Katholische Academische Verbindung Lovania Leuven
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Katholische Academische Verbindung (K.A.V.) Lovania Leuven is a Catholic academic fraternity, founded in 1896 at the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Leuven, Belgium. It is a German Studentenverbindung and is an affiliated member of the Cartellverband der katholischen deutschen Studentenverbindungen. Her motto is Semper Excelsius! and Der Geist lebt in uns allen!. Its official coulours (Couleur) are green, white and red.
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[edit] History
The Catholic university of Louvain, founded in 1425, was closed down during the occupation of the Low Countries in 1797 after the French revolutionaries occupied the country. After the defeat of the revolutionaries the university was refounded in 1834 and was able to attract quite a number of Catholic students from Germany, Austria and Switzerland who were fleeing the Kulturkampf.
At first a Swiss Catholic student fraternity was founded, Helvetia Lovaniensis. It existed from 1872 to 1875. It was succeeded by an all German Catholic student fraternity, Tungria Lovaniensis, that existed from 1877 until 1879. In 1888 a regional student fraternity was founded by students from Luxemburg. Only the last fraternity survived. Out of the ashes of the demise of the Swiss and German fraternities, a new fraternity was founded.
This event was triggered by a public allocution of Prof. Dr. Dr. Dr. Armand Thiéry, a professor in thomistic philosophy at the university, on student life at Germanic universities on January 21, 1896. During his student years in Bonn, Thiery had become a member of the prestigious student fraternity K.D.St. V. Bavaria Bonn, the oldest Catholic student fraternity in the world. This speech motivated a number of Germanic students to such an extent that they decided to establish a fraternity that same evening. It was called Lovania, which is Latin for Leuven (Louvain). The fraternity quickly expanded and Prof. Thiéry became honorary president. Lovania continued to blossom until the outbreak of the First World War. In 1914 the fraternity was suspended due to the commencement of fighting. At that moment the fraternity already had more than 160 active and inactive members. Numerous members died on both sides of the war.
In post war Belgium it was impossible to re-establish a German student fraternity in 1918. Promising efforts were made during 1927 and 1928 but failed after a short period of time. The Second World War made a quick re-establishment even more impossible. It took until 1996 until the political situation was stable enough to reconstitute the fraternity. At that moment many students who belonged to fraternities were members of the Cartellverband and studied in Louvain. The idea then arose to re-establish the fraternity. The last surviving member gave his blessing to this undertaking and on April 19, 1996 the reactivation became a reality. In 1999 the friendly affiliation to the Cartellverband was formally re-established. Today the fraternity flourishes and has 97 members to date, originating from Flanders, The Netherlands, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Poland, United Kingdom, Ireland and the United States.
[edit] Principles
Lovania is founded upon three guiding principles:
- religio: the fraternity and all its members publicly adhere to the Roman Catholic faith
- scientia: the pursuit of an academic education of all of its members
- amicitia: a lifelong friendship between all the members of the fraternity as long as they live
The members of Lovania do not practice academic fencing (Mensur) because it is forbidden by the Roman Catholic Church. Academic fencing is common with the more liberal student fraternities that already existed in Germanic countries. Due to this restriction, Catholic students had to organize themselves in separate fraternities. Lovania only accepts men into the organization.
[edit] Structures
The fraternity has a legislative (the power to make laws), executive (the power to implement laws) and judiciary (the power to judge and apply punishment when laws are broken) body. All full members make up the legislative body, which elects the executive body. The legislative body also functions as a judiciary body. In this case it assumes the function of an honarary senate.
[edit] Traditions
The official dress symbols, that are worn by each member, consist of a vertical green-white-red triband bordered with a golden thread and a green kepi, the historical military cap as worn during the American Civil War.
During official ceremonies and special occasions, the praesidium wears a Dress uniform, a traditional Polish military uniform called a Vollwichs which consists mainly of a bekiesza.
[edit] Famous members (selection)
[edit] alive
- Prof. Dr. Dr. John Dudley, former professor at the priestly seminary at Wigratzbad (Bavaria, Germany) en 's Hertogenbosch (North-Brabant, the Netherlands) and currerntly visiting professor at Divine Word College in Iowa
- Stephen Klimczuk former director and board member of the World Economic Forum Geneva, Switzerland
- Prof. Dr. Ir. Karel Soudan, professor Universiteit Antwerpen, dean of the Faculty of Economic sciences
- Prof. Dr. Mr. Matthias Storme (6. juni 1959), professor at the Catholic University of Leuven and the Universiteit Antwerpen, member of the Bar of Brussels
[edit] deceased
- Prof. Dr. Prosper Vicount Poullet (December 9 1871 - December 23 1935) former prime minister of Belgium and Minister of State
- Pierre Prüm (July 9 1886 – Februari 1 1950) former prime minister of Luxemburg
- Alexander Count von Kolowrat (January 29 1886 – December 4 1927) founder of the Austrian movie industry
- Mon De Goeyse (October 1 1907 - December 21 1998), Flemish student leader, author of the clubcodex
- Prof. Dr. Albert Carnoy (November 7 1878 - January 12 1961), belgian minister of internal affairs and health
- Mgr. Charles Cartuyvels (February 27 1835), vice-rector of the Catholic University of Louvain
- Mr. Georges Baron Holvoet (August 16 1874 - April 23 1964), governor of the (Belgian) province of Antwerpen and chef de cabinet of the Prince-regent Charles of Belgium
- Paul Lebeau (June 29 1908 - October 18 1982) Flemish author
- Prof. Dr. Albert Michotte (1881 - 1965), experimental psychologist
- Etienne Baron Orban de Xivry (February 18 1885 - July 23 1953), Belgische senator
- Jef van den Eynde (December 21 1879 - April 12 1929), Flemish student leader
- Prof. Dr. Adam van Kan (July 18 1877 - June 6 1944), Dutch scientist
- Prof. Dr. Dr. Dr. Ir Can. Armand Thiery (6. augustus 1868 - 12. januari 1955), priest and founder of the fraternity
- Mr. Charles Baron Woeste (February 26 1837 - April 5 1922), Belgian Minister of State
