Bishop Von Galen: Protector of the Blessed Sacrament

Bishop Von Galen is a true bishop who stood as a shepherd in the face of conflict.

Fr. Ronald Brown, a traditional priest, shared this story on Facebook recently:

Hitler is recorded to have remarked that he only wished he "could get his hands around his neck" to silence him. The saintly bishop withstood the evils of the Nazi regime which practiced euthanasia on those "not fit" for society (the sick, the mentally retarded etc). In the face of this, the bishop said: "once it is admitted that people have the right to kill 'unproductive' human beings - and if there are now poor, defenseless, insane, disabled, unborn children -, then basically the murder of all unproductive people, so to the incurable sick, the disabled cripples, the invalids of work and war, then the murder of all of us is released when we are old and decrepit and thus unproductive." (Sermon 3. August 1941, St. Lamberti Münster)

Interestingly and profoundly, he added:

He was extremely tall. His death came about because, while administering Holy Communion, he tripped; rather than drop the Ciboria with all the hosts, he protected the Ciborium and pierced himself on the Communion rail. That accident and subsequent illness brought about very sadly his death. He might also be known as the "protector of the Blessed Sacrament."