Beatification of Franz Jägerstätter

Pax Christi members from the UK, Ireland, the USA, Germany and Italy will travel to Austria this week to take part in a Mass for the beatification of Franz Jägerstätter the Austrian farmer who was beheaded in Brandenburg, Germany, on 9 August 1943, for refusing to fight in Hitler's army.
Franz believed that he would be committing a sin if he acted against his conscience and agreed to fight for the National Socialist state. For him, this was a situation in which he had to obey God more than the commands of secular rulers. In following the commandment 'you shall love your neighbour as yourself' Franz decided that he could not fight with weapons of war. For refusing to undertake military service he was sentenced to death in Berlin and was beheaded in Brandenburg on 9th August 1943.

The Mass will be celebrated on 26 October at 10am in St Mary's Cathedral in Linz, the home Diocese of the Franz Jägerstätter and his family. The celebrant will be Diocesan Bishop Dr Ludwig Schwarz, who was one of the promoters of the cause of beatification.
Speaking of Franz the Bishop said: "Franz Jägerstätter is a prophet with a global view and a penetrating insight which very few of his contemporaries had at that time; he is a shining example in his fidelity to the claims of his conscience, an advocate of nonviolence and peace, a voice of warning against ideologies, a deep-believing person for whom God really was the core and centre of life. His prophetic witness to Christian truth is based on a clear, radical and far-sighted analysis of the barbarism of the inhuman and godless system of Nazism, its racial delusions, its ideology of war and deification of the state, as well as its declared programme of annihilating Christianity and the Church. His educated, mature conscience led him to say a resolute 'No' to Nazism and he was executed due to his consistent refusal to take up arms as a soldier in Hitler's war."

There will also be celebrations on 27 and 28 October in St Radegund, the home village of the Jägerstätter family, where his widow Franziska and her three daughters still live.

Pax Christi has long promoted the life and witness of Franz, holding an annual memorial service in August on the anniversary of his execution and producing publications and articles on his life. Pax Christi will host a Mass at Westminster Cathedral on 21 November to celebrate the Beatification.

On October 26, 2007 at Linz, Austria, the Church will beatify Franz Jägerstätter

Courage for the Faith Fred Schaeffer, SFO, Five Franciscan Martyrs Region

The story of Franz Jägerstätter (1907-1943) brings us to St. Radegung, in Austria in 1934. Franz, a mature and religious person attended Holy Mass regularly, read a lot and occasionally met with various people. Eventually, he fell in love and married a Catholic woman. They went to Rome on their honeymoon and their family expanded to three daughters. They lived quietly and devoutly in St. Radegung.

1938 was a tumultuous year in Germany. Hitler annexed Austria to Germany and the citizenry were arrested, tortured and many were killed.
When the day came to vote for the annexation, Franz was the only person to vote no. He said, at the time, "I believe that what took place in the spring of 1938 was not much different from what happened that Holy Thursday nineteen hundred years ago when the crowd was given a free choice between the innocent Savior and the criminal Barabbas."
In 1939, Franz was drafted and he reported to training, but, they exempted him since he was a farmer. He told his wife that, "If they call me up, I will not serve."

He was a member of the Third Order of St. Francis, which he joined on the Feast of the Immaculate Conception in 1940. In 1943, Franz refused to enter the Army, and told the commanding officer that he was a conscientious objector. He was thrown into prison. He kept a journal while he was in prison and we see from his writing that he had given this matter a great deal of thought. He argued that God gave him the means to choose between good and evil, and thus he felt that the war was even and he could not serve.

One of the things he wrote, was this, "I can easily see that anyone who refuses to acknowledge the Nazi Folk Community and also is unwilling to comply with all the demands of its leaders will thereby forfeit the rights and privileges offered by that nation. But it is not much different with God: he who does not obey all the commandments set forth by Him and His Church and who is not ready to undergo sacrifices and to fight for His Kingdom either – such one loses every claim and every right under that Kingdom. . .
Now any one who is able to fight for both kingdoms and stay in good standing in both communities (that is, the community of saints and the Nazi Folk Community) and who is able to obey every command of the Third Reich – such a man, in my opinion, would be a great magician. I for one cannot do so. And I definitely prefer to relinquish my rights under the Third Reich and thus make sure of deserving the rights granted under the Kingdom of God."

Franz also wrote, "We Catholics apparently entertain hopes of winning a glorious victory for our faith without any battle – and, to top it all, we expect to do this after first fighting for the enemy and helping him win his victory! Can anyone really believe this is possible? In my opinion such a thing has never happened throughout the whole history of the world. Modern man, of course, is very inventive, but if he has progressed so far as to discover a way of winning a victory without a struggle, I have not heard of it."

Franz also condemned the bishops and priests who did not oppose the evils of Nazism. Friends and priests advised Franz that, "Taking the military oath, they told him, was not an endorsement of the policies of the government, it was only following orders." Franz wrote: "It is very sad to hear again and again from Catholics that this war, waged by Germany, is perhaps not so unjust because it will wipe out Bolshevism. It is true that at present most of our soldiers are stuck in the worst Bolshevist country, and simply want to make harmless and defenseless the people who live there and defend themselves.

But now a question: what are they fighting in this country - Bolshevism or the Russian people? When our Catholic missionaries went to a pagan country to make them Christians did they advance with machine guns and bombs in order to convert and improve them?" On August 9, 1943, Franz was taken to Brandenburg where he was executed on the guillotine. His beheading was swift and silent, but his actions were enduring and loud. Here was a quiet man that nobody had heard of, who became a martyr for Jesus and soon, the Church will acknowledge this.
Lord Jesus Christ, You filled your servant Franz Jägerstätter with a deep love for you, his family and all people. During a time of contempt for God and humankind you bestowed on him unerring discernment and integrity.
In faith, he followed his conscience, and said a decisive NO to national socialism and unjust war. Thus he sacrificed his life. We pray that you may glorify your servant Franz, so that many people may be encouraged by him and grow in love for you and all people.

May his example shine out in our time, and may you grant all people the strength to stand up for justice, peace and human dignity. For yours is the glory and honor with the Father and the Holy Spirit now and forever. Amen. (Diocese of Linz, Austria). Based on various sources 6/26/2007