Maximilian Aichern OSB (born 26 December 1932 in

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

) is an Austrian Catholic bishop who was the ordinary of the

diocese of Linz The Diocese of Linz ( la, Dioecesis Linciensis) is a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Vienna, Austria. History Early history In the early Middle Ages the greater part of the territory of the present Diocese of Linz was subject to the bishops of ...

from 1982 to 2005.

Life

The son of Max (died 1980) and Franziska (died 1998) Aicher, he was born in Vienna. He attended grammar school and graduated there in 1951

school A school is an educational institution designed to provide learning spaces and learning environments for the teaching of students under the direction of teachers. Most countries have systems of formal education, which is sometimes compuls ...

respectively. In 1954, he joined the Benedictine Monastery of St. Lambrecht in

Styria Styria (german: Steiermark ; Serbo-Croatian and sl, ; hu, Stájerország) is a state (''Bundesland'') in the southeast of Austria. With an area of , Styria is the second largest state of Austria, after Lower Austria. Styria is bordered to ...

. He subsequently studied in

Salzburg Salzburg (, ; literally "Salt-Castle"; bar, Soizbuag, label=Bavarian language, Austro-Bavarian) is the List of cities and towns in Austria, fourth-largest city in Austria. In 2020, it had a population of 156,872. The town is on the site of the ...

and Pontifical Athenaeum Sant'Anselmo in

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

. He was ordained in 1959 and was initially chaplain in St. Lambrecht and religion teacher in the local vocational school in Murau. In 1964, he abbot Koadjutor and of 24 February 1977 until 16 January 1982, he was

Abbot Abbot is an ecclesiastical title given to the male head of a monastery in various Western religious traditions, including Christianity. The office may also be given as an honorary title to a clergyman who is not the head of a monastery. The fem ...

of the monastery of St. Lambrecht. From 1978 to 1981 he was also Abbot President of the Austrian Benedictine Congregation. In May 1981, he was informed that he was nominated as Bishop of Linz. Aichen rejected this office several times and only gave its approval in December. On 15 December 1981 the Pope appointed him official successor of Franz Zauner. Cardinal Franz König gave him the episcopal consecration in the Conception Cathedral in Linz on 17 January 1982. His motto was: "In Caritat serve" (in German: In love serve). He was considered a "social Bishop of Austria." Within the Episcopal Conference, he was responsible for social and political issues. The working world or the

sunday rest Sabbath in Christianity is the inclusion in Christianity of a Sabbath, a day set aside for rest and worship, a practice that was mandated for the Israelites in the Ten Commandments in line with God's blessing of the seventh day (Saturday) making it ...

were particular concerns for him. Under his leadership in 1990, the bishops drafted a '' Social pastoral letter of the Catholic bishops of Austria''. Also he was involved in drafting a document on the ''social word of the Ecumenical Council of Churches in Austria'', which was published in 2003. In the first ten years after his inauguration, he visited all 485 official

parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or m ...

es of the diocese as a bishop. In 2005, he surprisingly announced his resignation for reasons of age, which on 18 may Pope

Benedict XVI Pope Benedict XVI ( la, Benedictus XVI; it, Benedetto XVI; german: link=no, Benedikt XVI.; born Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger, , on 16 April 1927) is a retired prelate of the Catholic church who served as the head of the Church and the sovereign ...

accepted. Thereafter, he remained at the request of the Pope for the inauguration of his successor

Ludwig Schwarz Ludwig Schwarz, S.D.B. (born 4 June 1940) is the Catholic bishop of the Diocese of Linz, Austria. Life Ludwig Schwarz was the first of nine children and grew up in Most pri Bratislave. After the expulsion of his family from Slovakia in 1945, ...

Criticism

Groups within the diocese of Linz had criticized the bishop for allegedly violating liturgical norms set forth by the Holy See. They complained about him in Rome.

Works

*''Churches and chapels in the parishes of the Diocese of Linz. An artistic, historical and pastoral documentation''. Bischöfl. Ordinariate, Linz 2001,

Awards

* 2005 Great Golden Medal of

Upper Austria Upper Austria (german: Oberösterreich ; bar, Obaöstareich) is one of the nine states or of Austria. Its capital is Linz. Upper Austria borders Germany and the Czech Republic, as well as the other Austrian states of Lower Austria, Styria, a ...

* 2008 Erwin-Wenzl Award: Honorary Award for Lifetime AchievementBishop Aichen with Wenzl-prize. Oberösterreichische messages, 28 October 2008, p. 5

Literature

* Christine Haiden:''Maximilianstraße Aichen. Bishop with the people''. Trauner, Linz 2005, * Peter Hofer:''Attentive solidarity. Festschrift for Bishop Maximilian Aichen the seventieth birthday''. Pustet, Regensburg 2002,

External links

Diocesan Bishop Maximilian Aichen OSB

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Aichern, Maximilian Bishops of Linz Clergy from Vienna People from Penzing (Vienna) 1932 births Living people Austrian Benedictines