Paul Augustin Mayer,
OSB (23 May 1911 – 30 April 2010) was a German
Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. He held various positions in the
Roman Curia from 1971 to 1991.
Biography
Mayer was born in
Altötting
Altötting (, Bavarian: ; ''Oidäding'') is a town in Bavaria, capital of the district Altötting of Germany. For 500 years it has been the scene of religious pilgrimages by Catholics in honor of Mary, including a visit by Pope John Paul II i ...
, Germany, which is located near
Marktl
Marktl, or often unofficially called ''Marktl am Inn'' ("Little market on the river Inn"), is a village and historic market municipality in the state of Bavaria, Germany, near the Austrian border, in the Altötting district of Upper Bavaria. The ...
, the birthplace of
Pope Benedict XVI
Pope Benedict XVI ( la, Benedictus XVI; it, Benedetto XVI; german: link=no, Benedikt XVI.; born Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger, , on 16 April 1927) is a retired prelate of the Catholic church who served as the head of the Church and the soverei ...
. He joined the
Order of Saint Benedict
, image = Medalla San Benito.PNG
, caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal
, abbreviation = OSB
, formation =
, motto = (English: 'Pray and Work')
, foun ...
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
The University of Salzburg (german: Universität Salzburg), also known as the Paris Lodron University of Salzburg (''Paris-Lodron-Universität Salzburg'', PLUS), is an Austrian public university in Salzburg municipality, Salzburg state, named af ...
and at the
Pontifical Athenaeum of Sant Anselmo in Rome.
He was ordained a Priest on 25 August 1935. After his ordination he was a faculty member at the abbey of Saint Michael from 1937 until 1939. He taught at the Pontifical Roman Athenaeum of Sant'Anselmo from 1939 until 1966, serving as its
rector
Rector (Latin for the member of a vessel's crew who steers) may refer to:
Style or title
*Rector (ecclesiastical), a cleric who functions as an administrative leader in some Christian denominations
*Rector (academia), a senior official in an edu ...
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
The Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican, commonly known as the , or , was the 21st ecumenical council of the Roman Catholic Church. The council met in St. Peter's Basilica in Rome for four periods (or sessions), each lasting between 8 and ...
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
The Bishops of Regensburg (Ratisbon) are bishops of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Regensburg, Bavaria, Germany. . He was appointed Secretary of the Congregation for Religious and Secular Institutes on 8 September 1971.
Episcopate
As secretary he was appointed
titular archbishop
A titular bishop in various churches is a bishop who is not in charge of a diocese.
By definition, a bishop is an "overseer" of a community of the faithful, so when a priest is ordained a bishop, the tradition of the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox an ...
of
Satrianum
The Diocese of Satrianum (Latin) or Satriano (Italian) is now a Roman Catholic titular see, that is, a former episcopal see that is no longer a geographical diocese. It takes its name from a now destroyed town situated in Lucania and was a suffra ...
by
Pope Paul VI
Pope Paul VI ( la, Paulus VI; it, Paolo VI; born Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini, ; 26 September 18976 August 1978) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 21 June 1963 to his death in Augus ...
on 6 January 1972 and was consecrated on 13 February by Pope Paul, assisted by
Bernardus Johannes Alfrink
Bernardus Johannes Alfrink (5 July 1900 – 17 December 1987) 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
Born in Nijkerk, ...
, Cardinal
Archbishop of Utrecht
List of bishops and archbishops of the diocese and archdioceses of Utrecht.
Medieval diocese from 695 to 1580
Founders of the Utrecht diocese
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, and
William Conway William, Bill, or Billy Conway may refer to:
* William Conway (Arkansas judge) (1805–1852), Justice of the Arkansas Supreme Court
* William Conway (cardinal) (1913–1977), Irish cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church
* William Conway (Irish rep ...
, Cardinal
Archbishop of Armagh.
Satrianum (Titular See)
''Catholic-Hierarchy''. Retrieved 18 December 2009. Pope John Paul II
Pope John Paul II ( la, Ioannes Paulus II; it, Giovanni Paolo II; pl, Jan Paweł II; born Karol Józef Wojtyła ; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 until his ...
named him Pro-Prefect of the on 8 April 1984.
Cardinalate
He was created and proclaimed Cardinal-Deacon
A cardinal ( la, Sanctae Romanae Ecclesiae cardinalis, literally 'cardinal of the Holy Roman Church') is a senior member of the clergy of the Catholic Church. Cardinals are created by the ruling pope and typically hold the title for life. Col ...
of Sant'Anselmo all'Aventino
Sant'Anselmo all'Aventino ( en, Saint Anselm on the Aventine) is a complex located on the Piazza Cavalieri di Malta Square on the Aventine Hill in Rome's Ripa rione and overseen by the Benedictine Confederation and the Abbot Primate. The ''San ...
in the consistory
Consistory is the anglicized form of the consistorium, a council of the closest advisors of the Roman emperors. It can also refer to:
*A papal consistory, a formal meeting of the Sacred College of Cardinals of the Roman Catholic Church
* Consistor ...
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 Pontifical Commission ''Ecclesia Dei'' () was 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 b ...
the next day. The commission intends to return to full communion with the Holy See
The Holy See ( lat, Sancta Sedes, ; it, Santa Sede ), also called the See of Rome, Petrine See or Apostolic See, is the jurisdiction of the Pope in his role as the bishop of Rome. It includes the apostolic episcopal see of the Diocese of R ...
those traditionalist Catholic
Traditionalist Catholicism is the set of beliefs, practices, customs, traditions, liturgical forms, devotions, and presentations of Catholic teaching that existed in the Catholic Church before the liberal reforms of the Second Vatican Council ( ...
s who are in a state of separation, of whom the Society of Saint Pius X
The Society of Saint Pius X (SSPX) ( la, Fraternitas Sacerdotalis Sancti Pii X; FSSPX) is an international fraternity of traditionalist Catholic priests founded in 1970 by Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre, a leading traditionalist voice at the Sec ...
is foremost. He lost the right to participate in a conclave
A papal conclave is a gathering of the College of Cardinals convened to elect a bishop of Rome, also known as the pope. Catholics consider the pope to be the apostolic successor of Saint Peter and the earthly head of the Catholic Church.
Co ...
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
In the legal field, ''pro hac vice'' () is a practice in common law jurisdictions whereby a lawyer who has not been admitted to practice in a certain jurisdiction is allowed to participate in a particular case in that jurisdiction. Although ''pro ...
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.
See also
References
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mayer, Paul
1911 births
2010 deaths
20th-century German cardinals
21st-century German cardinals
Participants in the Second Vatican Council
University of Salzburg alumni
Members of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments
Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei
Cardinals created by Pope John Paul II
Grand Crosses 1st class of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany
German Benedictines
People from Altötting