Cardinal Muench is shown with Pope John XXIII, who named Muench as a cardinal. Earlier, Pope Pius XII had appointed Muench as papal ambassador to Germany. Forum File Photo.
Flocks follow paths of early leader
By Erin Hemme Froslie
The Forum
When Aloisius Muench received a telegram from the Apostolic Delegate in August 1935, asking him to accept the Bishopric of Fargo, he decided to turn down the offer.
After all, he was perfectly content as a rector at St. Francis Seminary in Milwaukee. And he had read awful things about the situation in the Dakotas after the Depression. Most definitely, the answer would be no.
But Archbishop Stritch, his supervisor, wouldn't hear of it.
"When the Holy Father calls, we don't refuse," he told Muench.
Ten days later Muench was named a bishop, setting in motion a career that would influence the world and take Muench to the highest levels of the Catholic church.
Invigorating a diocese
Fargo received its third bishop with the grandest of welcomes - near zero temperatures and four inches of snow on the ground for his installation at St. Mary's Cathedral Nov. 6.
But weather wasn't Muench's biggest challenge.
The parishes of the Fargo diocese were deeply in debt after years of a troubled farm economy, and there weren't enough priests being ordained to fill the diocese's needs.
Muench set out quickly to solve the problems. He proposed having parishes pool their surplus money in a fund for loaning to other parishes for building projects - a cooperative that is still in place today.
Muench also established scholarships for seminarians, and the number of young men ordained for the diocese quickly doubled.
The bishop's support of education didn't stop with seminarians, however. Due to the rural nature of North Dakota, Muench asked three sisters to mail correspondence lessons on the catechism to youth across the diocese.
Although not from a farm background himself, Muench was a strong proponent of rural life. Even before he had taken over the diocese, he accepted the offer of the National Catholic Rural Life Conference to have their national convention in Fargo in 1936. With the Rev. Vincent Ryan (later chosen as bishop of Bismarck, 1940) and the Rev. William Mulloy (later named bishop of Covington, Ky., 1945), Muench edited "A Manifesto on Rural Life" - a document that praised the virtues of farm living.
Praying for peace
The coming of World War II disrupted many of Muench's future plans of progress for Fargo. Before the United States decided to enter the war, Muench freely criticized the military enterprise. He remembered the damage he had seen in Germany after World War I.
"We must not allow vengeance or hatred to enter our hearts," Muench said, summarizing Pope Pius XII's teaching on peace in 1941. "Hatred kills love, and when love is killed, peace is also killed, for peace is nothing else than the manifestation of love ..."
Once the war was over, Muench again blasted Congress for its reluctance to aid victims of the war. In his pastoral letter for Lent 1946, Muench wrote: "Food rations to the enemy are measured out according to a 'disease and unrest' formula, carefully determined by calories, and not in accordance with the weights and measures of Christian charity."
Such a view wasn't popular among those who felt Germany must be crippled. But the pope appointed Muench as his personal ambassador to the shattered country.
Bringing hope to chaos
Muench began his new responsibilities in 1946. As a representative of Pope Pius XII, he was to determine the condition of Germany and then channel relief supplies to the most needy. He also served as a liaison between the U.S. Army and the German hierarchy, and as the representative of the American bishops in Germany for the distribution of relief funds.
It was supposed to be an assignment lasting less than two years.
Muench spent months traveling under poor conditions, gathering information for the pope. What he found were German cities in ruins, the people impoverished and hungry. But with his fluent German and sympathy for their suffering, he soon became a favorite among German Catholics.
A father once pleaded with Muench to free his young son, a former soldier, who had been sentenced to death for atrocities during the last days of the war. At the bishop's request, a re-hearing of the case was ordered and the boy's life was saved.
Because the Germans loved and respected Muench, it was soon obvious his temporary assignment would be longer.
But Muench was unwilling to resign as bishop of Fargo; he wanted a place to return to. Auxiliary Bishop Leo Dworschak was appointed to work as acting bishop while Muench worked in Europe.
Honoring Fargo's bishop
Key Dates in Muench's Life
Feb. 18, 1889 - Born in Milwaukee to parents who immigrated from Germany.
June 8, 1913 - Ordained to priesthood in Milwaukee.
After his studies were finished, Muench was hand-picked to attend school in Europe, but the outbreak of World War I postponed his studies until 1921.
When he arrived in Switzerland he wasn’t told what to study nor was he given money to do it. Muench supported himself by writing on scial questions for journals in the United Stated and received a doctorate in social studies.
When he returned to the United States, Muench taught at St. Francis Seminary and was quickly appointed rector.
Aug. 12, 1935 - Elevated to bishop of the Fargo diocese.
Oct. 15, 1935 - Consecrated as bishop in Milwaukee. Although pictures show him radiantly smiling, Muench told those close to him that he was in a daze.
Nov. 6, 1935 - Installed as bishop at ceremonies in St. Mary’s Cathedral, Fargo.
May 1946 - Named apostolic visitator to Germany by Pope Pius XII. He was also named intermediary between the U.S. Army and Catholic hierarchy in Germany and a representative of the American bishops. Keeping the three roles balanced was a delicate operation.
A pastoral letter Muench wrote for Lent for that year preceded his arrival in the war-torn country. In the letter he asked for just treatment of America’s former enemies, a plea that endeared him to the German people.
March 6, 1951 - Pius XII named Muench papal nuncio for Germany. In 1950 the pope had conferred upon him the title of archbishop as a preliminary step to this honor. The promotion was unusual since normally a nuncio is selected from the ranks of those who have made a career of diplomatic service in the church. But this appointment was a tribute to Muench’s task well done.
Nov. 16, 1959 - Named cardinal by Pope John XXIII.
Feb. 15, 1962 - Died in Rome and buried in Holy Cross Cemetery in Fargo.
Preus family leaves legacy of Lutheran leadership
By Erin Hemme Froslie
The Forum
The Rev. Nelson Preus of Waukon, Iowa,
accepted a call to become pastor of Olivet Lutheran Church in 1953, and by doing so
connected the community to a family legacy of ministry in the Lutheran church.
Nelson served Olivet for 14 years and then became pastor of Calvary Lutheran Church in
Grand Forks.
In 1972 he was elected the second bishop of the Eastern North Dakota District of the
American Lutheran Church, a position he held for 12 years. Church leadership was in his
blood.
Nelson's great-grandfather, the Rev. Herman Amberg Preus came to Wisconsin from Norway in
the mid-1800s. He was the first president of the Norwegian Synod.
His grandfather became president at Luther College in Decorah, Iowa. His father also
served as president at Luther College and Augustana College, Sioux Falls, S.D.
An uncle, J.A.O. Preus, was elected governor of Minnesota (1921-25) and later founded
Lutheran Brotherhood Insurance Co.
And this is just the beginning of a family tree that sprouts countless pastors, spouses of
pastors and church leaders.
"Always stressed was the inward call to the ministry," Nelson told The Forum in
1976. "We feel called to serve God rather than to carry on a family tradition."
Within his own generation, Nelson's brother and cousin both led two Lutheran church
bodies.
David Preus led the American Lutheran Church for 14 years and was interim pastor at Trinity Lutheran Church in Moorhead. Forum File Photo.
David Preus, Nelson's brother, headed the
American Lutheran Church for 14 years and lost a bid to head the new Evangelical Lutheran
Church in America in 1987.
In 1995 he served as interim pastor at Trinity Lutheran Church in Moorhead.
Jacob A.O. Preus, their cousin, was president of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod from
1969 to 1981. During his term, 100,000 LC-MS members formed the Association of Evangelical
Lutheran Churches, which merged to form the ELCA.
Although the two Lutheran synods failed to see eye to eye on the ordination of women,
communion and how the word of God should be interpreted, the cousins were able to
distinguish between family ties and church ties.
"In these family (church) affairs, time and healing will take care of it,"
Nelson told The Forum.
Nelson once said that he's heard a certain trait in a family may be expected to run three
generations.
"Ours will continue for some time to come," Nelson said, "but we can't
expect it to run forever."
