Rupert Mayer

Rupert Mayer lahir pada 23 Januari 1876 di Stuttgart, Jerman. Setelah menyelesaikan pendidikannya ia
mengutarakan keinginannya untuk menjadi seorang Yesuit, tetapi ayahnya menyarankannya untuk
menjadi imam terlebih dahulu. Rupert melanjutkan pendidikan filsafat di Fribourg, Switzerland, dan
Munich, serta pendidikan Teologi di Tubingen. Rupert ditahbiskan sebagai imam pada 2 Mei 1899. Ruper
meneruskan impiannya untuk menjadi seorang Yesuit dengan bergabung dengan novisiat Yesuit pada 1
Oktober 1900 di Feldkirch, Austria. Rupert dikirim untuk belajar di Belanda pada tahun 1906 dan
kembali ke Munich pada tahun 1912. Ia kemudian membantu para imigran dalam mencari tempat
tinggal, pekerjaan, serta melayani kebutuhan rohani. Ketika perang dunia I terjadi, Rupert bertugas di
garis depan dan mendapatkan pangkat Kapten serta bintang kehormatan pada tahun 1916. Pada
Desember 1916, Rupert kehilangan kaki kirinya karena cedera, setelah terkena serangan granat. Kembali
ke Munich, Rupert membantu para umat terutama dalam sebuah komunitas awam. Ketika berkembang
paham Komunis dan Sosialis, serta munculnya Nazi, Rupert selalu menyerukan perlawanan. Ia bahkan
sempat ditangkap dan ditahan, sampai superiornya harus memerintahkannya untuk diam. Setelah
dibebaskan, Rupert dianggap membahayakan sampai ia harus ditahan kembali di biara Benediktin di
Ettal sampai dengan pasukan Amerika membebaskannya pada tahun 1945. Pada 11 Mei 1945, Rupert
kembali ke Munich melanjutkan karyanya. Rupert Mayer, S.J., meninggal dunia pada 1 November 1945
ketika ia selesai memberikan homili di Munich, Jerman. Pada 3 Mei 1987, ia dibeatifikasi oleh Paus Sto.
Yohanes Paulus II.

Known as the ‘Apostle of Munich’, Blessed Rupert Mayer survived two world wars – the
first as chaplain-in-service of those who fought and died, and the second as prisoner.
He was imprisoned for his opposition to the Nazi regime which had taken power in his
home country and because he refused to remain silent about the atrocities being
committed around him.
Rupert Mayer was born in Stuttgart in 1876, one of six siblings. When he had finished
his secondary education he wanted to enter the Society of Jesus, but was convinced by
his father to become a diocesan priest, and enter the Jesuits afterwards if he still
wished. After studying philosophy and theology in Munich, Tubingen, and at Freiburg in
Switzerland, Mayer was ordained in 1899. He then followed through with his plan to
become a Jesuit, and entered the novitiate a year later. He completed his novitiate and
went first to the Netherlands for further studies. He then began a preaching role,
travelling from parish to parish across northwest Europe.
When the First World War broke out in 1914, Mayer volunteered as a chaplain. He
worked first in a military hospital, but later asked to be sent to the front so that he
could be with the soldiers in the thick of the fighting. He was fearless in his efforts to
help and minister to the sick and dying out in no man’s land, and was the first chaplain
awarded the Iron Cross for bravery. In 1916 however, a grenade cost him his left leg
and he was forced to return to convalesce in Munich, where he had been assigned two
years before the war broke out.
Mayer remained in Munich after the end of the Great War, and in 1921 was made
leader of a Marian Congregation there. This congregation grew in size until it covered
fifty three parishes. This meant that Mayer had to travel relentlessly across the city and
the surrounding area to reach all of his parishioners.
He was keenly aware of the social movements gaining traction within Germany at this
time. Adolf Hitler was appointed Chancellor in 1933 and the closure of church affiliated
schools underlined the Nazi Party’s anti-religion and anti-church leanings.
Mayer was vocal in his opposition of the fascist regime taking hold of his country and
denounced it from the pulpit time and again. His influence on the people of Munich was
such that the Nazis could not allow him to continue; in 1937 he was ordered by the
Gestapo to cease speaking in public. He refused to comply, and saw himself landed in
prison for his defiance. He was sent to Landsberg Prison, where Hitler had spent time
years earlier for his involvement in the Beer Hall Putsch.
After serving five months in jail, a general amnesty meant he could return to Munich,
but his continued opposition meant he was no less of a threat. Accordingly, in 1940
Mayer was sent to Sachsenhausen concentration camp near Berlin. His health
deteriorated so badly in the camp that the authorities were afraid he would die, and be
seen as a martyr. So he was moved to a Benedictine abbey in the Alps where he
remained under effective house arrest until the end of the war.
Returning to Munich, Mayer was received as a hero, and returned to his role as pastor.
However, the years of persecution and imprisonment had taken their toll; while
celebrating Mass not long after his return to Munich, Mayer suffered a stroke and died,
at the age of sixty nine. He was beatified by Pope John Paul II in 1987.
1a

Rupert Mayer (1876-1945) was a man who held firmly to his convictions. After the Stuttgart,
Germany, native finished secondary school, he told his father that he wanted to be a Jesuit. His
father asked him to be ordained first, so Mayer studied philosophy and theology, was ordained
and then served for a year as an assistant pastor before finally entering the Jesuit novitiate at
Feldkirch, Austria, on Oct. 1, 1900. Later he would show the same resolve in opposing Adolph
Hitler's National Socialist movement.

Mayer settled in Munich in 1912 and devoted the rest of his life to its citizens. He responded to
the needs of people moving into the city looking for employment. He collecting food and
clothing and searching out jobs and housing. His arena of action changed as Germany entered
World War I. Mayer volunteered as an army chaplain, serving first in a camp hospital and later
accompanying soldiers in France, Poland and Romania. He was legendary for his courage in
staying with the soldiers in the front line of battle and was awarded the Iron Cross in December
1915 for his bravery. His army career ended suddenly when his left leg was shattered on Dec. 30,
1916 and had to be amputated.

He returned to Munich where people still suffered the war's aftermath. Once again the
indefatigable Jesuit moved among people aiding them in any way he could. His leadership of the
men's sodality led to increased membership and required Mayer to travel all over the city, giving
as many as 70 talks a month. He introduced Sunday Masses at the main railroad terminal for the
convenience of travelers. If Munich were a single parish, then he would have been its pastor.
 As the communist and socialist movements grew strong, Mayer attended meetings and even
shared the platform with their speakers so that he could engage the speakers by raising Catholic
principles that contradicted what he saw as the evils to which these movements were leading
people. Unlike many who witnessed Adolf Hitler's rise to power, Mayer saw the falsehoods that
he was propagating. Since the Jesuit thought a Catholic could not be a National Socialist, conflict
inevitably arose between him and the Nazis. More than a political stance, his opposition was a
religious response to evil.

After Hitler became chancellor of the German Reich in January 1933, he made a move to close
church-related schools and started a campaign to defame religious orders in Germany. Mayer
used the pulpit of St. Michael's church in downtown Munich to speak out against this
persecution. On May 16, 1937 the Gestapo ordered him to stop speaking in public because they
could not tolerate his powerful influence in the city. He obeyed the order, except for inside the
church where he continued to preach. He was arrested on June 5 and was imprisoned for the first
of three times. He remained in Stadelheim Prison until his trial six weeks later when he was
given a suspended sentence. His Jesuit superiors initially asked him to remain silent, but then
allowed him to return to the pulpit to defend himself against defamatory attacks that the Nazis
made during his silence. He was re-arrested and served his sentence for five months until a
general amnesty freed him to return to Munich and work in small discussion groups.

The Nazis arrested him again on Nov. 3, 1939 although Mayer was already then 63 years-old;
they sent him to the Oranienburg-Sachsenhausen concentration camp near Berlin. After seven
months there his health deteriorated so badly that camp officials feared he would die. They did
not want to turn the popular priest into a martyr so they placed him in solitary confinement in the
Benedictine abbey at Ettal, in the Bavarian Alps, where he remained until American soldiers
freed him in May 1945.

Mayer returned to Munich and immediately resumed his apostolic work in St. Michael's church.
The years in prison had weakened him greatly. On November 1, 1945, the feast of All Saints,
Mayer suffered a heart attack while celebrating Mass in St. Michael's; he collapsed and died
shortly afterwards.

Originally Collected and edited by: Tom Rochford, SJ

 09 Oct 2020

Born in Stuttgart, Rupert Mayer

studied philosophy and theology in Freiburg, Munich and Tübingen. He was, among other
things, a member of A.V. Guestfalia Tübingen and K.D.St.V. Aenania München,
two Studentenverbindungen that belong to the Cartellverband der katholischen deutschen
Studentenverbindungen. In 1899, he was ordained a priest and joined the Society of
Jesus in Feldkirch, Vorarlberg, Austria (then Austria-Hungary) in 1900. From 1906, he moved
about Germany, Switzerland, and the Netherlands as a People's Commissioner. From 1914, he
was a chaplain at the front in the First World War. In 1916, he lost his left leg after it was injured
in a grenade attack. He was the first chaplain to win the Iron Cross. He worked managing a
clerical retreat, as a preacher, and as of 1921 as a leader of the Marian Congregation in Munich.
In 1937, he found himself in "protective custody" for six months, and for seven months after
that, he was in Sachsenhausen concentration camp. He was released from there on the condition
of a broad ban on preaching. Until the liberation by the US forces in May 1945, he lived Ettal
Abbey. An American Officer returned him to Munich, where he received a hero's welcome.
He died on his feet on 1 November 1945 of a stroke, while he was celebrating Mass, in Munich.
Facing the congregation, THE LORD THE LORD THE LORD. These were his last words.
Accompanied by thousands of mourners, Rupert Mayer was first buried at the Jesuitenfriedhof
in Pullach. Due to the steady stream of pilgrims, his remains were moved to Munich in 1948 and
were reburied in the Unterkirche of the Bürgersaalkirche, where his continued popularity as a
Bavarian hero and intercessor is documented.
Protest against the Nazis

Rupert Mayer spoke out against anti-Catholic baiting campaigns and fought against Nazi church
policy. He preached that man must obey God more than men. His protests against the Nazis
landed him several times in Landsberg prison and in Sachsenhausen concentration camp under
the Kanzelparagraphen, a series of 19th-century laws that forbade the clergy to make political
statements from their pulpits. From late 1940, he was interned in Ettal Monastery, mainly
because the Nazis were afraid that he would die in the concentration camp, and thereby become
a martyr.
Rupert Mayer resolutely spoke out against the Nazi régime's evil in his lectures and sermons.
Before the Sondergericht – one of Adolf Hitler's "special courts" – he declared "Despite the
speaking ban imposed on me, I shall preach further, even if the state authorities deem my pulpit
speeches to be punishable acts and a misuse of the pulpit."
His time in prison and the concentration camp had taken its toll, as had the enforced inactivity
while under house arrest at Ettal.
Rupert Mayer's legacy and honours
Since his death in 1945, Rupert Mayer's followers called for his beatification. In 1950, Michael
Cardinal von Faulhaber opened the information process in the diocese of Munich regarding the
call to sanctity and virtues. In 1951, Jesuit provincial Otto Faller completed and formally
forwarded the beatification information to Rome.
In 1956, Pope Pius XII, who had personally known Father Rupert Mayer during his time as Papal
nuncio in Munich, awarded him the title Servant of God. Under Pope John XXIII, the
beatification process was initiated, the results of which were formally accepted by Pope Paul
VI in 1971. Under Pope John Paul II, the decree of 'heroic virtue' was issued in 1983. Rupert
Mayer was beatified by Pope John Paul II on 3 May 1987 in Munich.
Father Mayer's grave was visited by Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI, whose parents
had venerated him. Many faithful hope for his canonization, which requires a miracle to be
accepted by Vatican authorities. In the meantime, people from all walks of life, visit the church
in the centre of Munich every day, packed with their shopping bags, children, dogs and, their
problems, asking for his intercession, or for a small moment of rest at his side.
In Bavaria, numerous streets are named after Ruper Mayer. In 1954, the Cartell Rupert
Mayer (CRM) was founded. It was a further development of the first Christliche Loge (CL)
founded in Munich in 1946. The mediaeval Dombauhütten Logen may be considered its
forerunner. Furthermore, in Pullach, Bavaria, a public school, a Realschule and
a Gymnasium bear his name. Also a school located in Cebu City; Sacred Heart School-Jesuit, has
a section named after him. Another Jesuit school in the Philippines; Xavier University - Ateneo
de Cagayan, also has a high schoolsection that bears his name. Regis Jesuit High School in
Aurora, Colorado dedicated the chapel to him.
In 2006 Fordham University dedicated a chapel in his name at their Lincoln Center campus
in Manhattan, New York.
Prayer of Rupert Mayer
The following text come from the song produced by Bukas Palad Ministry:
Lord, what You will let it be so
Where You will there we will go
What is Your will help us to know

Lord, when You will the time is right

In You there's joy in strife
For Your will I'll give my life

To ease Your burden brings no pain

To forego all for You is gain
As long as I in You remain

REFRAIN:
Because You will it, it is best
Because You will it, we are blest
Till in Your hands our hearts find rest
Till in Your hands our hearts find rest

3
Rupert Mayer, S.J. (23 January 1876 – 1 November 1945) was a German Jesuit priest and a
leading figure of the Catholic resistance to Nazism in Munich. In 1987, he was beatified by Pope
John Paul II.
 Contents

 1Early life
 2Army chaplain
 3Protest against the Nazis
 4Veneration
 5Legacy
 6Prayer of Rupert Mayer
 7References
 8External links

Early life[edit]
Mayer was born and grew up in Stuttgart, one of five siblings. He finished his secondary education in
1894 and studied philosophy and theology in Freiburg, Switzerland; Munich and Tübingen. He was,
among other things, a member of A.V. Guestfalia Tübingen and K.D.St.V. Aenania München,
two Studentenverbindungen that belong to the Cartellverband der katholischen deutschen
Studentenverbindungen. In 1899, he was ordained a priest and served for a year as an assistant
pastor in Spaichingen before joining the Society of Jesus in Feldkirch,
Vorarlberg, Austria (then Austria-Hungary) in 1900. After his novitiate, he went to the Netherlands for
further studies between 1906 and 1911, and the moved about Germany, Switzerland and
the Netherlands preaching missions in many parishes.[1] In 1912, he was transferred to Munich,
where his ministry was largely to migrants who had come to the city seeking employment.

Army chaplain
From 1914, Mayer volunteered as a chaplain in the First World War. He was initially assigned to
a camp hospital; but was later made a Field Captain and sent to
the fronts in France, Poland and Romania as chaplain to a division of soldiers. His bravery was
legendary and he was held in great esteem by the soldiers. [1] When there was fighting at the front, Fr.
Mayer would be found himself crawling along the ground from one soldier to the next talking to them,
and administering the Sacraments to them. In December 1915, Fr. Mayer was the first chaplain to
win the Iron Cross for bravery in recognition of his work with the soldiers at the front. In December
1916, he lost his left leg after it was injured in a grenade attack.[1] He returned to Munich to
convalesce and was referred to as the Limping Priest.
Mayer worked managing a clerical retreat, as a preacher, and as of 1921 as a leader of the men's
sodality in Munich. Mayer introduced Sunday Masses at the main railroad terminal for the
convenience of travelers.[2]

Protest against the Nazis[edit]

In January 1933, when Adolf Hitler became Chancellor of Germany, he began to close church-
affiliated schools and started a campaign to discredit the religious orders in Germany. Mayer spoke
out against this persecution from the pulpit of St. Michael's in downtown Munich and because he
was a powerful influence in the city, the Nazis could not tolerate such a force to oppose them. On 16
May 1937, the Gestapo ordered Mayer to stop speaking in public which he obeyed, but he continued
to preach in church.[3]
Mayer spoke out against anti-Catholic baiting campaigns and fought against Nazi church policy.
Since he believed that a Catholic could not be a National Socialist, conflict inevitably arose between
him and the Nazis.[2] He preached that Man must obey God more than men. His protests against the
Nazis landed him several times in Landsberg prison. Mayer resolutely spoke out against the Nazi
régime's evil in his lectures and sermons. On 5 June 1937, he was arrested and found himself in
"protective custody" in Stadelheim Prison for six weeks. When he became the target of defamatory
attacks on the part of the Nazis, his Jesuit superiors allowed him to return to the pulpit to defend
himself against slanders that the Nazis made during his silence. He was re-arrested and served a
sentence of five months.[3]
Mayer was arrested again 3 November 1939 and sent to Sachsenhausen concentration camp under
the Kanzelparagraphen, a series of 19th-century laws that forbade the clergy to make political
statements. He was released from there on the condition of a broad ban on preaching. The sixty-
three year old priest developed heart problems, From late 1944, he was interned in Ettal Monastery,
mainly because the Nazis were afraid that he would die in the concentration camp, and thus become
a martyr. He remained there until liberated by the US forces in May 1945.[2]
A United States officer returned him to Munich, where he resumed his duties at St. Michael's
Church.[2] Mayer died on his feet on 1 November 1945 of a stroke, while he was celebrating 8:00
AM Mass, on the feast of All Saints' Day in St. Michael's in Munich. Accompanied by thousands of
mourners, Mayer was first buried at the Jesuitenfriedhof in Pullach. Due to the steady stream of
pilgrims, his remains were moved to Munich in 1948 and were reburied in the Unterkirche of
the Bürgersaalkirche.[c
Since his death in 1945, Mayer's followers called for his beatification. In 1950, Cardinal Michael von
Faulhaber opened the information process in the Archdiocese of Munich and Freising regarding the
call to sanctity and virtues. In 1951, Jesuit provincial Otto Faller completed and formally forwarded
the beatification information to Rome.
In 1956, Pope Pius XII, who had personally known Fr. Rupert Mayer during his time as nuncio in
Munich, awarded him the title Servant of God.[3] Under Pope John XXIII, the beatification process
was initiated, the results of which were formally accepted by Pope Paul VI in 1971. Under Pope John
Paul II, the decree of 'heroic virtue' was issued in 1983. Mayer was beatified by Pope John Paul II on
3 May 1987 in Munich. His feast day is 3 November.
The chapel of the Fordham University Lincoln Center Campus is named in honor of Rupert Mayer
S.J.[4]

Legacy[edit]

In Bavaria, numerous streets are named after Father Mayer. In 1954, the Cartell Rupert
Mayer (CRM) was founded. It was a further development of the first Christliche Loge (CL) founded in
Munich in 1946. The mediaeval Dombauhütten Logen may be considered its forerunner. In Pullach,
Bavaria, a public school, a Realschule and a Gymnasium bear his name.
In Cebu City, Philippines, Sacred Heart School – Ateneo de Cebu, has a section named after him.
Another Jesuit school in the Philippines, Xavier University – Ateneo de Cagayan, has a high school
section that bears his name. Regis Jesuit High School in Aurora, Colorado dedicated the chapel to
him. In 2006 Fordham University dedicated a chapel in his name at their Lincoln Center campus
in Manhattan, New York. St Rupert Mayer has a missionary school named after him in Zimbabwe.
Another school in the Philippines, Ateneo de Davao University Senior High School, has a senior high
school section named after him.