Josef Peruschitz (March 21, 1871 - April 15, 1912) was a

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

Benedictine The Benedictines, officially the Order of Saint Benedict (, abbreviated as O.S.B. or OSB), are a mainly contemplative monastic order of the Catholic Church for men and for women who follow the Rule of Saint Benedict. Initiated in 529, th ...

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deity, deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in parti ...

who was killed during the

sinking of the RMS Titanic RMS ''Titanic'' sank on 15 April 1912 in the North Atlantic Ocean. The largest ocean liner in service at the time, ''Titanic'' was four days into her maiden voyage from Southampton, England, to New York City, USA with an estimated 2,224 peo ...

on April 15, 1912.''Evening World'' (22 April 1912) Heroic Priests Gave Up Lives to Quiet Crowds Roman Catholic Priests Went Down on the Titanic

Early life

Josef (originally named Benedikt Peruschitz) was born to Mathias Peruschitz and Elisabeth Peruschitz, née Neudecker in

Straßlach-Dingharting Straßlach-Dingharting is a municipality in the district of Munich in Bavaria in Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north an ...

district court District courts are a category of courts which exists in several nations, some call them "small case court" usually as the lowest level of the hierarchy. These courts generally work under a higher court which exercises control over the lower co ...

Wolfratshausen Wolfratshausen () is a town of the district of Bad Tölz-Wolfratshausen, located in Bavaria, Germany. The town had a population of 19,033 as of 31 December 2019. History The first mention of "Wolveradeshusun" appears in documents from the year ...

Bavaria Bavaria, officially the Free State of Bavaria, is a States of Germany, state in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the list of German states by area, largest German state by land area, comprising approximately 1/5 of the total l ...

. Josef and his family moved to

Dorfen Dorfen is a town in the district of Erding, in Bavaria, Germany. It is situated 50 km east of Munich Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making ...

, administration district

Erding Erding () is a Town#Germany, town in Bavaria, Germany, and capital of the Erding (district), rural district of the same name. It had a population of 36,469 in 2019. The original Erdinger Weissbier is a well-known Bavarian specialty. Erding is ...

. From 1882 until 1886 he was a student at Scheyern, and from 1886 until 1890 at the Royal High School in Freising, from which he graduated in August 1890.

Priesthood

Josef began to study

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at the Royal High School from 1890 to 1891. In July 1891, he was admitted to study

theology Theology is the study of religious belief from a Religion, religious perspective, with a focus on the nature of divinity. It is taught as an Discipline (academia), academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itse ...

and by 1894, when he submitted his resume to the Scheyern monastery, was in his sixth semester. On 16 April 1894 he requested admission to a

monastery A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of Monasticism, monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in Cenobitic monasticism, communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a ...

, and it was granted on 26 April; he officially entered on 14 August 1894 as Father Joseph. On 28 April 1895 he was ordained by the Archbishop of Munich-Freising, Antonious von Thoma, at the parish church of Scheyern and was professed as a monk on 24 August 1895; In the monastery he had several teaching and educational jobs, including mathematics, music, physical education, shorthand and prefect.Lukas Wirth OSB (ed.): ''Scheyern Monastery: 900 Years of Benedictine Order at the Wittelsbach Family's Home'' , ISBN 978-3-7917-3037-0 , p. 703 In 1912, Josef spent

Holy Week Holy Week () commemorates the seven days leading up to Easter. It begins with the commemoration of Triumphal entry into Jerusalem, Christ's triumphal entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, marks the betrayal of Jesus on Spy Wednesday (Holy Wednes ...

at the Benedictine cloister St. Augustine in

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, after which he was en route to

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where he was to be employed at the Swiss Congregation's Benedictine School. He was apparently to be principal of their high school.

Titanic

Josef traveled to Southampton and boarded the

RMS Titanic RMS ''Titanic'' was a British ocean liner that Sinking of the Titanic, sank in the early hours of 15 April 1912 as a result of striking Iceberg that struck the Titanic, an iceberg on her maiden voyage from Southampton, England, to New York Ci ...

on April 10; a survivor named

Lawrence Beesley Lawrence Beesley (31 December 1877 – 14 February 1967) was an English science teacher, journalist and author who was a survivor of the sinking of . Education Beesley was educated at Derby School, where he was a scholar, and afterwards at Ca ...

said that Josef and two other priests, Fr. Montvila and Fr. Thomas Byles held daily

mass Mass is an Intrinsic and extrinsic properties, intrinsic property of a physical body, body. It was traditionally believed to be related to the physical quantity, quantity of matter in a body, until the discovery of the atom and particle physi ...

aboard the ship and during the sinking, "When all the excitement became fearful all the

Catholics The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

on board desired the assistance of priests with the greatest fervour. Both priests aroused those condemned to die to say acts of contrition and prepare themselves to meet the face of

God In monotheistic belief systems, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator, and principal object of faith. In polytheistic belief systems, a god is "a spirit or being believed to have created, or for controlling some part of the un ...

.Jens Ostrowski: ''Calling Titanic: The Journey of Benedictine Father Joseph Peruschitz'' . Füssen 2001, ISBN 978-3-8311-1466-5 .''Joseph Peruschitz.'' In: Lukas Wirth OSB (ed.): ''Scheyern Monastery: 900 Years of Benedictine Order at the Wittelsbach Family's Headquarters'' , Pustet, Regensburg 2019, ISBN 978-3-7917-3037-0 , pp. 702–703 They led the

rosary The Rosary (; , in the sense of "crown of roses" or "garland of roses"), formally known as the Psalter of Jesus and Mary (Latin: Psalterium Jesu et Mariae), also known as the Dominican Rosary (as distinct from other forms of rosary such as the ...

and others answered. The sound of the recitation irritated a few passengers, and some ridiculed those who prayed and started a ring dance around them. The two priests were engaged continuously giving general absolution to those who were about to die. Those entering the

lifeboats Lifeboat may refer to: Rescue vessels * Lifeboat (shipboard), a small craft aboard a ship to allow for emergency escape * Lifeboat (rescue), a boat designed for sea rescues * Airborne lifeboat, an air-dropped boat used to save downed airmen ...

were consoled with moving words. Some women refused to be separated from their husbands, preferring to die with them. Finally, when no more women were near, some men were allowed into the boats. Father Peruschitz was offered a place which he declined." Josef's body was never identified and he is remembered with a plaque in the cloister at the Scheyern Monastery.Ostrowski, Jens (2001) ''Berufung Titanic: Die Reise des Benediktinerpaters Joseph Peruschitz'' . Füssen: ZölCom, BoD. 132 pages

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Peruschitz, Josef 1871 births 1912 deaths People from Bavaria Deaths on the RMS Titanic