Pierre Nommesch (16 December 1864 – 9 October 1935) was the
Bishop of Luxembourg from 1920 to 1935.
Biography
At the age of 26, on 28 October 1890, Nommesch was ordained a priest. On 8 March 1920, he was appointed Bishop of Luxembourg, and on 25 March 1920, was consecrated by
Sebastiano Nicotra. He remained in office until his death.
He became bishop after a long period of ''
sede vacante
In the Catholic Church, ''sede vacante'' is the state during which a diocese or archdiocese is without a prelate installed in office, with the prelate's office being the cathedral. The term is used frequently in reference to a papal interre ...
'', which was due to challenges to Luxembourg's national sovereignty following the Armistice of
World War I
World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
.
[ Hellinghausen, Georges]
"Pierre Nommesch (1920-1935)"
(in German) Catholic Church in Luxembourg. Retrieved on 18 October 2013.
His time in office was marked by reconciliation and understanding between state and the church:
The conflict around schools received a compromise solution in 1921, so that religious education, relegated to church parishes since 1912, once again had a place in public education.
Under his episcopate, loyalty to the monarchy and to Luxembourgish traditions, closeness to Rome (with pilgrimages to the "holy city", and celebration of the papal coronation anniversaries), and
veneration of the Virgin Mary (expansion of the cathedral, started in 1935) remained important facets of Luxembourgish Catholicism.
Further religious-pastoral highlights of his time in office included the Eucharistic National Congress in 1924, increased devotion to the
Sacred Heart
The Most Sacred Heart of Jesus () is one of the most widely practised and well-known Catholic devotions, wherein the heart of Jesus Christ is viewed as a symbol of "God's boundless and passionate love for mankind". This devotion to Christ is p ...
, the rebuilding of the seminary at Limpertsberg in 1930, and consolidation of associations in the Belgian-inspired
Catholic Action
Catholic Action is a movement of Catholic laity, lay people within the Catholic Church which advocates for increased Catholic influence on society. Catholic Action groups were especially active in the nineteenth century in historically Catholic cou ...
after 1930.
See also
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nommesch, Pierre
20th-century Roman Catholic bishops in Luxembourg
1864 births
1935 deaths
Alumni of the Athénée de Luxembourg