Blessed Bernhard Lichtenberg
Blessed Bernhard Lichtenberg (born December 3, 1875 AD in Ohlau, Silesia, Germany (now Oława, Poland); died November 5, 1943 AD en route to Dachau Concentration Camp, Germany) was a German Catholic priest and martyr — the Provost of Saint Hedwig's Cathedral in Berlin — who publicly prayed for the Jews every evening during the Nazi persecution, openly opposed the Nazi regime's anti-Jewish policies and euthanasia program, and died en route to Dachau concentration camp after being sentenced to prison for his public witness. He is one of the most courageous opponents of National Socialism in the German Catholic Church. He was beatified by Pope John Paul II in Berlin on June 23, 1996. His feast day is November 5.
Stored in Cargo: Blessed Bernhard Lichtenberg
| Blessed Bernhard Lichtenberg | |
|---|---|
| Feast Day | November 05 |
| Profession | Catholic priest; Provost of Saint Hedwig's Cathedral Berlin; confessor and martyr; opponent of National Socialism; defender of Jewish victims; opponent of the euthanasia program |
| Rel. Affiliation | Catholic Church; Diocese of Berlin; German Catholic Church; 20th-century martyrs; martyr of the Nazi era; confessor of the faith under totalitarianism |
| Patronage | Berlin; Germany; Jews; victims of Nazi persecution; priests who resist totalitarianism; those who defend the persecuted; the Diocese of Berlin |
| Attributes | Black clerical suit and Roman collar; a cross; a prayer book (his evening prayers for the Jews); barbed wire (imprisonment); Star of David (his solidarity with Jews); Berlin cathedral in background |
| Birthplace | Ohlau, Silesia, Germany (now Oława, Poland) |
| Death Place | En route to Dachau Concentration Camp; died in Hof an der Saale, Bavaria, Germany |
| Cause of Death | Martyrdom/natural death aggravated by imprisonment; died November 5, 1943, while being transported to Dachau Concentration Camp; he was 67 years old; he had been sentenced to two years in prison (1941–1943) for his public criticism of Nazi anti-Jewish propaganda and his prayers for Jews; after his prison sentence ended, the Gestapo ordered him transferred to Dachau; he died during the transport, at Hof an der Saale in Bavaria, before reaching Dachau; the conditions of his imprisonment and transport were the proximate cause of his death; Pope John Paul II beatified him as a martyr in Berlin on June 23, 1996 |
| Primary Shrine | Saint Hedwig's Cathedral, Berlin, Germany — his cathedral; his relics are kept here; November 5 feast; JPII beatification 1996 |
| Liturgical Class | Not in universal Roman calendar; November 5 feast in the Diocese of Berlin and in Germany |
| Historic Class | Not in 1962 calendar |
Biography
Bernhard Lichtenberg was born December 3, 1875, in Ohlau (now Oława), Silesia. He was ordained a priest in 1899 in Breslau (now Wrocław) and served in parishes in Berlin before becoming Provost of Saint Hedwig's Cathedral in November 1938.
Within days of his appointment — following the Kristallnacht pogrom of November 9–10, 1938 — he began praying publicly every evening after Vespers for the Jews and for all victims of Nazi persecution. He continued these public prayers until his arrest in 1941.
He was arrested October 23, 1941, after denouncing both the Nazi anti-Jewish propaganda and the T4 euthanasia program from the pulpit. At his trial he openly stated that he considered it his priestly duty to pray for the Jews and oppose the killing of the disabled. He was sentenced to two years in prison.
After his sentence ended, the Gestapo ordered him transferred to Dachau concentration camp. He died on November 5, 1943, at Hof an der Saale in Bavaria during the transport, before reaching Dachau.
He was beatified by Pope John Paul II in Berlin on June 23, 1996. His feast day is November 5.
Significant locations
Legend
Birth location: Ohlau, Silesia, Germany (now Oława, Poland)
Death location: En route to Dachau Concentration Camp; died in Hof an der Saale, Bavaria, Germany
Notable location:
Notable location:
Notable location:
Notable location:
Notable location:
Dynamic content
Parishes
No parishes dedicated to Bernhard Lichtenberg have been added to the database yet.
Media
No media found for this saint.
Shrines
Dynamic shrines
No results
No shrines where this saint is the primary saint.
Known shrines
- Saint Hedwig's Cathedral, Berlin, Germany — where his relics are preserved; the site of his nightly public prayers for the Jews; November 5 feast; JPII beatification 1996.
Feast day
November 5
Veneration
Blessed Bernhard Lichtenberg (1875–1943) was the Provost of Saint Hedwig's Cathedral Berlin who publicly prayed every evening for the Jews during the Nazi persecution, openly opposed the euthanasia program, was imprisoned by the Gestapo, and died en route to Dachau in 1943 — one of the most courageous Catholic witnesses of the Nazi era. Beatified John Paul II, Berlin, 1996. Feast November 5.
Prayers
Authored
There are prayers authored by this saint in prayers list yet.
Intercessory
There are no prayers asking for this saint's intercession in prayers list yet.