Stephan Burger (born 29 April 1962 in
Freiburg im Breisgau
Freiburg im Breisgau (; abbreviated as Freiburg i. Br. or Freiburg i. B.; Low Alemannic German, Low Alemannic: ''Friburg im Brisgau''), commonly referred to as Freiburg, is an independent city in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. With a population o ...
) is a German Roman Catholic clergyman. Since 2014 he has been
Archbishop of Freiburg
The following men have been archbishops of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Freiburg.
References
SourcesArchdiocese of Freiburg- catholic-hierarchy.org
{{Hierarchy of the Catholic Church in Germany
Freiburg
Freiburg im Breisgau (; ...
and
Metropolitan Bishop
In Christian churches with episcopal polity, the rank of metropolitan bishop, or simply metropolitan (alternative obsolete form: metropolite), pertains to the diocesan bishop or archbishop of a metropolis.
Originally, the term referred to the b ...
of the
Ecclesiastical Province of Freiburg, succeeding
Robert Zollitsch
Robert Zollitsch (born 9 August 1938) is a German prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He was Archbishop of Freiburg im Breisgau from 2003 to 2013 and was Chairman of the German Episcopal Conference from 2008 to 2014.
Life and work
Zollitsc ...
. His younger brother
Tutilo Burger Tutilo Burger OSB (born 8 September 1965, Löffingen, as ''Heinz Burger'') is a German Benedictine. He took as his monastic name Tutilo, after the saint, monk and composer Tuotilo. Since 2011 he has been the eleventh archabbot of Beuron Archabbey, w ...
has been
archabbot
Abbot is an ecclesiastical title given to the male head of a monastery in various Western religious traditions, including Christianity. The office may also be given as an honorary title to a clergyman who is not the head of a monastery. The fe ...
of
Beuron Archabbey
Beuron Archabbey (in German Erzabtei Beuron, otherwise Erzabtei St. Martin; in Latin ''Archiabbatia Sancti Martini Beuronensis''; Swabian: ''Erzabtei Beira'') is a major house of the Benedictine Order located at Beuron in the upper Danube va ...
since 2011.
Life and career
Stephan Burger grew up in
Löffingen
Löffingen is a town in the district Breisgau-Hochschwarzwald, in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is situated 14 km southwest of Donaueschingen, and 40 km southeast of Freiburg.
Sons and daughters of the town
* Rene D Egle (born 196 ...
,
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
with two brothers and a sister.
His brother Tutilo Burger has been archabbot of the
benedictines
, 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 ...
of Beuron Archabbey since 2011.
After going to primary school and middle school (
Realschule
''Realschule'' () is a type of secondary school in Germany, Switzerland and Liechtenstein. It has also existed in Croatia (''realna gimnazija''), the Austrian Empire, the German Empire, Denmark and Norway (''realskole''), Sweden (''realskola''), ...
), he went to boarding school at
Immenstaad am Bodensee
Immenstaad am Bodensee is a municipality in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, on the north shore of Lake Constance (called the ''Bodensee'' in German) near the Austrian and Swiss borders. It is not to be confused with the similarly named town of Imme ...
. He then entered the
Collegium Borromaeum at Freiburg, which was then a hall of residence for those students of theology who intended to become priests, and studied philosophy and theology at the
University of Freiburg
The University of Freiburg (colloquially german: Uni Freiburg), officially the Albert Ludwig University of Freiburg (german: Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg), is a public university, public research university located in Freiburg im Breisg ...
and the
University of Munich
The Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich (simply University of Munich or LMU; german: Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München) is a public research university in Munich, Germany. It is Germany's List of universities in Germany, sixth-oldest u ...
. On 20 May 1990 he was
ordained a priest at
Freiburg Minster
Freiburg Minster (german: Freiburger Münster or Münster Unserer Lieben Frau) is the cathedral of Freiburg im Breisgau, southwest Germany. The last duke of Zähringen had started the building around 1200 in romanesque style. The construction con ...
and celebrated his first mass at St Michael's church in Löffingen. Burger spent his first years as a priest at
Tauberbischofsheim
Tauberbischofsheim is a German town in the north-east of Baden-Württemberg on the river Tauber with a population of about 13,200. It is the capital of the Main-Tauber district. It is a popular tourist destination due to its numerous historical b ...
and
Pforzheim
Pforzheim () is a city of over 125,000 inhabitants in the federal state of Baden-Württemberg, in the southwest of Germany.
It is known for its jewelry and watch-making industry, and as such has gained the nickname "Goldstadt" ("Golden City") ...
. In 1995, he was first parish administrator and later parish priest of St Mauritius in
Sankt Leon-Rot. Between 2004 and 2006, while continuing to work as a parish priest, he studied for a
licentiate of Canon Law
Licentiate of Canon Law ( la, Juris Canonici Licentiatus; JCL) is the title of an advanced graduate degree with canonical effects in the Roman Catholic Church offered by pontifical universities and ecclesiastical faculties of canon law. Licentiate ...
at the
University of Münster
The University of Münster (german: Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, WWU) is a public university, public research university located in the city of Münster, North Rhine-Westphalia in Germany.
With more than 43,000 students and over ...
.
Starting 2002, Burger worked as ''defender of the bond (defensor vinculi)'' at the
officialate (diocesan tribunal) of the
Archdiocese of Freiburg
The Archdiocese of Freiburg im Breisgau (Latin ''Archidioecesis Friburgensis'') is a Roman Catholic diocese in Baden-Württemberg comprising the former states of Baden and Hohenzollern. The Archdiocese of Freiburg is led by an archbishop, who als ...
. In 2006, he became ''promotor iustitiae'' and in 2007, was appointed judicial vicar and leader of the diocesan court. In this function he supervised the process of beatification for
Max Josef Metzger
Max Josef Metzger (3 February 1887 – 17 April 1944) was a Catholic priest and leading German pacifist who was executed by the Nazis during World War II. . He was a canon of the Archdiocese of Freiburg between 2013 and 2014.
Archbishop of Freiburg
On 30 May 2014,
Pope Francis
Pope Francis ( la, Franciscus; it, Francesco; es, link=, Francisco; born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, 17 December 1936) is the head of the Catholic Church. He has been the bishop of Rome and sovereign of the Vatican City State since 13 March 2013. ...
appointed Burger to succeed
Robert Zollitsch
Robert Zollitsch (born 9 August 1938) is a German prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He was Archbishop of Freiburg im Breisgau from 2003 to 2013 and was Chairman of the German Episcopal Conference from 2008 to 2014.
Life and work
Zollitsc ...
as Archbishop of Freiburg. His
episcopal consecration
A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution.
In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or offic ...
and solemn inauguration through his predecessor Robert Zollitsch took place in Freiburg Minster on 29 June 2014. Other consecrating bishops were Cardinal
Karl Lehmann
Karl Lehmann (16 May 1936 – 11 March 2018) was a German Cardinal prelate of the Catholic Church. He served as Bishop of Mainz from 1983 to 2016, being elevated to Cardinal in 2001. He also served as Chairman of the Conference of the Germa ...
, Bishop of
Mainz
Mainz () is the capital and largest city of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany.
Mainz is on the left bank of the Rhine, opposite to the place that the Main (river), Main joins the Rhine. Downstream of the confluence, the Rhine flows to the north-we ...
, and
Gebhard Fürst
Gebhard Fürst (born 2 December 1948 in Bietigheim, Baden-Württemberg) is a German Roman Catholic bishop. He is the Bishop of Rottenburg-Stuttgart.
Fürst began his career attending the Collegium Ambrosianum in Stuttgart, where he studied Gree ...
, Bishop of
Rottenburg-Stuttgart
The Diocese of Rottenburg-Stuttgart is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in Germany. It is a suffragan in the ecclesiastical province of the metropolitan Archdiocese of Freiburg in Baden-Württemberg, '' B ...
. Stephan Burger chose ''Christus in cordibus'' ("Christ in the hearts") from the
Letter of St Paul to the EphesiansEph 3:17 as his episcopal
motto
A motto (derived from the Latin , 'mutter', by way of Italian , 'word' or 'sentence') is a sentence or phrase expressing a belief or purpose, or the general motivation or intention of an individual, family, social group, or organisation. Mot ...
.
His predecessor Robert Zollitsch called Burger "conservative in a good sense" during his introduction of the new Archbishop.
During the autumn assembly 2014 of the
German Bishops' Conference
The German Bishops' Conference (german: Deutsche Bischofskonferenz) is the episcopal conference of the bishops of the Roman Catholic dioceses in Germany. Members include diocesan bishops, coadjutors, auxiliary bishops, and diocesan administrator ...
, he was made a member of the committee ''Weltkirche'' (Universal Church), president of the sub-committee for questions of development and the German episcopal charity ''Misereor'', and member of the episcopal working committee for employment law. Since 2016, Burger is also president of the committee for ''Caritas'', the German Catholic Relief Services.
Honours
Stephan Burger is an honorary member of the Catholic student's association ''K.D.St.V. Wildenstein'' at Freiburg.
In 2016, he has been appointed
Knight Commander with Star of the
Order of the Holy Sepulchre
The Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem ( la, Ordo Equestris Sancti Sepulcri Hierosolymitani, links=yes, OESSH), also called Order of the Holy Sepulchre or Knights of the Holy Sepulchre, is a Catholic Church, Catholic order of ...
by Cardinal
Edwin Frederick O'Brien
Edwin Frederick O'Brien (born April 8, 1939) is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He has been a cardinal since 2012 and headed the Order of the Holy Sepulchre from 2011 to 2019.
O'Brien served as archbishop of the Archdiocese o ...
,
Grand Master of the Order, and was invested in
Münster Cathedral
Münster Cathedral or St.-Paulus-Dom is the cathedral church of the Catholic Diocese of Münster in Germany, and is dedicated to St Paul. It is counted among the most significant church buildings in Münster and, along with the City Hall, i ...
on 21 May 2016 by Cardinal
Reinhard Marx
Reinhard Marx (born 21 September 1953) is a German cardinal of the Catholic Church. He serves as the Archbishop of Munich and Freising. Pope Benedict XVI elevated Marx to the cardinalate in a consistory in 2010.
Biography
Born in Geseke, Nort ...
, Grand Prior of the German Lieutenancy of the Order. Burger is member of the Delegation Albertus Magnus Freiburg.
On 18 June 2016, Burger was appointed
''Conventual Chaplain ad honorem'' of the
Sovereign Military Order of Malta
The Sovereign Military Order of Malta (SMOM), officially the Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, of Rhodes and of Malta ( it, Sovrano Militare Ordine Ospedaliero di San Giovanni di Gerusalemme, di Rodi e di Malta; ...
during the general assembly of the German national association.
Erzbischof Stephan Burger lobt Arbeit des Malteserordens
(in German), Archdiocese of Freiburg
The Archdiocese of Freiburg im Breisgau (Latin ''Archidioecesis Friburgensis'') is a Roman Catholic diocese in Baden-Württemberg comprising the former states of Baden and Hohenzollern. The Archdiocese of Freiburg is led by an archbishop, who als ...
, 18 June 2016.
References
External links
*http://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/bishop/bburger.html
{{DEFAULTSORT:Burger, Stephan
Archbishops of Freiburg
21st-century Roman Catholic archbishops in Germany
Living people
1962 births
People from Breisgau-Hochschwarzwald