Weis, Nicolaus Von
Weis, Nicolaus von
Bishop of Speyer, born at Rimlingen, Lorraine, 8 March, 1796; died at Speyer, 13 December, 1869. He studied at the seminary at Mainz, when Liebermann was its regent, and was ordained 22 August, 1818. Hereupon he taught the humanities at the seminary (1818-20), was pastor at Dudenhofen (1820-22), canon at the cathedral of Speyer (1822-37), and dean of the cathedral (1837-42). During this time he displayed remarkable literary activity. In conjunction with Andreas Rass, afterwards Bishop of Strasburg, he revised, enlarged, and translated several apologetic, dogmatic, homiletic, and hagiographic works, the best known of which are an enlarged German edition of Butler’s “Lives of the Saints” (24 vols., Mainz, 1821-27), translations from the French of Carron, Brillet, Picot, and others, and an extensive compilation of sermons by various authors. He founded the monthly review “Der Katholik” at Mainz, conjointly with Rass, in January 21; he was its sole editor from 1827 to 1841. It is still one of the leading German Catholic monthly periodicals. On 27 February, 1842, he was nominated as successor to Bishop Geissel of Speyer. He was preconized, 23 May, consecrated at Munich by Archbishop Gebsattel on 10 July, and solemnly enthroned in the cathedral of Speyer on 20 July. He laboured with great success for the advancement of Christian education among the faithful, promoted popular missions and pious ecclesiastical societies, introduced annual retreats for the priests of his diocese, and fostered religious orders, especially female teaching orders. His efforts to establish a theological seminary were frustrated by the Bavarian Government. During his pontificate the cathedral of Speyer was artistically frescoed by Schraudolph (1846-53), and the renovation of its western front was completed (1858).
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REMLING, Nikolaus von Weis, Bischof zu Speyer im Leben und Wirken (2 vols., Speyer, 1871); Nikolaus von Weis, Bischof von Speyer in Der Katholik 50 Jahrgang, (Mainz, 1870), 48-66; Hist. politische Blatter, LXVIII (Munich, 1871), 128-47.
MICHAEL OTT Transcribed by Michael T. Barrett Dedicated to Archbishop William J. Levada
The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume XVCopyright © 1912 by Robert Appleton CompanyOnline Edition Copyright © 2003 by K. KnightNihil Obstat, October 1, 1912. Remy Lafort, S.T.D., CensorImprimatur. +John Cardinal Farley, Archbishop of New York
Fuente: Catholic Encyclopedia
Weis, Nicolaus Von
a German prelate, was born March 8, 1796, at Schonhof, in the bishopric of Metz. He studied at Mayence, was appointed pastor at Dudenhofen in 1820, and two years later capituilary at Speyer, where he was consecrated as bishop July 10, 1842. He died December 13, 1869. In connection with the bishop of Strasburg, Andreas Rass, he founded the Catholic, a very influential paper in Germany, and translated many works into German; thus they translated Butler’s Lives of the Saints (Mayence, 1821-27, 23 volumes) from the French translation of Godescard; from the latter language they also translated Robelot’s work On the Influence of Luther’s Reformation upon Religion, Politics, etc. (ibid. 1823). See Literarischer Handweiser fur das katholische Deutschland, 1869, page 550; Winer, Handbuch der theol. Lit. 1:350, 352, 405, 673, 742, 818, 847; 2:23, 85, 88, 112, 113. (B.P.)