Wilhelm Kempf (bishop)

Wilhelm Kempf
Bishop of Limburg
relief bust of a man
Relief in the Wilhelm-Kempf-Haus, Wiesbaden
Church Catholic
See Limburg
In office 1949–1981
Predecessor Ferdinand Dirichs
Successor Franz Kamphaus
Orders
Consecration 25 July 1949
by Joseph Frings
Personal details
Born (1906-08-10)10 August 1906
Wiesbaden, Germany
Died 9 October 1982(1982-10-09) (aged 76)
Wiesbaden
Previous post Heilig Geist, Frankfurt
Coat of arms

Wilhelm Kempf (10 August 1906 – 9 October 1982) was a German Catholic theologian, from 1949 to 1981 Bishop of Limburg. He built the diocese after the destruction of the war and introduced the changes of the Second Vatican Council, in which he took part.

Career

Born in Wiesbaden, Kempf was the eldest of four sons of a teacher. He grew up in Wiesbaden.[1] He studied theology and philosophy at the seminary for priests in Fulda,[2] at the Gregoriana in Rome and at St. Georgen in Frankfurt, earning a PhD in Rome in 1928.[3] He was consecrated as a priest on 8 December 1932 at the Limburg Cathedral.[3] After several positions as chaplain, Kempf was the parish priest of Heilig Geist in Riederwald, part of Frankfurt, from 1942 to 1949.[3] On 25 July 1949, Kempf was consecrated as Bishop of Limburg, succeeding Ferdinand Dirichs who had died in a car accident.[4] He was ordained by Cardinal Joseph Frings, Archbishop of Cologne, assisted by Albert Stohr, Bishop of Mainz, and the US bishop and later first Apostolic Nuncio in the German Federal Republic, Aloisius Joseph Muench.

As the bishop, Kempf first had to contend with the destruction of the war, which included the rebuilding of damaged churches, integration of displaced persons (Heimatvertriebene), and establishment of new parishes in the major cities of Frankfurt and Wiesbaden.[2] Kempf took part in the Second Vatican Council from 1962 to 1965 and introduced its changes in the diocese.[2] Particularly interested in church music, he founded the Limburger Domsingknaben boys' choir in 1967.[3] From 1969, he gave more influence to the councils of mostly lay people who were democratically elected in parishes. He was regarded as conservative but tolerant and open to reform plans within the church.[1]

On 10 August 1981, his 75th birthday, Kempf requested his retirement, which was granted. He died on 9 October 1982 in Wiesbaden and is buried in the Limburg Cathedral.[3]

The church historian Friedrich Kempf was his younger brother.

Awards and legacy

In 1973, Kempf was awarded the Großes Verdienstkreuz of the Federal Republic,[5] to which a star and Schulterband were added in 1981. He was made an honorary citizen of Wiesbaden in 1976.[1] The Eberhard-Karls-Universität Tübingen awarded an honorary doctorate of theology to him in 1981.[2] He was also an honorary citizen of Limburg from 18 June 1974,[3] and of Schloßborn, his father's hometown, and an honorary member of the Catholic student corporation (Studentenverbindung) Staufia Frankfurt in the KV.

The central meeting house of the diocese of Limburg in Wiesbaden-Naurod, which he had planned as a place of spiritual intercourse and open dialogue, is named after him.[1][6]

Publications

Kempf's publications have included:[3]

  • Glaubensüberzeugung und Geistesfreiheit. Knecht, Frankfurt am Main 1962
  • Auf dein Wort hin. Briefe des Bischofs von Limburg an die Gemeinden des Bistums zur österlichen Bußzeit 1972-1981. Verlag des Bischöflichen Ordinariats, Limburg, ISBN 3-921221-01-3
  • Für euch und für alle. Brief des Bischofs von Limburg zur Fastenzeit 1981 an die Gemeinden des Bistums, besonders an die Fernstehenden. Verlag des Bischöflichen Ordinariats, Limburg 1981, ISBN 3-921221-02-1

Literature

  • Walther Kampe: Ein Leben für die Kirche: Festrede zum 75. Geburtstag von Dr. Wilhelm Kempf. Knecht, Frankfurt am Main 1981, ISBN 3-7820-0468-X
  • Martin Persch (1992). "Wilhelm Kempf (bishop)". In Bautz, Friedrich Wilhelm. Biographisch-Bibliographisches Kirchenlexikon (BBKL) (in German). 3. Herzberg: Bautz. cols. 1340–1343. ISBN 3-88309-035-2.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Buchholz, Kurt. ""Wer war eigentlich...": Bischof Wilhelm Kempf?" (in German). Wiesbaden. Retrieved 2 October 2018.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Bischof Wilhelm Kempf" (in German). Wilhelm-Kempf-Haus. Retrieved 2 October 2018.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Dr. Wilhelm Kempf" (in German). Limburg. Retrieved 2 October 2018.
  4. ↑ Martin Persch 1992.
  5. ↑ Bekanntgabe von Verleihungen des Verdienstordens der Bundesrepublik Deutschland. Bundesanzeiger. Year 25, No. 85, 8 May 1973.
  6. ↑ "Wilhelm-Kempf-Haus" (in German). Wilhelm-Kempf-Haus. Retrieved 2 October 2018.
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