Christof May (8 April 1973 – 8 June 2022) was a German Catholic theologian and
priest. He worked for the
Diocese of Limburg, as ''Regens'' of the
seminary, as ''Bischofsvikar'' responsible for development of the church, and as ''Domkapitular'' in the
cathedral chapter
According to both Catholic and Anglican canon law, a cathedral chapter is a college of clerics ( chapter) formed to advise a bishop and, in the case of a vacancy of the episcopal see in some countries, to govern the diocese during the vacancy. In ...
. He advocated for changes in the
Catholic Church.
Life
May was born in
Hadamar on 8 April 1973
and grew up in
Hintermeilingen.
He completed school with the
Abitur
''Abitur'' (), often shortened colloquially to ''Abi'', is a qualification granted at the end of secondary education in Germany. It is conferred on students who pass their final exams at the end of ISCED 3, usually after twelve or thirteen year ...
at the in Hadamar, and then
served in the Stabsmusikkorps of the
Bundeswehr in
Siegburg.
Beginning in 1993, he studied philosophy and theology at the
Sankt Georgen Graduate School of Philosophy and Theology in Frankfurt, and at the
Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome. He was consecrated as
a priest by Bishop
Franz Kamphaus
Franz Kamphaus (born 2 February 1932) is a German Catholic Church, Catholic priest, bishop emeritus of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Limburg, Diocese of Limburg. He was Bishop (Catholicism), bishop of the diocese from 1982 to 2007. He was the only ...
in
Sant'Ignazio in Rome in 2000.
He achieved the doctorate in Rome
in 2004,
with a dissertation "Pilgern: Menschsein auf dem Weg", about
pilgrimage as a way to be human.
May worked as chaplain in
Königstein and
Kronberg from March 2004, and from September 2004 as chaplain in
St. Bonifatius, Wiesbaden
St. Bonifatius in Wiesbaden, Germany, is the central Catholicism, Catholic parish and church in the capital of Hesse. The present building was designed by architect Philipp Hoffmann (architect), Philipp Hoffmann in Gothic Revival style and built fr ...
.
He focused on the ''Kirchorte'' St. Michael and Heilige Familie, and developed from 2006 a concept named City-Pastoral.
From September 2008, he was parish priest for St. Anna in
Braunfels
Braunfels () is a town in the Lahn-Dill-Kreis in Hesse, Germany. It is located on the German Timber-Frame Road.
Geography
Location
The climatic spa of Braunfels lies at a height of some 100 m above the Lahn valley. It is 9 km southwest ...
,
later becoming
dean for the regions
Wetzlar and .
From 2011, he was
rector
Rector (Latin for the member of a vessel's crew who steers) may refer to:
Style or title
*Rector (ecclesiastical), a cleric who functions as an administrative leader in some Christian denominations
*Rector (academia), a senior official in an edu ...
of the Bischof-Blum-Kolleg in
Limburg an der Lahn.
In spring 2018, May was appointed ' of the Limburg
seminary, responsible for the training of future priests, and ', assisting the bishop in matters of church development.
From 1 December 2019, he was also ''Domkapitular'' in the Limburg
cathedral chapter
According to both Catholic and Anglican canon law, a cathedral chapter is a college of clerics ( chapter) formed to advise a bishop and, in the case of a vacancy of the episcopal see in some countries, to govern the diocese during the vacancy. In ...
,
a group of seven priests counseling the bishop, and responsible for the services at the cathedral.
On 4 October 2020, May held a
streamed service for
Erntedankfest
A harvest festival is an annual celebration that occurs around the time of the main harvest of a given region. Given the differences in climate and crops around the world, harvest festivals can be found at various times at different places. ...
(harvest festival) from the chapel of the .
In his sermon, he advocated for changes in the church, such as admitting
homosexual couples, and divorced and remarried couples to
the sacraments, common
eucharist
The Eucharist (; from Greek , , ), also known as Holy Communion and the Lord's Supper, is a Christian rite that is considered a sacrament in most churches, and as an ordinance in others. According to the New Testament, the rite was instit ...
for couples from different Christian denominations, and the
ordination of women
The ordination of women to ministerial or priestly office is an increasingly common practice among some contemporary major religious groups. It remains a controversial issue in certain Christian traditions and most denominations in which "ordina ...
.
When a parish from the
Westerwald region placed the sermon on its website, it was viewed around 170,000 times.
On 7 June 2022, he met with his Bishop,
Georg Bätzing
Georg Bätzing (born 13 April 1961) is a German Catholic theologian who has been Bishop of Limburg since 2016 and chairman of the German Bishops' Conference since March 2020.
Early life and career
Bätzing was born in Kirchen and grew up in Ni ...
, and was informed of accusations of abusive behaviour towards several people.
As required by the guidelines of the German Bishops' Conference for dealing with sexual abuse, Bätzing released May from all duties during investigation and clarification of the allegations. According to ''
Frankfurter Neue Presse'', May disappeared in the afternoon on 8 June; after extensive search by the police, his body was found on 9 June in a forest near
Eschenau
Eschenau is a town in the district of Lilienfeld
Lilienfeld () is a city in Lower Austria (Niederösterreich), Austria, south of St. Pölten, noted as the site of Lilienfeld Abbey. It is also the site of a regional hospital Landesklinikum Vor ...
. The
public prosecutor's office in Limburg confirmed that he had died on 8 June 2022 by suicide,
at age 49.
The diocese first informed its staff, saying: "The death of Christof May affects us all. We have lost a dedicated and much appreciated pastoral worker." ("Der Tod von Christof May trifft uns alle. Wir haben einen engagierten und sehr geschätzten Seelsorger verloren.")
The president of the assembly of the diocese, Gerhard Glas, said that May made decisive contributions in the synodal bodies ("... in den synodalen Gremien Entscheidendes geleistet"), and summarised: "Er war ein echter Hoffnungsträger." ("He was a real bearer of hope.")
The requiem was held 24 June 2022 at the church of his home-town.
Bishop Bätzing wrote in an obituary that May was a well-versed theologian ("theologisch versiert"), clever and full of ideas in his care for people ("pastoral klug und ideenreich"), who promoted the Christian message with great dedication and joy.
He summarised that May produced ideas and motivation, thinking first of what people needed, and was "advocating for a spiritual renewal of the Church in the light of the Gospel" ("Er war ein Ideengeber und Motivator, der vom Menschen her dachte und im Lichte des Evangeliums für eine geistliche Erneuerung der Kirche eintrat").
Publications
* ''Pilgern. Menschsein auf dem Weg''. In: ''Studien zur systematischen und spirituellen Theologie''. No. 41. Echter, Würzburg 2004, .
Buchbesprechungen
(in German) in: ''Geist und Leben'' 2006/1, pp. 79-80, retrieved 13 June 2022
* ''Mit dem Rad Glauben erfahren: Firmradkurs.'' Pro Business Berlin, 2006, .
* ''Jung, entschieden, christlich: Lebenskompass.'' Butzon & Bercker, 2010, .
As co-author
* , , Burkhard Jürgens: ''Wege des Pilgerns.'' Bischöfliches Ordinariat Limburg 2005, .
* , : ''Frauen ins Amt! Männer der Kirche solidarisieren sich.'' Herder 2020, .
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:May, Christof
1973 births
2022 deaths
2022 suicides
Dissident Roman Catholic theologians
20th-century German Roman Catholic priests
21st-century German Roman Catholic priests
People from Limburg-Weilburg
Sankt Georgen Graduate School of Philosophy and Theology alumni
Pontifical Gregorian University alumni
Suicides in Germany