Newspaper Page Text
PAGE 7 — The Georgia Bulletin, December 14,1972
TWIN-BROTHER PRIESTS - Fathers
Severin (left) and Stephen Lamping are
identical twins and co-pastors of
W Jgg:
Resurrection parish in Wellsville, Mo.
(NC Photo)
No, Missouri Parishioners
Are Not Seeing Double
WELLSVILLE, Mo. (NC)
— Only the cat knows for
sure.
The cat is named Mitzie.
She is the pet of Fathers
Stephen and Severin
Lamping, identical twins
serving as pastor and
co-pastor at the Resurrection
Parish here.
The animal is the only one
who can confidently tell the
men apart.
“Mitzie is the only one we
can’t fool,” said Father
Stephen.
“Yes, Mitzie, will never
come to me,” said Father
Severin.
The twin priests, born Jan.
1, 1901 in Cincinnati, had
served in such diverse locales
as Europe, Ohio and Kansas
before coming to the
Jefferson City diocese for
pastoral work.
Their experiences are
reflections of their travels,
including run-ins with Hitler’s
Gestapo and publication of
several books on conversion.
They attended grade
school in Cincinnati and
completed minor seminary
studies there. However, the
twins, along with their three
sisters, were taken to Damme,
Germany, by their parents -
who were immigrants - for
settlement of an estate, and
completed their education in
Europe.
On March 16, 1929, they
were ordained in the historic
cathedral of Paderborn and
afterwards engaged in youth
work and conducted retreats
for the Young Christian
Workers in Germany, Holland
and Belgium.
“In 1935, we were run out
of Germany by the Gestapo
because of our outspoken
opposition to Hitler,” said
Father Severin.
That year they had
published a book on converts,
MENSCHEN DIE ZUR
KIRCHE KAMEN, and wrote
articles for various Catholic
magazines. Father Stephen
said their writings were
confiscated by the Gestapo
and the police came to arrest
them.
“However, we had just left
for Italy on our way back to?
the United States,” Father
Stephen said.
In the United States,
Father Severin taught at a
Cincinnati high school,
became associate editor of
the ST. ANTHONY
MESSENGER, editor of the
SODALIST and HERZ JESU
SENDBOTE, and was
director of the local Catholic
Kolping Society, one of the
largest youth organizations in
the world. He later became
the society’s national
president.
Meanwhile, Father Stephen
engaged in pastoral work and
served as pastor of parishes in
Emporia and Olpe, Kan.
It was during this period
that they wrote a booklet on
the menace of nazism,
100,000 copies of which were
distributed by a Jewish
group, and wrote another
book on modern converts,
THROUGH HUNDRED
GATES, which was published
in the Religion and Culture
Series of the University of St.
Louis in 1938. The book was
translated into five languages.
In 1957, Father Stephen
was named pastor at
Wellsville, where he has
remained. Father Severin was
given a variety of assignments
before becoming co-pastor at
Wellsville in 1970.
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Prison: What It’s Like
BY ROYCE MITCHELL
(EDITOR’S NOTE: Royce Mitchell is a member of Atlanta’s Sacred Heart parish who joined the Catholic
Church in 1968. Shortly thereafter he gave up a successful career as a trucking executive to study for the
priesthood.
Now 48 years of age, he is a student at Notre Dame Seminary in New Orleans, where in his spare time he serves
as a prison chaplain.
After his ordination next year, he hopes to continue his prison ministry as a priest of the Archdiocese of New
Orleans.
He offers to GEORGIA BULLETIN readers his final reflection on his experience as a prison chaplain.)
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On the tiers we invaded the
territory of the inmates and it
was necessary for us to keep
this in mind. It was a
different thing on Sunday
when they chose to come to
Mass; they had invaded our
territory and we were at
liberty to preach the Gospel
and the love of Christ to
them. We were free to attack
the hatred and violence
within the prison, the need
for their love for'Christ, and
sermon topics which applied
to their prison setting.
Because of the educational
level, it was necessary to use
words and examples which
they would be able to
understand. For security
reasons, a maximum of seven
inmates per tier are permitted
to come to the Catholic or
the Protestant services. There
are a few who come off the
tiers especially to attend the
services. The others come
either to get the priviledge of
being off the tier, to see
friends and to talk, or to
exchange money, drugs,
knives or other contraband.
This you have to complete
with while you are preaching.
During the time that I was
working at the prison, I was
asked by various people if I
thought that I was doing any
good spiritually with the
inmates. Others wanted to
know if I wasn’t wasting my
time.
'the first question I cannot
answer because I don’t have
any concrete, tangible
evidence of it. At the same
time I have to ask: do we
have this positive assurance in
any of the different ministries
which we might undertake?
As to the second question,
I can give a definite negative
answer to it. I feel that my
time was well spent for good
of the inmate and for myself.
At the start of the program, I
did not have any knowledge
or experience of working in a
prison situation or with
persons charged with a crime.
This was a whole new world
for me, and I was at a loss on
how to relate. During the
weeks of working in the
prison, all of this has
changed. I am more sensitive
to the emotional and
psychological needs of the
inmates and the contributing
factors which have led them
to their present confinement.
I am more open to the person
as a human being and as a
creature of God.
In working with the
inmates I feel that I have
learned many things which
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will be useful to me not only
in the present but also the
future. I have a deeper and
more sensitive feeling for the
young, the middle aged, and
the elderly - especially for
those needing and seeking
help and guidance so
desperately.
By being present and
working with the inmates we
let them know that someone
cared for them and that the
Church did have concern for
their welfare. We were able to
obtain needed help for many
through the influences of the
chaplain’s office.
Only by showing concern,
love and a willingness to help
does one expect to kindle a
spark in the inmate which
might cause him to change his
life in the future. This is the
premise that you work on. As
a chaplain, you soon find out
that two of the most difficult
things for an inmate to do is
to put trust in another person
and to express his thanks to
you. Only through his
reactions with you can you
tell if you have reached him
in some small way. I was
lucky; I had this experience
with four or five inmates, and
they were all young inmates.
I will never know the
answers to all the questions
put to me about whether I
helped anyone or not. But I
hope that I did because they
contributed to my training
for the priesthood and my
personal growth.
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