Blessed Bernhard Lichtenberg

Life story

Bernhard Lichtenberg was born on 3 December 1875 at Ohlau in Prussian Silesia (now Oława, Poland) and was ordained a priest in 1899. He served in Berlin, was active in the Catholic Centre Party, and from 1931 was provost of St Hedwig's Cathedral.

After the Nazis came to power he spoke out against the treatment of prisoners at the Esterwegen camp. After Kristallnacht in November 1938 he is recorded as saying that the synagogue burning outside was also a house of God. From then on he added a public prayer for the Jews and the persecuted to the daily evening service. From 1938 he also ran a diocesan office that helped Catholics of Jewish descent to emigrate.

On 23 October 1941 he was arrested. A court sentenced him to two years in prison for violating the pulpit law and the treachery law. At the end of the sentence he was not released but was sent on toward Dachau. He fell ill on the way and died of pneumonia on 5 November 1943 in a hospital in Hof, Bavaria.

John Paul II beatified him in Berlin on 23 June 1996. In 2004 Yad Vashem recognised him as Righteous Among the Nations.

Works and witness

• Provost of St Hedwig's Cathedral in Berlin from 1931
• Prayed publicly for Jews and prisoners at evening service
• Ran a diocesan office helping Catholics of Jewish descent emigrate
• Arrested on 23 October 1941 and sentenced to two years in prison
• Beatified in 1996; named Righteous Among the Nations in 2004

Saints from the same country

Saint Stanislaus of Kraków, Saint John Paul II, Saint Maximilian Kolbe, Saint Faustina Kowalska

References

• Martyrologium Romanum
• Vatican decree and ceremony of beatification, 23 June 1996
• Yad Vashem, Righteous Among the Nations database entry (2004)

Written by Anawim from documented history. Some details about ancient saints rest on tradition and are marked as such.