Bernhard Heinrich Overberg (1 May 1754 – November 8, 1826) was a

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 ...

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy * Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD * Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a let ...

ecclesiastic, educator and author. As an instructor of the teachers he shaped the educational level in Münster and Westphalia.

Biography

Overberg was born of peasant parents in the village of Höckel, near

Osnabrück Osnabrück (; wep, Ossenbrügge; archaic ''Osnaburg'') is a city in the German state of Lower Saxony. It is situated on the river Hase in a valley penned between the Wiehen Hills and the northern tip of the Teutoburg Forest. With a population ...

, and became a pedlar like his father. At fifteen a priest prepared him for college, and he studied with the

Franciscans , image = FrancescoCoA PioM.svg , image_size = 200px , caption = A cross, Christ's arm and Saint Francis's arm, a universal symbol of the Franciscans , abbreviation = OFM , predecessor = , ...

in Rheine. From 1774 he studied in

Münster Münster (; nds, Mönster) is an independent city (''Kreisfreie Stadt'') in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is in the northern part of the state and is considered to be the cultural centre of the Westphalia region. It is also a state di ...

, and was ordained priest in 1779. As curate in Everswinkel he did such good work in teaching religion that the

vicar-general A vicar general (previously, archdeacon) is the principal deputy of the bishop of a diocese for the exercise of administrative authority and possesses the title of local ordinary. As vicar of the bishop, the vicar general exercises the bishop's ...

, Freiherr von Furstenberg, offered him the position of director of the

normal school A normal school or normal college is an institution created to train teachers by educating them in the norms of pedagogy and curriculum. In the 19th century in the United States, instruction in normal schools was at the high school level, turni ...

, which he was about to found in Münster.Löffler, Klemens. "Bernhard Heinrich Overberg." The Catholic Encyclopedia
Vol. 11. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1911. 27 July 2019 Thenceforth he was Fürstenberg's right hand in the reorganization and reformation of the schools. In 1783 he settled in Münster, where his first duty was to conduct a course of practical and theoretical study for schoolteachers during the autumn vacation. This institution was known as the ''Normalschule''. The village schools at that time were very poor; in

Prussia Prussia, , Old Prussian: ''Prūsa'' or ''Prūsija'' was a German state on the southeast coast of the Baltic Sea. It formed the German Empire under Prussian rule when it united the German states in 1871. It was ''de facto'' dissolved by an ...

a number of discharged non-commissioned officers made a pretence of teaching, while in

Westphalia Westphalia (; german: Westfalen ; nds, Westfalen ) is a region of northwestern Germany and one of the three historic parts of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. It has an area of and 7.9 million inhabitants. The territory of the regio ...

, mere day labourers wielded the "stick" (of class discipline). His aim was to educate and instruct teachers and to improve their wretched material circumstances. All the teachers were to take part in the course at public expense. The course closed with an examination, and those who passed it obtained an increase in salary. As Overberg considered it best to separate the sexes in his schools, he instructed a number of women teachers who eagerly accepted the work. At first, Overberg himself instructed the teachers, giving five lessons daily between 21 August to November, and teaching method as well as the various school subjects. He recommended teaching conversations instead of pure memorization. As instructor of the teachers he shaped the educational level in Münster and Westphalia. Later he employed an assistant teacher. Soon his normal school was attended by young people who wished to become teachers. This normal school, therefore, became what is now known in Germany as a Seminary, and had more than 100 pupils (at first 20-30). Besides teaching in this school he gave instruction in the catechism for twenty-seven years in the Ursuline convent without remuneration. Every Sunday he recapitulated all that he had lectured upon during the week in a public lecture which was attended by people of all classes, especially by students of theology. In 1789, Princess Adelheid Amalie Gallitzin chose him as her

confessor Confessor is a title used within Christianity in several ways. Confessor of the Faith Its oldest use is to indicate a saint who has suffered persecution and torture for the faith but not to the point of death.Friedrich Leopold zu Stolberg. He remained director of the normal school even when he became regent of the ecclesiastical seminary in 1809, before which he had been for some time synodal examiner and member of the ''Landschulkommission''. In 1818 he was awarded 1818 the Prussian Red Eagle, and in 1823, honorary member of the cathedral chapter. Overberg died 8 November 1826. His grave is located in the choir of the

Überwasserkirche Überwasserkirche () is the common name of a Gothic hall church in Münster, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is a ''Liebfrauenkirche'' (Church of Our Dear Lady), dedicated to St. Mary. Officially St. Marien Überwasser, it is also called Lieb ...

in Münster, where he was dean and pastor. In 2004,

Voltlage Voltlage is a municipality in the district of Osnabrück, in Lower Saxony, Germany. Mayors *2001-2016: Bernhard Egbert *since 2016: Norbert Trame Sons and daughters of the municipality of Voltlage * Bernhard Heinrich Overberg (1748–1826), R ...

commemorated the 250th anniversary of his birth with a number of events. Bishop

Franz-Josef Bode Franz-Josef Hermann Bode (16 February 1951) is German prelate of the Catholic Church who has been Bishop of Osnabrück, Germany, since 1995. He has been a bishop since 1991 and Deputy Chairman of the German Bishops Conference since 2017. Within th ...

from Osnabrück celebrated the closing mass of the festival year. Numerous educational institutions and streets are named after Overberg.

Works

* ''Anweisung zum zweckmässigen Schulunterricht'' (1797) (Instructions for practical school lessons for the school teachers in the Hochstifte Münster) * ''Biblische Geschichte'' (1799) * ''Christkatholisches Religionsbuch'' (1804) * ''Katechismus der christlichen Lehre'' (1804) * ''Sechs Bücher vom Priesterstande'' (1858)

References

External links

Online Biography of Bernhard Heinrich Overberg (in German)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Overberg, Bernhard Heinrich People from Osnabrück (district) 1754 births 1826 deaths