WOLTER, MAURUS (RUDOLF). - Benedictine abbot, b. June 4, 1825 in Bonn, d. July 8, 1890 in Beuron.

A priest in 1850, he was first director of the Gymnasium of Jülich and of the cathedral school of Aachen, then became a Benedictine in the abbey of St. Paul Outside the Walls (1857), where he taught theology and devoted himself to Christian archaeology under the guidance of G. B. De Rossi. In 1860 he returned to Germany, together with his brother Placidus, in order to re-establish there, with the consent of Pius IX and following in the footsteps of dom Guéranger, the Benedictine life. The first monastery he opened was Beuron (v.) in Hohenzollern (1863), of which he became the first abbot in 1868 (blessed at St. Paul Outside the Walls by Card. Reisach). The suppression of the Kulturkampf (1875) forced him to take refuge abroad: he restored the monasteries of Emmaus in Prague (1886) and of Seckau in Styria (1883) and founded the monastery of Maredsous (v.). In 1884 he received the title of archabbot of the Beuronese Congregation and in 1887 he was able to reopen his abbey of Beuron.

Of his writings are remembered: Praecipua Ordinis Monastici elementa (Bruges 1880) and Psallite sapienter, a commentary on the Psalms in 5 vols. (Freiburg im Br. 1871-90).

PLACIDUS (Ernst), brother of Maurus, b. in Bonn on Apr. 24, 1828 and d. in Beuron on Sept. 13, 1908. A priest in 1851, he professed at St. Paul Outside the Walls in 1856, where he served as master of the students; he had as a disciple Mario Fani (v.), the future founder of the Italian Catholic Youth. Having returned to his homeland in 1860, he was the faithful and tireless collaborator of his brother in the restoration of the Benedictine life in Germany. From 1878 to 1890 he was the first abbot of Maredsous and then in 1890 the successor of his brother Maurus at the archabbey of Beuron. During his abbatial rule the Beuronese Congregation grew considerably: several monasteries were restored and founded, among them: Maria Laach in the Rhineland (1892), St. Joseph in Westphalia (1904) and the abbey "Dormitio Beatae Mariae Virginis" in Jerusalem (1906).

Bibliography5 works

BIBL.: for W. Maurus: G. van Caloen, Dom M. W., Bruges 1891; A. Schott, Leben und Wirken, Beuron 1891; J. Uttenweiler, M. W., dem Gründer Beurons zum 100. Geburtstag, ibid. 1925. For W. Placidus: U. Berlière, Oraison funèbre, Bruges 1908; S. von Oer, Erzgeb. P. W., ein Lebensbild, Freiburg im Br. 1909; R. Molitor, Erinnerungen an Erzgeb. P. W. für 100. Wiederkehr seines Geburtstags, in Benedikt. Monatschrift, 10 (1928), pp. 81-103.

@incollection{ec12_wolter_maurus_rudolf, author = {Würth, Ambrogio}, title = {Wolter, maurus (rudolf)}, booktitle = {Enciclopedia Cattolica}, volume = {XII}, pages = {1712--1713}, note = {Cited by column}, publisher = {Ente per l’Enciclopedia Cattolica e per il Libro Cattolico}, address = {Città del Vaticano}, year = {1954}, url = {https://azioneromana.com/article/wolter-maurus-rudolf} }

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Wolter, Maurus (Rudolf)

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