Fr. Richard Henkes, S.A.C., A Picture of His Life A Picture of His Life | Page 18

reported twice, the first time in his hometown in Ruppach. Fr. Henkes
had been part of the Provincial Chapter for the Pallottines in Lim-
burg as the vice-rector of Katscher. The Sunday homily on “What is
going on in the world?” did not please everyone there. And, in Katsch-
er, after the crash of the zeppelin “Hindenburg,” he had joked with a
family that it was a pity that it had not been named “Hitler,” as then
one could say that Hitler had crashed. The announcements were fol-
lowed by interrogations by the Gestapo for his slander of the Fuhrer.
Luckily, Fr. Henkes fell under an amnesty law following the integra-
tion of Austria into the German Reich.
Richard Henkes had acted imprudently and had not assessed the
family accurately. He was known for the fact that he often did not
spend his free time in the Pallottine community but, instead, often
visited families in the neighborhood or the city, sometimes late into
the night. In some family-homes he would “leave the muzzle at the
front door” and speak freely. In this instance, it had been a mistake.
And even in the house community in Frankenstein, he had to be care-
ful. Fr. Henkes did not have friends in the community. In particular,
his relationship with the rector of Frankenstein was strained. The rec-
tor was Father Josef Hagel, a former classmate at Vallendar, the first
sacristan of the MTA chapel, and a fervent supporter of Schönstatt
piety. He and Fr. Henkes differed on many questions of community
life and the pastoral work of the Pallottines in Silesia. Fr. Hagel had
worked together with Fr. Kentenich in Schönstatt and had then been
transferred to Frankenstein. Did he feel well here? Fr. Henkes, after
a short time, had become a favorite in Silesia. Again, and again, he
announced that Silesia had become his second home - he did not feel
like a foreigner. Whatever the relations within the Pallottine group
in Silesia, Fr. Henkes was proud of what the community had quick-
ly built up there. To his family in Westerwald and his superiors in
Limburg, he was proud to report on the recognition the Pallottines
experienced in Silesia.
The superiors in Limburg trusted Richard Henkes and appreci-
ated his work. However, after the trial in Breslau, they considered it
advisable to take him out of the school. They could not have foreseen
that the regime would close the school in Katscher in March and
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