Joseph Aloysius Kessler | |
|---|---|
| Archbishop | |
 | |
| Church | Roman Catholic Church |
| See | Roman CatholicDiocese of Tiraspol (Russia) |
| In office | 1904-1918 |
| Predecessor | Eduard Baron von der Ropp |
| Successor | none |
| Previous post(s) | Priest |
| Orders | |
| Ordination | 1889 |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1862-08-12)August 12, 1862 |
| Died | December 10, 1933(1933-12-10) (aged 71) Zinnowitz,Germany  |
Joseph Aloysius Kessler (German:Josef Alois Kessler,Russian:Иосиф Алоиз Кесслер; August 12, 1862 – December 10, 1933) was the lastbishop of theDiocese of Tiraspol in Russia and the lastVolga German bishop until BishopJoseph Werth,SJ.
Joseph Kessler was born 12 August 1862 inLouis (Ostrogovka) GovernmentSamara. After he finished his studies in theSaratov Seminary, he was ordained in 1889. He graduated fromRoman Catholic Theological Academy in St. Petersburg with a degree ofMaster of Theology. In 1889, he became a vicar of a parish in Saratov, and at the same time he taught in the Saratov Seminary. After that, his life entered a period of transition. He took the following positions during the next 13 years: 1892Simferopol parish vicar, 1895Sulz parish priest, 1899Chişinău (today Moldova) parish priest, 1903 Saratov Seminary inspector, and in 1904 canon lawyer. He was appointed Bishop of Tiraspol on 1 April 1904. He was consecrated the 5th Bishop of the Diocese of Tiraspol on 28 October 1904 and took residence in the diocesan headquarters in Saratov. While Josef Kessler was Bishop of Tiraspol, the pastoral life of the diocese became successful and vital. Bishop Kessler expanded the seminary, founded a publishing house, supported the work of male and female religious orders, visited all parishes of the giant diocese, and conducted 75,000 confirmations.[1]
On 14 August 1918, before theBolsheviks captured Saratov during theRussian Civil War, Bishop Kessler fled the city on foot, and went toOdessa. When theSoviet secret police, orCHEKA, searched the seminary, they found a message from the Bishop, where he declared the power of the Bolsheviks to be the power ofAntichrist. The message further warned local Catholics that, if they cooperated in any way with Soviet power, they would be excommunicated. In response, the CHEKA conducted a Russia-wide manhunt for Bishop Kessler. The Bishop secretly left Russia forBessarabia (today divided betweenMoldova andUkraine), where he was a priest in the village ofKrasne nearTarutino. In 1921, he visitedKansas and made a trip throughout theUnited States to raise funds for the famine-strickenVolga German andBlack Sea German farming colonies. The rest of his life was spent in theWeimar Republic, atZinnowitz on theBaltic Sea.
He died on 10 December 1933 and was buried inOrnbau,Bavaria, next to another Bishop of Tiraspol,Franz Zottmann, who was born in Ornbau.
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