Behold the Chains Have Fallen

    Finding Freedom Amidst the Chains of Dachau

 

Behold, the chains have fallen!

May joyful hymns of gratitude

Ascend to you in heaven,

From Schoenstatt's holy portals.

 

The pilgrimage was painful,

But, in His greatness, wisdom,

The Father Manifested to us

His praise and glory.

 

Today we stand united

And formed by God's unending love.

We shall not tire of fighting

The devil and his power:

 

To form new men and women

Who, filled with inner freedom,

In joy and in misfortune,

Will imitate the Savior.

            This is an excerpt from a prayer written in Dachau by Fr. Kentenich, the founder of Schoenstatt. Schoenstatt is a Catholic Marian movement striving to bring souls to God through the intercession of our Blessed Mother. Even though he was a prisoner he realized that as long as he continued to stay close to God, through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and resisted the temptations of Satan he would always be free. Fr. Kentenich knew that true freedom is found in uniting oneself to God.

            A story I've always loved about Fr. Kentenich in Dachau reveals his sense of peace and acknowledgment of true freedom. Shortly after he arrived at Dachau a SS group leader was disturbed by Fr. Kentenich's calm manner. He decided to try his best to ruffle him. He shouted at him and even attempted to strike him but Fr. Kentenich remained calm. Finally the SS group leader ordered him to clean his bicycle. Fr. Kentenich replied, “ Yes, I can do that, but not because I am ordered to, but because I want to do this service as a free man!” As Fr. Kentenich proceeded to clean the bike he asked the group leader why he had yelled at him. The group leader broke down and told him his whole story, revealing that he had been raised Catholic and was ashamed to be living the life he was now living. 1 

Fr. Joseph Kentenich

         Fr. Kentenich arrived in Dachau on March 13, 1942. He would soon discover what so many others before him had discovered. It was a place of evil and darkness. Even though it was not considered a Nazi “death camp” many died either on account of the horrendous conditions or they were sent elsewhere to be killed. Dachau was the first Nazi concentration camp. Set up in 1933, it was originally intended for communists and criminals. This eventually changed and Jews, Catholics, clergy and anyone else who resisted the Nazi regime was sent there. 2 It was where the majority of Catholic priests were sent. In three barracks, specifically assigned for the priests, there would usually be at least 1,500 men forced to share the space of a barrack built for only 360 people. The SS officers decided to take advantage of their priest prisoners and would use them for scientific experiments. They would experiment on them to see how bodies react when they are only 27 degrees Celcius. They would also inject their bodies with pus in order to study about gangrene. In general the life in the camp was one of misery, hunger, cold and exhaustion. 3

       Yet, the light and victory of God was made visible through the dark evils of Dachau. It was often seen in little ways but perhaps the most significant was the fact that the priests were able to offer Holy Mass inside a chapel in barrack 26. In October of 1941 the German clergy were separated from the rest of the clergy and stationed in barrack 26. This meant that priests of all other nationalities were not allowed near the chapel and thus could not say Holy Mass. However, God's light still shone through as the German clergy would find ways to smuggle the Holy Eucharist to the other priests. 4

       When Fr. Kentenich arrived in Dachau the German clergy had already been separated from the others. As Fr. Kentenich himself was German he had the privilege to be in the block where Holy Mass was offered. If we were to sum up the life of Fr. Kentenich in Dachau we could say that it was one of complete peace, joy and inner freedom all bound together through intense love for our Blessed Mother who lead him to God. Fr. Kentenich did not keep this sense of peace to himself. He was constantly preaching and helping his fellow prisoners see the light of God amidst their darkest nights. Other prisoners have later noted that there were hardly any other priests who ministered to his fellow prisoners as Fr. Kenetnich had. They noted the time he spent in prayer, meditation, writing, giving talks to the other prisoners and caring for the sick. As he would march along the camp he would teach those around him Catholic and Protestant alike. Fr. Kentenich also was loved by the communists, non-believers and socialists. He had a special gift to be able to talk to them and help draw them to God. 5

   Yet, Fr. Kentenich was not the only priest who help spread God's victory and freedom in Dachau. Fr. Jean Bernard writes in his book, “Priest Block,” that there was a certain guard who had a keen interest in talking to him about God. Fr. Bernard always seized these moments to take a break from the hard labor before him and he would talk about God at great lengths. At one point the guard told him that it did not matter what he said because nothing was going to convince him that God exists. Fr. Bernard answered him by saying, “ Why do you talk about Him so much then?” 6 Even though it appeared that Fr. Bernard had made no progress with this guard a seed most certainly had been planted.

                 Another heroic story is that of the Jesuit priest, Fr. Otto Pies. Fr. Pies had been a prisoner of Dachau but was released in 1945. After he was freed he came back to Dachau disguised as a SS officer. He came in a truck filled with food and left with 30 priests in his truck. He was able to do this again two days later, once again taking more priests away from the camp. 7 

Blessed Karl Leisner (Right) and Fr. Otto Pies

      A most beautiful victory and gift of God during these horrific times was the ordination of Fr. Karl Leisner. Fr. Leisner came to Dachau as a deacon. Five years later a bishop was captured and he ordained him to the priesthood on December 17, 1944. Fr. Leisner was a member of the Schoenstatt movement. His particular small Schoenstatt group had chosen the ideal, 'Victor in Vinculis,' ( A Victor in Chains) Fr. Leisner had placed on his ordination card a picture of two hands in chains holding the chalice. 8

Blessed Fr. Karl Leisner

    This ideal and ordination card picture not only sums up the life of Fr. Leisner in Dachau but really the life of all the priests in Dachau. Even though they were chained as prisoners of Dachau, they were free men as long as they kept their eyes fixed on God, “the Way, the Truth and the Life” ( Jn 14:6) and the Summit and purpose for which every person has been made. It was a freedom no human person could take from them.

Fr. Karl Leisner ( Left) and his ordination in Dachau

1 Niehaus, Jonathan. A Movement in Chains. Wilke Printing Company; 1984.

 

2 Edkins, Jenny. Authenticity and Memory at Dachau. America Press Inc. 1987.

 

3 O'Malley, William. The Priests of Dachau. 1987.

 

4 Bernard, Jean. Priest Block 25487. Zaccheus Press; Maryland. 2007.

5 Niehaus, Jonathan. A Movement in Chains. Wilke Printing Company; 1984.

 

6 Bernard, Jean. Priest Block 25487. Zaccheus Press; Maryland. 2007.

 

7 O'Malley, William. The Priests of Dachau. 1987.

 

8 Niehaus, Jonathan. A Movement in Chains. Wilke Printing Company; 1984.