Adolph Gregory Schmitt, C.M.M. (20 April 1905 – 5 December 1976) was

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

prelate A prelate () is a high-ranking member of the Christian clergy who is an ordinary or who ranks in precedence with ordinaries. The word derives from the Latin , the past participle of , which means 'carry before', 'be set above or over' or 'pre ...

of the

Roman Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

. He was killed by a black nationalist guerrilla during the

Rhodesian Bush War The Rhodesian Bush War, also called the Second as well as the Zimbabwe War of Liberation, was a civil conflict from July 1964 to December 1979 in the unrecognised country of Rhodesia (later Zimbabwe-Rhodesia). The conflict pitted three for ...

in 1976.

Biography

Adolph Schmitt was born in

Rimpar Rimpar is a market town in the district of Würzburg in the German state of Bavaria. It is located about 10 km (6 mi) north of the City of Würzburg. The municipality includes the villages of Gramschatz and Maidbronn, incorporated in 19 ...

, Germany, ordained a priest on 19 March 1931 from the religious order of the

Congregation of Mariannhill Missionaries , image = Congregation of the Missionaries of Mariannhill logo.png , abbreviation = CMM , formation = , founder = Franz Pfanner , founding_location = Mariannhill, KwaZulu Natal, South Africa , t ...

. On 23 December 1950 Schmitt was appointed Vicar Apostolic of the then Vicariate Apostolic of Bulawayo and ordained on 2 April 1951. He retired on 9 May 1974.

Death

During the Rhodesian Bush War, on 5 December 1976, Schmitt and two of his companions, a nun and a priest, were shot by a black nationalist guerrilla on the way to a hospital visit. The sole survivor of the attack, the nun, said that their car was stopped and the guerrilla demanded money but then opened fire with a machine gun.

External links

Catholic-Hierarchy Bulawayo Diocese

References

1905 births 1976 deaths 1976 murders in Africa 20th-century German Roman Catholic bishops 20th-century Roman Catholic bishops in Zimbabwe Deaths by firearm in Rhodesia German people murdered abroad German Roman Catholic missionaries People from Bulawayo People from the Kingdom of Bavaria People from Würzburg (district) People murdered in Rhodesia Rhodesian murder victims Rhodesian Roman Catholic bishops Roman Catholic bishops of Bulawayo White Rhodesian people {{Germany-RC-bishop-stub

Biography

Death

See also

External links

References