Jakob Weis
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Jakob Weis (13 May 1879, Ommersheim,
Saarpfalz Saarpfalz (''Saar-Palatinate'') is a Kreis (district) in the south-east of the Saarland, Germany. Neighboring districts are (from west clockwise) Saarbrücken, Neunkirchen, Kusel, Kaiserslautern, Südwestpfalz, district-free Zweibrücken, and the ...
– 18 March 1948,
Zweibrücken Zweibrücken (; french: Deux-Ponts, ; Palatinate German: ''Zweebrigge'', ; literally translated as "Two Bridges") is a town in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, on the Schwarzbach river. Name The name ''Zweibrücken'' means 'two bridges'; olde ...
) was a priest in the
Diocese of Speyer The Diocese of Speyer (lat. Dioecesis Spirensis) is a diocese of the Catholic Church in Germany. The diocese is located in the South of the Rhineland-Palatinate and comprises also the Saarpfalz Districts of Germany, district in the east of the S ...
, who also worked as a prison chaplain. During the First World War he became the army chaplain to the 12th Bavarian Infantry Division and Catholic pastoral care advisor to the Armee-Oberkommando Mackensen. From 1918 to 1920 he voluntarily joined soldiers in their internment so as to continue his pastoral care.


Life

Weis was ordained priest in
Speyer Cathedral , native_name_lang = German , image = Speyer_dom_11.jpg , imagesize = 280px , imagelink = , imagealt = , landscape = , caption = , pushpin ma ...
on 4 October 1901. He then spent time as a chaplain in Mittel
bexbach Bexbach () is a town in the Saarpfalz district, in Saarland, Germany. It is situated on the river Blies, approximatively 6 km east of Neunkirchen, and 25 km northeast of Saarbrücken. The Saarländisches Bergbaumuseum (Saarland Mining ...
(10 October 1901 – 30 August 1905), then time in
Gersheim Gersheim is a municipality in the Saarpfalz district, in Saarland, Germany. It is situated near the border with France, on the river Blies, approx. 15 km southwest of Zweibrücken, and 20 km southeast of Saarbrücken. See also * Medels ...
(31 August 1905 – 16 October 1905), then in
Landau in der Pfalz Landau ( pfl, Landach), officially Landau in der Pfalz, is an autonomous (''kreisfrei'') town surrounded by the Südliche Weinstraße ("Southern Wine Route") district of southern Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is a university town (since 1990 ...
(17 October 1905 – 30 June 1909). From 1 July 1909 to 27 February 1921 he served as chaplain to
Zweibrücken Zweibrücken (; french: Deux-Ponts, ; Palatinate German: ''Zweebrigge'', ; literally translated as "Two Bridges") is a town in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, on the Schwarzbach river. Name The name ''Zweibrücken'' means 'two bridges'; olde ...
prison, an extremely difficult and thankless pastoral post. From 4 August 1914 Weis was also pastor to a field hospital, then pastor to 12th Bavarian Infantry Division (known as "the Iron Division" for its bravery and toughness). He published his memoirs of his time with 12th Division in 1917 as ''Mit einer bayerischen Division durch Rumänien'' (''With a Bavarian Division through Romania''), along with his postcards from the front, with the proceeds from both works given to soldiers' charities. He was also promoted to Catholic chaplain of
August von Mackensen Anton Ludwig Friedrich August von Mackensen (born Mackensen; 6 December 1849 – 8 November 1945), ennobled as "von Mackensen" in 1899, was a German field marshal. He commanded successfully during World War I of 1914–1918 and became one of the ...
's whole force. At the end of the war he voluntarily went into captivity in
Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, S ...
with Mackensen's army so as to continue providing its pastoral care, gaining the respect of both the prisoners and their captors. He was elected the troops' delegate to the
German Red Cross The German Red Cross (german: Deutsches Rotes Kreuz ; DRK) is the national Red Cross Society in Germany. With 4 million members, it is the third largest Red Cross society in the world. The German Red Cross offers a wide range of services within ...
and was active in alleviating the mental and physical hardship of captivity. He left in summer 1920 with the last German prisoners to leave Romania. On his return from the war he continued as a prison chaplain. On 1 March 1921 Weis became city-pastor of
Pirmasens Pirmasens (; pfl, Bärmesens (also ''Bermesens'' or ''Bärmasens'')) is an independent town in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, near the border with France. It was famous for the manufacture of shoes. The surrounding rural district was called ''Lan ...
, where he was a strong supporter of the construction of a second church building for the parish. Associations already existed for that purpose, but these were inactive and so he galvanized them. From 1 April 1925 Weis worked as a professor at the Oberrealschule, later at the Zweibrücken Gymnasium, as well as engaging strongly in the construction of a daughter-church for Utweiler. In 1940 Jakob Weis retired to the Ruhestand and lived in Zweibrücken, though continuing his pastoral work despite his worsening health. He died in Zweibrücken on 18 March 1948 and was buried there. His obituary in the Speyer diocesan newsletter ''
Der Pilger ''Der Pilger'' (''The Pilgrim''; known until 1960 as ''Der christliche Pilger'', meaning ''The Christian Pilgrim''Up to Jg. 100, 1960, Nr. 48.) is the weekly newsletter of the Roman Catholic diocese of Speyer in Germany. It was founded on 1 Janu ...
'' (Nr. 15/16, of 11 April 1948) stated:


Awards

He received the
Iron Cross The Iron Cross (german: link=no, Eisernes Kreuz, , abbreviated EK) was a military decoration in the Kingdom of Prussia, and later in the German Empire (1871–1918) and Nazi Germany (1933–1945). King Frederick William III of Prussia est ...
First Class for his personal bravery, along with the Iron Cross Second Class, the Military Merit Order Fourth Class with swords, the Red Cross Medal Third Class and the
Honour Cross of the World War 1914/1918 The Honour Cross of the World War 1914/1918 (german: Das Ehrenkreuz des Weltkrieges 1914/1918), commonly, but incorrectly, known as the Hindenburg Cross or the German WWI Service Cross was established by Field Marshal Paul von Hindenburg, Presiden ...
for non-combatants.


Family

Jakob Weis was the great-uncle of the former vicar general and current Speyer diocesan official Domkapitular, Prälat Dr. Norbert Weis. They are both from the same family as bishop of Speyer
Nikolaus von Weis Nicolaus von Weis (born Rimling, Moselle, France, 8 March 1796 - died Speyer, 13 December 1869) was from 1842 to 1869 Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Speyer, in the Palatinate (in that time a district of the Kingdom of Bavaria. Life ...
.


Bibliography

* ''Nachruf'' in Pilger, Speyer, Nr. 15/16, vom 11. April 1948 * Jakob Weis: ''Mit einer Bayerischen Division durch Rumänien''. Huber, Diessen bei München, 1917 * Ludwig Börst: ''Die Pfälzer Theologen im Weltkrieg 1914-18''. Pilger, Speyer (ohne Jahr, ca. 1930), Seite 27 * Balthasar Meier: ''Der Bayerische katholische Klerus im Felde 1914-18''. Brönner & Däntler, Eichstätt 1937, Seite 82 * ''Schematismus des Bistums Speyer, 1934''. Pilger, Speyer 1934, Seite 329 * Michael Faulhaber (Hrsg.): ''„Das Schwert des Geistes“ (Feldpredigten im Weltkrieg)''. Herder, Freiburg, 1917 (enthält auf Seiten 443-446 zwei Ansprachen von Divisionspfarrer Jakob Weis, mit den Titeln „Glauben und Leben“ bzw. „Crux suprema lex“, gehalten anlässlich von Frontbegräbnissen). * ''Festschrift zur Weihe der Pfarrkirche St. Anton, Pirmasens''. Eigenverlag des Pfarramtes, Pirmasens 1931


References


External links

*
Entry on Dr. Jakob Weis, in "Saarländische Biografien".


in the
Deutschen Nationalbibliothek The German National Library (DNB; german: Deutsche Nationalbibliothek) is the central archival library and national bibliographic centre for the Federal Republic of Germany. It is one of the largest libraries in the world. Its task is to colle ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Weis, Jakob 1879 births 1948 deaths People from Saarpfalz-Kreis People from the Rhine Province World War I chaplains Recipients of the Iron Cross (1914), 1st class Prison chaplains German Red Cross personnel 20th-century German Roman Catholic priests Military personnel from Saarland