Franz Stock
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Abbé Franz Stock (21 September 1904, Neheim – 24 February 1948, Paris) was a German Roman Catholic priest.
"Abbé Franz Stock — that is no name, it is a program!" Nuntius Angelo Roncalli, who became later Pope John XXIII, said this on February 28, 1948, when carrying out the blessing of the deceased priest. During July 1962, he repeated these words in front of an international pilgrim group. "...the priest Franz Stock, we said so on the day of his funeral, when bestowing absolutio ad tumbam — this is not only a name — it is a program. Now after fourteen years have passed, we do wish to repeat the very same words."
Joseph Folliet, one of the magnificent men of the French spiritual life during the 1950s and 1960s said about him: "There are, I believe, only a few Christian life stories which have given to the Catholicism of the church and peace of Christ such a direct and lasting effect and rendered such a surviving testimony for the future, like the one of Franz Stock.”
As minister of the prisons of Paris and the execution site at the Mont Valérien during the time of the occupation of France, he has become part of history. Frenchmen gave him the designation "L'Aumonier en enfer – The minister in hell" and "L'Archange de enfer – The archangel in hell." Often, because of his German nationality, he was the only priest who could freely visit the prisioners without being a part of the Nazi war apparatus. This made his services indispensable. However, besides ministering to the spiritual needs of the incarcerated, he passed messages between them and their families. By this means, and with many others, many arrests and some executions were avoided. It should be noted, further, that these services were rendered with his full knowledge of having a major heart ailment.
From 1945 onwards till 1947 he was managing director of the POW seminary behind barbed wire of Chartres. This seminar was credited with the instruction of many new priests that, in the post-war years, helped to bring about a new spirit of understanding and peace between France and a democratic Germany.
On June 15/16 1963 his mortal remains were transferred to Chartres and since that time he has been resting in the shadow of the famous cathedral, which most luminiously of all cathedrals in Europe signifies the transcendence of human beings. Pope John Paul II during his visit to Germany, November 18, 1981, in Fulda, mentioned the name Franz Stock along with the names of grand saints of the German history.
On 1st March, 1998, the commemoration of the anniversary for his 50th day of death was held in the cathedral of Chartres. The archbishop of Paris, Cardinal Lustiger, celebrated in the presence of many French and German bishops the Pontifical High Mass, with the attendance of Monsieur Monory, President of the French Senate and also Helmut Kohl, Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany, who beforehand had laid down a wreath on Stock's grave.
[edit] Short Biography of Life
September 21, 1904 Franz Stock is born as the first of nine children of a worker family in Neheim, Germany.
1910 – 1913 Visit of the Catholic elementary school. His schoolmates noticed nothing particular about him. He belonged to the average and hardly distinquished himself in some way. At the age of twelve he expressed for the first time his wish to become a priest.
1917 – 1923 Hence at the age of thirteen during Easter 1917 he entered the Neheim secondary school. During the entire time of his study he distinquished himself not much with specific achievements. He accomplished his matriculation Easter 1926.
1926 – 1932 Study of Catholic theology. Started to study in Paderborn at the philosophic-theological academy.
Participated 1926 at the international peace meeting in Bierville near Paris, which had been organized by Marc Sagnier (cfr. Sillon), a Frenchman, under the motto "Peace via the youths!" Makes the acquaintance of Joseph Folliet, who greatly influenced him. Goes Easter, 1928, for three terms to Paris and studies at the Institut Catholique. Since the middle ages he is the first German student of theology in France. Becomes a member of "Compagnons de Saint Francois – the fellowman of saint Francis“whose ideal was plain life and the realization of peace. During the consecutive years he is present during international meetings, so 1931 on the Borberg near Brilon.
March 15, 1931 Ordination to the subdiaconate. Before the pre-ordination spiritual exercises he wrote to his parents: "... During these days I’m doing the decisive step with the subdeacon ordination to the priesthood. I am conscious of all my weaknesses, but I have great trust in the One, Who is strengthening us and I will do everything in my power, to be worthy of Him. There is a rule of the Divine Providence in my total development, commencing the day when I thought for the first time to become a priest until this date."
March 12, 1932 Ordination to the priesthood by the archbishop of Paderborn Dr. Kaspar Klein. On the leaflet for his first holy mass there are written the words out of the 1st letter of St. Peter: "Sanctify your soul by obedience towards the truth for sincere brotherly love and do love each other from your heart. You have been truly reborn, not out of temporary but immortal seed but by means of God’s word, which is living and eternal."
1932 – 1934 First activity as priest in Effeln near Lippstadt and in Dortmund-Eving.
1934 Appointed as rector of the German Bonifatius-parish in Paris. He lives in the Rue Lhomond 21/32 near the Quartier Latin.
September 1, 1939 Outbreak of the World War II. A few days ahead a hasty return of Stock to Germany. Activity as priest in Dortmund-Bodelschwingh and in Klein-Wanzleben in central Germany.
August 13, 1940 Renewed nomination as priest for Germans living in Paris. Returns in October to Paris.
Anfang 1941 Beginning of his work in the prisons of Paris Fresnes, La Santé and Cherche-Midi.
June 10, 1941 Official acknowledgment as priest for the military post as subsidiary office. He has to care for the prisoners in the jails and the act of getting ready those sentenced to death. The jails of Paris during 1941 – 1944 held approximately 11000 prisoners.
Executions were carried out on the Mont Valérien. The diary of Stock, in which he made brief notes about the prisoners and those sentenced to death is becoming a distressing document. He mentions 863 executions! He himself, however, has mentioned, that the shootings for which he had to attend is a four figure number and not the lowest one. He himself had expressed to a person well known to him shortly before his end of life that there were more than 2000. The memorial plate on the Mont Valerien indicates a number of more than 4500.
August 25, 1944 Entry of de Gaulle in Paris. Abbé Stock is in the Hospital la Pitié, where more than 600 wounded German soldiers together with 200 English and American soldiers are lying, who are not fit for transport.
When the Americans took into command the hospital Abbé Franz Stock becomes an American Prisoner of War and gets assigned the prisoner number US/PWIB/31 G/820 274. The Aumônerie Général in Paris contacted Abbé Franz Stock, who at that time was in the huge Prisoner of War Camp of Cherbourg. It was planned to set up a seminary for captured Catholic students of theology. It was scheduled to further their aim to attain priesthood and to give them a chance, to become an element of Catholic renewal of Germany.
Shortly thereafter Abbé Stock was asked to head this seminary as managing director. The POW Camp Dépôt 51 in Orlean was intended for it.
April 24, 1945 Abbé Le Meur accompanies Abbé Stock to Orleans, where there were already 28 students of theology awaiting them.
August 17, 1945 The prisoner seminary is moved to the POW Camp Dépôt 501 near Chartres. Colonel Gourut places 160 seminarists under the protection of the Blessed Virgin of Chartres.
August 19, 1945 Already two days later Msgr. Harscouet, bishop of Chartres, accompanied by his secretary Abbé Pierre André, pays a visit to the seminary. Later he visited the camp repeatedly and addressed the seminarists always with "Mes Chers enfants – my dear children“.
September 18, 1945 The later pope John XXIII., Nuncio Roncalli, arrives for a longer visit at the camp.
July 16, 1946 The nuncio visits the seminary once more. On the Sunday after Christmas the papal nuncio appears again to convey benediction of the Holy Father. During this visit he emphasizes: “The seminary of Chartres is praiseworthy for both countries, France as well as Germany. It is very well suitable to become a sign of understanding and reconciliation."
05. 04. 1947 On Easter Saturday the apostolic nuncio celebrates with the seminarists the liturgy of Easter Saturday and consecrates two deacons of the diocese Rottenburg to priests. In his address he said: "Here you have learnt the rule of Providence. Christ yesterday, today and in eternity. Peace, freedom and love – they will be the triumph of our Lord Jesus Christ."
26. 04. 1947 Managing director Stock addressed the seminarists of the POW seminary of Chartres at the 2nd year’s anniversary of the foundation of the seminary a message, which preacher Abbé Jean Pihan on Stock’s 20th day of death denominated as prophetic: “… One of the divine supervision desired number of holy men will suffice, to rescue our epoch. It is the Providence, which hurls towards us this call for holiness by the voice of the history, and we must hear it, to bring to the world the message of freedom and peace, salvation and love…”
14. 05. 1947 Cardinal Suhard of Paris visits the seminary.
05. 06. 1947 The seminary for German students of theology, captured during the war, was closed. 949 lecturers, priests, brothers and seminarists had been at the seminary. During the evacuation only 369 were still left
16. 12. 1947 Abbé Stock receives the notification about his appointment as honorary doctor of he University at Freiburg i. Br.
24. 02. 1948 Suddenly and unexpectedly he dies, hardly 44 years old, towards 16:00 hours in the hospital Cochin in Paris.
28. 02. 1948 Obsequies in the church Saint Jaques du Haut-Pas in Paris. Nuncio Roncalli himself carries out the consecration of the dead. Miserable and pitiful burial and– just about 12 people give him the last escort – at the cemetery Thiais.
[edit] Commemoration Ceremonies after Abbé Stock’s death
03.07.1949 First public commemoration ceremony for Franz Stock at the cathedral for disabled in Paris. So far, no German had ever been honored here; he is considered to be the first one.
15.08.1951 Consecration of the new gravestone by cardinal archbishop of Paris, Mgsr. Feltin. Father Riquet, cathedral preacher of Notre Dame in Paris said in his address: "It is paradox, that a German priest, in the middle of the war has acted as servant and friend of those people who were considered to be the worst enemies of his government. The families of the imprisoned and those shot to death donate the gravestone for Abbé Stock with the inscription “PAX”.
27.10.1951 Official consecration of the new grave in the cemetery of Thiais in Paris by the archbishop of Paris, cardinal Feltin.
08.07.1962 Meeting of Adenauer and de Gaulle in the cathedral of Reims, to seal the German-French reconciliation. During the meeting they prepare the German-French friendship contract.
13. 06. 1963 Exhumation of the body of Stock in the cemetery of Thiais.
14. 06. 1963 The French National Council approves the German-French friendship contract, often also named as Elysee Contract, which had been signed by Adenauer and de Gaulle on February 22, 1963.
15./16. 06. 1963 The corpse of Abbé Stock was moved from Paris to Chartres to the newly built church Saint Jean Baptiste. Pope John XXIII., on his deathbed, signs a cable for this commemoration. The papal benediction from the Vatican bears the signature of the death – like a legacy.
27.–30.09.1965 Consecration of the memorial in Arnsberg/Neheim
18.04.1989 A memorial plate is fastened on house 23 in the Rue Lhomond in Paris, where Stock lived from 1934 until 1944.
15.09.1990 Naming "Place de l’Abbé Franz Stock" in Suresnes/Paris on the Mont Valérien in front of the Mémorial de la France combattante, i.e. the execution site during the German occupation between 1940 and 1944.
13. 06. 1993 30 years after the corpse had been moved the petition addressed to the church to pronounce Abbé Stock as blessed was delivered in French and German language during the pontifical mass in the cathedral of Chartres.
22.–28.02.1998 Commemoration at the 50th anniversary of the day of death for Abbé Stock in Paris. A French postage stamp is issued.
01.03. 1998 Between February 22 and 28, 1998 there had been festivities in Paris at the 50th anniversary of the day of death of Abbé Franz Stock. Climax of these festivities is on March 1, 1998 with a pontifical mass in the cathedral of Chartres, which will be celebrated by the archbishop of Paris, cardinal Lustiger together with bishop Lehman, the chairman of the German bishops‘ conference and archbishop Degenhardt from Paderborn. Dr. Helmut Kohl, the chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany along with Monsieur Monory, president of the senate and consequently the 2nd man in the French Republic, will participate in this worship. Before this the chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany laid down a wreath on the grave of Abbé Stock in the church St. Jean Baptist. Together we, Germans and Frenchmen, are responsible for the common future before human beings and before God.” (extract from the sermon of cardinal Lustiger).
September 1998 Commemoration in Arnsberg/Neheim during the German/French cultural week.
13.05.2001 60th anniversary of the official confirmation of Franz Stock as minister of the prisons, commemoration at Mont Valérein and the church Notre Dame de la Paix of Suresnes under the patronage of Madame Nicole Fontaine, President of the European Parliament.
