Papers [microform]

Biographical sketch: Student, Catholic priest; of Kansas. Full name: Albert Henry Wietharn.

Abstract: A wide variety of written material from Father Albert H. Wietharn's life, from a letter certifying his baptism to the homily from his requiem Mass celebrated by Father Al Rocker. The collection contains a large amount of newspaper clippings, dated in the 1930s, pertaining to religion in the world and the political climate of Europe at the time. Other papers such as those dealing with his confirmation, education, and ordination are included. Any homilies that Father Wietharn may have given during his career are not contained in this collection.

Summary:

CONTAINER LIST

Folder No. / Contents

Abbey of Gethsemeni. See Folder 3. Certificates.

1. American College, Louvain, Belgium.
Contains two student notebooks (written in German) and a diary (1934 July 12 - Sept. Oct. 1) written by Wietharn while traveling through Germany.

2. Baptism.
Letter, 1910 September 6, written by Rev. P. Gabriel Vonder[?] certifying Wietharn's baptism.

Belgium. See Folder 1. American College, Louvain, Belgium.

Benedictine College. See Folder 6. Fiftieth Jubilee.

Benedictine Fathers. See Folder 3. Certificates.

Catholic Church Extension Society. See Folder 3. Certificates.

Catholic Foreign Mission Society. See Folder 3. Certificates.

3. Certificates.
1937 (unidentified Latin certificate [see oversize folder 3]).
1951 Abbey of Gethsemani.
Letter of Association.
1954 Benedictine Fathers.
Foundation Mass Certificate.
1961 Catholic Church Extension Society.
Membership certificate.
1962 Pontifical Association of the Holy Childhood.
Membership certificate.
(undated) Catholic Foreign Mission Society.
Enrollment Certificate
(undated) Utah's Missions.
Stock Certificate.

College. See Folder 1. American College, Louvain, Belgium; Folder 6. Fiftieth Jubilee; Folder 8. Letters (Written by Wietharn); and Folder 19. St. Benedict's College.


4. Confirmation.
Letter [n.d.] written by Rev. A. J. Blaufuss, certifying Wietharn's confirmation, 1921 May 2.i1q

5. Essays.
"My Alma Mater"
"Silent Knights at Midnight"
"My Autobiography"

6. Fiftieth Jubilee.
Contains two programs and a certificate from Benedictine College for the celebration of Wietharn's fiftieth anniversary as a Catholic priest.

7. Funeral.
Contains the Homily conducted by Father Al Rocker at Wietharn's funeral (1992 June 24). See also the last newspaper clipping [oversize folder 14].

German language. See Folder 1, American College, Louvain,
Belgium. See also Folder 11. Letters in German.

Germany. See Folder 1. American College, Louvain, Belgium. See also Newspaper clippings, Oversize folder 14.

Gethsemeni, Abbey of. See Folder 3. Certificates.

Golden Jubilee, Sacred Heart Church, Topeka, Kansas, 1969. See Folder 17. Sacred Heart Church, Topeka, Kansas - Golden Jubilee.

High School. See Folder 20. St. Benedict's Maur Hill.

8. Letters (Written by Wietharn).
Photocopies of original letters, arranged chronologically from 1933 March 7 to 1990 September 12. Most of these letters Wietharn wrote while a student in Louvain, Belgium in the 1930s and pertain to his academic life, as well as the political climate in Europe at the time.

9. Letters (Written to Wietharn).
Many of these letters are photocopies of originals. They are arranged chronologically; ranging from 1933 July 27 to 1987 August 22.

10. Letters (Written to Wietharn - undated).

11. Letters in German.

Louvain, Belgium. See Folder 1, American College, Louvain, Belgium; and folder 8, Letters written by Wietharn.

12. Miscellaneous (Church Material).
Individual items relating to the Catholic Church which could not be categorized elsewhere are placed here. See also oversize folder 12.

13. Miscellaneous (Nonchurch material).
Contains:
Passport, 1910 September 10.
Social Security card.
"Pruitis Ani Program," by Leo A. Smith, M.D.
"Direction for the Collection of Samples for Bacteriological Analysis of Water"
Application for Permit to Import Wine for Communion Purposes. State of Kansas.
Notes on inheritance taxes.
"Insects: Bees and Insects Harmful to Man, Animals, and Plants."
"Highlights of the Nation's Capital."
"The Forerunner of War."

14. Newspaper Clippings.
Photocopies of original newspaper arranged chronologically, range from 1933 to 1992, and are filed in oversize storage.

15. Ordination.
Contains an invitation (photocopy) 1937 July 18, for Wietharn's first Solemn Mass following his ordination on July 4.

Passport. See Folder 13. Miscellaneous (Nonchurch material).

Pontifical Association of the Holy Childhood. See Folder 3. Certificates.

16. Prayer Books.
Photocopies of six prayer books.

17. Sacred Heart Church, Topeka, Kansas - Golden Jubilee.
A published booklet commemorating the fiftieth anniversary of the Sacred Heart Church in Topeka, Kansas in 1969.

18. Sacred Heart School, Baileyville, Kansas.
A report card [1925] for Wietharn while in the eighth grade; certificate, 1924, for excellence in spelling [oversize folder 18]; eighth grade diploma, 1925 [oversize folder 18]; Nemaha County diplomas, 1925 [oversize folder 18].

19. Saint Benedict's College, Atchison, Kansas.
Essays, 1930, typescript, on psychology. Diploma, 1933, for the degree of Bachelor of Arts [oversize folder 19].

20. Saint Benedict's Maur Hill High School, Atchison, Kansas.
Contains a student notebook; photocopies of report cards; a photocopy of the St. Benedict's Maur Hill "Breeze" (undated); an invitation for graduation exercises for the class of 1929; and a high school diploma, 1929 [oversize folder 20].

Social Security card. See Folder 13. Miscellaneous (Nonchurch material).

21. Society for the Propagation of the Faith.
Contains a membership certificate, 1942 [see oversize folder 21]; and an annuity agreement, 1949 Nov. 28, between Father Albert Wietharn and P.M. Chi, of Phat Diem Seminary, Viet Nam, Indo China, for the support of a theology student.

Solemn Mass. See folder 15. Ordination.

Utah's Missions. See Folder 3. Certificates.


OVERSIZE INVENTORY


Folder / Contents

3. Unidentified Latin certificate, 1937.
Society for the Propagation of the Faith, Membership certificate, 1942.

12. Miscellaneous (Church material).
"National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception."

14. Newspaper clippings.
1933-1992.

18. Sacred Heart School.
Certificate, 1924, for Excellence in spelling.
Eighth grade diploma.

19. Saint Benedict's College, Atchison, Kansas.
Diploma, 1933, for a Bachelor of Arts degree.

20. Saint Benedict's Maur Hill High School, Atchison, Kansas. Diploma, 1929.

21. Society for the Propagation of the Faith.
Membership certificate, 1942.

Biog. Sketch (Full):

Albert Henry Wietharn, a priest in the Catholic Church, was born in Baileyville, Kansas, on 3 September 1910 to Frank H. and Catharine Ann Engelken Wietharn. He attended Catholic schools throughout his formative years, achieving excellent grades, thereby revealing himself to be a good candidate for the priesthood. He attended Sacred Heart School in Baileyville and Maur Hill Prep School, now Maur Hill-Mount Academy, and St. Benedict's College, now Benedictine College, in Atchison, Kansas. Wietharn journeyed to the American College at Louvain University, Louvain, Belgium, in 1933 to study German, spend some time touring Germany, and to prepare for ordination into the Catholic priesthood. He was ordained in Belgium on 4 July 1937.

Father Wietharn returned to Kansas, being assigned to a total of eight different parishes in the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas over a fifty year period: St. Joseph, Waverly; St. Anthony, Homewood; St. Patrick, Osage City; St. Patrick, Scranton; Sacred Heart Paxico; Sacred Heart, Topeka; St. Bernard, Wamego; and St. Theresa, Perry. During those fifty years, Wietharn gained a reputation as being a low-key, yet efficient priest. Witharn also advocated reforms for the Catholic Church. Father Al Rocker, a friend of Wietharn's in the priesthood stated, "In the '50s when I knew him, he was pushing and promoting some of the things that the Second Vatican Council did 10 years later . . ."

Father Wietharn died on Saturday, 20 June 1992, at St. Francis Hospital and Medical Center, Topeka, Kansas. He was eighty-one.

Scope and content:

This microfilm contains the Father Albert H. Wietharn (1910-1992) Papers in their entirety. The Father Wietharn Collection contains a wide variety of material, much of it photocopied, from a handwritten baptismal certificate, to his funeral sermon, conducted by Father Al Rocker. Father Wietharn collected a large amount of newspaper clippings, mostly while studying at the American College in Louvain, Belgium, in the mid 1930s. Many of those clippings pertain to religion in the world and the political climate of Europe at that time. Other important papers, such as those dealing with his confirmation, education, ordination and the like are found herein. Not found in this collection are Wietharn's sermons.

In order to maintain the original order of this collection and also to avoid making a lengthy index, the container list has been designed to be self-indexing.

Contents: Folder 1. American College, Louvain, Belgium, 1934 July-Oct. ‑‑ folder 2.  Baptism, 1910 Sept. 6 ‑‑ folder 3. Certificates, 1937-1962 ‑‑ folder 4. Confirmation, 1921 May 2 ‑‑ folder 5. Essays ‑‑ folder 6. 50th Jubilee, [1987] ‑‑ folder 7. Funeral, 1992 June 24 ‑‑ folder 8. Letters (written by Wietharn), [ca. 1930-ca. 1939] ‑‑ folder 9. Letters (written to Wietharn) : 1933-1987 ‑‑ folder 10. Letters (written to Wietharn) : undated) ‑‑ folder 11. Letters in German ‑‑ folder 12. Misc. (church material) ‑‑ folder 13. Misc. (non-church material), 1910 ‑‑ folder 14. Newspaper clippings, 1933-1992 ‑‑ folder 15. Ordination, 1937 July 18 ‑‑ folder 16. Prayer books ‑‑ folder 17. Sacred Heart Church (Topeka, Kan.) Golden Jubilee, 1969 ‑‑ folder 18. Sacred Heart School (Baileyville, Kan.), 1924-1925 ‑‑ folder 19. St. Benedict's College (Atchison, Kan.), 1930-1933 ‑‑ folder 20. Maur Hill Prep School (Atchison, Kan.), 1929 ‑‑ folder 21. Society for the Propagation of the Faith, 1942-1949 ‑‑ oversize folder 3. Certificates, 1937-1942 ‑‑ oversize folder 12. Misc. (church material) ‑‑ oversize folder 14. Newspaper clippings, 1933-1992 ‑‑ oversize folder 18. Sacred Heart School (Baileyville, Kan.), 1924 ‑‑ oversize folder 19. St. Benedict's College (Atchison, Kan.), 1933 ‑‑ oversize folder 20. Maur Hill Prep School (Atchison, Kansas), 1929 ‑‑ oversize folder 21. Society for the Propagation of the Faith, 1942.

Finding Aids: Notes on this microfilm copy, collection register, and folder list are located at the beginning of the microfilm reel and available in paper format from the Kansas Historical Society (Topeka).

Indexes: Self-indexing container list included in the collection register and the Summary of this record.

Use and reproduction: Copyright on this collection has been transferred to the Kansas State Historical Society.

Ownership/Custodial Hist.: Collection owned by Albert H. Wietharn's sister at the time of microfilming. Collection later donated to the Kansas Historical Society (Topeka).

Add'l physical form: Microfilm. Topeka, Kan. : Kansas State Historical Society, 1993; roll MS 1397, lab. no. 36313; available for research or inter-library loan to Kansas libraries.

Cite as: Citations referring to this collection should include "Father Albert H. Wietharn Papers, Collection 234, Manuscripts Department, Kansas State Historical Society."

Action note: These documents were prepared for microfilming by Robert A. McInnes in 1993.

Holder of originals: The Kansas State Historical Society is in possession of these papers.

Holder of duplicates: Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas.