Paul Mayer
Encyclopedia
Paul Augustin Mayer, O.S.B.
(23 May 1911 – 30 April 2010) was a German
Cardinal
of the Roman Catholic Church
. He was President Emeritus
of the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei
.
He was born in Altötting
, Germany
, which is located near Marktl, the birthplace of Pope Benedict XVI
. He joined the Order of Saint Benedict
at the Abbey of St. Michael, Metten
, taking the name of Augustin. He had his monastic profession on 17 May 1931. He studied at the University of Salzburg
and at the Pontifical Athenaeum of Sant Anselmo
in Rome
.
He was ordained a Priest on 25 August 1935. After his ordaination he was a faculty member at the abbey of Saint Michael from 1937 until 1939. He was transferred to be a faculty member at the Pontifical Roman Athenaeum of Sant'Anselmo from 1939 until 1966, serving as its rector
from 1949 until 1966. He was the Apostolic visitor to the Swiss seminaries from 1957 until 1959. He served as Secretary of the Preparatory Commission of the Second Vatican Council
from 1960 until 1962. He was elected abbot of St. Michael's Abbey, Metten, Bavaria on 3 November 1966. He received the abbatial blessing from Rudolf Graber, bishop of Regensburg. He was appointed Secretary of the Congregation for Religious and Secular Institutes on 8 September 1971.
by Pope Paul VI
on 6 January 1972 and was consecrated on 13 February by Pope Paul, assisted by Bernardus Johannes Alfrink
, Cardinal Archbishop of Utrecht
, and William Conway, Cardinal Archbishop of Armagh
. Pope John Paul II
named him Pro
-Prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments
on 8 April 1984.
in the consistory
of 25 May 1985. He was named full Prefect of the Congregation two days later. He presided over the unification of two distinct congregations that were united under one name from 1988 on. He resigned the prefecture on 1 July 1988. He was appointed the first President of the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei
the next day. The commission intends to return to full communion
with the Holy See
those traditionalist Catholic
s who are in a state of separation, of whom the Society of Saint Pius X is foremost. He lost the right to participate in a conclave
when turned 80 years of age in 1991. He resigned the presidency on 1 July 1991. He opted for the order of cardinal priests and his deaconry was elevated pro hac vice
to title on 29 January 1996.
He was the oldest living Cardinal from 2007 to his death. He died on 30 April 2010 in Rome
.
Order of Saint Benedict
The Order of Saint Benedict is a Roman Catholic religious order of independent monastic communities that observe the Rule of St. Benedict. Within the order, each individual community maintains its own autonomy, while the organization as a whole exists to represent their mutual interests...
(23 May 1911 – 30 April 2010) was a German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
Cardinal
Cardinal (Catholicism)
A cardinal is a senior ecclesiastical official, usually an ordained bishop, and ecclesiastical prince of the Catholic Church. They are collectively known as the College of Cardinals, which as a body elects a new pope. The duties of the cardinals include attending the meetings of the College and...
of the Roman Catholic Church
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
. He was President Emeritus
Emeritus
Emeritus is a post-positive adjective that is used to designate a retired professor, bishop, or other professional or as a title. The female equivalent emerita is also sometimes used.-History:...
of the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei
Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei
The Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei is a commission of the Catholic Church established by Pope John Paul II's motu proprio Ecclesia Dei of 2 July 1988 for the care of those former followers of Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre who broke with him as a result of his consecration of four priests of his...
.
He was born in Altötting
Altötting
Altötting is a town in Bavaria, capital of the district Altötting.This small town is famous for the Gnadenkapelle , one of the most-visited shrines in Germany. This is a tiny octagonal chapel which keeps a venerated statue of the Virgin Mary...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, which is located near Marktl, the birthplace of Pope Benedict XVI
Pope Benedict XVI
Benedict XVI is the 265th and current Pope, by virtue of his office of Bishop of Rome, the Sovereign of the Vatican City State and the leader of the Catholic Church as well as the other 22 sui iuris Eastern Catholic Churches in full communion with the Holy See...
. He joined the Order of Saint Benedict
Order of Saint Benedict
The Order of Saint Benedict is a Roman Catholic religious order of independent monastic communities that observe the Rule of St. Benedict. Within the order, each individual community maintains its own autonomy, while the organization as a whole exists to represent their mutual interests...
at the Abbey of St. Michael, Metten
Metten Abbey
Metten Abbey, or St. Michael's Abbey at Metten is a house of the Benedictine Order in Metten near Deggendorf, situated between the fringes of the Bavarian Forest and the valley of the Danube, in Bavaria in Germany.The abbey was founded in 766 by Gamelbert of Michaelsbuch...
, taking the name of Augustin. He had his monastic profession on 17 May 1931. He studied at the University of Salzburg
University of Salzburg
The University of Salzburg, or Paris Lodron University after its founder, the Prince Archbishop Paris Lodron, is located in the Austrian city of Salzburg, Salzburgerland, home of Mozart. It is divided into 4 faculties: catholic theology, law, humanities and natural science.Founded in 1622, it...
and at the Pontifical Athenaeum of Sant Anselmo
Pontificio Ateneo Sant Anselmo
The Pontificio Ateneo Sant Anselmo is an educational institute of the Roman Catholic Church in Rome...
in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
.
He was ordained a Priest on 25 August 1935. After his ordaination he was a faculty member at the abbey of Saint Michael from 1937 until 1939. He was transferred to be a faculty member at the Pontifical Roman Athenaeum of Sant'Anselmo from 1939 until 1966, serving as its rector
Rector
The word rector has a number of different meanings; it is widely used to refer to an academic, religious or political administrator...
from 1949 until 1966. He was the Apostolic visitor to the Swiss seminaries from 1957 until 1959. He served as Secretary of the Preparatory Commission of the Second Vatican Council
Second Vatican Council
The Second Vatican Council addressed relations between the Roman Catholic Church and the modern world. It was the twenty-first Ecumenical Council of the Catholic Church and the second to be held at St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican. It opened under Pope John XXIII on 11 October 1962 and closed...
from 1960 until 1962. He was elected abbot of St. Michael's Abbey, Metten, Bavaria on 3 November 1966. He received the abbatial blessing from Rudolf Graber, bishop of Regensburg. He was appointed Secretary of the Congregation for Religious and Secular Institutes on 8 September 1971.
Episcopate
As secretary he was appointed titular archbishop of SatrianumSatrianum
The Diocese of Satrianum or Satriano is now a Roman Catholic titular see, that is, an episcopal see that is no longer a geographical diocese. It takes its name from a now destroyed town situated in Lucania and was a suffragan of the metropolitan see of Salerno. The adjectival form of the Latin...
by Pope Paul VI
Pope Paul VI
Paul VI , born Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church from 21 June 1963 until his death on 6 August 1978. Succeeding Pope John XXIII, who had convened the Second Vatican Council, he decided to continue it...
on 6 January 1972 and was consecrated on 13 February by Pope Paul, assisted by Bernardus Johannes Alfrink
Bernardus Johannes Alfrink
Bernardus Johannes Alfrink was a Dutch Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Archbishop of Utrecht from 1955 to 1975, and was elevated to the cardinalate in 1960.-Biography:...
, Cardinal Archbishop of Utrecht
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Utrecht
The Archdiocese of Utrecht is an archdiocese of the Catholic Church in the Netherlands. The archdiocese is the metropolitan for 6 suffragans, the dioceses of Breda, Groningen-Leeuwarden, Haarlem-Amsterdam, Roermond, Rotterdam, and 's-Hertogenbosch....
, and William Conway, Cardinal Archbishop of Armagh
Archbishop of Armagh
The Archbishop of Armagh is the title of the presiding ecclesiastical figure of each of the Roman Catholic Church and the Church of Ireland in the region around Armagh in Northern Ireland...
. Pope John Paul II
Pope John Paul II
Blessed Pope John Paul II , born Karol Józef Wojtyła , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church and Sovereign of Vatican City from 16 October 1978 until his death on 2 April 2005, at of age. His was the second-longest documented pontificate, which lasted ; only Pope Pius IX ...
named him Pro
Promagistrate
A promagistrate is a person who acts in and with the authority and capacity of a magistrate, but without holding a magisterial office. A legal innovation of the Roman Republic, the promagistracy was invented in order to provide Rome with governors of overseas territories instead of having to elect...
-Prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments
Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments
The Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments is the congregation of the Roman Curia that handles most affairs relating to liturgical practices of the Latin Catholic Church as distinct from the Eastern Catholic Churches and also some technical matters relating to the...
on 8 April 1984.
Cardinalate
He was created and proclaimed Cardinal-Deacon of Sant'Anselmo all'AventinoSant'Anselmo all'Aventino
Sant' Anselmo all'Aventino is a church, monastery and college on the Aventine Hill in Rome, dedicated to Saint Anselm.They were designed by Hildebrand de Hemptinne and Fidelis von Stotzingen, and built in 1900...
in the consistory
Consistory
-Antiquity:Originally, the Latin word consistorium meant simply 'sitting together', just as the Greek synedrion ....
of 25 May 1985. He was named full Prefect of the Congregation two days later. He presided over the unification of two distinct congregations that were united under one name from 1988 on. He resigned the prefecture on 1 July 1988. He was appointed the first President of the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei
Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei
The Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei is a commission of the Catholic Church established by Pope John Paul II's motu proprio Ecclesia Dei of 2 July 1988 for the care of those former followers of Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre who broke with him as a result of his consecration of four priests of his...
the next day. The commission intends to return to full communion
Full communion
In Christian ecclesiology, full communion is a relationship between church organizations or groups that mutually recognize their sharing the essential doctrines....
with the Holy See
Holy See
The Holy See is the episcopal jurisdiction of the Catholic Church in Rome, in which its Bishop is commonly known as the Pope. It is the preeminent episcopal see of the Catholic Church, forming the central government of the Church. As such, diplomatically, and in other spheres the Holy See acts and...
those traditionalist Catholic
Traditionalist Catholic
Traditionalist Catholics are Roman Catholics who believe that there should be a restoration of many or all of the liturgical forms, public and private devotions and presentations of Catholic teachings which prevailed in the Catholic Church before the Second Vatican Council...
s who are in a state of separation, of whom the Society of Saint Pius X is foremost. He lost the right to participate in a conclave
Papal conclave
A papal conclave is a meeting of the College of Cardinals convened to elect a Bishop of Rome, who then becomes the Pope during a period of vacancy in the papal office. The Pope is considered by Roman Catholics to be the apostolic successor of Saint Peter and earthly head of the Roman Catholic Church...
when turned 80 years of age in 1991. He resigned the presidency on 1 July 1991. He opted for the order of cardinal priests and his deaconry was elevated pro hac vice
Pro hac vice
Pro hac vice , Latin: "for this occasion" or "for this event", is a legal term usually referring to a lawyer who has not been admitted to practice in a certain jurisdiction but has been allowed to participate in a particular case in that jurisdiction.The right to appear pro hac vice is not...
to title on 29 January 1996.
He was the oldest living Cardinal from 2007 to his death. He died on 30 April 2010 in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
.