Commemoration of J.K. Wilhelm Loehe, Pastor
Ninth Day of Christmas
January 2
The Lord be with you
On the liturgical calendars used in The Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod, today is set aside to remember Wilhelm Loehe. Although he never left Germany, Johann Konrad Wilhelm Loehe, born in Fuerth in 1808, had a profound impact on the development of Lutheranism in North America. Serving as pastor in the Bavarian village of Neuendettelsau, he recognized the need for workers in developing lands and assisted in training emergency helpers to be sent as missionary pastors to North America, Brazil, New Guinea, Ukraine, and Australia. A number of the men he sent to the United States became founders of The Lutheran Church — Missouri Synod. (There were three major contributing groups, the Saxons, the Loehe men, and some Lutherans in Texas.) Through his financial support a theological school in Fort Wayne, Indiana and a teachers’ institute in Saginaw, Michigan were established. Loehe was known for his confessional integrity and his interest in liturgy and catechetics. His devotion to works of Christian charity led to the establishment of a deaconess training house and homes for the aged. January 2 has been selected to commemorate him as that is the anniversary of his death. Most “saint’s days” fall on the day the saint was born into heaven.
Blessings in Christ,
Pastor John Rickert