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August 12

Carlos Leisner, priest and martyr (1915–1945)

martyr priest

A young German priest, Carlos Leisner kept his vocation and Christian hope alive during Nazi captivity.

Biography

Since he was a teenager, he organized Catholic youth groups and opposed Hitler's ideology. Being a deacon and suffering from tuberculosis, he was arrested in 1939 and sent to Dachau. There, with clandestine help from other prisoners, he received priestly ordination from Bishop Gabriel Piguet on December 17, 1944 and celebrated a single Mass. Released at the end of the war, he died a few months later from the aftermath of the camp, forgiving his persecutors.

Practical advice

Today, support the vocation or good purpose of someone who is going through a trial and remind them that their dedication still makes sense.

Example of

FortitudeFaithfulnessSacrifice

Sources and related links

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