Sebastian von Rostock (24 August 1607 – 9 June 1671) was a Roman Catholic

Bishop of Breslau A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...

. He was born Nicolaus Bauckhe at Grottkau,

Silesia Silesia (, also , ) is a historical region of Central Europe that lies mostly within Poland, with small parts in the Czech Republic and Germany. Its area is approximately , and the population is estimated at around 8,000,000. Silesia is split ...

, then a part of the

Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire was a Polity, political entity in Western Europe, Western, Central Europe, Central, and Southern Europe that developed during the Early Middle Ages and continued until its Dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire, dissolution i ...

. His father, Sebastian, was a craftsman and his mother's name was Anna. He graduated school in

Nysa Nysa may refer to: Greek Mythology * Nysa (mythology) or Nyseion, the mountainous region or mount (various traditional locations), where nymphs raised the young god Dionysus * Nysiads, nymphs of Mount Nysa who cared for and taught the infant ...

and in the years 1627–1633 attended the

Jesuit , image = Ihs-logo.svg , image_size = 175px , caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits , abbreviation = SJ , nickname = Jesuits , formation = , founders ...

academy in Olomouc and studied classics at Neisse and from 1627 to 1633,

philosophy Philosophy (from , ) is the systematized study of general and fundamental questions, such as those about existence, reason, knowledge, values, mind, and language. Such questions are often posed as problems to be studied or resolved. Some ...

and

theology Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...

at Olmütz. After his ordination to the priesthood in 1633 he was assigned to pastoral duty at Neisse. When the Swedes captured the city in 1642, Rostock was taken prisoner and deported to

Stettin Szczecin (, , german: Stettin ; sv, Stettin ; Latin language, Latin: ''Sedinum'' or ''Stetinum'') is the capital city, capital and largest city of the West Pomeranian Voivodeship in northwestern Poland. Located near the Baltic Sea and the Po ...

. After his release he was ennobled by the Emperor, but remained pastor of Neisse until his transfer in 1649 to the cathedral of Breslau, where he spent the rest of his life. COA bishop DE Rostock Sebastian Ignaz2

Henceforth he played a prominent part in the administration of the diocese, and in 1653 was appointed vicar-general. It was largely through his efforts that the right of reformation ('' jus reformandi''), granted the emperor by the

Peace of Westphalia The Peace of Westphalia (german: Westfälischer Friede, ) is the collective name for two peace treaties signed in October 1648 in the Westphalian cities of Osnabrück and Münster. They ended the Thirty Years' War (1618–1648) and brought pea ...

, was effectively exercised in the territory of Breslau. In all 656 Catholic churches which had been seized by the Protestants were restored to their former owners. Considerable difficulty was experienced in providing suitable priests for these numerous churches. Rostock consecrated his life to the task, in spite of the almost uninterrupted absence from their diocese of the three bishops under whom he served. In 1645 Emperor Ferdinand III raised him to the rank of

nobility Nobility is a social class found in many societies that have an aristocracy (class), aristocracy. It is normally ranked immediately below Royal family, royalty. Nobility has often been an Estates of the realm, estate of the realm with many e ...

. In 1664April 21, 1664. he was himself elected bishop, and shortly after the civil administration of the district was also placed in his hands. He continued in work of Catholic reorganization, endeavoured to suppress the power of the Protestants over affairs of the Catholic Church and to neutralize the anti-Catholic influence of Protestant teachers. As a bishop, he tried to recover Catholic churches taken by

Protestants Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century against what its followers perceived to b ...

, improve the life and customs of the clergy, and improve education standards for priests. He died June 9, 1671, in Wroclaw, and was buried in the

Cathedral of Wroclaw A cathedral is a church that contains the '' cathedra'' () of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually specific to those Christian denomination ...

. He succumbed to an attack of apoplexy, superinduced by an imperial decree which suspended a decision that had been previously granted and which was favourable to Catholic interests.

References

;Attribution * Cites as a source: **Jungnitz, ''Sebastian von Rostock'' (Breslau, 1891) {{DEFAULTSORT:Rostock, Sebastian Von 1607 births 1671 deaths People from Grodków People from Austrian Silesia Prince-Bishops of Breslau