ADOLPH KOLPING
Adoph Kolping founds the first association for journeymen.
Adolph Kolping, born on 8 December 1813 in Kerpen near Cologne, died on 14 December 1865 in Cologne, was a Catholic priest.
He came from a poor background and worked for many years as a journeyman shoemaker. He could not come to terms with the conditions under which journeymen had to live at the time.
After studying theology, he became a Catholic priest.
In 1846, he founded the first journeymen's association, as the fate of journeymen was close to his heart. The association quickly found favour and further journeymen's associations were founded. Today, the Kolping Society named after him is one of the largest social organisations of the Catholic Church.
There are 450,000 members in more than 60 countries worldwide. The Archbishop of Cologne, Karl Joseph Cardinal Schulte, formally opened the beatification process for Adolph Kolping on 21 March 1934.
However, it took over half a century before Kolping was beatified by Pope John Paul II on 27 October 1991.