral, and religious destruction caused by the National Socialist education just among the youth, and to impart to the young people an attitude which was founded on the Christian faith. The new start had succeeded at any rate, and Father Peus' work bore its first fruits. But new dark clouds drew up.

b. MJC and "Federation of the Catholic Youth" (BdKJ)

The new start after the end of the war was difficult, but also promising. But then unexpected difficulties turned up. They came not - as in the time of persecution by the Nazis - from the outside but from the church range. At the beginning of the year 1949 Father Peus indicates the difficulties in his letter to Provincial Deitmer. Under the keyword "Sufferings of the MJC" is said:

(BdKJ

Heinrich Denzer, who was since the end of 1945 Prefect of the MJC, described as witness of that time the arguments in his brochure. They had their origin in the time of persecution, when the German bishops resolved 1935/36 on a new structure of the church youth work, and had charged the Trier Bishop Bornewasser with the execution. The "result" were the "Guidelines for the Catholic Youth Pastoral." (See Kirchlicher Anzeiger, volume 80, 1936, P. 93 - 95) As well the parish youth as the so-called "Core Communities" (e.g. the MC and the federation "Neudeutschland": ND) should co-operate closely with one another under a "Youth Minister of the Diocese". Feilzer writes about this:

"The ideal of unity found its special expression in the 'Guidelines', and became, as it were, the determining collection- and structure

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principle of church youth pastoral during that time of extraordinary political tensions and conditions. ... Thereby the self-sufficiency of the federations should not be affected." (Feilzer, P. 426 f)

On the background of these "Guidelines" as the "determining collection- and structure principle of church youth pastoral" one can understand better the development after the war, namely that "A reserve emerged against an automatic restoration of the former youth federations" (Feilzer, P. 432). Ivo Zeiger characterizes the situation with which the church leaders were faced, as follows:

"Should one return again to the multiplicity and variety of federations, by dispensing with the precious unity and unanimity of the parish and diocesan youth? Should one again permit independent federations, which led - outside of the church-official youth guidance - their special life? "(Zeiger, P. 246)

In the consequence a sharp argument began "with the well-known German thoroughness", which remained rather hidden for the public, but was nevertheless not less thoroughly "fought out". (Zeiger, P. 247) In Trier - this impression developed necessarily - "only the parish youth was obviously promoted, particularly by Vicar General of Meurers and Johannes Müller" (Denzer, P. 23). The "dissent" developing from it "led ... until about 1950 to multiple tensions, yes, even enmities, against the will of Father Peus" (Denzer, P. 46). The constant frictions referred both to the clergy and to laymen. A large structure of the MJC was obviously not wished as well by of Meurers as by Johannes Müller.

The arguments escalated about the turn of the year 1945/46. Denzer describes them as follows:

"The agitating led to it that on 28 December a parish youth leader visited Father Peus and insulted him, that because of the MJC the parish youth had not come into existence in Trier; he even accused Father Peus he had during the time of National Socialism betrayed boys to the Gestapo! And on 10 February 1946 Johannes Müller gathered sixty boys in the Kolping House and spoke about the parish youth with flag stretchers and uniforms (which however was never realized); one reported on youth work, but not on MJC activities. Johannes Müller said: 'The one who wants to be Catholic without living in the parish, is no Catholic', and a participant repeated well-behaved the National Socialist sentence 'The individual is nothing, we can do something only in the community.'" (Denzer, P. 47)

The dissens is described more carefully in the "Sodalenbrief" from the August 1946, which was written by the Vice-President Father Peus and by the Prefect Denzer and which describes the situation of the MJC after 1937. It reads:

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"After the Second World War in the Catholic youth the parish principle was particularly emphasized. The MJC, which works already for 320 years successfully in the youth pastoral Trier, does by no means close its mind for the demands of the time. It works in proven subordination under its bishop neither against the parish youth nor uselessly beside it. It knows that the wish of the church authority is order and instruction for it. But since the episcopal authority did expressly grant to it a spere of working which goes beyond the parish boundaries, one cannot simply push aside or ignore it as out-dated thing. It is our sincere will to co-operate in the youth pastoral with the city chapter. Our efforts complement each other advantageously. As soon as we have trained the necessary helper, we will engage them in the parish youth, faithful to our principles. If youth meetings in a parish meet with ours, then we will withdraw gladly in favor of the parish youth. But we want also to resume our own existence and to hold up our through centuries time-tested Congregation. A noble competition shall inspire us to attain the highest achievments in the service of the King of the youth and of the Mother of God. We will avoid everything which could bring the germ of discord into the Catholic youth. ... Thus we expect from our brothers and sisters from the parish youth understanding for our view, and fraternal sisterly cooperation. 'Double membership' is really no danger for the parish youth or the MJC. "(Sodalenbrief, P. 7 - 8)

On 1 October 1946 the Episcopal Curia issued an "Instruction on Youth Pastoral", of which Bishop Bornewasser informed his "priestly brethren" by a "Pastoral Letter" (see Kirchlicher Anzeiger Volume 90, 1946, P. 115). In this "Instruction" it was again emphasized that the "Apostolate for the Youth" can be fulfilled only effectively, "if it (the youth) is no more than necessary divided in federations and unions. Uncontrolled growths and splintering of the forces must be avoided." It may not be allowed that "the boy federations withdraw or alienate ... their members from the parishes or dioceses." (P. 116) Further is said:

"The youth has the liberty to form within the 'Catholic Youth' groupings. ... In principle applies that the groupings grow out of the youth associations which developed on the soil of the parish. The leaders of those groupings are to have proved satisfactorily their will for organic integration by longer active cooperation in the 'Catholic Youth'." (P. 118)

An own passage is concerned with the "Sodality of Our Lady". In this passage it is said that the membership is optional; but then is said:

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"In all other respects however they stand in the community life of the 'Catholic Youth' of the parish. As far as the Sodality of Our Lady comprises only students (beyond the parish boundaries), their integration into 'Catholic Youth' is to be regulated locally." (P. 119)

In the same number of the "Kirchlicher Anzeiger" also the "Resolution of the Bishops of the Cologne and Paderborn Church Provinces on the Youth Question" from 8 November 1945 is reprinted. Therein is said about forms of "youth work which goes beyond the parish boundaries", in particular about the studying youth:

"The special tasks of the studying youth must be taken into account in the context of the entire youth work. Where groups of studying youth along the lines of the ND want to join forces, one has to give way to it. These groups are as far as possible to be arranged according to parish principle. They can cultivate their union in the context of the whole Catholic Youth. This applies for the ND, but also for other groupings which want - with permission of the bishop - to develop within the 'Catholic Youth'." (P. 121)

In Trier there have obviously been tensions with the execution of the "Instruction", in so far as on the one hand Father Peus and MJC-members could point with good reason to the special status of the MJC as an old youth association, which had been time and again promoted and recommended by the bishops, but on the other hand the incorporation into and the subordination to the youth work of the parish. Although Father Peus tried obviously time and again to overcome the opposite views he wrote in November 1946 - almost resigned - to Denzer:

"My hand stretched out for peace has been rejected. I do not know yet, what I will do." (Denzer, P. 47)

The "Historia Domus" speaks in view of the unpleasant situation for the MJC and its President of

"different difficulties, of wrong opinions and obstacles due to an exaggerated parish principle. But in its 330th year of existence the MJC continues to go reliably and steadfastly the way of the truth and love."

The situation relaxed, when Chaplain Wassmuth took over the pastoral care for the Trier youth (1948). He placed religion and lay apostolate into the foreground and meant, one had to require more important things of the young people, and set up just a winter program. And in April 1949 Vicar General of Meurers had the prayer on the Cross Way at the 'Kreuzchen' (small crucifix). Gradually the tension loosened. And when 1951 Matthias Wehr became bishop, and minister Pe-

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ter Weins the new Vicar General, peace had come. "At long last there were no longer any annoyances." (Denzer, P. 47)

In view of this situation Father Peus did not defend himself and his course publicly. He expressed his criticism only to intimate friends. So he said in a conversation that the "lapidationes" (a form of "correctio fraterna", i.e. brotherly reprimand in the Noviciate) had been mild, compared with the reproaches raised against him. Indirectly he tried to take the winds out of his critics' sails by admonishing in the "Monthly Plans" the members of the MJC to cooperate within their parishes in the youth work, yes, to take over responsibility as group leaders. Already the first "Monthly Plan" from September 1945 reads:

"We support conscientiously the youth work of our parish and give a good example in taking part in the youth communion, faith hour, and youth mass."

In the Monthly Plan from March 1946 the "Word to All" reads similarly:

"Of all members it is expected that they take actively part in the life of the parish, and support in each way by their attitude the youth work of the parish. If meetings in the parish coincide with MJC meetings, which cannot be avoided, then the parish has priority. - In Lent everyone hears each week the Lent sermon, and everyone takes as far as possible part in the station masses of the Catholic youth of Trier."

Not least in the "Monthly Plans" remarks are time and again made how the bishops and the Pope promoted and recommended the Sodalities of Our Lady. In the Monthly Plan from July 1946 after a reference to a pastoral letter of Archbishop Bornewasser, who tells that "he is pursued day and night by the tormenting sorrow about the mental, moral, religious and spiritual destructions of the past", the pastoral letter of the Bavarian bishops from 9 April 1946 is quoted:

"We are convinced that the proven and deserving Sodalities of Our Lady unfold again in the old spirit and with new enthusiasm their banners for their own sanctification and for apostolic working."

In the Monthly Plan from October 1946 a reference to a speech of Pope Pius XII from 21 January 1945 follows; in it the Pope said,

"the model of the Catholic, as the Sodalities of Our Lady endeavored to form it since their beginnings, corresponded perhaps never so well to the needs and conditions of any time as the present."

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The Monthly Plan for May 1947 stressed under the heading "Our Archbishop and the MJC" the positive attitude of Bishop Bornewasser since many years - which also testifies that Father Peus did not want to pour oil on the fire. It reads:

"Let us say it just at the beginning: In joyful gratitude we think of the benevolence, which our Archbishop in the twenty five years of his thorny Trier pontificate gave to our Congregation. He took always an affectionate interest in our work. Often he was among us in order to admit the candidates for ever into the 'Congregatio Mariana'; often he honoured our stage plays in the City Theatre or in the Treviris by his presence; often he thanked in his noble cordialness, when the members of the Congregation congratulated him at festive days. He who celebrates now his twenty fifth Bishop Jubilee was an eager promoter, when the MJC planned the Bishop-Korum-House, the house which the Congregation built for the youth of his diocese. We will never forget the admission hours in St Paul (1934) and in St Irminen (1937). At that time we fought already the battle with powers, which sought to destroy also us in November 1937. In the long, bitter prohibition years it was alwas a great comfort for our Bishop, when he heard of silent matter-of-course loyalty of our MJC members. For the present time he gave guidelines for the reorganization of the youth pastoral, which we make naturally the basis of our work. Faithfully and childlike devoted we stand in the lines of the youth of his diocese. We thank God for the twenty five years pastorate of our Archbishop under the protection of the heavenly Queen, and implore for his old age the blessing of God Almighty. "

In the Monthly Plan from April 1948 is referred to a broadcast message of Pius XII, which is addressed to the congress of the Sodalities of Our Lady from 7 December 1947 in Barcelona:

"In the present hour the mental training of the members of the Sodalities and an intensive apostolate in fraternal co-operation with all others - without giving up its characteristic - are an imperious obligation."

Also in the letter for the MJC-members on occasion of the titular feast 1948 is pointed to words of Pope Pius XII:

"It is his will that the MCs flower and unfold in their forms and methods. He warns of the mistake of aiming only at one form of community for young people."

As expression of the final "normalization" of the relationship between the MJC and the BdKJ one can see the words of greeting of Vicar General of Meurers and of minister Wassmuth, responsible for the youth pastoral of the diocese Trier, which were published in the "Golden Monthly Plan" from December 1950 (see "Dokumentation", P. 66 f).

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C. The Fortune of the MJC

Since the MJC was a church federation, it could - especially in view of the Sodality's Welschnonnen Church and of the therewith associated fortune - not be registered as owner into the land register. Therefore a legal association was necessary. That led to the establishment of a "Protective Association", which was registered 1916 in the register of associations. To express the close connection with the active MJC also outwardly, the registered association assumed the name "Young Men's Sodality 'Assumption of Our Lady' Trier inc.".

To do justice to the "educational tasks of the modern youth care in its entirety", as Dr. Chardon, the President of many years, wrote in a "per memoria" (see Bistumsarchiv No. 0026), and because the former home in the Dietrich Street 40, today's Ignatius House, was no longer at the disposal of the MJC, one was looking for a suitable home in the neighbourhood of the Sodality Church. One found it in the so-called "Martin's House" in the Sichel Street, the front part of the so-called "Fetzenreich". A completion by additional purchase of the adjacent buildings, particularly of the "Mergener Hof" was from the beginning envisaged. Thus in the year 1930 the Mergener Hof was purchased and restored.

Since the possession of such an area went far beyond the needs of the MJC, the thought suggested itself to create there "a central office for the entire diocesan youth", as Dr. Chardon in his "per memoria" states. Legal holder became the registered association "Young Men's Sodality 'Assumption of Our Lady' Trier inc." The MJC found its new home in the rebuilt "Bishop-Korum-House"; but also the diocesan office of the Catholic Young Men's Associations, the district office of the DJK and other institutions were accommodated there.

When on 10 November 1937 the "Young Men's Federation" was - together with its under and side organizations - dissolved by the NS-regime and its fortune seized and secured, the fortune of the MJC fell to the Prussian state. Still in the year 1939 however the Welschnonnen Church was transferred to the episcopal curia. After the war the remaining buildings were handed over by the national authorities to the administration of the diocese and used by it: the house in the Sichel Street was first rented for dwellings, while in the Mergener Hof the diocesan cashier's office and the diocesan archives were accommodated. The Welschnonnen Church served the parish of Our Lady as emergency church.

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As Heinrich Denzer writes (P. 48 f), 1948 an "action for restitution was brought against Rhineland-Palatinate" as legal successor of the Prussian state. This action was only decided on 5 November 1951 by comparison in favor of the MJC. Since the district court Trier demanded a "protective association", and asked after the legal holder of the property before the war, at the end of 1952 was created a new registered association. Thereupon this association was registered as owner of the Welschnonnen Church into the land register. But the episcopal authority kept the use and administration of the possession, especially of the Bishop-Korum-House and the former home of the MJC in the Sichel Street. The Mergener Hof could partly be occupied at the end of 1951 again; some areas were used as "Silentium", where pupils could make their homework under supervision of a retired secondary school teacher. In May 1952 Father Peus became - after the removal of the parish of Our Lady - rector of the Welschnonnen Church. He let the church be repaired immediately; because new windows and a new painting had become necessary. Finally the well-known "Stumm organ" needed a renovation and extension.

D. Guidelines for the MJC Work

"The Program of 1949"

In a letter for Father Provincial Deitmer, dated on 6 January 1949, Father Peus writes: "Father Socius (i.e. the aid of the Provincial) asked me for the enclosed statement on the Youth MC. I hope it is which you wish." One can regard this "statement" as "program" for his further working in the MJC.

The Importance of the Youth Congregation

Whether the young Christian comes from the security of a still deeply religious family or from a religiously indifferent family community, he is threatened by the false ideologies and errors of our time. To make him immune against the mere worldly view of life and the levelling collectivism, and to waken him for the value of the supernatural reality and for the responsibility to form his personality are the main objectives and major tasks of today's youth education. A condition for this education is the illuminated insight, clarity, and firmness in the intention of the educator. The Christian educating ideal is today threatened by the general crude errors of the time, but also by the not easily recognizable finer concessions to the mental currents of the present, e.g. the overemphasis of the apostolic activity at the expense of a cultivated inner life (heresis of activism; 'Americanism'), the obscuring of the

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youth l e a d e r

youth m i n i s t e r;

h i s

adviser

(in German a play on words: Beirat/adviser - Beirad/spare wheel)

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Finally is to be emphasized that an unrestricted 'yes' to the church pedagogics, as it represents itself in the MC and was always understood by the Society of Jesus, will help to avoid structural mistakes, erroneous trends, and half measures in theory and practice, if not even to exclude them.

Father Provincial Deitmer's reaction on this "statement" did not criticize "the excellent fundamental exposé", but he wished

"a short report about Father Peus' work: Statistics in rough outlines, meetings, other methods of working etc., sufferings and joys of the MJC; its importance for Trier." (Letter from 11 January 1949)

In a new "statement" of Father Peus, in which he shortly referred to the wanted points, above all the detailed statements on the "importance for Trier" are essential:

"Care for vocations (priesthood as well as religious orders), which is acknowledged and praised by individual church personalities (Regent of the seminary for priests, religion teachers, older members of the cathedral chapter etc.). Continuation of the old Jesuit tradition. MJC families (i.e. fathers and sons are MJC-members). Religious influence on the milieu in school classes. Rich possibilities for the religious and mental care among the pupils and students. Radiance of the apostolate on the entire youth work in city and country (by learner-drivers). Support of many boys, whose fathers have been killed in the war. Care for the endangered learner-drivers. Fight against dirt and trash (cinema!). MJC-members in prominent places: Government, university graduates, merchants and masters."

As well the "Fundamental Statement" on the "Importance of the Youth Congregation" as the later Detailed Report show, how Father Peus understood his activity. They form the model of his whole work in the MJC. He summarized his task in the programmatic maxim: "In pietate litterisque progressus - progress in the piety and sciences", a principle which opposes diametrically the success thinking of secular humans. In the Monthly Plan from July 1946 is said:

"Faithful to our motto 'In Pietate Litterisque Progressus' we want to muster everything to do our part of the mental recovery of the youth."

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(1) Progressus in Pietate - Progress in Piety

Father Peus' educational aim was - as he said - "not the Christian boy, but the Christian man". His working was directed from the outset at this, i.e. at "sanctifying oneself" and based on it, at "sanctifying the world. Of course, he adopted the forms of piety which had been practised for a long time in the MJC. In the center were the General Communion on the last Sunday of the month and the Congregation Prayer with a sermon and prayer on most Sundays. On the evening before the monthly Sacred Heart Friday the "Holy Hour" was held.

Already since autumn 1945 there was a Community Mass in the Ignatius House on each Saturday and on Sacred Heart Fridays. To this belong also the holding of the six "Aloysian Sundays", the annual Way of the Cross before Easter on St Peter's Mountain, the pilgrimages to Klausen, the Christmas nocturn in the Ignatius House and in the Welschnonnen Church. When in the year 1951 in the church of the White Fathers an "Eternal Adoration" was created, Father Peus initiated an "Acies Orans", i.e. each day at three o'clock p.m. at least two MJC-members prayed there for half an hour.

An important part played in the MJC naturally the celebrations on the occasion of the promise to Christ the King, and the consecration of the Candidates and MJC-members. The consecration for life of the members took place at the age of seventeen up to twenty years. The last consecration during Father Peus' lifetime took place on 1 December 1957 by the Secretary-General of the Sodalities of Our Lady Father Paulussen from Rome. These celebrations were welcome occasions to unfold splendour. "With the safe feeling of a stage director he knew quite exactly how far he could go without getting kitschy." (Rendenbach, P. 503)

He attached great importance to the retreat days of the younger and the Spiritual Exercises of the older members. There he did not tolerate any backing out; he shrank from no financial sacrifices and took pains to get suitable Spiritual Directors. They were mostly Fathers, who had come out from the MJC, so the Fathers Mühlenbrock, Philippi, Schilling and Sudbrack. He appeared time and again during these courses to look after things.

The veneration of Our Lady was central as well for Father Peus' working as with the many religious celebrations and meetings mentioned above. This is obvious from the beginning of his working in the MJC. Already for 19 October 1933 is said in the "Diarium" of the Ignatius House:

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"The MJC from 1617 pays in solemn way homage to the Queen of the Rosary at 8 o'clock p.m. in the Hospital Church St Irminen. Father Peus delivers the ceremonial address. ... Large participation also on the part of parents."

On 9 December 1934 a large celebration in honour of Our Lady took place in the Trier cathedral, which was prepared by Father Peus. The "Diarium" reports on it:

(free yard)

With this celebration stood apart from the lectures of Prelate Wolker and Bishop Bornewasser the "Homage of the youth to the Immaculate Virgin". This text, which was spoken or prayed alternately, shows clearly the hand of Father Peus. That follows from many formulations, which are found in his poem "Knight before Our Lady" (see "Documentation", P. 87). The final part reads:

Expression of the devotion to Our Lady, practiced in the MJC, were however not only these large celebrations, but above all the solemn admissions into the Sodality of Our Lady. They took place three times in the time before the prohibition: 1934 in St Paul by Bishop Bornewasser; on 8 December 1935 in St Irminen by Father Peus; and on 2 February 1937 in St Irminen again by Bishop Bornewasser.

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That did not change after the war. Already in the Monthly Plan for the Advent and Christmas season 1945 he pointed for the "Feast Immaculate Virgin" to the Fortieth Rule of the MC:

"The MC-members are to strive to copy her (St Mary's) magnificent virtues, to place their whole confidence in her, and to incite each other to love her and to serve her with childlike devotion."

In the Monthly Plan from April 1946 he points to the First Rule of the Sodalities of Our Lady, which emphasizes especially that the sodalities

"are religious associations with the purpose to cultivate in their members a most intimate devotion, reverence and childlike love for the most blessed Virgin Mary."

But for Father Peus any devotion to Our Lady aimed in the long run at Jesus Christ - in accordance with the word always repeated: "Per Mariam ad Jesum - by St Mary's mediation to Jesus". Which he had said in the poem "Knight before Our Lady" many years ago in view of the "Knithing" in the federation "Neudeutschland", that was valid also for the members of the MJC, particularly for the candidates and full members:

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Also in his report on the "Retreat in Neresheim" from the year 1935 the sense of the veneration of the Mother of God is clearly expressed: The Sodality of Our Lady

Closely connected with this orientation of the veneration of Our Lady by Jesus Christ, for Father Peus therefore the love and service for the church was a matter of course; in accordance with the Church's teaching (which has its foundation in the New Testament - above all Joh 19:25-27) on St Mary as the "representative" of the church. Already in the just quoted report on the "Retreat in Neresheim" he writes unmistakably, that the Sodality of Our Lady is "closely attached to the church" and looks "always only at it. Just the 'Sentire Cum Ecclesia' will let it find the right way for the education of the youth." In the Monthly Plan from January 1946 he states as "Motto of the Year" the Thirty third Rule of the MC:

"A good member of the Congregation must be above all a good Christian. He has to bring his faith and life completely into line with the faith and moral teachings of the Holy Catholic Church, has to honour which it honours, and to reject which it rejects, has to think and feel in everything with it, and must not be ashamed to appear in the private and public life as a faithful and obedient son of our holy Mother Church."

(2) Progressus in Litteris - Progress in Knowledge

Apart from the effort to lead the members of the MJC up to a religious life, another range had a great importance for Father Peus: the promotion not only in the knowledge subjects of the High Schools, but - the MJC was open also for employees - also in the professional training.

To stress his efforts for the promotion of his boys in the subjects of knowledge, the "control of the school reports" was a strictly practiced

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measure. After each 'Tertial' he wanted to see the school reports of all boys. On the most important marks he kept book in his card-index, and praise or rebuke turned out accordingly; he did also not shrink from punishments. He expected that his boys belonged to the best of their class.

Even before on 1 October 1945 the school teaching began again, Father Peus established in the Ignatius House instruction courses in Latin, French, and mathematics. He did not react to the hint of the city administration, that the French military administration had forbidden any private instruction, but continued the courses secretly. After the school instruction could be taken up again, soon repetitional lessons were added; just the older pupils were engaged thereby; not only to improve their own knowledge, e.g. in Latin, but above all to further the social responsibility. When 1951 a part of the 'Mergener Hof' could be used by the MJC again, he established a "Silentium" in the room which had become available. In the first years it was supervised by a retired secondary school teacher.

With the prohibition 1937 the Gestapo had together with the fortune seized also the extensive library of the MJC. But already after the removal into the Ignatius House Father Peus improved the book stock. They were stored in his work room. It "survived" the destruction by the war, because it was packed in boxes and deposited at several places. Two of these "book boxes" - an old member of the MJC reports - served in the winter 1944/45 as welcome reading in the holidays.

The library, which became more extensive from 1945, contained on the one side the classical editions and texts for the subject German - necessary for the school teaching since there were hardly postwar editions -, but on the other side also religious and light reading. Father Peus lent out just these personally, and picked out for everyone the suitable book. In Lent however no adventure books were lent, but only contemplative and religious literature: In a Monthly Plan is said: "Today Lent begins for Karl May and his comrades. We however cultivate the religious reading." (February 1955)

Beside the books it was important for Father Peus to make known and to supply above all the pupils of the senior classes of the High Schools with well-known magazines and interesting topic files. Thus the Monthly Plan from March 1948 refers already to laid out magazines. The "Stimmen der Zeit", "Hochland", "Frankfurter Hefte", the "Herder-

39

korrespondenz", and the "Katholische Missionen" are mentioned. Time and again he gives his boys the appropriate magazine with the reference to an - also for the school - important article. With the return he made sure whether the article concerned had also been read and understood.

In this connection also the many lectures are to be mentioned, which were "organized" by Father Peus not only for the older members of the MJC, but also for the schools in Trier. So Father Hubert Becher SJ held in the aula of the Max Plank High School at the beginning of 1951 a lecture on modern literature. Two years later Father Becher spoke in the Ignatius House about "Modern Literature, Based on Christian Moral". But there are also to be mentioned lectures on atomic physics and on social problems (by Father Hans Hoffmann). A physician - Dr. Kaiser from Boppard - held a lecture with the topic "You and Your Body"; Father Felix Rüschkamp SJ gave a talk on "From the First Human till Today". But Father Peus knew to win also other well-known fellow Jesuits for lectures, so e.g. Alois Grillmeier and Johannes Lotz. Rendenbach writes in his obituary:

"If some fellow Jesuit, who was of interest for the boys, visited Trier, then he dragged him here. How many Jesuits of most diverse coinage have we got to know in this way, and - which was still more important - how many works and work methods of the Society of Jesus." (P. 506)

Father Peus was not even one year in Trier, when he took over already the editorship of the MC-magazine "Junger Heerbann U. L. Frau". That was for him a welcome opportunity to bring his boys to writing, i.e. reports on conferences, travel experiences etc., depending upon age and class; all of them had their turns. Thereby Father Peus' experience as editor served the contributions to good purpose. Above all however this magazine offered a forum to him to state his conceptions of the tasks of a Sodality of Our Lady (see above P. 13, 17 and 100 - 105). In view of many statements one is surprised that the magazine was only forbidden together with the prohibition of the MJC at the end of 1937.

After the war he resumed this tradition of the contributions in his MJC-internal "Monthly Plan". Large and small reports on the life in the MJC were represented. Above all the retreat days and courses of Spiritual Exercises are described in detail, but also sport events and the carnival parties. There are reports on the participation in a social seminar in Walberberg, on the annual academies of the top-form boys in Bad Go-

40

desberg, but also on some other advanced training seminars for the older members.

Not least is to be mentioned in this connection the promotion of talented members in the range of music. Before the war in the MJC a choir and an orchestra existed. After 1945 these were not established again. But already early the so-called "Instrumental Circle" came into being, which from 1947 on took the floor on many occasions, so at a festive academy for the former President Dr. Chardon, and at the opening of the sports meeting of the FISEC 1955 in Trier. Among the musicians furthered by Father Peus are mentioned time and again the pianist Alexander Sellier, the Cellist Hans Strahl (who was unfortunatly killed by an accident), and Heinz Lonquich.

With certainty this promotion of talented MJC-members played a role with the re-establishment of the Stumm-organ in the Welschnonnen Church. In his greeting and thank speech on the occasion of the inauguration of the baroque organ in March 1958 Father Peus mentioned this intention expressly to the invited promoters and guests:

"As once Dr. Schuh as second-form boy sat at the Welschnonnen organ and with him many others, so soon juvenile musicians will sit at the new work. They will thank it to you, and we hope and wish that from the music pupils of the MJC also some day new masters of the organ will rise." (See "Documentation", P. 70)

(3) Operating and Probation Fields

To the educational concept of Father Peus belonged apart from the two ranges of religion and school the range of spare time. Yes, it seems as if he held - at least occasionally - that the members should, if possible, spend their free time in the MJC. That becomes apparent from his statements in the Monthly Plans: so in February 1946, in May 1948 and also still in December 1952, where he wrote an essay with the topic "A Sunday in the MJC". In the Monthly Plan from May 1948 this is clearly expressed:

"It is the urgent wish of the MJC that all members spend their spare time as far as possible in the community of the Congregation. ... The MJC offers an abundance of mental and physical recreation possibilities in the spare time."

But for him it was not only about "protecting from the bad world", but about practising positive possibilities

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and procuring experiences. The travels and camps are to be seen in this connection, the meetings at carnival, and not least the range of sports.

(A) Travels and Camps

In Father Peus' engagement for travels and camps his coinage by the youth movement plays certainly a large role. In his texts from the time after the First World War, which he published in the "Leuchtturm", is clearly expressed how much he estimated this range, and that he saw in it a marvellous possibility for the promotion and education of his boys - not least also under religious aspect.

In the first years of his activity in Trier travels and camps were only reduced possible, because of the political situation, by which such activities were forbidden and only camouflaged feasible. But they were still possible until the year 1934. Thus in Irrel (with the so-called "Kalkwerk" (limekiln), a house which belonged to the MJC) a first camp was realized. Father Rendenbach decribes in his obituary from his own experience the run of events, and some details (P. 503). Even Whitsuntide 1935, when common camps, banners and uniforms were already forbidden, a meeting took place in Irrel. Everybody wore civilian clothes during the "Week for Confirmation Revival".

The large time of the travels and summer camps began however after the war. There are to be mentioned - starting from 1946 - the yearly summer holiday courses in the "Albertinum" Gerolstein, in Müllenborn, Morbach and Antweiler. To emphasize however are the Whitsuntide camp in Ernzen with the participation in the 'Echternach Jumping Proession', and the summer holiday course on the Castle Dodenburg near Heckenmünster.

The old quarry near Ernzen was discovered and explored 1949 by a group of students of the fourth (?) form, together with their group leader. At Whitsunday seven boys marched up on foot over Newel and Ralingen along the Sauer (river) to Ernzen, where they arrived after a walking-tour of six hours, and could spend the night in a barn. At the following Whitmonday Father Peus followed on bicycle, accompanied by a boy, and examined the campground found in an old quarry. On the following day all went with the procession of the parish Ernzen to Echternach to the Jumping Procession. But only in the following years the MJC took part also in the real "Jumping Procession" with its banner and with "jumpers". When at the beginning sporting ambition was mostly there yet, then it passed after two or three hours of "jumping".

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Abobe all however the old Castle Dodenburg became unforgettable, in which nearly each year - starting from 1952 up to his death - in three groups (up to seventy boys) the summer camp took place. But the decayed water castle had first to be repaired by experienced craftsmen. The castle had a large park and was situated quietly. The "rules" were strict. But despite the austere discipline all boys felt very well. After waking early morning exercises took place for everybody. The morning prayer and a meditation followed, in which Father Peus talked about the Mass or about the Saint of the day, and delivered a catechesis. During the meals the regiment was very strict. One paid attention particularly to good manners.

During the day the right occupations were never missing, so that no boredom arose. The sporting games were naturally much liked and were well to the fore; but there were also excursions and scouting games. For swimming one went often to Wittlich into the open-air swimming pool. Of course there were various meetings in the evenings. Not only the songs of the youth movement, which were loved by Father Peus very much, were sung with enthusiasm. Time and again some boys were put in charge of reporting on an event of the day, on a trip or a soccer game. Occasionally he asked his questions, so that a l l were informed, above all however that h e was in the secret of everything. The day ended naturally with the evening prayer and the Praise of Our Lady.

Hence the travels and the summer camps were for Father Peus a substantial component of the by him intended leading of the young people to a personal piety, but also to responsible social behavior. Particularly the religious formation was thereby near to his heart, particularly since many boys came from families, in which - after his view - was too little done in this regard. Everything happened in a relaxed atmosphere, and was free from the concerns and burdens of the everyday life.

(B) Carnival

As Denzer reports, the Carnival played a larger role after the war than in the time before the prohibition of the MJC. When first only "Glad Hours in the MJC" were celebrated, then 1948 the "Omnibus", the home in the Ignatius House, was decorated as 'Fools' Ship'. On Monday before Lent 400 boys met

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in the small hall of the city theatre. With enthusiasm they joined in the song "Moritat", which told of the past years:

When 1951 a (payable) hall was not available, the MJC made a Carnival procession, the first after the war in Trier at all. It was 150 m long and passed hundreds of spectators to the dwelling of Mayor Dr. Raskin, where the "Choral Society Miau" began to sing "O hang him up!" A black cat was carried along in the procession. To it the Song referred:

A newspaper commentated this first Carneval procession after the war in Trier with the words:

Also in the following years the MJC took part in the Carneval processions in Trier. That changed 1957: instead of Carnival the 'Eternal Prayer' of the Catholic youth was held then in the Welschnonnen Church.

With all Carnival meetings Father Peus was active only in the background. He left the arrangement of the celebrations and of the procession, the songs and singing to the fantasy and creativity of his young people. He was never disappointed thereby, and could be pleased cordially.

(C) Sport in the MJC

The sport played in the MJC already an important role, before Father Peus became its President. The handball team took part in the games in the Trier region within the Catholic Sport Federation "Deutsche Jugendkraft" (DJK) and held "a prominent position" (Monthly Plan from November 1947). The reprisals of the NS-regime against the DJK ended 1935 with the prohibition:

"With the

decree

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seized, forbidden is the publication of the magazine 'Deutsche Jugendkraft'." (Rösch, 1995, P. 27)

This "decree" allowed the youth federations still a "mere church-religious kind" of activity, but any activities of "political, sporting and people-sporting kind" were forbidden (see "Documentation", P. 64).

After the end of the war the sport in the MJC started only by degrees again. But since for Father Peus the body training belonged to the training of good Catholic men, he looked for possibilities to realize this. In the Monthly Plan from June 1947 the "Word to All" reads:

"In the stadium we have each Saturday from 3 - 5 o'clock p.m. opportunity to field games. Everyone is invited to join in the game. Also those who are rigid and clumsy, the stay-at-home and the bookworms. We are not one-sided and play only football. ... Sport and play belong to the means which help us to realize greater things."

Two months later swimming is added: "For the present we go each Thursday at 2 o'clock p.m. together to the municipal swimming pool." In April 1948 there is a training time in the stadium between seven and eight o'clock p.m. for the young people starting from the third form, apart from the general sport and play afternoon on Saturday. In addition there is on Wednesdays gymnastics in the gymnasium of the Bishop-Korum-House. In the Monthly Plan from May 1948 is said about the "Leisure Activities in the MJC":

"Since a majority of our youth by the circumstances (loss of doing gymnastics and sports, lack of equipment etc.) could not get an introduction into sport and doing gymnastics, some keep aloof from each physical recreation and training. They believe themselves incapable of anything. There a courageous start is needed: one has to overcome one's scruples and to give a knockout to any laziness."

In the same Monthly Plan is said about swimming, which should take place on Tuesdays between seven and eight o'clock p.m. in the municipal swimming pool:

"We do not go into the municipal swimming pool in order to shower. We want to learn swimming, sport-swimming, high-diving, diving, playing water polo etc."

In the first years up to the end of 1949 also football was played. The Monthly Plans report time and again on contests between teams of the MJC and of the boarding school "Albertinum" in Gerolstein. But then with the spring 1950 a more methodical track-and-field athletic training began under the leadership of the sport teacher

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Fritz Charles. But in the Monthly Plan from March and April 1950 one underlines:

"We 'do not specialize', but we strive for a far-reaching, all-round physical training, for quickness and agility. Our sport wants to serve, and enable us to fulfill better our higher tasks in church, family, school, and Congregation. We do without spectators, fans or guest performances."

Even more clearly this is stated in a Monthly Plan of the year 1951:

"Lode-star for the sporting leisure-time activities was the treasure of the DJK-experience. The sport may not fill the heart of the boy absolutely, and so block the open-mindedness for higher values. The sport has a serving position in the education. ... The blue-white MC-badge reminds of the fact that we do sports in the MJC, in the 'Heerbann of Our Lady', in an 'Acies Ordinata', which wants to educate us to get order in our life."

For Father Peus, who had already after his return from captivity cooperated in the DJK (see his contributions in the DJK magazine: "Documentation", P. 105 - 113), it was self-evident that the sports groups of the MJC joined again the DJK. That meant for him also not to keep away from the general sport in Germany (before the prohibition 1935 the DJK had had its own tournaments), but to face the competition. He represented thereby decidedly the line of Ludwig Wolker. This led then 1949 to a separation, and to the foundation of the "Sport- and Play Association Rhine Weser" (see Rösch 1995, P. 44 f). Like Wolker Father Peus was convinced that the way of "Rhine Weser" was an illusion in the long run. In a discussion he even expressed once, if necessary, one would go a special way, and would not take part in any bulkheading. For him the thought was probably decisive that in this way the Christian view of play and sports could be made known, and the development of the German sport influenced in the Christian sense. That he succeeded with this is proved by the many honours which Father Peus got, but also by several publications in the annual reports of the Athletics Association Rhineland (see "Documentation", P. 114 - 122).

Already the first contests of the track-and-field athletes brought large successes. The relay race "Round the Old Town" in Trier at the beginning of May 1950 was won in superior style in the youth class. In the context of the district championships of the athletes there were several first places, and at the Rhineland championships in Koblenz the young people triumphed in the 4 x 100 m relay and in the olympic relay. In the fol-

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lowing years the MJC-athletes became in Rhineland one of the most successful groups in the youth and pupil classes, but also in the range of regular athletes.

From autumn 1950 on field handball was added to the track-and-field athletics. First only one youth team played in the class concerned. In the following year also an adult team took part in the games. With the first game in the district class the Apostolic Administrator of the Diocese Hiroshima (Japan) did the first throw; Monsignore Ogihara SJ was a fellow Novice of Father Peus. In the course of the years the number of the handball teams in the adult, youth and pupil range increased. But also new kinds of sport were added, such as fencing and basketball.

The expansion of the sport activity is represented in detail by Denzer (see Denzer, P. 43 f). It brought an additional burden for Father Peus, since the organization took much time and work, although the sports area claimed a certain independence. Not least a financial burden was added, so e.g. by the sports field lease. The additional strain impaired certainly the actual religious work in the Congregation. But it was out of the question that the religious formation of the boys remained still the crucial point of his work. Thus the Mass in the morning before the match travels belonged naturally to the program; in the bus the church "travel prayer" was prayed together, and songs were sung from the hymn-book "Kirchenlied".

Father Peus became very soon the Spiritual Adviser of the DJK in the diocese Trier. In the years 1953 and 1956 he was awarded with the silver and golden needle of honour by the federation; 1957 he got even the golden needle of honour by the German Athletics Federation because of his merits particularly in the pupil and youth range. He made a name also internationally for himself at the sports meetings of the FISEC ("Féderation International Sportive de l' Enseignement Catholique") in Ostende and San Sebastian. 1955 this sports meeting was organized by the MJC in Trier.

Surely with the expansion of the sporting activities and the organizational work attached to them a development was started to the high-performance sport. But one may not transfer our conceptions and today's manifestations to the high-performance sport in those days. The then usual intensity of training and the associated psycho-physical burden

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were in no way comparable with that of today. For Father Peus this would have been unthinkable, as many of his statements in lectures and articles prove. Now as ever play and sport "were only means which help us to achieve greater things" (see Monthly Plan June 1947).

He represents this view decidedly in a contribution for the Annual Report 1956 of the Athletics Federation Rhineland, which has the characteristic title "Who is the best?" It reads:

(Quoted after

On this background the critical notes are to be understood which have been written by Father Peus in a review of the diocesan sports meeting in Andernach in the summer 1959:

In a further contribution for the Annual Report 1959 of the Athletics Federation Rhineland Father Peus takes up the topic "community". He points to the dependence of the individual sportsman on his association,

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and to the obligation resulting from there to be "gratefully loyal and attached to one's sport community". That becomes apparent also in the concern about the young talents in an association. Just the older sportsmen should "take care of the younger - unselfish and from responsibility for the positive values of the sporting activity and education". To this is said:

How

Father Peus was aware of the fact that the sport has an important function in the education of young humans, and that it has to serve this aim. Sport is valuable and has therefore to be recommended, but it presupposes an educated person. In sport the formation and discipline become apparent which someone brings along, and whether someone is ready to realize the values which are valid in sports. Just here lies the large responsibility, which coaches and functionaries have toward the youngsters who are entrusted to them. Father Peus refers time and again to this responsibility; and therefore he used the chance to bring his views into the range of sport.

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One was grateful for his contributions. This gratitude is particularly expressed in the "obituaries" on the occasion of his death.

e. Changed Situation (about 1952-1960)

In the range of the youth pastoral the post-war period was marked on the one hand by the effort to repair the devastating damages caused by the NS-regime with its despising teachings and crimes against mankind. On the other hand one could go on from the readiness and open-mindedness of many humans for religious matters and also for the church, grown in the time of prohibition. One had defied the National Socialist ideology, and had - of this one was convinced - defeated it. Just for the young generation one wanted to maintain this religiously and personally founded internal life, which had been won in the time of persecution. Max Rössler, a diocesan youth minister, characterized that effort in this way:

"We must ... almost passionately take care that the costly, but never too costly acquired gift of the years of persecution, i.e. the spirituality, the urge to the essential things, the depth of our youth work is not abandonned even in the least." (quoted from Hastenteufel, 1962, S. 38 f)

The openness of the Catholic youth for the church youth work - that was the conviction of many youth ministers and youth leaders - was never so large as in these first postwar years. With certainty this characterisation of the situation is right for the range of the youth in Trier, and for Father Peus' work in the MJC. Their "offers" in religious and educational regard were taken up with quite willinly, yes, enthusiastically. The increasing number of members during the first years after the war is a sign for it - this also in view of the "sense vacuum", which became apparent after the years of the NS-rule.

That changed, when a generation grew up which had not gone through these experiences of the time of persecution and of the awakening after the war; and which was therefore also hardly able to duplicate the impulse and the motivation by which Father Peus was deeply coined. Add to this the reasons which were probably less crucial, although they were stated time and again. To mention is on the one hand that since the year 1952 the sub-group range, which expanded strongly, was handed over to Father Plümer - hence Father Peus could influence this range only indirectly. On the other hand one refers to his increasing sporting commitment. Hence he found often not enough time to prepare

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the group hours and lectures thoroughly (see Denzer, P. 44). These references are later "rationalizations" of a development the actual causes of which lie much deeper.

Father Peus was quite aware of the changed situation, and he tried to understand this trend, and to take counter-measures. Already in his "Guidelines" from January 1949 he refers to a problem, which came more and more to light:

"With his activities the MC-President will direct his attention toward the mass and the elite. To train only the elite would easily lead into a ghetto, into isolation, which leads the young person unconsciously to narrow-minded arrogance. The mass is the first operational base, which offers to those who strive after higher things a hard apostolic field of work. In everything and everyone - may he belong to the elite or to the mass - who finds the way into the MC, must be aimed at the 'progressus in pietate litterisque'."

In an essay in the Monthly Plan "On the Occasion of the Celebration of the Titular Feast 1955" Father Peus will specify this view with regard to the MJC. Thereby he follows the Apostolic Constitution "Bis Saeculari" of Pope Pius XII: "The MJC is the large circle. In it the MC-groups are the smaller communities of the members." In his essay "Youth in the Restlessness of Our Time" in the Monthly Plan from June 1956 he called this the "vital question of the Congregation" (Denzer, P. 26). That he had recognized the problem and took counter-measures can be seen also from the fact that the last consecration of MJC-members took place during his lifetimes on 1 December 1957; it was done in the Welschnonnenkirche by Father Paulussen SJ, the then Secretary-General (Rome) of the Sodalities of Our Lady.

In this connection statements of Father Peus may be mentioned about the "waning idealism of the youth" and about the "consequences of the increasing prosperity" (see Rendenbach, P. 507). In a talk with a young fellow Jesuit he deplored that he could hardly treat philosophical and theological questions in group hours with top-form boys yet, as this had been possible still a few years ago. The shrinking interest in these questions is a clear indicator for the changed situation in the range of the youth pastoral.

In his already mentioned essay "Youth in the Restlessness of Our Time" Father Peus talks about the "Greek gift" of technology as the new compelling rhythm of life, and that by the "Economic Miracle" "the technology spreads enticingly"; the youth "has - without moral standards - become the victim of technology", and so also the victim of the "spell 'money'". With this

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the striving after "self-realization" spreads, and the "solidarity" dwindles away. This "emancipation" becomes particularly apparent in the relation to the church community. It too is only accepted as means for the own progress, hence only in its "usefulness". Here can be seen in all clarity how "the world in its new technical garment ... lures young humans sirenlike and hypocritically."

Behind this finding a social development was concealed which would only gradually come to light. One could call it an ideology, which regarded the showable success as indication of the social status. Hence the "sense giving instance church" got it to do with a competition, which could no longer be met by means of the conventional pastoral. The "weapons", with which one had defied the NS-regime and had defeated it, proved as ineffective. In relation to the "genius of the period" one fell hopelessly behind. Add to this that the familiar church structures were more and more questioned. Despite this changed situation Father Peus was always looking for possibilities to inspire and win young humans for the ideals of the MJC. In his essay he writes:

"In the restlessness of the time the Sodality of Our Lady, chosen and acknowledged in the freedom of the children of God, leads the from the time endangered and threatened youth into peace, silence and security, yes, into the peace of God. The youth led by it does not flee from a 'bad world' and from a time which adores technology, but is educated for the "World Championship" (to master the world), first however for the organization of the own life out of the spirit of God."

f. Death

Briefly after Christmas 1959 Father Peus was taken ill with a grippal infection, by which he was obviously much affected. Added to it were strong pains in the stomach, which he and all others regarded as a flaring-up of his gastric trouble, at which he suffered since 1946. In the course of January he became weaker and weaker, and one could tell by his face that he had to struggle with strong pain. Then the point was reached when he saw that it could not go on in this way. He went to the hospital in Daun, where he once had found relief already. The peace and the rest did him good and made him also

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somewhat stronger again, but the stomach complaints remained. Despite all investigations no details were found out.

Hence he was transferred for the further clarification of his pain into the Janker-Hospital in Bonn. With strict diet and cure regulations he returned to Trier. Some further weeks in Daun helped to soothe the strong pain. At the beginning of April one succeeded in getting a place in Badenweiler for the prescribed cure. On the journey there he stayed overnight in Frankfurt/St Georgen. His fellow Jesuits, who had not seen him for a long time, were frightened how grey and emaciated the "Old Peus" looked. The cure in Badenweiler seemed to do him good. Mentally unbroken his whole concern was still for the boys of the MJC. The address file and a lot of letters, which he wanted to answer yet, were in his luggage.

Although he was first even able to swim yet, his condition nevertheless soon worsened. A gastric hemorrhage made necessary the transfer into the Freiburg University Clinic. He hoped still to be back in Badenweiler at Whitsuntide. But also other omens, not least his anxious words: "How helpless have I been made by God, to recognize so his greatness!" He wrote to a young fellow Jesuit on 23 May:

"Here I lie far from the 'front', lonely and abandonned. ... The bed belongs now to those things 'super faciem terrae', which shall do better to my soul than the desk chair in Trier, were everything is at sixes and sevens. Now the dear God plans (and he can it better than I, as faith says). ... Everything has question marks. ... Since nature 'non facit saltus', I must wait for the organic development, lie it through, atone 'Ad maiorem Dei gloriam'. I try that courageously. Help me!"

A good week later, a few days before Whitsuntide, another letter reads:

"Operation on Tuesday ... Unfortunately only Tuesday, i.e. I have to endure still four days nausea, pain etc. Each movement hurts. Perhaps that the Holy Ghost, who renews worlds will renew also my small, unimportant stomach in these days."

Since the vomiting and the gastric hemorrhages continued artificial nutrition and constant blood transfusions were needed. Then on Wednesday after Whitsuntide one did the operation. The result: Inoperable; all internal organs were struck by cancer. It was a large easement for Father Peus that one could suck off seven litres liquid

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from the tissue. So he was of opinion that the operation had been successful, and that he was improving. On 12 June, the Trinity Sunday, Father Superior Frenking could visit him, together with the diocensan youth minister Feilzer and the pupils' Prefect Laub. Father Peus had a lot of plans for the future; he thought of his boys and of his holiday camp; he meant, one was to prepare for him a small room on the Dodenburg, there he would certainly recover best.

This Sunday brought him many visitors. When Father Superior visited him on Monday morning again, the patient seemed very weak - perhaps from the heavy strain by yesterday's callers. He spoke strangely confused. About 11 o'clock a.m. he fell asleep then because of fatigue and weakening. His sister, who visited him from Badenweiler almost daily and who had still written his letters, found him in the afternoon in this condition. In the late afternoon he became weaker and weaker, and the Sisters informed Father Dümpelmann in the seminary, who had during the whole time cared for Father Peus very much. One said the death prayers for him, and he seemed also to take them up yet. So he passed away then half past eight o'clock p.m. into eternity.

The body was transferred to Trier and in the afternoon of the Corpus Christi Day put on the bier in the Welschnonnen Church, the rector of which he had been. The boys stood with their banners guard of honour. Many seized the opportunity to see their old President once again.

This high esteem was overwhelmingly expressed again with the solemn requiem in the Trier Jesuit Church and with the funeral on Saturday, 18 June. Rendenbach describes the celebration in such a way:

"When the banners of the MJC, of the German Catholic Youth Federation, of the German Jugendkraft etc. were carried in, the church was filled with pupils, students, university graduates and parents. The seminarists and priests, the members of the Cathedral chapter, the Vicar General, suffragan Stein and his brethren sat in the choir. All who took part in the service sang not only the Ordinarium, but also the whole Proprium together with the Schola (precentors). The boys stood around the coffin. The funeral oration was held by a religion teacher (Helmut Fox), who originated from the MJC, and who knew to depict from vivid memory the graphic picture of the priest, Jesuit and educator Peus in a true-to-life way." (Rendenbach, P. 507)

The burial took place on the city-cemetery. Many hundreds of faithful paid Father Peus the last honours, above all his boys, not least many representatives of the sport. From the cemetery chapel

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a long mourning procession went to the burial place of the Jesuits at the wall near the Hospital Mill. The "Trierische Landeszeitung" from 20 June 1960 reads:

"Father Superior Frenking and two priestly members of the Sodality of Our Lady said the Death Prayers and blessed the last resting-place. Among the mourners one saw the members of the Cathedral chapter Hansen and Paulus, the Dean and Honorary Canon Engel, representatives of schools and authorities, and the Deputy Mayor Mr. Kreutzer as representative of the mayor. While all mourners sprikled successively the coffin with holy water, the seminarists of the theological faculty said the Glorious Rosary. Numerous wreaths and flowers decorated the grave-mound. ... While the seminarists intonated the 'Salve Regina', the banners of the youth and the flags of the sportsmen went down for the last time on the grave."

How much Father Peus was known to and estimated also among the sportsmen, shows the following obituary:

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V. Father Peus - Priest and Educator

Disciple of St Ignatius

Those who consider Father Peus' work during his twenty seven years in Trier will regard the characterisation that he was a marked "activist" as correct. But this statement of the "obituary picture" is only the half truth, because it considers too little the basic coinage, by which Father Peus' work was determined. Martin Söll refers to this in his "obituary":

something

small

"Documentation"

Hence all acting comes from a reason; all acting is thus something second, something "relative", and in this sense related to and derived from a reason, from a "principle". For Father Peus and for his working in the MJC this "principle" was stated in the so-called "Principle and Foundation" in Ignatius of Loyola's book on Spiritual Exercises, where God is the point of reference and the origin of the human being:

"Humans are created to praise, to respect, and to serve God our Lord, and so to save their souls. The other things on the face of the earth are created for the humans. They shall help them to pursue that aim, to which they are created. Hence humans are to use them as far as they are helped, and to abandon them as far as they are hindered by them to achieve this aim." (Book of the Exercises, No. 23)

All human doing is so the echo on God's doings for us humans. Paul Peus had to go through this condition painfully during his war captivity, when he was not spared "heavy religious doubts", as Rendenbach writes in his obituary (p. 497). In this inner wrestling he recognized his further course of life: to become priest and Jesuit.

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And in the "Meditation on Achieving Love" of the book of the Exercises he found this way outlined:

"I call to mind the received boons of creation, salvation and of the special gifts, by meditating with much longing, how much God, our Lord, did for me, and how much he gave to me of the things which are his, and how the same Lord wants further ... to give himself to me, as far as he can do it. And then I reflect upon myself by considering with much right and justice, which I must offer and give from my side to his divine majesty, i.e. all my things and I myself with them." (No. 234)

Expression of the Ignatian life ideal is the seemingly paradoxical word "contemplativus in actione": to live in the middle of the world out of a deep solidarity and familiarity with the calling Christ. Ignatius lets those who make the Spiritual Exercises ask for the grace, "that I am not deaf for his call, but quick and eager to fulfill his holiest will." (No. 91)

This ideal becomes concrete, yes, must incarnate itself by the use of all available means; in the personal availability for the great undertaking; in the consideration of all natural abilities, in order to help the souls; always on the way to the God who is always greater than imagined by us; who is the boundless love, whom we are to serve in gratitude, and by answering his love. Ignatius speaks of the "internal law of love", which the Holy Ghost writes into the hearts, and which is to impel those who join his Order.

The words of an "epitaph" about Ignatius apply certainly also to Father Peus: "To be not limited by the largest, but to be enclosed by the smallest, this is divine." Like the founder of his Order Father Peus was a man of restrained glow and enthusiasm, of "sobria ebrietas", sober enthusiasm. Just this attitude was - in the many years in which he was President of the MJC - urgently, yes, bitterly needed, - both, against deficits but also against any exstasy.

Here the actual motivation, the "foundation" of all working of Father Peus is expressed in all clarity. This is time and again said - already in his first years - with the prayer which Ignatius teaches those who make Exercises. They are to pray,

"Take, Lord, and receive my whole liberty, my memory, my intellect, and my whole will, all which is mine. You has given it to me. Lord, I return it to you. Everything belongs to you.

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Dispose of it after your whole will. Give me your love and grace. Because this is sufficient for me." (No. 234)

Hence the thanks of the Christian becomes apparent and incarnates itself in the service. Father Peus' rejection or embarrassment with praise and acknowledgment is explained from there. Gerhard Müller-Chorus, the Prefect of the Sodality of Our Lady, writes in his "Commemorative Word":

"Documentation"

If public honours were granted to him then he accepted them out of regard for his activity for the Kingdom of God. That applies with certainty to the silver and golden needles of honour from the range of the sport, with which he was rewarded. For him it was not about his person - also this was an expression of the spirituality of the Exercises:

"Everyone may consider that he will have only so much use in all religious things as he goes out of his self-love, his self-will and self-interest." (No. 189)

The Prefect of the Sodality describes so the basic attitude which resulted from there and was determining for him:

"Documentation"

Here we are reminded of a further characteristic of Father Peus' working: the love and loyalty for the church, in which - as he saw it - Christian faith and love for Jesus Christ incarnate. He did not doubt even then, when after the war the argument had to be fought out about the autonomy of the MJC. He was not only sure of being in agreement with the papal positive expressions about the Sodalities of Our Lady, but also with his old Archbishop Franz Rudolf Bornewasser, whom he called on the occasion of his death "special friend and benefactor" of the MJC (see Monthly Plan February to June 1952).

Not least this way of thinking corresponded to the ideal of St Ignatius, of whom one of the best experts says just with regard to his love of the church:

"The fundamental boundlessness ... of the love is limited by the service ideal in the visible ... church. The excessive love (to God and

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Jesus Christ) has to prove its Catholic genuiness, as it were, at the measure of the flesh and blood of Christ's mystic body. ... Each grace is to measured at the letter of the church, each love at the ability to obey, each spirit at the body of the Lord. From this union - a love which embraces everything and is pressed into the body of the church - that tremendous power is released, which we can see in his (Ignatius') work historically." (H. Rahner, 1949, P. 12)

As with Ignatius, so the many negative experiences could also Father Peus not divert from his love and engagement for the church. Time and again he will ask for this 'love-service' in the concrete church, and recommend it warmly as obligation to the members of the MJC, and will set an example of it. Already in his report on the "Retreat in Neresheim" from the year 1935 he stresses that:

"The Congregation is closely attached to the church and looks in each case on it only. Just the 'sentire cum ecclesia' will let it find the correct way for the youth education." ("Junger Heerbann U. L. Frau", 12. Volume 1935, No. 10; see below P. 102)

Hence it was not by chance that Father Peus saw this readiness for serving realized in Our Lady. She was for him the image of the serving human, who showed the way on which the Christian is to go. The veneration of the Mother of God was of a certainty founded in his childhood and youth in the parents' house. But there have obviously been - probably in the time of his war captivity - experiences and insights which coined him deeply. To them a poem refers, which probably reflects these experiences:

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This text, which was published 1922 in the magazine "Leuchtturm", is certainly the "key" for Father Peus' devotion to Our Lady, and reveals the impulse for the youth work. This became apparent in the Our Lady Celebrations before the war and in the admission celebrations. In the Monthly Plans after the war the members are from the outset led to Our Lady, and the "intimate devotion, reverence and childlike love for the most blessed Virgin Mary" is warmly recommended to them (Monthly Plan from April 1946). The Monthly Plan for December 1945 reads with reference to the "Feast of the Immaculate Conception":

"The members of the Sodality are to strive to copy her (St Mary's) sublime virtues, to put their whole trust in her, and to incite each other to love and serve her with childlike devotion."

Youth Leader and Educator

The one who wants to educate and lead must be educated and led himself; he must have gone through the school of life. Not only the fact that Father Peus grew up in a family with many children, that he was maltreated in his war captivity; but also that he - in the interest of his parents and younger brothers and sisters completed a commercial apprenticeship, refer to this school of life, in which he was coined and enabled to become educator and youth leader.

Beyond that he sees in his priesthood the crucial coinage and qualification to be youth leaders and educator. For Father Peus a priest as "adviser" only (or as he called him drastically: as a "Beirad"!) is too little. Therefore there was also no chumming up to anybody. He saw it as a fatal development that

"one lets choose the young people their priestly leader, and that the priest is only adviser. In the MC the position of the President as a prominent and leading personality is fixed by the church. ... The importance

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of the youth congregation stands and falls with the personality of the President, who dispenses ... deliberately with propagating his ideas, and wants only that which the church wants. The priest who is living with the church will as a youth educator recognize more easily the errors of the time, and will not fall a victim to them for the damage of the youth." ("Guidelines", see above P. 36)

Father Peus was deeply convinced that the crucial condition for the formation of the personality of young humans is "the illuminated insight, clarity, and firmness in the intention of the educator", i.e. what matters first for him is that the educator is an "authority". "Authority" means the ability and the will to let grow the young humans (the Latin word "auctoritas" is derived from "augere = to let grow, to bring to growing) and this with the claer aim, to lift them up to one's own stage, and to make so the relation as educator unnecessary in the last analysis. Any human authority must lead to the maturity of those who are educated, hence to the "abolition" of the educational relationship.

All efforts of Father Peus to educate the young humans in the Sodality of Our Lady to responsible Christian men were directed at this aim; from there also the many educational fields and educational possibilities are to be understood, which can be seen in his working. There can be recognized several educational principles, which were natural for him.

A first principle was for him; "Promoting by demanding!" Idleness, to leave the young people to themselves - i.e. they could do as their fancy would take them -, was repugnant to him. He was always concerned that the creative abilities of the young people did not go to waste, but were brought to developement. That could affect various educational fields: by repetional lessons for weaker pupils - of course, gratis! - as leaders of a group of younger members of the MJC - by the order to write for the Monthly Plan a contribution about some event in the life of the Congregation - in the reconnaissance: where can we establish a camp? - in the summer holiday camps: the planning and accomplishing of games and scouting games - by helping in the kitchen.

Thus during a summer camp in the "Albertinum" in Gerolstein individual groups of four boys each were "exposed" near Daun, with the order to be back in the evening about 6 o'clock p.m. - equipped only with a box cheese and bread. And all groups were punctually at home. And time and again he asked individual boys to make with him an investigation travel by bicycle.

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During a youth pilgrimage to Klausen 1949 he went ahead with a pupil of the fourth form to say - with him as altar boy - Mass at the Grace Altar before the arrival of the procession yet. On the way he talked - unforgettable for the boy - about Saint Francis Xaver, who went exactly 400 years ago as first missionary to Japan - surely an impulse for the later entrance into the Order. And on the way back he could give the order to a pupil of the fifth form to deliver a Latin speech with the attendance of the minister of Piesport, who was well versed in the Latin language.

An important point in his view of education was the promotion of the young people's sense of responsibility for the community to which they belonged. Egotism and egoism were repugnant to him; they were for him also the expression of ingratitude to the community, without which the individual could not live. Therefore it was important for him to wake and to strengthen this readiness of the young person to do services - according to his possibilities, e.g. as a group leader. The individual must be ready to take over tasks, and so return to the community the support which he received from it. He expected also of the members of the MJC the things about which he had written in a contribution for the Annual Report 1959 of the Athletics Federation Rhineland regarding the best and their obligation to take care of the new generation:

"The fulfilment of this ideal task ennobles the winner, enhances his personality, and makes him a valuable member of the association." (Mitteilungen der DJK Bistum Trier, Volume 1960, No. 2, P. 3)

But Father Peus paid much attention not to overtax anybody by his demands. Thus he warns in his "Guidelines" expressly of the danger of a "neglect of the professional training by overtaxing young people with apostolic tasks" (see above P. 35), as this happened pretty often on the part of the parish youth. He was first concerned in the well-being of the youth.

Just there a further educational principle of Father Peus becomes apparent. It is the respect and the esteem, yes, even the "reverence" with which he met young humans. He made all demands without any coercion. He showed ways; but one had to run them oneself. So it was natural e.g. for him never even to suggest to someone the priesthood or the life in a religious Order. About that he said not a word - although he was glad when someone went this way. He always accompanied the life way of his MJC-members with his good wishes. And he celebrated gladly with them

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the festivities of wedding, passed exams, ordination, and First Mass. How could he be pleased, when victories were achieved at sporting championships.

Not least the generosity belonged to the principles of his education. He could give without counting - e.g. if it was about the participation in the summer camps or sport travels. This generosity - while he was personally quite modest - was based, of course, also on the fact that he found many benefactors, who helped him in his work. They did it because he had convinced them by his educational style. He was not afraid to ask friends and acquaintances for a financial support.

In this connection be referred to a point which is worth to be considered. Father Peus did his youth work without drawing a fixed salary or getting financial support from church side - a fact which mets today a complete lack of understanding. His work was made possible by the (minimal) contributions of the members, but above all - as already mentioned, by donations and alms. Father Peus was thereby led by the rule of the Order that pastors are to have not any firm income, but are to live on alms only. Without being supported by the church he worked in the sense of the church beneficially as youth minister. While today pastoral care for the youth, which can often no longer be called church since it is counterproductive, is done with church support.

So Father Peus became for many the "Teacher of Life": in his readiness to be of service - in his firmness about principles - in his church way of thinking - in the clear view for the realities of the world - in leading to social doing. Many people will have a lasting memory of him as personality.

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VI. Documentation

1. To the history of the MJC 2. Poems and Texts

No. 1: Homage of the Youth to the Immaculate Conceived Virgin
No. 2: Prussian Police Regulation Against the Confessional Youth Federations
No. 3: Congratulation Letter of Vicar General of Meurers in the "Golden Monthly Plan"
No. 4: Welcoming Speech of the Diocesan Youth Minister Hermann Wassmuth
in the "Golden Monthly Plan"
No. 5: Father Peus SJ, President of the MJC, Sixtieth Birthday
No. 6: Welcoming and Thanks Speech at the Inauguration of the Baroque Organ
No. 7: Obituary Picture
No. 8: Commemorative Address of the Prefect of the Sodality
No. 9: Obituary of Father Martin Söll SDB, Chaplain of the DJK
No. 10: Chaplain Karl Etscheid's Sermon in the Commemorative Service of the DJK
No. 11: Trier's Biographic Encyclopedia, Trier 2000, P. 339 - 340

No. 1: Homage of the Youth to the Immaculate Conceived Virgin

"Praise rises from mouth to mouth, over the seas, from country to country, round the Christian earth: Saint Mary - Mother of our Lord, our Mother, who has born us in her Son, has for ever been freed from sin and guilt.

Sancta Maria! See your children joyfully thanking on their knees before God, who has given to you, from the first beginning and growing, the Holy Grace, making a mockery of Satan, to the glory of mankind, for the life of us sinners.

You, Chosen of Adam's offspring, tidings were sent us: You alone are freed from the Original Sin! We hand them on and promise as your knights and champions: To instruct our brothers and sisters, so that as we do future generations praise you - Immaculata - blessed, blessed!

Brothers and sisters in Christo, let us pray: Mary, you our Lord's Mother and Handmaid, we - your strong Son's farmhands, we, your mild Son's maidservants, we your grand Son's knights, we, your faithful Son's friends - we implore you and ask hearing, that we wear with dignity to his highest honour' his wonderful name: Jesus.

Mother Mary, we implore you and ask hearing, that we fight with dignity with bright, pure weapons for Christ. Mary, you our Lord's Mother and Handmaid, you, our Queen, Lady and Mediatrix, we Trier's youth, kneel pleadingly before you, Take our praise, take our song as confession and choir up to him, who raised you and us from the sin: To Christ."

(Service for Our Lady of the entire Catholic youth of Trier (city and -country) on 9 December 1934 in the Trier Cathedral at four o'clock p.m.)

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No. 2: Prussian Police Regulation
Against the Confessional Youth Federations

Due to § 1 of the regulation of the President of the Reich for the protection of people and state from 28 February 1933 (Reichsgesetzbl. I, P. 83) in connection with § 14 of the police administrative law from 1 June 1931 (Gesetzsamml. P. 77) the following regulation is issued for Prussia:

§ 1. All confessional youth federations, also those which are founded for a singular case, are prohibited to do anything which is not of mere church-religious kind, in particular such of political, sporting and people-sporting kind.

§ 2: To the confessional youth federations and their male and female members, including the so-called parish youth, the following regulations apply:

It is prohibited:

The wearing of uniforms (Bundestracht, costumes etc.), uniform-similar clothes and pieces of uniform which suggest the affiliation to a confessional youth federation. This includes also the wearing of uniforms or pieces which belong to the uniform under covering by civilian clothes (e.g. coats), as well as each other uniform clothes, which are to be regarded as replacement for the former uniform.
The wearing of badges which mark the affiliation to a confessional youth federation (PX, DJK badges pp.).
The marching in formation, wandering and camping in the public, furthermore the maintenance of own bands.
The public carrying or showing of banners, flags and pennants, with the exception of taking part in traditional processions, pilgrimages, First Masses and other church celebrations, as well as funerals.
The practice and introduction to sport and military sport of any kind.

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§ 3: Those who counteract to this regulation or who request or incite to such an offence, will - according to §§ 33, 55, 56 of the police administrative law - be punished with a fine or with detention. Pieces of uniforms or badges, banners, flags or pennants, which are carried along without permission are to be confiscated."

Berlin, 23 July 1935.

The Prussian Prime Minister
Chief of the Secret State Police -

For the Deputy Chief and Inspector:
Signed: Heydrich

(Kirchlicher Amtsanzeiger für das Bistum Trier, Volume 79, 1935, P. 130) [back to P. 43]

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No. 3: Congratulation Letter of the Vicar General of Meures
in the "Golden Monthly Plan"

My dear members of the MJC!
Semper altius!

Month by month I have read since 1945 your Monthly Plan. With great joy I observed and pursued how you - after the long and unfortunate years of prohibition - were working so courageously on the reconstruction of the MJC. You have literally begun in the ruins again, and in the meantime you have gathered a large group around the Queen of the Sodality.

For me the Fiftieth Monthly Plan is a dear occasion to thank you for all cooperation with the youth of our bishop city. Stand faithfully by the ideals of the Congregation! Your task is the apostolate, which is supported by your striving for genuine self sanctification and a deep veneration of Our Lady, in loyalty to the rules of the Sodality. Fulfill it as 'Acies ordinata'! And hold always good contact with all your brothers and sisters in Christ!

I bring you the greetings, the congratulations, and the blessing of our Reverend Archbishop. Continue to pray for him that his recovery makes good progress!

Which your ancestors carried out for more than three centuries, that is now your work. Continue it with juvenile enthusiasm, in holy earnest, and never flagging self-sacrificing devotion!

Thus I send to all of you my best greetings and wishes for the further work.

Trier, at the day of St Albert the Great, on 15 November 1950.

Dr. of Meurers, Vicar General [back to P. 29]

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No. 4: Welcoming Speech of the Diocesan Youth Minister
Hermann Wassmuth in the "Golden Monthly Plan"

I am to write for you somewhat about the 'Federation of the German Catholic Youth'. I would like to compare our federation with a wonderful cathedral at which we build. There columns rise which carry the vault covering the wide hall, there is the brick-work of the walls which is supported by the buttresses, and windows are there, stained and multicolored, in which the light of the sun breaks, there are the central nave, the transsepts, and choir where the altar is located. To show you how in that variety a marvelous harmony and unity reigns I would have to describe more in detail yet this picture of the cathedral to you, how each stone and each column has its own task. Like that it is also with the federation as a whole, and with its groupings. Everyone has his task, everyone goes his way, and all come together in the wonderful cathedral of the federation, at the ridge of which the apostolic task of the federation is to be read far visibly, which obliges us all; 'Christ may live in the German youth.' Also you, the MJC-members, are a part of this cathedral; in the city Trier certainly a column which too carries the whole building. For this I say thanks to you: that you keep your characteristic as MJC so strongly, and nevertheless take serving your place also in the complete work of the federation. Take care that this will remain so in the future! A column must rise up, and a column must carry. God may give you strength for it!

With joyful greetings!
Your Hermann Wassmuth, Diocesan Youth Minister

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No. 5: Sixtieth Birthday of Father Paul Peus SJ, President of the MJC

Father Peus, a personality far-famed in Trier by his youth work, celebrates on 8 June in the Ignatius House in the Dietrich Street his sixtieth birthday. - Born on 8 June 1896 in Duisburg, he entered after his secondary school education in the year 1923 into the Society of Jesus, and in the year 1929 he was ordained priest. Since 1933 he is working as President of the MJC from 1617 in Trier. Beyond that he is active as prominent coworker of the DJK Sport Federation in the diocese, and at the same time also as prominent coworker in the Sport Federation Rhineland in handball and athletics. After he had in the war 1914 - 1918 as a war volunteer served the native country, he gained during the Second World War great merits by his support as well of the MJC-members as of the soldiers. By his untiring work for the youth he built up the MJC again after the war, and takes care in it at present for about 600 members. A special mention deserve his lectures and his pastoral devotion during the NS-regime and the war. To protect the youth from deception he went from city to city and from village to village. For his self-sacrificing, untiring work the Golden Badge of Honour of the DJK was lent to him recently. Not forgotten be his great helpfulness with which he is always ready to help as well parents as young people by word and deed. With the same cheerfull energy, with which he last year managed as leader the FISEC ("Féderation International Sportive de l' Enseignement Catholique"), also the Diocesan Sports Meeting of this year on 30 July will be managed by him. May many years of fruitful priestly activity still be granted to Father Peus, for the benefit of the youth, and so also for the benefit of the city Trier, to which his working applies primarily."

(Trierische Landeszeitung from 8 June 1956, P. 8)

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No. 6: Welcoming and Thanks Speech
at the Inauguration of the Baroque Organ

Note well: On 23 March 1958 Father Peus delivered on the occasion of the inauguration of the restored Baroque organ in the Welschnonnen Church a welcoming and thank speech. The handwritten text was among the documents of the Ignatius House.

Dear gentlemen and friends!

The thanks, the Te Deum, was in the centre of the solemn celebration which we just saw. We have completed a work together; but we had always in mind the word of the Holy Scriptures: 'If the Lord does not build the house, the builders labour in vain.' The Lord has built with us. Childlike we expressed our thanks to him, and sang our thank song. As often as the new organ, played by masterly hands, will resound in the future, these thanks to the highest building owner will also resound and resonate; but also the thanks to the many different builders who helped in so various ways to let the baroque organ of our Welschnonnen Church arise again.

With woefulness we miss among us in this hour the deceased Dr. Chardon, who after the war drew so often our attention to the organ - condemned to silence. We all know how he was bound up with the MJC from 1617, and how he took part most intimately in the life of the Congregation up to his death. Gladly he welcomed in the year 1952 the plan of the restauration of the organ and let always inform himself, he always cheered us up and encouraged us when we met with difficulties. After his death we gave his name to the donation, which made the restauration of the organ to its business. The motto on the program of the celebration reads 'Those who honour me will get eternal life.' It is the Bible word of the obituary picture, with which we bid farewell to him, when he went away from us; and for us it is certain that our dear Honorary President has got this reward of eternal life. ...

Today's inauguration has crowned the co-operation. As Rector of the Welschnonnen Church and as President of the MJC I am pleased that I can welcome you all, my dear friends, and can express my hearty thanks to you. Everyone of us contributed in his own way that today our organ could resound so wonderfully. ...

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I owe many thanks to Dr. Schuh, the organist of the cathedral, who already promoted the work in the three years of planning, financing, and construction with great sympathy. By his play today he showed us how marvellous the common work succeeded. Dr. Schuh let the organ, which we so readily call 'queen' among the musical instruments, resound masterly in its variety, and so he summarized in this presentation all our common work, and the assistance which was given to us.

In the eventful history of the MJC from 1617 today's celebration will be unforgettable. As often as the organ will resound now in honour of the Queen of the Congregation and in the services of the youth, it will also bear witness of those who made this possible.

Dear friends! Which you performed for the organ is at the same time a work for the youth of the city. Please, hear therefore in my expression of thank also the thanks of the youth. As Dr. Schuh as second-form boy sat once at the Welschnonnen organ, and with him many others, so soon juvenile musicians will sit at the new work. They will thank it you, and we may hope and wish that from the music pupils of the MJC also some day new masters of the organ will rise."

[back to P. 40]

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No. 7: The Obituary Picture

Note well: In the obituary picture which was written by his fellow Jesuits, are unfortunately some mistakes, but it summarizes briefly and concisely Father Peus' life and work:

Paul Peus was a marked man of action. From the fifth form of the secondary school in Duisburg he went in August 1914 as a war volunteer into the field. He was buried alive and as prisoner of war he endured hardest years, partially in African concentration camps. 1920 he returned and worked from Baldeney in the just blossoming youth movement "Neu-Deutschland". 1923 he entered into the Order, with which he had co-operated. He went through the usual course of studies in the Society of Jesus, with the Tertianship in Amiens in the year 1931 as conclusion. After a short activity in the youth pastoral in Münster, in the year 1933 the field of his life's work opened for him: the full twenty seven years as President of the MJC in Trier. Even under the most difficult conditions of that time he achieved great things in infinite detailed work. Father Peus' great time began when with the collapse of the NS-regime the barriers fell. The sport was a welcome means for him to collect and educate the youth from Trier. As talented leader with large understanding of the maturing youth, complete devotion to the religious ideals of the MJC, and rare ingenuity and tenacity he used all possibilities for his boys and created a modern youth movement of singular coinage in the old venerable bishop city. Many hundreds owe to him their coinage for life, among them a large number of diocesan priests and regulars. His death is a loss for the city and the Order, and tears a gap which cannot be filled out in this form. Together with his fellow Jesuits and relatives his boys and a great many parents mourn for him. When he thought of averting the malicious illness by an operation it was too late for this life, but time for the eternal life which God wanted to give his servant. And so he died far from his home and sphere of activity, but his grave is in Trier, in the midst of those for whom he lived.

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No. 8: Commemorative Address of the Prefect of the Sodality

"In piam memoriam Father Peus SJ
Obituary

It is not easy for me to write an obituary about our President. I think of the remarks which Father Peus would make about it. He would certainly behave so as he always did when his person was concerned; he would decline with a sweep of his hand, which had become typical for him. I can still remember some celebrations of his name-day or birthday. When we were caught at the attempt to arrange a small congratulation then he was vehement against it. If we succeeded with a surprise, then Father Peus, the otherwise so self-assured man, was suddenly embarrassed and made a sign of warning.

In former times I felt that to be odd, until I understood how much this attitude corresponded to his nature. To his merits for the Kingdom of God among our youth, in our MJC and beyond that, does not only belong the tremendous organizational and pastoral work, to which we all owe a lot, also the quite personal example of a human belongs to it, a human who strove to follow Our Lady, the Lady of our Congregation, in the attitude which was typical for her: service, modesty, fleeing of public honours and offices. By Father Peus we MJC-members learned what it means to achieve something as a man in and with the church, and to remain nevertheless above all modest and humble.

The last span of his life, the last months and weeks were particularly filled with the concern about today's youth. He often talked about this concern of him, which might also be to blame for his suffering. Also in this he was allowed to follow our Blessed Virgin that he was not spared heavy wrong and deep grief.

Then the turn came. In the last lines which he wrote me at Whitsuntide, a moving sentence reads: "I am at the end!" It became the large turn. I would like to hope confidently that he who endeavored all his life to live the Imitation of Christ, and to teach innumerable people of Trier to go - in the school of the Mother of God their course of life with the church, has now reached the aim for which God has created us humans, and to which Father Peus wanted to lead all his Trier boys. Let us think of him in our prayer.

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The greatest joy which we can give him according to my opinion, is that we continue the work of his life - the Kingdom of God among the youth of Trier, and that we all together endeavor to bring good fruits. In this way we want to keep a lasting memory of Father Peus.

Bonn, 24 June 1960

Gerhard Müller-Chorus

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No. 9: Obituary of Father Martin Söll SDB
Chaplain of the DJK

If Father Peus could say us now something he would say, 'Please stop that!' (i.e. to praise him). That I want not to do anyway. But as representative of the Youth House Düsseldorf, and especially of the "Deutsche Jugendkraft" I have to thank; and that you have to permit me now, my dear dead friend, even if praise is thereby heard. For what have I to thank you? First not for your work, but for you as person. "Agere sequitur esse" is an old scholastic and Jesuit principle. The acting follows the being. The one who is something, can do something.

What have you been for us? A good priest and a genuine son of your Order - always and everywhere, in the church and on the road, at school and on travel, in your quiet small room and on the sports field or youth camps.

Occasionally you took your black habit off, not because you would have been ashamed of it, but because it impeded you in the work. But you let never drop your attitude and convicition: Your loyalty to the church and to your Order, your obedience to Bishops and Superiors, your pure attitude and pure way of thinking in handling the youth.

You had a lot of additional occupation, which is marginal to the priestly activity; but you always worked as priest and pastor. You could argue for a good thing and make known your conviction energetically. But in the next instant you were again good-natured, indulgent, and forgiving. You were just a genuine disciple of your Master, Jesus Christ. You were associated in the most genuine sense with the "Society of Jesus".

What more have you been? A father and friend of the youth. This was your field, your inner homeland: the studying youth was orientated by Our Lady, and did sport. Youngsters were always around you, because despite your white hair you remained a large boy who always laughed and played, worked and prayed. How was life in your castle or shack mostly? And how did it often look? But it had to be like that, because you loved the life, the cheerful, natural, not made up life, and because your youth should feel fine.

Today there are beautiful youth clubs with much parquet and marble and metal. But there is no warmth and cosiness, no spirit and life; often there only a strict caretaker is in command, but none who takes in the youth, no friend and father of young humans who want

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to have a good romp now and then, who are looking for a helping hand, an advising word, and a loving heart. You had it, and you have squandered it.

And you were still someone else: a friend of plays and a promoter of sports; as such well-known not only in Trier, not only in the Catholic Sport Federation "Deutsche Jugendkraft", but far beyond that in the general German sport, and in the international Catholic area. You were for many years the Spiritual Adviser of the Diocesan Association Trier, you helped to build up the DJK in the diocese Trier from smallest beginnings, and you have been the good conscience of all associations. Today the diocese Trier has the most associations of all German dioceses.

But also in the FICEP, the International Catholic Federation for Sports and Education, and in the FISEC, the International Sports Federation for Catholic Schools, you were a gladly seen leader, advisor and aid. Reminded be only of the splendid FISEC celebration five years ago, which led sporting pupils from many countries of Western Europe to Trier. Above all you have prepared, borne, and inspired the festival.

And the friends from the Sport Federation Rhineland will miss you no less. You have been a fair partner to them, who advocated for equal rights and obligations of the Catholic sport associations in the large German sport community, but who had also the courage, to differ from others and to fight toughly for the Catholic sport principles.

You have been a good swimmer, and have gladly spent hours in the wet element. But you did never swim in fundamental matters; there you did neither haggle nor bargain, there you sided faithfully with the church, and with your conscience. And nevertheless nobody did quarrel with you, because despite your firm convictions you remained the kind and lovable human. "Ecce Homo" Pilatus said about Christ in a pitiful tone. "Look, which genuine, full, good human there is", we can say about you.

You have worked, laughed, suffered and loved a lot. But one thing you did not: You did not take care of yourself. But we heard of the Lord: "Nobody has a greater love than the one who risks his life for others." And Don Bosco said once: "If a Salesian sacrifices his life on the field of work, God will send two other coworkers to his place.

God gave you to us, God took you away from us. His name be praised. But for us the obligation remains to say thanks and intercessions. Rest in peace! [back to P. 55]

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No. 10: Sermon by Chaplain Karl Etscheid
in the Commemorative Service of the DJK

In this eucharist we think of our departed spiritual father Father Peus. Since the re-establishing of our federation he has formed it internally, and led it priestly. He devoted all his strength to it. He loved it with a priestly concerned heart, and he has suffered by it. ...

He was our spiritual father, and so we stand in an obligating inheritance, which will only be retained if it is lived by us. ... Our mourning is just in that measure genuine and justified as we recognize, take over, and live the obligation of the inheritance.

Pater Peus came to the sport by the daily consorting with his boys. He wanted not only to give room in his community to their sporting inclination. For he saw sport not as hobby or useful pastime only, but as an educational necessity and an educational means of first rank. His first demand was always: sport has to serve the life, and has to be incorporated into the whole life. Sport aims at the education of the whole human by physical training. In truth one can call only those humans educated who form also their body, and unfold its forces. What God asks of us humans is health and its maintainance. This can only be achieved if we exercise the body and its organs. Today many people can realize this demand of God only by doing sport, and for all of them the sport is a commandment of God. Stiffness is not dignity, inability not virtue, and contempt of the body is by no means a proof for mental education. It is not the Catholic attitude but a heretical one.

Since sport is absolutely necessary, it has to cure a need (play on words: notwendig - Not wenden), and has a serving task. Of what use is sport, if it trains sport authorities who are complete failures in everyday life: occupation, family, state, and church; who go then and do more sports because they feel their failure in life. And just thereby they become more and more unfit for life! Of what use are sportsmen for us, who - by drugs, diet, and training before the match - achieve successes, but are otherwise undisciplined lads! They are not good sportsmen, at least not Catholic ones. Those who want to maintain and increase their performance must train daily. How much self-conquest, bravery, renunciation, and order in the conduct of life are necessary for this! How much respect for the opponent, comradship,

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and fairness are practised in sport! With good reason one can call only those Catholic sportsmen, who let the abilities which they achieved by sport be of service to their life, and become fruitful for their everyday life.

But Father Peus demanded more. He transformed the word of the pagan poet "Orandum est, ut sit mens sana into corpore sano" and demanded "sit mens sancta in corpore sancto, i.e. a holy soul shall be in a sanctified body". ... There is no salvation which becomes not also salvation of the body. And there is no blessedness of the soul, which becomes not also blessedness of the body. Did St Paul not say: "Bear and glorify God in your bodies"? This holyness of body and soul cannot be attained without daily struggle and daily troubles. ... As it is impossible to increase the muscular strength without constant body exercises, so there is also no supernatural firmness and steadfastness without incessant spiritual exercises. ...

But this too was not enough for Father Peus yet. The one who is a genuine Catholic, is at the same time apostle. He/she is sent with holy authority into this world. The Lord entrusted to us the world, the whole life. If God and the church have nothing to say within the ranges where humans live, life will run away from us. Then however our faith becomes pious cackling in circles of starry-eyed dreamers, self satisfaction of the unfit for life and of those who imagine that they had gone short in life. A member of the DJK stands on the sports field as apostle of the sport, and at the same time as apostle of Jesus Christ's church.

Only so we can comment on the death of Father Peus. He entrusted to us a holy inheritance, which we must realize in our lives as young Catholics, who make the sport servable for their life, who become holier by the sport at body and soul, who stand as Jesus Christ's apostles in the places, sports halls, and arenas. May his words now more than ever meet ready hearts. Then he will even beyond death speak to us, and only then he did not work in vain in our community.

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No. 11: Trier Biographic Encyclopedia
Trier 2000, P. 339 - 340

Peus SJ, Paul, Cathol. regular - * 8 June 1896 Duisburg, � 13 June 1960 Freiburg in Brsg. - In the war service 1914/15 P was in French war captivity and was in labour camps among other things in Africa; there a French ambulance man saved him from mortal danger, whence a lifelong affection was due to France. 1920 he returned, entered 1923 into the Noviciate of the Jesuit Order, studied 1925 - 1927 philosophy and 1927 - 1931 theology in Valkenburg. 1929 he was ordained priest. After conclusion of his studies and the Tertianship he came - prepared by pastoral practical work in Berlin and Münster - 1933 to Trier where he - as President of the Young Men's Sodality of Our Lady from 1617 (MIC) - found the field of work for his life. When this was forbidden 1937 by the NS regime, he continued his care and pastoral work for the youth by discussions, consultations, and secret meetings. Even in these extremely difficult conditions of the NS era P who had grown up in the Catholic youth movement (Neudeutschland) succeeded - on the grounds of his awe-inspiring wealth of ideas, his stirring spontaneity, and his organizing ability (which thought also of the smallest details) - in building a church boy community which experienced a bloom time under his charismatic leadership after the Second World War. The soul of his religious youth work was the veneration of Our Lady, who is seen in the New Testament and in the church doctrine as representative of the church: a form of Christian spirituality which shaped hundreds of Catholic laymen, but above all the many diocesan priests and regulars who came from the MIC. To the religious youth work in a broader sense belonged - according to P's opinion - well led holiday camps and especially sports, but also the monitoring and promotion of the school performance. "Progressus in pietate et litteris" was his often quoted motto. - His obituary picture reads: "Father Peus was a marked man of action; a genuinely talented leader, with large understanding for the maturing youth, with restless devotion to the ideals of the MIC, and with a rare ingenuity and tenacity to use all possibilities for his boys he created in Trier a modern youth movement of singular coinage."

Ernst Haag

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Poems and Texts

Poems

Imprisoned
Mother Mary

Songs on Life

Undeserved
Rescue
Everyday Life
Christ the King
NewGerman Prayer at the Turn of the Year
Sacrum
Seedcorn
Knight before Our Dear Lady

After his return from the war captivity 1920 Paul Peus cooperated in the Bund Neudeutschland. In this time - till about the beginning of his pastoral activity in the MJC Trier - he wrote several poems, texts and lectures which show a man who was deeply shaped by the thought of the Imitation of Christ.

Poems

Imprisoned

Dark walls surround me grey,
Years already, and I am still so young.
I would like to live under the blue sky,
Freely to fly as eagle to the sun;
To warm me in the eternal free
And to race on clouds in the universe,
That the soul cries with joy - -
Woe! - the chains gall me.

("Leuchtturm", volume 15, 1921/22; P. 186)

Mother Maria

I would have long since perished in the maelstrom,
The air would have bewitched me greedily and imprisoned,
I would have lost God and the soul
And had sworn to the sin the oath of loyalty,
The light of grace would have died for ever,
I would be withered, faded, and spoiled,
My life would have been useless,
A grain of sand in the heap, unread,
Each day would have begun for dying,
Each night would have vanished in nothingness,
I would be eternally, eternally forgotten,
But you,
Mother Mary,

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Have measured my sins with love,
Have warned me of each whirl,
As often as my soul was ensnared by sins,
Have crowned each day for life,
Each night was brightened by your smile,
Mother Mary, You
Have saved me, loved and kissed,
Mary,
Mother, be gratefully greeted.

("Leuchtturm", volume 16, 1922/23, P. 73)

Songs of Life

Undeserved

O God!
Poor wretch and worm I
built up to the footstool
of your resplendent feet
the tower of sin.
Loaden with guilt,
uninvited,
I dared
into your high-holy circle,
and did
not regret, not confess.
Hot,
glowing from lustrous sins
I rose beside you,
a stubborn child,
that insults the father.
Good God,
who defended me
from you?
You sent no exterminating storm,
which swept me, the bold worm,

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into hell,
which laid around me the chains of agony
eternally, adamantly.
O good Good!
You sent to the stubborn child
your warm, wonder-working
wind of grace
gratis.

Rescue

Now' I found myself again,
free, unrestrained,
a child again.
The chains of the world dropped,
the chains round the soul solved,
free, free, ether-free I fly in the universe.

Everything was noise and fury,
everything that I heard and knew,
darkness spellbound me,
veiled by need
my mission was unfulfilled.

Blessed choirs
praise my rescue,
let sound my song,
let ring my praise.
Alleluja!
God raised me
to himself.
Alleluja!

I found myself again,
free, unrestrained,
farmhand I am again
and serve,
am child again
and cry.

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Everyday Life

Everyday life is round me again,
Everyday life after all the splendour and countless ornaments,
Everyday life after singing
And ringing.
The day creeps sleepy now
through the pale window into my room.
The light grins desolate, empty, and ghastly,
which yesterday still glowed and flamed
on my shining face,
because it came from the eternal splendour.
Now everything is expired, exhausted,
wrapped in shadow by yawning everyday life.
With my hands I reach for the crying heaven
to seize which escaped me maliciously.
But the strength waned,
the courage is gone,
tired I am looking for the good
that disappeared
unchecked.

Searching and running begin anew now,
the endless calling for you
saying thy name,
you who reward us
by living with us.

God,
I know you are,
I know you stay,
I know you come.
But everyday life
is grey, grimy, greedy,
calling for you I cry myself hoarse,
you,
who forgets nothing.

But everyday life rules,
after splendour and ornaments,
after intimate love with you,

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after singing and ringing.
The soul uneasy trembling fearful
sensing sin and guilt listens
to you.

("Leuchtturm", volume 17, 1923/24, P. 356 f)

Christ the King

Free translation from the Apocalypse 1, 12 - 17.

There I turned
to know
from where the voice came
that talked and spoke to me in such a way.

And look!
I saw somebody
veiled in light
looking like the Son of Man;
he stood
before flaming chandeliers
made from bright gold,
seven in number;
falling in plentiful folds, girded
with golden belt
flowed to the earth his coat;
and whiter than snow
and snowy wool
seemed to me
silver hair
to veil a holy head;
his eyes
threw sparks and fire;
his feet
were glowing red ore;
his voice
rolled like thunder
and roared like water in the storm;
his hand
held seven stars

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and from his divine mouth
a double-edged sword
went out;
his face however
burned
like the blazing sun
Trembling
I saw the glorious
and sank to the ground
like dead.

("Leuchtturm", volume 20, 1926/27; P. 209)

NewGerman Prayer at the Turn of the Year

Thank you,
God!
Your grace was again
A whole year with me.
Whether I lay in weakness,
Or love before your throne,
Hour by hour,
Night by day
The light of your grace
Shone for me, the farmhand,
Your face was
turned to me. -
You were faithful to me.
And I?
O Lord,
Loaden with guilt,
Bent down to the ground
My sinful hands
I lift to you
At the turn of the year,
That you pardon again
The ungrateful,
That also in the coming year
Like the shining stars

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Your fatherly kindness
As guardian angel
Shows me the way. -
And I rejoice:
Come, come,
You holy year,
Time of grace,
Given by the Father!
I am strong,
In the One
Who sends them,
In the One
Who strengthens me!
I am a house
Built on rock!
Come,
New, NewGerman year,
My rudder is held in storm and trouble
By the father,
The great, the kind-hearted God! Amen.

("Leuchtturm", volume 20, 1926/27, P. 303)

Sacrum

Quiet
like a brook
in the lonely valley
hurries
to the river,
so the boy
goes
after dream and play
down there
into the May.
He becomes free.
Now he listens long
into the growing day,
into the rushing storm
and sees

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in silent nights
the silvery light.

And all things are mysteries:
he -
and the world.
Strong
like a hero
divining and longing
waiting and listening
for God's command:
to rise
for war,
to put on
the shining armor,
to set out
to the victory,
girded with grace,
in the army of Saints.

("Leuchtturm", volume 22, 1928/29; P. 44)
[back to P. 7]

Seed-corn

Dedicated to the martyr church of Mexico

Seed
We became!
Seed
in the Lord's hand.
Now he scatters us
on loosened ground;
as seed
we may die!
Alleluja!

In the shade,
at the deserted roadside
in the dust,
there we were found
by his kindly arm.

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He bowed down
to reach for us,
to take us
into his hand.
Alleluja!

Seed
we became,
daily
to die
bitter deaths
with our Lord
that the fruits
ripe for the harvest
for his heirs
as victory seed.
Alleluja!

("Leuchtturm", volume 22, 1928/29; P. 161)

Knight before Our Dear Lady

Mary,
You
Our Queen
Mother and maidservant,
You
Our queen,
Lady and Mediatrix,
We
Christ's knights
Knee before you
And ask hearing:

You help us
Bear with dignity
To your Son's honour
His wonderful name.
Mary,
Our dear Lady,
We

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Christ's knights
Look
Confidently
up to you.
Amen.

("Leuchtturm", volume 22, 1928/29; P. 200)
[back to P. 35]

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Texts on Youth Work

Our Fight for Purity
Wandering
Farewell Evening
Consecration to Our Lady in the Spell of the City
Freiburg, Frankfurt and Now ... Deeds
Netherrhenish District Day (27/28 May)
Retreat in Neresheim

______
Texts on topics of Sport

Our Fight for Purity

The Düsseldorf Franciscan is a friend of the members of Neudeutschland. He knows the young men's souls from the Spiritual Exercises, he was their physician, and has healed them. And the youth is not ungrateful. The Father stands at the rostrum and is waiting, until the young men let speak him, when they stop to cheer him. And now Father Matthew is talking. Just his voice expresses already his love and care for the German youth, and finds so entrance into the deepest rooms of their souls. He knocks and knocks, and the souls of the young men must open, they cannot escape.

In his early days Father Matthew had the German wish to become once field-marshal. Always, also during the war, this hot desire remained unfulfilled. And in Freiburg he may pray gratefully to the Lord, because he did become field-marshal. His troops are not only the 2000 listeners here; these 2000 represent 25.000 German boys, and these have families and friends, and so he addresses as field-marshal and commander-in-chief 100.000 soldiers of Christ. The young men in the hall laugh and consent by applause. The Father wants to put for the fight the helmet upon the heads of the boys, to give them the pure shield for the fight, the one, the first, and most necessary fight - the fight for purity. First must be said what purity means. Purity is not bigotry or sleepiness, purity is reverence for the holy laws of God, purity is self preservation. Purity is about our relations to women, our reverence for the female sex. The singers of the Middle Ages said once that the German women are the noblest and purest of the world. This can become true again, if the 'NewGerman' (member of the youth federation 'Neutdeutschland') sees in each woman his mother, in each girl his sister. But the reverence for the other sex will especially then increase, if one sees the symbol of the Mother of God in it. If many women and girls are unworthy today of this reverence, then the 'NewGerman' can by his reverence waken in the fallen and stray hearts again reference for the holy laws. Purity is not slavery, purity is the highest mental liberty. The 'NewGerman' cultivates purity from deepest love for the church, whose beauty does not permit that he soils his hands, his mind, his heart and his soul. The 'NewGerman' cultivates purity from deepest love for the native country. He knows the sexual need, and its wounds. Purity means for the 'NewGerman' personal

90

happiness, a happiness of mind which is so strong that he believes his chest was too narrow for the superabundance of this childhood happiness. The best weapon is to be pure and immaculate, so that everyone who has fallen understands, how high he has to aim, and says to himself, 'I must become pure like a 'NewGerman'. Father Matthäus suggests to write with invisibly letters behind 'NewGermany': The large, white federation. Thus 'NewGermany' is the hope of the holy church.

Again 2000, no 25.000 NewGermans made the vow of the ideal of purity, when they did not rest until their Father Matthäus took place at the table of the chairman, instead of returning to his place among the listeners.

("Leuchtturm", volume 15, 1921/22, P. 107)
[back P. 6]

Wandering

Professor D' Este sees the break with nature as a principal reason for our breakdown. That the inhabitants of large cities are completely alienated from nature is caused by their being packed like sardines within blocks of tenements and stony seas of house blocks. Only the youth, which longs always for light and shining, found the way back to nature. The 'Wandervogel' was the first federation which broke in Berlin with the evening spree. Soon the entire youth followed, and since that time a glad wander life flowers. This life has to get a unity; this can be achieved by reverence for every wandering.

Since wandering seizes the masses now, the question arises how to wander. Here only real, plain wandering can be suitable. The suitableness of dress and equipment calls for a plainness, which adjusts everything to wandering only. The youth movements have a new way of wandering: they want to wander for the creation of a new life style and of a strengthened world view. Wandering and a new life style cannot replace a world view; to look in the worship of nature for a new God experience, has failed as solution of the world view problem. Wandering furthers the sense for solidarity, it prevents class distinctions and social differences. While wandering one sees the labour(ers), and the foundation is laid for the understanding of the social questions. If wandering is done plainly and economically, it has a share in the solution of our German

91

emergency. Wandering wakens the love of our homeland, and the artistic sense for the monuments and the culture of our homeland. And this love is attended by the love of one's people and furthers so also the solidarity with one's people.

Practical suggestions on the further development of wandering would be the extension of the fare reduction on distances beyond 75 kilometres, and the building and establishing of hostels.

The genuine apostolic spirit of the 'NewGerman' movement finds an aim in the fight for the mental purity of these hostels. The proposals are discussed whether the already existing hostels of the federation are also to be put at the disposal as well of the 'Deutsche Jugendkraft' as of the 'Reichsausschuß'. Both proposals were accepted.

("Leuchtturm", volume 15, 1921/22, P. 115)
[back to P. 6]

Parting Evening

As much as the pouring rain was welcomed, so painfully felt was it by the NewGermans. A glad evening on the top of the mountain had to be omitted. Instead of it the boys met for the last time with their leaders in the festival hall. Their faces showed the pain of parting. Rain and separation after sunshine and reunion lay heavily on them. Freiburg's local groups gave their best in entertaining. A marvellous mystery play had to be played unprepared on the too large stage. It tore the simple pictures up, so that the play lost much in impression. Only toward the end of the evening the fires of enthusiasm let flare up a fire again, which proved how deep the 'NewGerman' idea took root in the Catholic youth. The representative of Holland began to speak once again and thanked for the cordial welcome. He asked to cooperate and - surrounded by the boys closely and stormily - he cheered the federation.

Everyone listened when our dear Dr. Barth began to talk. The eyes of the boys were fixed on his lips, and they breathed the words which were inspired with the ideal of the youth movement. Whatever Freiburg's boys did under his leadership, they had to do from love for the crucified Redeemer. One felt that this heart struck NewGerman, and the boys thanked passionately the man who worked day and night, week in, week out that the meeting of the federation was well, yes, exemplarily prepared.

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Out of the gathering one cheered the first chairmen of the federation, Professor Schumacher, from whom we know that he lives completely for us, and that he is ready to sacrifice everything for us, a priest whom we admire deeply, and one cheered Father Esch, who conquered the hearts of the boys by his tough spirit, his drastic measures, his untiring work, and his true love for the German youth. Again Father Esch spoke to them. He provoked by magic the expression of willpower on their faces. The 'NewGerman' idea cannot waver. The grand development proved that the youth required this idea stormily. Heaven has visibly blessed the federation, because we see today already ripening fruits. And the last great hope is with the boys themselves, they remain the champions of the wonderful idea, and now they march out, dispersed through the whole native country, to become active. In imitation of congregation's consecration to Our Lady Father Esch intonates as closing song: Always I will love Our Lady. ... Those who have heard his words, and who saw the earnestness of emotion will not be worried about this youth.

The third meeting of the federation "Neudeutschland" comes to an end. Tomorrow in the morning the boys will leave. A large part will wander into the Black Forest or to the Bodensee for recreation. About 200 boys remain in Freiburg to make Spiritual Exercises with Father Esch. They retire into the silence of the seminary, in order to exchange the old dress of the soul by a new heavenly and strong dress.

From Freiburg the NewGerman idea marches with new strength, it will flower with various fruits in the vineyard of the Lord for the peace of mind of our youth, for the benefit of the suffering native country, and for the protection of our holy church.

("Leuchtturm", volume 15, 1921/22, P. 128)

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Consecration to Our Lady in the Spell of the City

The experiences in Bornhofen and Freiburg, the reports of eye-witnesses on Castle Normannstein, the love for the Mother of God, the loving confidence in Our Lady, all that awoke in the Knights of the Holy Grail the glowing desire to consecrate the NewGerman group "Gral", Duisburg, in a special way to the Mother of God. Right after the long vacation the work began, the preparation- and apostolic work, in summary: practical work. From the youngest pages up to the knights - all were moved by the apostolic thought and pounded restlessly at the gates of the lukewarm, to overcome the obstacles which oppose a participation. The taking part required sacrifices, because far from the sea of houses of the city, near the Rhine in a small makeshift church they were called together for the oath of allegiance.

The night veiled with its dark garment the city, the chimneys and ports, and the banks of the Rhine. Like outposts of the eternal kingdom, like mute quiet earnest reminding signposts of heaven the stars decorated the October sky. A largely drawn circle of lamps surrounded way and church. This chain of lamps, which runs from the city over the ports to the Rhine, is the witness of never resting work. Immovably they glow coldly and presume to be the source of light. Occasionally the blast-furnaces burst into flames, and red light shines out over roads and fields, over empty factories and grass-grown remainders of walls. Over the ground grey wet fog creeps snake-like, which hates humans, and gapes hostile at them. Hammer blows or the rattling of chains mix with far dog barking to complaining noises.

Laughing and merrily the NewGermans march through the dying nature. Not far from the road on a field a fire flares up red into the motionless air. They would like to go there and to sing dancing: "Flames aloft!"

Somewhere near the Rhine a factory siren whistles, lonely the weird tone roames about, hisses, and dies away. There a violonist begins to play on the organ loft of the makeshift church. His song vibrates through the holy room. The boys listen, their eyes look for the image of the Immaculate Virgin, who - veiled in the light of candles and in the green of young birches - folds her slim fine hands simply in prayer. The church is dark. Only the candles, the deepest symbols of purest love, give their soft light. When the violonist ended his hymn, the group of young men says the Lauretanic Litany. From dark, earthly need the souls soar up to the feet of the Immaculata,

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who stands on the crescent of the moon, and crushes underfoot the serpent. Out of the depths of the dark church each invocation is answered by the affectionate: "Pray for us!"

You purest mother!
You most powerful virgin!
You seat of wisdom!
You cause of our joy!
You gate of heaven!
You morning star!

The Lauretanic Litany corresponds quite marvellously to the needs of the boys. They praise their queen gratefully: "You are beautiful and magnificent, high and powerful!"

The friend and advisor of the NewGermans stands on the pulpit. He has a share in the souls of his young friends. In the big city, where humans live close together, where everybody's area is measured, there live also close together vice, sin, and the murderer of souls. Impudently the meanness jumps out of its hiding. Impudently it grins undisguised, openly. Here it may do it, here it can do it. Humans of the big city became stone, they have forgotten their souls. Vice loves such humans. The young men grow up amidst dangers, their souls blossom like flowers, which vice tries to break. There heaven opens, and the Blessed Virgin, carried on clouds, bowes down to these calyxes of purity. The looking up of the young men's soul to the 'Immaculata' works the Grail miracle. The garment made from sun reflects sun power. The soul becomes a mirror, which remains clear and straight in the light of her virgin sovereignty. The owners of these souls become knights, the pages children. They fight for purity. They watch manly that the enemy, who lies in wait for their souls voraciously, does not break the lily life therein, and does not pile up a dark emptiness, a mad dreariness which is crying for lust and greed. Admiration and love are the cords which connect the young men with the 'Immaculata' - her motherly love is admired by her sons.

The organ takes up this mood and praises in rich variation: To love Saint Mary. On the wings of this melody the NewGermans send feelings and intentions to the throne. Their souls rest in deep, hot meditation, with the triumphant voices of the organ they sing their profession, their affection - the love of Our Lady.

A knight and a page step into the candle light before the praying Madonna to say the consecration. It is an outcry. They speak for many.

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They give their whole life, their whole souls into the open hands of the Mother and Lady. The boys bring all their needs, their joys and hopes to her good-natured heart.

Outside before the church doors labour sings its steely song of work and creating. Humans hasten through the streets of the city, which is bathed in sharp light. They run, hunted by lack of time, their heads filled with sorrows and business. People sit with blunt souls in the places of shrill, devouring entertainments. Sin and death go around looking for victims. Youth too belongs to the victims of these murderers. Sin lures flattering enticing with thousand small things, which seem outwardly charming and desirable, but internally they harbour a poison of bitterst bile. The new youth does not want to drink this cup. Looking for protection they kiss the seam of the starry garment of the Mother of God. Mother must help them to love him, him who is hidden humbly under the symbol of bread, in the small white communion wafer, who follows the young men with his sorrowful eyes. They are looking for the help of their dear Queen so that their lives become the 'Great God we praise you'.

("Leuchtturm", volume 15, 1921/22; P. 206 f)
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Freiburg, Frankfurt, and now ... Deeds

The most important matter of the Freiburg conference seems to me the radical vouching for the ideal of purity. The task of the Catholic youth movement, our taks is to become apostles of purity. By our fight for purity we will serve our three high objects: church, youth, native country in a quite special way.

The terms 'youth' and 'purity' can be used alternately, they belong to each other, and are inseparable for a NewGerman. We are looking for a joy which gets its light and splendour from the heavenly spheres. To take purity as central issue of our youthfulness suggests that we look actually beyond the time of that youthfulness already, in order to preserve our growing blossoming strengths wholly for the holy sublime biological laws. This farsightedness strengthens our will and affixes the most beautiful and most joyful stamp on our youth - achieved by our efforts.

We will serve our native country in a quite special way, if we are led by the ideal of purity. We know that wide circles of all classes languish and suffer from the greedy chains of bad habits and immoral. Fierily and enthusiastically we lift the banner of the white federation, and let it flutter above our heads. With the eyes and hearts of apostles we feel this mute, complaining need of the wounded, bleeding homeland. In most faithful love for its native country 'NewGermany' sees here an area where it can become the apostle of a vision, of example and deed. As strongly as we love our youth, so strongly love we also our native country. This knowledge gives us the strength to be ready for work at any moment and situation, place and circle. We know that the salvation of the German people from this chains of slavery will bring along a blessing of undreamt-of depth and wealth.

We fight in the sense of the church, when we argue for setting up the ideal of purity. Out of a deep love of the eucharistic Redeemer our souls are to wear the white dress of innocence. We flee to the place of refuge, to the Immaculate Virgin. And time and again we open the doors for the bridegroom of our souls. When he comes and lives for ever with us, we will become 'salt of the earth', vines in the vineyard of our Lord, our Father.

In Freiburg we swore all these things quite enthusiastically. With resolutions, solid like the foundation of a large building which we

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want to build within us, we returned to our closer homeland. And with the memory of all the tremendous hours in Freiburg's walls we advance to the first line of the spiritual fight as apostles and servants of the divine will.

A new stimulus to restless work was given to us in Frankfurt at the Catholic Day. Father Esch spoke to the Catholic world and the whole nation about a new mentality of the youth. And as representatives of this mentality he named us NewGermans. Thus we emerged from our life in groups and were incorporated into the lines of the Catholic combat troops. May we only one minute waver or show ourselves weak? May we abandon our friend, our Father Esch, who looked into our souls, only once? "Never!" our souls cry. Since we were placed before the entire Catholic world as a youth movement which should be the yardstick for the Catholic youth of all circles, we must by internal conviction and necessity prove that we take life as a serious and holy, a particular and weighty matter, that we have already an understanding for the emergencies of our days, and that we - because we feel the strength of grace burning in us - bear the spirit of the NewGerman movement as a glowing bright spiritual fire into the darkness.

This spirit lives in us. And because NewGermany must live also around us, in order that the old Germany becomes also a new Germany, therefore let's go and act!

("Der Aufstieg", volume 4, 1921/22, No. 2, P. 12)

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Meeting of the District Netherrhine (27/28 May)

About 500 boys of the Netherrhin district sat on Saturday evening under the trees in the park of the youth centre "Hoch-Elten". Novices and Brothers of the Society of Jesus from the close Bonifatius House ladled from large boilers cocoa into the drinking-cups. A pennant waved amidst each group. A trumpet signal called the boys after the evening lunch to the meeting-place. The district leader Otto Terpoorten spoke to them, the 'Grüß Gott', the brotherly greeting flew from mouth to mouth. After the district leader Father Esch rose to speak. Dusk spread over the meadows and fields. The first stars decorated the May night with glittering gold, and with the intimate warmth of eternity. There a flame struck into a wood-pile and licked up into the dark-blue spring sky. The bright, sparkling fire flaring up to the sky and burning up which was rotten and stale is the symbol of the new youth; straightened up highly they rise in the dust of the ruins, and their eyes are looking for the stars, they hate darkness, they love brightness, they demand the beautiful, and want the victory of purity.

From the camp fire they go to the altar of Our Lady. A slender statue of the praying Mother of God in a garment of soft white stands under a copper beech. Broad chandeliers and flowers stand on the pedestal. The boys bend like knights their knees, and their lips say a request and an oath. The request begs for the protection of Our Lady, the oath is the vow of faithful knighthood. A small bell rings through the night. On the broad way of the house chapel of the youth centre a priest approaches with the Sanctissimum. Candle bearers precede. The pennants and the boys' heads bow down. One says an evening prayer, and the 'Tantum ergo' follows. The benediction is given for the night's rest, and under the ringing of the small bell acolytes and priest go back to the chapel. A last invocation of the boys: 'In this night be you my shelter and guardian'.

Actually it should be slept till six o'clock, but the first rosy dawn had hardly appeared, the first small bird had just begun their morning song in the park, there the lads crept already out of the straw, ran to the pump, and washed the sleep from their eyes. And they dashed and chased uphill and downhill through hollows and aisles. Here they listened to a cuckoo, there they stood and looked at flowers. Laughter and cheerfulness, running and jumping, singing and thinking, so they went through the May morning. Against half past six they all gathered round the priest at the steps of the altar for the celebration of the Eucharist. In a semi-circle the trees stood around altar, priest, and praying boys on moss-grown ground.

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At the holy transsubstantiation their eyes met in the small host, which was highly raised above the boys, to which the small birds devoted their songs, and the whole nature its beauty of light and color. And then the boys came close to the few steps of the altar, to the Lord's table. The priest gave them the bread of Life, which alone gives spiritual growth and energy. Holy silence rose over the forest, but soon it triggered a jubilant and tremendous "Great God, we praise you".

Shortly afterward one went for the ceremony into the splendidly decorated aula of a near school. The headmaster of the institute showed in broad outline, how deeply the NewGerman ideals are rooted in the people's life, how strongly and fully the movement grows in the native country, which struggles for its rising. The harmony of NewGermany in the right care for soul and body gives strength and unity to it. And Father Esch spoke about the young Catholic human at whom NewGermany aims, and who is formed by it. Also at the Netherrhine the aim of the NewGerman idea must gain a foothold, the Netherrhine must - up to the last man - stand with the brothers from the whole realm under Christ's banner, in the belief that we can triumph in this sign only. The native country demands our whole strength, and as whole Catholic, German boys we owe it to it to put everything into its service.

After this ceremony the leading boys sat down together to consult. The younger NewGermans went to the wide park of the youth centre to play there. At 12 o'clock a pea-soup was served. The boys, who sitting on the forest ground ladled out of all possible and impossible containers or bowls, liked it better than the Sunday roast at mother's table. One of them called laughing, "Jack, have you already experienced any district day without pea-soup?" "No!" was the answer, "but it was always delicious, and that is the most important thing for us," he added yet. And the spoons continued to rattle.

Shortly after noon about 50 Dutch high school students from the Canisius College Nymwegen paid a visit to us. On the open-air stage they were heartily welcomed by Father Esch and the German brothers. The Dutchmen thanked, and with the cheers for Holland's and Germany's youth the applause found no end.

The Emmerich local group played 'Wallensteins Lager' for the conclusion of the meeting. Then, in the late afternoon, a last gathering in the forest around the large, so good-natured and mild looking statue of the Mother of God.

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Father Esch spoke again. With pithy words he summarized all the great and heart-warming things of this meeting, and then the retreat to Emmerich was fast arranged. The Dutch boys marched along with us. In Emmerich we said good-by and the wind blew us into all directions. We took along the spirit of the meeting, at the Netherrhine it will be creative.

("Leuchtturm", volume 16, 1922/23, P. 191 f)

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Retreat in Neresheim

Note well: As editor of the magazine "Junger Heerbann U. L. Frau" Father Peus reported in detail on a MC-Conference in August 1935. It took place in the abbey Neresheim. This report is given here however only in excerpts. The taken over contribution is marked by italics. The report marks the incompatability of Christian thinking with the NS-ideology in all clarity.

The South German Sodalities of Our Lady for students had for August invited their members into the abbey Neresheim. For what? Let us answer with two "technical terms" of the Congregation's 'language': to sanctify themselves and the world, i.e. to three days of Spiritual Exercises, and afterwards to three retreat days of the Congregation. ...

Due to the time of emergency the abbey church was not only cult area (services), but also conference area. ... Was it the mood of catacombs which was in and around us? ...

"The whole Catholic youth knows and feels it only too clearly: Religious emergency is blowing over us. Only the strong can withstand. Whatever is dry crumbles off. The church needs today responsible humans, on whom it can absolutely rely. When we in former times stood with Christ on the Mountain of Transfiguration to be glad with him, then God wants to see us, the youth, today together with him on the Mount of Olives. There we struggle that the Kingdom of God does not only triumph in us - over our own weakness and imperfection. Today we must measure up to the strongest storm. Our faith and our ideals have to be defended today. ... Not a candle are we to be today in a quiet sanctuary, but a torch in the storm."

Day and night the members of the Sodality kept the Holy Guard and silent adoration. In their hands they held the banners of the Catholic youth. ...

Before the Pontifical Vespers was the first lecture of the day: The Congregation In the Time. The Congregation will never reject the time, and will never back out of the tasks of the time. It is too much modelled on the church, too much grown out of its spirit internally, and completely integrated into its fighting morale. Of that our boys became again wholly aware. We got our task from the church, only it could dispense us from its fulfilment. As outside forces can only bind and fetter the church but never destroy it, so one can also do nothing else against the Congregation than to hinder it from outside. The members of the Sodality

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are baptized, are sealed Christian, who develop their life of grace to the best of their ability. This their growing in grace, and in the readiness for service will cause not any damage - neither to individuals nor communities. The members of the Sodality serve after an eternal model the Ancilla Domini. They serve their church and their native country. Not in the sense, as if the native country would - as less important - be pushed aside by them or neglected. To reproach the knights of Our Lady (in the most faithful allegiance to Christ the King) with lack of patriotism, means to insult them awfully, and to hurt them bitterly. As to each time so also today the love for the ancestral people determines the member of the Sodality for loyalty towards the Congregation, because loyalty to Christ does not exclude the loyalty to the native country, no, just in this loyalty the loyalty to Christ will become apparent. With this convicition the members of the Congregation stand in the ring of the entire Catholic youth. If this will were missing to us, then we would not be worthy to stand under the Lily banner of Our Lady, and would not be worthy of the glorious tradition and past of the Sodalities of Our Lady.

... When the large lectures pointed out the shape of the Sodality, so one tried in the small groups rather to apply it to the practical work. The member of the Sodality must know the most important faith questions, he must know his faith, and be able to justify it. How then would he otherwise be able to engage in the modern faith argument mentally! Just the lively discussion showed that the youth do not stand inactively in the maelstrom of religious confusions. They do not swim along. In triumphant conviction of the truth they swim 'versus torrentem'. The victory over unbelief however requires a mental armament which withstands. Hence a training which imparts clarity and knowledge. ...

The self sanctification is the heart of our work. Many reasons show that. The self sanctification is the source of the apostolate, for our engagement to sanctify the world. So it was from the outset. Those who want to devote themselves to the church presuppose that the church has to be realized within them. There will be no sanctification of the word without sanctifying oneself first. The soul of our apostolate is the inner connection with the holy church. To sanctify ourselves is besides the deepest sense of our whole life. Without it we are only 'baptismal certificate Catholics' and deserters of the church, which called us in the sacrament of confirmation to the engagement for the Kingdom of God. The time requires that we sanctify ourself, and win sanctity, as it were, as our property. Those who

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do not form themselves after Christ and for him, will be formed by the zeitgeist. On thousand ways we meet with opposite and hostile influences. To avoid them deliberately is demanded of each young Christian, the more so of each member of the Sodality. ...

We are substantially tuned in to religious work. We want Catholic humans as the church wants them. Hence our work in the MC is totally, substantially and universally religious. The separation from religion and life is impossible and foreign to our nature. Everything visible that surrounds the MC surrounds its religious core, which embraces, illumines and penetrates everything around and in us religiously. Already the smallest member of the Sodality must know that we are in everything first religiously orientated. ...

To sanctify oneself by deliberate personal efforts in closest union with the grace of the "alter Christus" has with the MC still another characteristic, which is apparent in the 'lex credendi' and 'lex orandi' of the church: we go the way over Saint Mary. As our Mother she keeps an eye on our grace life. As our Lady, Queen, and Guide to her Son she is the ideal of our discipleship and loyalty to Christ. As young architects we recognize this design in the salvation plans of the church. It is our holiest will to realize it, to let it become a visible reality, when we speak about self sanctification, and invite to do it. ...

On the second day all were common with each other, presidents and members, north and south, hosts and guests. The community grew, despite so many restrictions which were imposed on us by the time. Neresheim became a proof that our community is not bound to marching, to uniforms, and waving banners. No, our community grows by the great loyalty and enthusiasm to the ideal of the Congregation. Out of the depths of religious sources flows our community, which does not exclude anything, but includes everything. ...

Once again a large lecture stood at the beginning of the last day: Our veneration of Our Lady. If we are deliberately a Sodality of Our Lady and behave as such, then we know also that we meet many misunderstandings. Not on the part of the church's doctrinal and pastoral office. The church has acknowledged, praised, and promoted us, and encourages us constantly to venerate Our Lady eagerly. For this a lot of testimonies can be brought from the last three centuries. The misunderstandings are caused by ignorance, superficial view, and a lacking "sentire

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cum ecclesia". One holds out to us that we made a detour to Christ, that we emphasized too strongly the veneration of Our Lady, and that we damaged the large enthusiasm for Christ. Whereupon we answer clearly: If our veneration of Our Lady diverts us from Christ, then we would have to change still today our mind, then still today our first rule has to be amended. But we ask the counter-question: Is it true that we as members of the Sodality go away from Christ, or make a detour? The Congregation wants only what is wanted by the church. And it wants only Christ alone as aim of education, it wants from us to become like Christ, and it wants that only Christ is important for us. But in reaching this goal Our Lady stands not hindering, but promoting and helping before us. We members of the Sodality belong to Christ's youth as Our Lady's youth, we are Our Lady's youth in order to be Christ's youth. In the veneration of Our Lady we see a God-intended way to Christ, and to our allegiance to Christ. ...

The one who stops at the Mother of Christ and fails to notice that she - as Christ's mother - is also our mother, has not understood the church teachings and the importance of Our Lady for the salvation of mankind. The last sense of our life is for us to become an "alter Christus". The Christ whom we are to put on, as St Paul says, the Christ whose convicition must become our convicition, was and remains the child of Our Lady. Those who aim always honestly at being a child of St Mary will achieve Christ's shape, and become similar to him. If already each saint points out a way to Christ to us, because his/her holyness is founded in the similarity with Christ, then St Mary as 'Regina omnium sanctorum' must be an important, yes, the best way to Christ. ...

The Congregation is closely attached to the church and looks always at it. Just the "sentire cum ecclesia" will let it find the right way for the youth education. ...

("Junger Heerbann U. L. Frau", volume 12, 1935, No. 10)
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[back to P. 45]

Texts on Topics of Sports

Hints for our Swimming Departments
Youth Leadership is Call of God
Who is the Best?
Athletics - Cross-Road of the Sport Elite

Hints for our Swimming Departments

Memories from Practice and Suggestions for Practice

1. Leaders, and Recruits for Future Leaders.

As each leadership in the German 'Jugendkraft' is not only sporting leadership but, contrary to the 'one-sided', 'unbiased' sport associations, is also a leading to the Christian view of sport, so also the leadership of the swimming department has the task to shape in detail and as a whole the characteristic of the 'Deutsche Jugendkraft'. To this basic attitude, which we regard as the first and for us necessary foundation, we must offer something more also in our swimming departments. And offer can only again the one who has something to offer, who has knowledge, shortly, who is a master in this area, a leader. And the department or district swimming instructor has to educate these leaders - we say it frankly - by not small, but laborious work and effort. This is particularly hard in the start time, when everywhere assistance and knowledge are missing. And how many disappointments and mistakes are there. There is really needed a good measure of courage and unselfish love for the 'Deutsche Jugendkraft', in order to be content also with the smallest success. From an older, good led department the leaders will grow up automatically in time, who will care then for the tradition, and a genuine DJK mentality.

The training includes two areas: the training for cooperating as DJK leader in general, and especially the training as a specialist in the area of swimming, which leads to the knowledge of the entire aquatic sports.

There is a difference between a DJK leader and a leader of a mere worldly federation, as this difference exists also between the members of the DJK on the one hand, and the members of other sport associations on the other hand. (At least it should exist sharply!) For us the harmonious training of soul and body is the basis in the practice of the physical exercises. The recovery and steeling of the body go hand in hand with the education to self-control, morality, and backbone; briefly, with the education of the inner human, of his/her soul. The worldly sports club does not know this, at least not

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in practice. Yes, the pure outward formalities of modern sport hinder the way to the inner and moral ascent. Of which use is an ever so fine sporting performance, if the young man, out of poor weakness, is not able to master the demands of morality! Sport too must help to make easier for the juvenile soul the flight to the stars, i.e. to the ideals. If it diverts from this courageous flight to the eternal goods, then it has no right to exist.

The DJK leader is easily at home in these thoughts, yes, here he feels so at home that he will also then remain faithful to the DJK department, if it stands, sportily spoken, not on the height, and victories and success, position and reputation would be in store for him, if he went to a worldly federation - in our case to the German Swimming Federation. The greatest victory in the hostile camp would be for him the most infamous defeat.

In this mental training of the DJK leader, in which the district leader, and mutatis mutandis the whole DJK-leadership have the highest interest, the Catholic first-string association, on which each DJK department is built and depends, will have a large influence. Hence it is also in this connection obvious that the DJK-leaders in the practice of their religious duties should not be content with the demanded measure of the respective Catholic association, but as aspiring leaders in a Catholic association they should - at the head of all others - summon up, out of innerst conviction, the courage to demand on their part joyfully more (than others do). Our DJK-youth is to look up with respect to their leaders, and to learn that the DJK-mentality is not viable without a natural faithful religious conviction and practice.

In second place the likewise quite important demand on the DJK-leader is about his expertise. ... Basis and first condition of the new swimming leader are that he can teach swimming well and surely. And no DJK-swimmer should be called leader, who can, for example, not state that ten young people have become swimmers under his leadership.

Then the different swimming stiles, which the leader, if he is to teach them, has technically to control entirely. This way also the many small technical refinement belong, like starting, turning, breathing and others. Besides the training for relay swimming takes place. Even the water ballet is not to be underestimated, because it strengthens the ability to become master of one's body and of all its movements,

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and it leads to a control of the water, and so to an increasing security. ...

If the young DJK-leader has become firm in these branches of the swimming sport, then the referee training will follow. Perhaps here and there this training has been forgotten, and so this omission became the source of many mistakes on our sporting events. For the good completion of a swimming festival needs just an efficient, technically well trained staff of experts.

The crown of the technical training should be an all-round knowledge in life-saving swimming, which includes two talents: First the saving in the water, and then the attempts at resuscitation on the land. There is no doubt that also the Deutsche Jugendkraft takes part in this task of swimming sport.

The district swimming instructor is responsible for all these questions with regard to the whole Deutsche Jungendkraft in general, and with regard to his district in particular. He is the leader in all these questions and is to know that he, if he wants to be a leader and to lead with success, has to be a personality whose unity will just bring about the mentality of the Deutsche Jungendkraft, a leader who - despite obstacles and difficulties - goes the way of victory of the Deutsche Jugendkraft in his area, in the area of swimming, and who knows that he is thereby a lay apostle in the realm of the Catholic world view, in the realm of the church of Christ. ...

2. On Swimming Instruction

The swimming sections which are to be established anew, but also those DJK swimming sections which exist already cannot made only the sporting high-performance their business. It is only one task, and to it another, higher one precedes, which is peculiar to the whole 'Reichsverband der Deutschen Jugendkraft': we want to make our Catholic youth familiar with physical exercises which strengthen will-power, and with reasonable health care. The popular swimming is particularly suited to achieve these aims, and therefore the education for popular swimming is also a substantial task and work of our DJK swimming sections.

In a sense the first place among all sport may be granted to swimming, because nothing practices and steels the body so harmoniously as just swimming. The whole body with all

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its noble organs is trained thoroughly and strengthened by swimming. There is no one-sidedness in the training, or any neglect of a part of the body. Compared with all other branches of atlethics, which too train always the whole body, but at the same time prefer by their way one part of the body, this is a great advantage which should not be underestimated. Hence swimming falls in our opinion into the category 'reasonable body care'. And that swimming is also a physical exercise which makes high demands on the will, and has so influence on the whole character, can be shown by a look at our ancestors, the Teutons, for whom the Rhine was summer and winter swimming pool, in a time when discipline had still such a good reputation that it was even by the strong and proud Rome reflected with admiration. Thus also the care and spreading of popular swimming will preferably help to realize the ambitious aims of the Deutsche Jugendkraft. ...

Touchstone, whether a swimming department gives swimming instructions rightly, and - in a sense - in an exemplary way, might be when all pupils are enthusiastically ready to become active members of the swimming department, and recall gratefully the instructions, and their teachers. To reach this may be the secret personal aim then, which is set by each swimming teacher at the beginning of his activity.

3. On Swimming Outdoors

Swimming in the indoor swimming pool is only a makeshift which the city created. We got accustomed to it as to many other things too. Therefore it might be good to remind for once that to true swimming the water belongs as nature offers it to us in rivers, ponds, lakes, and seas; around us forest and forest solitude, over us the clear sky with its warming sun. All that together is probably the reason why history tells time and again about bathing outdoors, about the urge to see there the water for refreshment and recovery. Humans who live together with many others are drawn by nature out of the exhausting tightness of the stony sea of houses.

This swimming outdoors is like everything in nature neither sinful nor bad. Here too it is the human who turns everything upside down. The one who looks now on the morally untenable conditions of our modern bathing and

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beach life, may perhaps be frightened in the first instant, if we speak also about the bathing outdoors of the Deutsche Jugendkraft not only for a short time, but even about the necessity for this development of each DJK swimming section.

All Catholic circles were - with good reason - indignant about the Sodoma and Gomorrha of modern bathing life. And also the swimming associations of the DSV could - from their inner laxity and lack of mere educational understanding - not decide to let the sexes, and particularly the youth bathe separately. But least of all our indignation found an echo with many city administrations and authorities, who watch these morasses of modern vices with an almost frightening indifference, and who seem to feel not any responsibility for this wound point in the people's life, neither for the soul of the individual, nor for the state. The consequences of the unrestricted beach life of our cities are only too well-known: degeneration of the customs, disappearance of any sense of honour and mutual respect, and, which might be the worst: one pulled the youth too into this sultry morass, in order to rob also from it the God-intended protection: the holy chasteness. But against this dirt mere indignation and scathing criticism are not enough, and we will little help by them. Of which use is for example a physician who states only the absence of the health with an infectious illness, and without intervening then leaves the patients to themselves, and gives so green light for the dangerous illness to infect also the healthy! Against the stupid, to sin and vice leading pub life we have placed our own association houses, in which our spirit prevails; we opposed the wave of books and journals which overflowed us, and have created our rich Catholic libraries, against the theatre, which is alienated from Christianity, is up a Christian theatre organisation, and a 'Deutsche Jugendkraft' against a sport movement which ends in paganism. Which is then nearer at hand as that we - instead to be indignant only or go into holy wrath - create also own bathing places for our Catholic youth outdoors, of which we are master, and which do justice to the requests of our most Reverend Bishops, and in which the spirit of the Deutsche Jugendkraft lives and has its home! From the experience in several areas we know that the youth, if we are not able to make them an equal offer go over to the hostile camp, and will there - to say it with our words - be broken mentally and lose their temporal and eternal felicity. One should rather not wait for the so necessary regulation of public bathing on the part

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of the city administrations. In most cases only the self-help of the Catholic circles can establish an own open-air swimming bath, which is under the administration of the DJK swimming department. ...

Order and discipline lie completely in the hands of the swimming department, which naturally takes on a large responsibility with the opening of an open-air swimming bath. Also on a Catholic bathing place and among the Catholic youth the enemy of humankind goes around like a roaring lion and searches whom he could devour. We know that, and therefore we do everything to put a stop to his activities. Thus for instance especially the basking in the sun, which is a common practice in our modern open-air swimming baths, and which is so much loved by the youth, is at least a way to laziness and sluggishness, and thus also always a danger and an opportunity to moral misconducts. On a DJK place the youth must constantly be kept busy. The one who is tired, may rest at home, but not in the open-air swimming bath. Therefore one may give them also sufficient opportunity and means for activities, which are possible with very simple means. Also the prohibition of smoking and alcohol drinking is urgently recommended. On Sunday mornings the open-air swimming bath is so to open that everyone can easily fulfil his Sunday duty. A special regulation is about the Communion Sunday, which is generally fixed for the youth. ...

In the technical, outer laying-out an open-air swimming bath of the Deutsche Jugendkraft will scarcely differ from the public open-air swimming baths or from those common to the pure worldly associations, but with regard to the spirit which regulates the whole running and inspires its swimmers it differs like water and fire, like Christianity and paganism. And only if this difference becomes reality, then an open bath of the Deutsche Jungendkraft outdoors is justified.

("Deutsche Jugendkraft", volume 8, 1926, No. 5, P. 57 f and No. 6, P. 80 - 82)

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Youth Leadership is Call of God

The inner beauty of youth leadership becomes apparent as soon as the young leader looks closely at himself as Catholic, and considers that he may meet God's call in his youth leadership.

1. What Are We Youth Leaders?

We are Catholics. What does that mean? Generally seen: The holy baptism causes - by the annulment of the original sin and by the pouring in of the sanctifying grace, i.e. by the sharing of God's life - that we become sons and daughters of God, and are integrated into the Kingdom of God. With the day of our baptism we became entirely new humans, with completely new, supernatural tasks: to fulfill the will of God in the Catholic church. - Seen in particular: With the holy confirmation we became children of God, Christ's fighters. In this consecration we got, as it were, the full-time mission to profess the 'Envoy Jesus Christ' in the world before the faithful and the unbelievers also publicly, courageously, and without being afraid of people. The child of God has, so to speak, come of age in the Kingdom of God, and stands with social obligations in the large Christian community, i.e. in the Catholic church.

We are members of the Catholic youth. The Catholic youth is the youth realm in the Kingdom of God. - Generally seen: We live in a time of important decisions. Everywhere the call can be heard: Get rid of God! In the decisive battle for God a large task is given to the Catholic youth; it is the Catholic generation which - due its sonship - tries in the future to live completely according to God's will. - Seen in particular: Within the Catholic youth we stand in the Deutsche Jugendkraft, the large Catholic sport movement in Germany. It opposes the Catholic view to the general view of the sport. Hence the DJK defends the rule of God in the sport.

We are youth leaders in the Catholic youth. - Generally seen: The leader in the Kingdom of God is Christ, who meets us visibly in the priest. In the youth realm Christ as the Way leads the youth to the heavenly Father, and each priest (for us the President) participates in this task of Christ. The President is supported

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by his youth leaders. Hence the youth leader participates in the task of the President, and with this the young leader takes a high responsibility. - Seen in particular: Our field of work as youth leaders is the DJK with its peculiar aims. In order that the youth leader is able to hold a leading position in the DJK, it is required of him a knowledge (about the ideals of the Catholic youth in general, and about the DJK in particular), a wanting (he must want the propagation of the Catholic sport ideals), and an ability (which means particularly the technical and sporting ability).

2. Has God Appointed Us Youth Leaders?

God leads humans by humans. If God calls thus humans to such a leadership, then this call means that a human is to lead his fellows nearer to God.

How does God call humans to large tasks? God can call directly (e.g. Adam, the prophets in the Old Testament). - God calls also indirectly by angels (e.g. Our Lady), by Christ (e.g. the apostles). - God calls mostly directly by special qualities, talents, and living conditions, which are understood by those who are called as God's call to certain tasks (e.g. matrimony, family, priesthood), or which are only qualified as God's call by God's deputies on earth (pope, bishop, priest, government heads).

In which sense may now the youth leader speak of God's call? With regard to youth leadership we may generally speak of God's call. For with us (leaders) it is about a leading position in the Kingdom of God. - God calls not directly to the youth leadership but indirectly. The young man recognizes in his talents and in his life a fitness and a preparation for the youth leadership. Add to this the call of the President, who as priests - by virtue of the apostolic mission by his bishop - is leader in the youth realm of the Kingdom of God.

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Closing Thought

In the youth leadership we recognize with good reason an honour, which inspires us to humility and magnanimity. Furthermore we recognize in God's call to cooperate in the Kingdom of God a choice, to which we answer with the oath of complete devotion - even if the position of leader will sometimes demand - as burden on the leader - our unselfish and little considered detailed work. Our model of youth leadership is Our Lady, who rendered by her generous 'Yes' and by her faithful endurance during the days of suffering to mankind the greatest service, and who called herself nothing else and wanted to be nothing else than the maidservant of the Lord.

("Deutsche Jugendkraft", volume 13, 1931, P. 265 f)
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Who is the Best?

Note well. In the yearly review 1956 of the "Leichtathletik im Rheinland" Father Peus published the following essay. He is quoted after the "Mitteilungen der Deutschen Jugendkraft Bistum Trier", 1960, No. 7, P. 5�8.

In the sense of this 'List of the Best' in each contest and in each class more or less ten sportswomen, and in each discipline with priority the first, as national master, belong to the best, to the sport elite of a sport year. Seen from the mere sporting aspect, found out by the second hands of the stop-watches or by the centimeters of the measuring tapes, our question, "Who is the best?" is answered by the "List of the Best" perfectly. ... In this sense we are glad about the sporting successes, and congratulate the best and winners.

Beyond the numerical value the "List of the Best" tells us about the listed sportswomen that each record, but especially the top performance, is the coronation of a refined and persistent training; in other words: the fact that the performance was not coincidental, but was prepared, aimed at, and achieved by hard training hours, and under full engagement of the will. This insight and statement shows the value of training, and can be a stimulus for everyone.

But our question about the best aims deeper here. Is a sportswoman, whose performances were objectively ascertained after training and contest with the help of the technical measure means in the stadium, in each regard and absolutely the best? It is always a human who does sport, and belongs in the "List of the Best" to the best. Each human activity, hence also the sporting doing, is inseparably bound to the elements, which form the human nature essentially. On the one hand these elements and factors are called body, flesh, subject, material, and on the other spirit, intellect, will, soul.

Beyond that the human doing is just as inseparably bound to the general and special tasks, which are peculiar and substantial for humans. We have to relate the sporting activity and the top-performance to the whole of the human being. Hence our question aims at investigating and recognizing whether and how the sporting top-performance harmonizes with the sportswoman as human being.

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Our question cannot be answered by the "List of the Best". An ideal case for the answer to the question "Who is the best?" would be, if a national master - apart from his/her sporting performance - were also in his/her other activities and tasks the best as human. This can actually only be answered by the sportswoman in a honest examination of his/her conscience; also other people can answer that question, if they know the sportswoman in the best way from living together. The "List of the Best" cannot answer this question. It is here about St Paul's principle that we are to run, to fight, and to gain the victory in such a way that we achieve something higher, yes, something imperishable. The Apostle of the Nations watched surely in the stadium in Corinth during the Isthmic Games, how the Greek fighters strove and took great pains. But St Paul let not blind himself by the uniqueness and beauty of a race victory, and a passing prize. So he wrote down: Run so that you achieve the higher, the highest, the imperishable prize! The question "Who is the best?" leads so to a crucial and therefore so important preliminary question, and this reads for the best (in the sense of the "List of the Best"), yes, for each sportswoman: Which means the sport for your doing, for your life as such?

If one takes the answer from the newspaper, from the radio, from the managers, from the club fanatism, from the narrow personal ambition, and from the sporting hubris, then the sport has a supremacy, which celebrates its triumphs and victories in the sport materialism of our days. But seen from the sport ethos the sport has a serving function. It is to help and support humans in creating conditions for a valuable life, it is to make humans more fit for life, and to give them bodily and mental values for the growing and being of their personality. ...

Negatively we can set the antipol beside the ideal case. The doubtful "best" would be in this negative case sportswomen, who - said in a word - fail as humans. I.e. they fail as moral personalities, as characters; they fail in their occupation, see themselves only as people who make a time trial, or try to jump and throw their best. They suffocate, as it were, in the exstacy of their sporting victory, and are faced then with an emptiness, when the exstacy and the experience are gone. This extreme case describes the "sport robot".

Just these "best" who fail as humans, and see and know only the sport, do - apart from the dangerous effect on themselves - the sport a bad turn. If one meets such sportswomen, who fail in their life,

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then one may be too fast with the judgement to reject the sport, which brings forth such failures, radically. Of course, this short-sightedness fails to notice that not the sport is responsible for the failure of humans, but the sportswoman, who does sport wrongly, and integrates it badly into his/her life. The "List of the Best" says not anything about these negative sides. Detached from its bearer the sporting performance tells only about sporting matters but nothing about the human who achieved it. But what matters is the view of the human as a whole. The mere sporting viewpoint does not justice to the human.

As important and responsible it is that these connections are seen by the adult (in our case: by the coach, who may not overtax the sportswoman; by the team captain, who has to consider the religious, cultural and social interests; by the managing committee of the club, which - in wrong ambition - aims at the sporting success only; briefly: by all sport functionaries), and are observed in the daily practice and in the guidance of the sportswomen - it is much more important and crucial that already the young sportswoman aims also in the sport at the right order, the genuine values, hence at those things that are the best and most valuable for him/her. His/her insight and will decide everything. He/she is at liberty to reach for the sporting, yes, the olympic stars, hence for the best performance and championship, but not by restricting and degrading his/her young growing personality. If they do not want to run the risk to fail as humans, they must place before the sporting performance the more important and higher demands, tasks and objectives: demands of religious nature, of moral attitude, of character formation, and of a solid, yes, highest ability in their occupation. The best of the "List of the Best" in our sense is not only the name, which stands there printed, but only the human for whom the sport is a valuable bridge to a more valuable, genuine life. Thus there is beside the printed, visible "Best List" still another invisible and more important "Best List", which one calls in the religious usage the "Book of Life". In this list, in this "book" it is written unfailingly and truly whether the sporty top-performance means a failure or a profit for the sportswoman.

Time and again one meets positive approaches in the sport press, in sporting essays, in criticisms, in lectures and in radio reports to a total valuation of the sport, of a sportswoman, and a sport performance; hence a valuation which goes beyond the mere sport. Programmatically we find these approaches and statements particularly in the welcoming

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speeches of sport events, in the forewords of commemorative publications and lists of the best, written by personalities of the public life, of local, national, and church agencies. But what about the practice? So much we are pleased about such words, they remain empty, hollow words, if the responsible persons and the sportswomen do not put these words into practice. Whoever reads and studies this "Best List", the woman of the association, the professional association, or the individual sportsman: he/she may be pleased about the top-performances, but he/she may also examine the deeper question about the best, about the elite.

The aim of each sporting activity is not one-sided the sporting top-performance, but simply "the healthy spirit in a healthy body". The Roman, who coined that sentence "mens sana in corpore sano" twenty centuries ago, did not want to state that to a healthy body belonged always also a healthy spirit. The Roman expressed a birthday wish, a hope, an aim, something extremely human for a boy of his father, namely that in the boy spirit and body might develop best. Sport can help and is to help that this ideal finds its fulfilment. With the aim of sport and top-performance we as Christians do still another large step, because Romanism as paganism was replaced by Christianity. We dare the new formulation, which alone does justice to the revolutionary act of God's revelation: "anima sancta in corpore sancto", i.e. a holy soul in a holy body. Whoever aims at this in sport is in truth the best. Therefore the Apostle of the Nations calls upon the Corinthians, whose sport he saw in the stadium: "Glorify the Lord God in your body!"

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Athletics - Cross-road of the Sport Elite

Note well. This is a contribution in the annual report 1959 of the Athletics Association Rhineland, quoted after "Mitteilungen der Deutschen Jugendkraft Bistum Trier", 1960, No. 2, P. 1 - 4.

Year by year fifteen regional athletics organizations publish their 'Best List'. From these then the 'Best List' of the German Athletcs Federation is compiled. One name follows the other, and in the same way data and performances - put in good order in laborious detailed work by the statisticians, and gradated according to disciplines and classes. Altogether so an athletic sport elite is presented, who recognized and realized as value the olympic "citius - altius - fortius". All athlets made efforts in their training and contests to run faster, to jump higher, and to fight with full risk of their physical and mental strengths for their top-performance, and to compete with their comrades.

This sport elite is not a standardized, monotonous mass, but a colorful mosaic of youthful, male and female individuals of all age groups. Sober and objective, almost impersonal is the outside picture of a 'Best List'. But those who are able to read between the lines feel the pulsating life, the cooperating of individual and community.

In sport the human being stands in the center, which Plato recognized clearly as an individual which is adjusted to the community, and is most intimately bound up with it. 400 years later the Christian doctrine confirmed this Platonic definition of the human, who is created ... by God. Also the sport reveals a natural interrelation of human individuality and community. The personal engagement of the sportswomen is bound to the community of their association, as also to the sports sites and - devices, which the community, the association, the federation, the city, and the state offer to them. Also the contest includes the community. You can only become the first and best in a community of contestants.

One could ask whether these considerations are nothing else than home truths. They are more, and are to be more. The sportswomen who stand on the rostrum or whose names are published as 'Best List', may be filled with joy and pride about their performance. But it would be ungrateful, if they disregarded their community. They owe much to their personal engagement but more to the community,

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which gave them the possibility of their victories. Only the community put them on the places where they can show their top-performances. So the individuals, whether they go in for mass sports or high-performance sport, are inseparably connected with their communities, and therefore also obliged to them. My request is that this obligation toward the community, which indirectly or directly made possible the sporting success and the sporting experience, is at least seen by the sport elite, and bears fruits which are in accordance with this insight. From the abundance of obligations I pick out three for our sport elite.

The first obligation is the grateful loyalty and attachment toward one's direct sport community, one's association, and if the meeting took place on a higher level, e.g. toward one's national organization. A high performance is always one-sided and depreciated, if the winners see only themselves and expect that they are honoured, or even presented with gifts. Toxicated perhaps by their performance, they come fast to presumptuous demands on the community, which prepared for them the ways to the victory. Those are erroneous trends, which reduce the value and the reputation of a sport community substantially.

In the speech which the poet Rudolf Hagelstange delivered to the boys and girls of the Duisburg Federal Camp for Select Teams for the Olympia travel of the German youth 1960, the weighty sentence is found: "The sport, if it aims at performance, has to do with asceticism." Asceticism was understood by the Greeks as "practising" and as "abstaining from something". They expected from Olympia fighters that they trained hard, and abstained while training from everything which could weaken their strength. Hence a victory was - according to their view - attached to the condition of hundredfold victories over oneself. Here it is about this ascetic attitude also after the victory, which will become apparent when the winners practise a fair evaluation of their performance, which is and remains - apart from their personal engagement - also a fruit of their sport community. Then they will "abstain" from any self glorification, which would make them blind, and which only too easily turns into extravagance, into repulsive primadonnaish airs, and lastly to crass and mean egoism. The ascetic winners remain modest and just. Their victories bind them more closely to the community of their association, because they do gratefully not ignore its engagement (of idealistic and financial kind), and do not regard it as a matter of course. They resist also courageously the temptation to change the association because another association promises perhaps larger material advantages. ...

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Rudolf Hagelstange judges in his sport speech: "The successful need character." In the grateful and just obligation toward their sport community is proved the character of the best, who will achieve new and more valuable victories by their ascetic attitude.

Secondly the best are to recognize in the affirmation of their community a task with which they can give back to their community whatever they got from it. And this task reads: Take trouble for the young talents! In the fulfilment of this task is also shown the gratitude which one owes the community. The winners have rich experiences in the sporting pratices. And there are always many - particularly young people -, who are burning also to learn and to perform something, to do something extraordinary, to grapple with others in the match - and to triumph. One is to take care of those people - unselfish and out of responsibility for the positive values of the sporting activity and education. The fulfilment of this ideal task ennobles the winners, heightens their personality, and makes them valuable members of the association community. Their victories have not overrun them. ... They live on with their performances in those for whom they take care as sport comrades and sport leaders.

... For the fulfilment of these tasks and the service to the young talents in the sport community, which is not large enough yet, not only those are invited who have given up their loved and victorious sport activities, but everyone is called who is on the 'Best List' and belongs so to the sport elite. To give is more blessed than to take, says a popular proverb. This is experienced by those best who received much from the community, in order to return much and still more to the community. This is a true mental olympic relay race, in which the fire of enthusiasm is not given from torch to torch, but from human to human.

There is still a third task for the best, which is to be valued more highly than the first and second task. This third task has to be fulfilled by the older comrades towards the younger, and it results also from the obligation, which one owes the community.

The younger the best are, who - due to their top-performance - have gained a victory in their class and are prominent in the 'Best List', the greater is the temptation to overrate oneself and one's victory. The class order of the matches involves that one can - in very young years - become ... "master" and "best" in one's class. Suddenly the juvenile best stands on the sports field already in the center,

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and often one day later already in the newspaper, perhaps even ... by a photo in the centre of public interest. Such a precocious, volatile fame is particularly for the young athlet a personal burden, which has to be mastered. Add to this that the juvenile "master" is perhaps by no means master in his higher tasks and obligations, e.g. in school or occupation, but a failure, then the danger of overestimation increases automatically. Short-sightedly and only too fast the sport victory compensates the less good performances in the vital districts of his/her young life. Such personal failure can be recognized clearly from the way how he/she makes demands, how he/she is inclined to indiscipline, how he/she turns into unruliness and extravagance, and particularly how he/she criticizes his/her association and coach. We all know that our youth grows up today more endangered than at other times, and that they often have not the best models and examples among the adults.

Here a necessary educational task opens for the older "master". The understanding word of an older comrade is needed more than ever. With a word: The older winner, master, best, and sport comrade may not leave the youngster to him/herself. Responsible he has to stand beside the younger comrades who are fascinated (or hypnotized) by their sport victory, so that they are not overrun by their victory. How then are the young "best" to recognize as practical philosophy that they let themselves not control, yes, tyrannize by sport, but that they have to control it, and to master it for their life.

So important and valuable it is for the sport elite to stand in grateful loyalty to the association community, and to express this loyalty by worrying about the young talents, more important and more urgent than this third obligation is it to care for the younger "master", so that the sport victory does not encourage personal undesiderable developments, and does also not endangers the mastering of life. Everyone, who is striving for this task, will fulfill more easily the two first mentioned tasks. The healthier, more perfectly and more harmoniously humans develop from earliest childhood, the more easily they recognize also their tasks in the community. So it is in life generally and therefore it is also not different in sport, which is to serve life. Only this service to life gives sport its value and its Olympic splendour.

It is always a beautiful instant, ... when the sport winners stand on the rostrum - for them and for the spectators. For a short time

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they stand proudly above, in order to disappear soon - and too fast - below in the community again. How do they evaluate the victory for themselves and for the community? That is the question. Here is the cross-road for the sport elite. Here the decision is made on blessing and curse for the community in which we live, and without which we cannot live.

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VII. Bibliography

Denzer, H.: Pater Paul Peus SJ. Eigenverlag 1994.

Feilzer, H.: Jugendpastoral: Seelsorge an und mit jungen Menschen. In: B. Schneider und M. Persch (editor): Geschichte des Bistums Trier, volume 5. Trier 1995, P. 414 � 443.

Gumppenberg, M. von: Erläuterungen zur Apostolischen Konstitution "Bis saeculari" Papst Pius XII. vom 27. September 1948. Augsburg 1957.

Hastenteufel, P.: Jugendbewegung und Jugendseelsorge. Geschichte und Probleme der katholischen Jugendarbeit im 20. Jahrhundert. München 1962.

Heintz, A.: Fels im Sturm. Predigten und Hirtenworte des Erzbischofs Franz Rudolf Bornewasser. two volumes. Trier 1969.

Hürten, H.: Deutsche Katholiken 1918 � 1945. Paderborn 1992.

Nöthen, J.: Vom Ignatiushaus in Trier. In: Mitteilungen aus den deutschen Provinzen der Gesellschaft Jesu. No. 111 (1947), P. 167 � 168).

Rahner, H.: Ignatius von Loyola und das geschichtliche Werden seiner Frömmigkeit. Graz 1949.

Rendenbach, R.: Pater Paul Peus. Nachruf. In: Mitteilungen aus den Deutschen Provinzen der Gesellschaft Jesu. No. 124 (1962), P. 495 � 507.

Rösch, H. � E.: Sport um der Menschen willen. 75 Jahre DJK-Sportverband "Deutsche Jugendkraft" 1920 � 1995. Aachen 1995.

Schellenberger, B.: Katholische Jugend und Drittes Reich. Eine Geschichte des Katholischen Jungmännerverbandes 1933 � 1939 unter besonderer Berücksichtigung der Rheinprovinz. Mainz 1975.

Volk, L.: Zur Kundgebung des deutschen Episkopats vom 28. März 1933. In: Stimmen der Zeit 173 (1963 / 64), P. 431 � 456.

Zeiger, I.: Die Jugend unserer Kirche. In: Stimmen der Zeit, volume 142 (1948); P. 241 � 252.

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