Cologne - Adolph Kolping

Cologne is the fourth-largest city in Germany - and one of the oldest. A Germanic tribe, the Ubii, had a settlement here, this was named by the Romans "Oppidum Ubiorum". In 50 AD, the Romans founded "Colonia Claudia Ara Agrippinensium", the city then became the provincial capital of "Germania Inferior".

The Conventual Franciscans (aka Minorites), had this Gothic church built. The early Gothic choir was erected 1245 to 1260, the nave was completed in the 14th century.

Here is the tomb of Adolph Kolping.

Adolph Kolping, born to a family of as poor shepherd in 1813, proved to be an able student while in school from but his poorness prevented him from furthering his education. In 1831 he travelled to Cologne as a shoemaker's assistant and became shocked with the living conditions of the working class that lived there. He decided to become a priest, though he remained a shoemaker until 1841.

Kolping was ordained to the priesthood in 1845 in the "Minoritenkirche". He first served in Elberfeld, a center of industrialisation in that time
After his return to Cologne he established Cologne's branch of the "Gesellenverein", the origin of the present international "Kolpingwerk".

He is remembered as the "Father of All Apprentices"

www.kolpingwerk-europa.net/en/home.html