May 8, 1521 Birth of St. Peter Canisius, the first German Jesuit. Sometimes called the "Second Apostle of Germany" (St. Boniface is the first), he was the first German to enter the Jesuit order and founded numerous Jesuit centers in Germany. May 8, 1909 Death of Friedrich Holstein in Berlin, Germany. Holstein was a member of the … [Read more...]

May 7, 973 Death of the Emperor Otto I in Memleben, Germany. Otto became the German king in 936 and the Holy Roman Emperor in 962. He brought order to the empire, which was greatly fragmented, strengthened the position of the church, and made possible a period of prosperity and development of culture referred to as the "Ottonian … [Read more...]

May 6, 1757 The battle of Prague takes place in the Seven Year's War (1756-1763) (Siebenjähriger Krieg) between Prussia and Austria and their allies. May 6, 1856 Birth of Sigmund Freud (1856-1939) in Freiberg, Moravia (then part of the Austrian Empire). Sigmund Freud was an Austrian neurologist who became known as the founding father … [Read more...]

May 5, 1352 Birth of Rupert, the Elector of the Holy Roman Empire, in Amberg, Germany. May 5, 1525 Death of Friedrich III (the Wise), Elector of Saxony in Lochau, Germany. Friederich served as the protector of Martin Luther after the imperial ban of 1521. He housed Luther at the castle named the Wartburg where Luther translated the … [Read more...]

May 4 Feast Day of St. Florian ( ? – ca. 304) St. Florian was a Roman military officer stationed in Lorch, Austria (at that time Lauriacum in the Roman Empire). Florian adopted the new Christian religion. He refused to give up his faith when arrested during the persecution of Diocletian. He was tortured and finally killed. A stone was tied around … [Read more...]

May 3, 996 The first German Pope, Gregory V, was consecrated on this date. (There had been an earlier Gothic Pope, Boniface II, who had reigned from 530-532. Gregory V was the first Pope with West Germanic origins.) Gregory V's name was Bruno von Kärnten. We are not certain of the exact date and specific location of his birth. Like his East … [Read more...]

May 2, 1507 Martin Luther is consecrated a priest at the Augustinian monastery in Erfurt, Germany. May 2, 1601 Birth of Athanasius Kircher (1601-1680) in Geisa, Germany. Kircher studied in Fulda, Paderborn, Cologne and Koblenz. In 1628 he was ordained a Jesuit priest in Mainz. In 1634 he moved to Rome and took up the task of assembling … [Read more...]