Blessed Nikolaus Gross
Blessed Nikolaus Gross (born September 30, 1898 AD in Niederwenigern, Germany; died January 23, 1945 AD in Berlin, Germany) was a German coal miner, Catholic trade unionist, and journalist, a husband and father of seven, who was executed by the Nazi regime for his opposition to National Socialism. Also written Nikolaus Groß, he is venerated as a Blessed and martyr of the Church. His feast day is January 23.
Grounded in his Catholic faith and in the social teaching of the Church, Nikolaus Gross resisted the Nazi ideology through the Christian workers' movement and his editorship of a workers' newspaper, and he was condemned to death in connection with the resistance to Hitler. He was beatified in 2001.
Stored in Cargo: Blessed Nikolaus Gross
| Blessed Nikolaus Gross | |
|---|---|
| Feast Day | January 23 |
| Profession | Miner; trade unionist; journalist; husband and father; martyr |
| Rel. Affiliation | Catholic Church |
| Patronage | Workers; the Christian labor movement; fathers of families |
| Attributes | Palm of martyrdom |
| Birthplace | Niederwenigern, Germany |
| Death Place | Berlin (Plötzensee), Germany |
| Cause of Death | Martyrdom; executed by the Nazi regime at Berlin-Plötzensee |
| Primary Shrine | Saint Joseph's Church, Cologne, Germany |
Biography
Nikolaus Gross was born on September 30, 1898, at Niederwenigern in the Ruhr region of Germany, the son of a blacksmith. He went to work young as a coal miner, and through the Christian trade-union movement he became active in the cause of workers' rights, deeply formed by the social teaching of the Catholic Church. In time he became a journalist and then editor of the newspaper of the Catholic workers' associations of western Germany. He married Elisabeth Koch, and the couple had seven children.
When the National Socialists came to power, Gross recognized the incompatibility of their ideology with Christian faith and human dignity, and he used his paper to defend Christian and social principles until the regime suppressed it. He continued to strengthen the Catholic workers' movement quietly and to keep alive resistance to Nazism, maintaining contact with circles opposed to Hitler.
In the aftermath of the failed attempt on Hitler's life in July 1944, many opponents of the regime were rounded up. Gross was arrested, and though his direct role was limited, he was brought before the People's Court, condemned to death, and executed at the Plötzensee prison in Berlin on January 23, 1945. He met his death with faith and serenity, having written to his family of his trust in God. He was beatified on October 7, 2001, by Pope John Paul II. His feast is kept on January 23.
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Feast day
January 23
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