George Dering Wolff was an American Protestant minister, later after a conversion an editor of Catholic publications.
Life
His parents were Charlotte Wolff, and Bernard Crouse Wolff (b. at Martinsburg, 1794), a prominent theologian of the
German Reformed Church
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 ...
(Lutheran). The family moved to
Easton, Pennsylvania
Easton is a city in, and the county seat of, Northampton County, Pennsylvania, United States. The city's population was 28,127 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Easton is located at the confluence of the Lehigh River, a river tha ...
, in 1835, the father becoming English pastor there.
George graduated
A.M. from
Marshall College, Mercersburg, Pennsylvania, and there studied law for three years at Easton. Though admitted to the Bar, he never practised, but after a four years' theological course became a minister of the German Reformed Church. The elder Wolff and his son were staunch followers of
John Williamson Nevin
John Williamson Nevin (February 20, 1803June 6, 1886), was an American theologian and educationalist. He was born in the Cumberland Valley, near Shippensburg, Franklin County, Pennsylvania. He was the father of noted sculptor and poet Blanche Nevi ...
, who in 1843 began to develop in their sect a system of theology which, whilst strongly opposing
Catholicism
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 ...
, held Christ's Church to be a living organism and sought to restore what they held to be teachings of Christ repudiated by the
Protestant Reformation
The Reformation (alternatively named the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation) was a major movement within Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the Catholic Church and in ...
(see G. D. Wolff's article "The Mercersburg Movement" in "American Catholic Quarterly", 1878).
George Wolff joined the Catholic Church in 1871. The next year he became editor of the ''
Catholic Mirror'' published at
Baltimore
Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...
, leaving it the year following for the ''
Catholic Standard
The ''Catholic Standard'', founded in 1951, is the official weekly newspaper for the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington.About ...
'' of
Philadelphia
Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...
, of which he died editor-in-chief. His editorial success caused him to be called to join
James A. Corcoran and
James O'Connor James O'Connor may refer to:
Politics and law
* James O'Connor (Louisiana politician) (1870–1941), U.S Representative from Louisiana
* James F. O'Connor (1878–1945), U.S Representative from Montana
* James Francis Thaddeus O'Connor (1886–1 ...
in establishing the ''
American Catholic Quarterly Review'', first issued in Philadelphia, January 1876. O'Connor was consecrated bishop in August of that year, and went to his
vicariate Apostolic in
Nebraska. The other two editors sustained the publication until their death. Wolff's articles were largely on matters of
apologetic theology. His wife, Sarah Hill, became a convert to Catholicism, as did his brother,
Christian Wolff.
Articles
''"Modern Physicists and the Origin of Man,"''The American Catholic Quarterly Review, Vol. I, January/October 1876.
''"The Mercersburg Movement,"''The American Catholic Quarterly Review, Vol. III, 1878.
''"Socialistic Communism in the United States,"''The American Catholic Quarterly Review, Vol. III, 1878.
''"Catholicity and Protestantism in Relation to Our Future as a People,"''The American Catholic Quarterly Review, Vol. IV, Jan./Oct. 1879.
''"Gladstone's Latest Blunder,"''The American Catholic Quarterly Review, Vol. VI, 1881.
''"Michael Davitt's Scheme for Nationalizing the Land,"''The American Catholic Quarterly Review, Vol. VII, 1882.
''"What Did 'The Reformation' Reform,"''The American Catholic Quarterly Review, Vol. IX, 1884.
''"The Wage Question,"''The American Catholic Quarterly Review, Vol. XI, 1886.
''"The Railroad and Kindred Monopolies,"''The American Catholic Quarterly Review, Vol. XI, 1886.
''"The Proposed Revision of the Westminster Cathecism,"''The American Catholic Quarterly Review, Vol. XV, January/October 1890.
''"In Memorian of the Right Rev. James O'Connor,"''The American Catholic Quarterly Review, Vol. XV, January/October 1890.
''"Our Parochial School System,"''The American Catholic Quarterly Review, Vol. XVII, 1892.
References
;Attribution
The entry cites:
*
''In Memoriam, George Dering Wolff''in American Catholic Quarterly Review (April, 1894);
** ''The Catholic Standard'' (Philadelphia, February 1894)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wolff, George Dering
1822 births
1894 deaths
American editors