Franz Reinisch - His road to the priesthood

Father Wojciech Kordas

I am Father Wojciech Kordas OFMConv, whom the Pallottines call Adalberto, and I belong to a spiritual branch of the Pallottines called minority Franciscans.

For 25 years I have come to Vallendar to the tomb of Franz Reinisch in the shade of the Schoenstatt Chapel and I recall his courageous and determined priestly life.

Franz Reinisch’s road to his ordination

Franz Reinisch’s road to his ordination to the priesthood consisted of three decisive experiences.  The first spiritual experience was a 30-day retreat in Willen, near Basel, where he learned to delve into his soul and to accept his decision.

The second great experience is his stay in Kiel, where he got to know the religious, moral and ethical difficulties of this city and decided, in no uncertain terms, to become a priest. He returns to Innsbruck and asks himself: how can I do this if I have a girlfriend?

The third battle in his decision-making was separating from his girlfriend Ludovika Linkhards  and then entering the seminary in Brixen, where he struggled for clarity and determination of his priestly path. This search ends in April 1928, when he decides to embark on this path.

During his ordination to the priesthood, the Franciscan Simon Reider, who was the main preacher, explained in his sermon what constitutes priestly life:

1. Educate young people for God

2. Prayer

3. Sacrifice

Franz Reinisch dedicated himself to these three duties as a priest and finally died being a faithful Catholic clergyman for the renewal of the Church and the priesthood.

Note: To see the englisch captions press the symbol (C) on the video.