Study day "Karl Leisner and Titus Brandsma finally united together"

It is common knowledge that Titus Brandsma died in Dachau concentration camp during World War II. One of the many other people imprisoned in Dachau concentration camp was the young German Karl Leisner. Before the war, he was a priest student who was very active in youth work in Kleve, among other places. Because of his critical statements about Hitler, he was imprisoned without trial, first in the Sachsenhausen concentration camp and then in the Dachau camp. During his imprisonment there, he was ordained a priest. He still died shortly after being liberated from the camp. Pope John Paul II recognized him as a martyr for the faith and beatified him in 1996. Titus Brandsma has since been canonized by Pope Francis on May 15, 2023.

Some years ago, during an informal contact between Pastor Christoph Scholten, pastor of Kranenburg (D), and Theo Giesbers spokesman for the Society for the Preservation of Villagescapes in Groesbeek, both interested in Karl Leisner and Titus Brandsma, the question arose whether Leisner and Brandsma knew each other. Did they meet at camp Dachau, and perhaps at other times as well? Pastor Scholten decided to research that.

His findings were included in 2020 in a wonderful brochure "Karl Leisner and Titus Brandsma finally united together." The intention was to present that brochure at a study day dedicated to Leisner and Brandsma. Because of the corona pandemic, the latter has not happened to date. In 2022, however, the brochure was presented to the press, and then widely distributed. At this time, however, the working group (*) that collaborated for the creation of the brochure has also planned the study day, and on:

Monday, June 19, 2023, from 9:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.

In the attached program you can read that it will be a very special and varied day. Start of the day is in the Karl-Leisner-Mariëndaalkapel, Stationsweg 9t/9r, 6561 BZ in Groesbeek. There are no costs for you for this day.

The number of participants was set at a maximum of 100 people. Chosen is for 50 study day participants from Germany and 50 participants from the Netherlands. Therefore, do not wait too long to register. First come, first served. Please register before May 28.

You can register by e-mail: wilmagiesbers@hotmail.nl stating name, address and place. By mail is of course also possible: Theo Giesbers, Binnenveld 21, 6562 ZW Groesbeek, The Netherlands.

After registering, you will receive confirmation by return.

We hope that it may be a wonderful day, in which the members of the Internationaler Karl Leisner Kreis are inspired by the Titus Brandsma Memorial and the Friends of Titus Brandsma, and the same applies vice versa, of course. For this reason, it is much more than just a study day.

The program:

9:30 a.m.: Walk-in with coffee and tea in the chapel foyer.

10:00 a.m.: Opening by the chairman of the day, Theo Giesbers, spokesman and press officer for the Society for the Preservation of Village Scenes and member of the Internationaler Karl Leisner Kreis (IKLK).

10:04 a.m.: greeting of the study day participants by the Mayor of Berg en Dal, Mr. Mark Slinkman.

10:08 a.m.: Monika Kaiser-Haas, vice president of the IKLK and niece of Karl Leisner reminisces about the Leisner family.

10:20 a.m.: Pastor Christoph Scholten, dean and pastor of Kranenburg on the encounters of Karl Leisner andTitus Brandsma, supported with photos on large screen.

11 a.m.: "Christ aus Leidenschaft". Film by Max Kronawitter about the Blessed Karl Leisner.

12 p.m.: presentation of the brochure "Karl Leisner and Titus Brandsma finally united together."

12:05 p.m.: lunch for all participants attending the study day at Gasterij "'t Groeske".

1 p.m.: departure with two buses to the Titus Brandsma Memorial Church in Nijmegen. Church entrance: Keizer Karelplein 19, Nijmegen.

1:30 p.m.: Sister Marieke Rijpkema, o. carm., administrator of the Titus Brandsma Memorial, will give an introduction about the life of St. Titus Brandsma and about the Memorial itself.

2 p.m.: lecture by Prof. Dr. Inigo Bocken. "Titus Brandsma: on suffering and the hiddenness of God".

2:45 p.m.: Opportunity to tour the memorial church.

3 p.m.: Provost Johannes Mecking, Kleve, president of the IKLK, blesses the memorial stone for Karl Leisner to be placed in the Wall of Peace. The memorial stone features Karl Leisner's last diary entry of July 25, 1945: "Segne auch, Höchster, meine Feinde".

3:30 p.m.: Bus departure for the Karl-Leisner-Mariëndaal Chapel in Groesbeek.

16.00: closing with coffee/tea and apple pie at Gasterij "'t Groeske".