Archives

Catholic youth!

Take the happiness and the thanks of your bishop for accepting the invitation! You have come to regain strength, to stand strong in great and difficult times.

You have lost them this last year: Your associations, leagues, and unions have been battered, your banners have been taken from you, you may no longer join in merry, young groups. And yet you have gained much: learning of the solid community of young Christians, of the community in parish and church.

Do not lose your courage! Stand strong and faithful to God, to parish and to church! Live a vigorous parish life. Christ is victor! He is what it all is about, today more than ever! But He cannot be taken from this world. He must conquer! And this is you mission: to carry His victory into the world with your youthful strength.

Let us stand even stronger and steadier! Christ is our leader and king. This is not easy these days. It is made very difficult for you. But do not be misled! Do not be intimidated. Guard the precious faith! Retain your strength and remain steady! For only faith makes one blissful!

Give my regards to your parents, and I thank them for the avowal they have given these days when they were asked whether their children should continue to get their religious instruction in school.

Stand strong in your faith, come what may! Trust your bishop! And pray for him, that the Holy Spirit shall guide him in difficult times. You may perhaps not have understood everything lately, you know what I mean [an allusion to his excessive cooperation and the bishop's declaration he had issued and signed "Heil Hitler" earlier that year]. But it happened out of great responsibility. Pray for the bishop! And display your faith openly. Bravely and steadily. Influence others, wavering ones, by words and by example, by your example.

This is my great joy, to see you there, side by side: there still exists an ideal youth, despite all slogans! Team up with like-minded fellows in close association.

Retain the living faith in your hearts! God does not desert us. God bless you and give my regards to all!

Quoted in Schmidt, Elfride. 1938...and the Consequences. Riverside: Ariadne Press, 1992, 369-70.