St. Raphaelsverein zum Schutze katholischer deutscher Auswanderer
The St. Raphaelsverein zum Schutze katholischer deutscher Auswanderer (St. Raphael’s Association for the Protection of German Catholic Emigrants) was founded in 1871 and officially acknowledged by Pope Leo XIII in June 1878.
Starting in 1865 the merchant Peter Paul Cahensly advocated for the assistance of emigrants at the annual German Catholic Congresses (Katholikentage). In September 1871 the members of the General Assembly of German Catholic Societies voted in support of Cahensly’s idea for the formation of an emigrant aid society under the putative protection of the archangel Raphael. The main aim of the association would be to improve the physical, moral, and spiritual conditions for the German Catholic emigrants.Although more notable for the figure he cut in society, Prince Karl von und zu Isenburg-Birstein was named the association’s president, while Cahensly became its general secretary. However, there was no question that Cahensly was the dynamic force behind the association. That force was matched by high ambition; during the first two years of its existence, the association sent letters to U.S. president Ulysses S. Grant and to the German government. It called for the passage of international laws to govern the moral and material conditions for emigrants. Because these letters remained unanswered, the association was forced to focus on a more regional basis.
In 1873 the association opened its first mission center in Hamburg and established branches in the major European port cities soon thereafter. The association sent advice cards (Empfehlungskarten) to the various Catholic parishes throughout Germany and Europe. The agents (Ver- trauensmdnner) of the association were then charged with greeting emigrants at train stations, securing good lodgings, offering advice on ticket purchases and money exchanges, directing passengers to ships, and sending word across the Atlantic to prepare the association’s agents in the United States, Brazil, and other countries of destination for the new arrivals.
Ca- hensly and his agents negotiated with port commissions and shipping companies to improve conditions within port lodging houses and on board transatlantic steamers. Most importantly, the agents were to provide the emigrants with spiritual care—Catholic religious services, communion, and confession. Given the dangers of shipwrecks, sickness, and disease during the lengthy journey, such spiritual care was viewed as essential for the fearful traveler.
The formative years of the association closely coincided with the German Kul- turkampf (literally “battle of civilizations” that pitted a progressive, Protestant, liberal German state nationalism against ultramontane Catholicism). The association continued to grow in Germany and abroad despite battles with the Prussian state during the 1870s and 1880s over the legality of “promoting” German emigration. The association was particularly dynamic during the last two decades of the nineteenth century. In 1886 it started publishing its own newspaper, the St. Raphaels-Blatt. Three years later the association opened its American headquarters, the Leo House (named after Pope Leo XIII), in New York City. During this period, southern and southeastern Europeans began to supply the majority of emigrants. The St. Raphaelsverein adjusted its mission accordingly and the association sought agents who could speak eastern European languages. Within Germany the association increasingly aided Italian workers, and in the United States (and New York City in particular) the bond with Italian immigrants was particularly strong.
The shift toward a more universal policy of emigration aid continued into the twentieth century. During the Nazi era, the association granted aid to Jewish emigrants. These activities caught the attention of the Gestapo, and on June 25, 1941, the St. Raphaelsverein was banned officially by the state. Following World War II, the association reformed (1947) and has continued to assist emigrants in Europe. The name of the association was changed to Raphaels-Werk in 1977.
Kevin Ostoyich
See also Cahensly, Peter Paul; New York City
References and Further Reading
Cahensly, Peter Paul. Der Raphaelsverein zum Schutze katholischer deutscher Auswanderer. Sein Werden, Wirken und K⅛mpfen wahrend des 30-jahrigen Bestehens. Freiburg im Breisgau: Verlag des Charitasverbandes fur das kathol, 1900.
Coleman, Barry OSB. The Catholic Church and German Americans. Milwaukee: Bruce, 1953.
Reutter, Lutz-Eugen. Die Hilfstatigkeit katholischer Organisationen und kirchlicher Stellen fur die im nationalsozialistischen Deutschland Verfolgten. PhD diss., Universitat Hamburg, 1969.