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 published: 2006-07-04

The Karl Club

An apostle with a prayer club

 

Altar de Karl Leisner en Monte Moriah, Schoenstatt

Altar of Karl Leisner at Mount Moriah, Schoenstatt

Karl-Leisner-Altar auf Berg Moriah, Schönstatt

Foto: Garmendia © 2006

 
 

Gregory Waddle

Gregory Waddle

Gregory Waddle

Foto: Schoenstatt Family Magazine © 2006

 
 

Capilla de los sacerdotes en Dachau

Chapel of the priests in Dachau

Kapelle der Priester auf Block 26 in Dachau

 
 

Karl Leisner

Charles Leisner

Carlos Leisner

Fotos: Bühler © 2006

 
 

USA, Gregory Waddle/mkf. Gregory Waddle, of the Schoenstatt Boys' Youth of Palmyra, Nebraska, USA, is an "apostle on the march" with a prayer club. Inspired by his confirmation patron, Karl Leisner, and his love for the youth and of prayer, he decided to start a prayer club in his honor and under his patronage: The KARL CLUB.

Gregory Waddle shares about his motives and experiences with Karl Leisner, this young Schoenstatt priest beatified by John Paul II in 1996:

"Five years ago on April 3, 2001, I was confirmed in Christ and took our friend and hero Blessed Karl Leisner as my patron saint. I had learned about him through our Schoenstatt Boys meetings. He grew up as one of the first Schoenstatt Boys and loved to help as a youth leader for Schoenstatt and the diocese that he lived in. He was very devoted to the Blessed Mother and loved to share this with the youth; as well as teaching the faith to them. Through this, he taught many young people to lead lives of prayer. The kids loved him not only because he taught them to pray, but because he also made it fun. They would go for hikes, do puppet shows, and have all sorts of fun together. They learned that holiness can be fun!

The part of Karl’s life that really inspired me was his suffering in the Dachau Concentration Camp. He was thrown into Dachau a short while before he was going to be ordained to the priesthood. He knew the Blessed Mother was still taking care of him, and when a French Bishop was transferred to his camp, they were able to have a secret ordination on December 17, 1944, in the concentration camp. However, Karl was very ill with tuberculosis and was only able to offer only one Mass on December 26, 1944, still in the concentration camp. In May of the next year, Karl was finally released, but was weak and never recovered. He died three months later on August 12, 1945.

World Youth Day pilgrimage in the footsteps of Karl Leisner

Last year, during my World Youth Day pilgrimage, I was privileged to be able to visit special places in Karl’s life. One of the days that we were in Germany, some of our group toured Karl’s hometown of Kleve. We visited his home and the parish that he attended there. We also visited a Marian shrine in Kevelaer which Karl often visited and at which he loved to pray. Later in the day, we visited Karl’s tomb underneath St. Victor’s Church in Xanten. Father Jonathan Niehaus offered Mass at his tomb for Karl Club members and their intentions. He also offered Mass on the very same altar where Karl offered his one and only Mass in Dachau (pictured below).

Inspired by my confirmation patron and his love of the youth and of prayer, I decided to start a prayer club in his honor and under his patronage: the KARL CLUB. This club keeps youth all over the country united in prayer under Karl’s leadership. He always loved the youth, and now he is leading us from heaven. Every month the members are able to send in their petitions and prayer intentions for the newsletter. Each petition is assigned a day where every member will be praying for that intention that day. In the five years since the Karl Club was started, it has grown to include about fifty people, not only youth, throughout the country."

Join the Club!

The Karl Club offers a newsletter via. More members are always welcome. Write or email Greg Waddle if you would like to join the club under Blessed Karl’s leadership!

Gregory Joseph Karl Waddle, karlclub@alltel.net, 298 S 8th Rd, Palmyra, NE 68418, USA

 


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