Father Ambros Oschwald and the Utopian Community of St
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Volume 19 No 3 • Fall 2010 Father Ambros Oschwald and the Utopian Community of St. Nazianz in Wisconsin: Part I Karyl Rommelfanger Used with the permission of the Society of the Divine Savior – USA Province – Salvatorian Archives. – Salvatorian the Society of withthe Divine the permission – USA Province Savior of Used Undated photo of workers at St. Nazianz. The men are identified as: John Gramlich, for many years the “Hausvater” of the Old Brothers at the Seminary; Joe Gramlich; and Joe Hein, Farm Boss. The following is the first of a two- the Catholic utopian colony of St. part series about the utopian commu- Nazianz. The community functioned INSIDE nity of St. Nazianz, Wisconsin, and its successfully until the charismatic founder, Ambros Oschwald. The 2011 leader’s unexpected death in 1873, • News Briefs Annual Meeting of the Max Kade after which divisions arose and the • New MKI Publication, Paths Institute (May 7, 2011) will include a once effective enterprise began to fail. Crossing visit to St. Nazianz, where visitors will Ambros Oschwald was born in • Book Review: Alabama in tour the community and the religious 1801, at a time when the power of Africa property of this once very lively and the Catholic Church in his homeland • Book Review: Westward successful colony. of Baden was fading rapidly. The • Report: Emigration from the previously intertwined relationship Austro-Hungarian Empire n 1854 Catholic priest Father of church and state had been dis- • MKI Conference: Germans Ambros Oschwald led his fol- solved, and—though two-thirds of and the U.S. Civil War lowers across the Atlantic Ocean the population of Baden was Roman • Fall Events at the MKI Ito New York, and then westward Catholic—a Protestant government • German Fest 2010 to Wisconsin, where he founded Continued on page 4 DIRECTOR’S CORNER Greetings, Friends Tax-deductible donations can be sent Civil War, focusing particularly on to the Friends or to the UW Founda- the war’s meaning here and abroad, and Readers! tion, always designated clearly “For especially for speakers of German. ith a smile, we announce the MKI Library Project.” Please see p. 11 for details. that the Max Kade At the same time, we would like to On another note, we announce that Foundation in New York express once again our appreciation the MKI Friends Newsletter, which Whas given a big boost to our project for your gifts in the form of books has in recent years appeared as a to renovate the fourth floor of the and other materials, which have al- quarterly, will now be published only University Club—with a grant of ways been the backbone of the MKI’s three times per year. The fall issue $500,000. We are grateful to the Max library holdings. Thanks especially to should appear at the end of October/ Kade Foundation for its generous do- Jim Dow, who has donated valuable beginning of November, the winter nation. It is one of the cornerstones research papers, recordings, and oth- issue at the end of January/beginning of our Library Project, which was er materials to our library and sound of February, and the spring issue at first announced in the MKI Friends archives. (See pp. 12 and 14.) the end of April/beginning of May. Newsletter a year ago. This means our We also acknowledge with grati- We realize that the current issue is plans can move ahead to remodel, tude a grant from the Goethe Insti- arriving late, but we will do our best refurbish, and modernize our new tute of Chicago, which allows us to to keep on schedule in the future. space, making it a first-class facility reprint the popular “How German Because this is the last issue of the for our library, our offices, and our Is American?” brochure. Now in its current calendar year, we would like visitors. We look forward to a ribbon third press run, this was created to to take this opportunity to wish you cutting ceremony in the coming year! go with our poster by the same title, all the best for the coming holiday In addition to renovating our new which is still available. Please let us season. May good health, hard work, headquarters, it is our goal to endow know if you need a copy. and a measure of success in what you a secure librarian position and make We are planning a symposium enti- attempt be yours in the coming year possible new acquisitions for our tled “German and German-American 2011. Stay in touch! collections. We have submitted ad- Dimensions of the U.S. Civil War,” to —Cora Lee ditional grant proposals, which will take place in Madison on March 3–5, be successful only if we can show 2011. Several leading scholars from substantial commitment from our Europe and the U.S. will speak, and home base, including the UW, our we have issued a call for additional Friends, and other private individu- twenty-minute papers that deal with als. We would like to express our the time before, during, and after the heartfelt gratitude to you for your support over the last year. Your gifts have come from near and far and The Newsletter of the Friends of the Max Kade Institute for German-American Studies is show us that the work of the MKI published quarterly at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Submissions are invited and and its resources are valued not only should be sent to: in Madison and in Wisconsin, but across the nation and worldwide. Kevin Kurdylo Friends of the Max Kade Institute for German-American Studies Our Library Campaign has made tre- 901 University Bay Drive, Madison, WI 53705 mendous strides, but we must con- Phone: (608) 262-7546 tinue to work hard to reach our goals. Fax: (608) 265-4640 Your contributions will continue to [email protected] be of utmost importance to our ef- mki.wisc.edu forts and are very much appreciated. maxkade.blogspot.com 2 NEWS BRIEFS MKI Represented at German Mark Louden explore the long tradi- how collaboration between scholars Studies Association tions in German-American studies at in German-American studies can be Conference in Oakland, CA the University of Wisconsin–Madi- promoted in the digital age. son, reaching back decades before Taken together, the contributions MKI Director Cora Lee Kluge and the founding of the MKI—a chapter included in Paths Crossing display the Assistant Director Antje Petty at- that is in itself an important histori- scope of the field of German-Amer- tended the annual German Studies cal document for our field; (2) Jost ican studies, correcting the once- Association conference in Oakland, Hermand reflects on the impact in prevalent notion that the field is re- California, in early October. This five separate fields made by refugees stricted to the historical investigation four-day event brought together from Hitler’s Reich who came to the of ethnic Germans in America in scholars in various disciplines from UW–Madison; (3) Walter Kamphoef- the period before World War I. They all over the world, whose research ner discusses the question of how to question previous understandings of interests converge in German studies. approach German-American ethnic- German-American identity, ethnic- The Oakland conference included ity; (4) Hartmut Keil addresses Fran- ity, language, and literature, and sug- 320 sessions and over a thousand cis Lieber and his encounter with gest new directions for the field. They presentations, among which were slavery; (5) Hugh Ridley discusses help redefine German-American Cora Lee Kluge’s paper entitled “For the development of an American studies as the broad, interdisciplin- Readers Abroad: German-American national literature, taking as his point ary study of German-speaking im- Eyewitness Reports on Civil War Is- of departure Sealsfield’s Kajütenbuch; migrants and their descendants in a sues” and Antje Petty’s entitled “Ger- (6) Lorie Vanchena reports on recent global, multicultural, and interdisci- man Artists—American Cyclorama: work in the field of German-Ameri- plinary context. a Nineteenth-Century Case of Trans- can literature; (7) Daniel Nützel ad- We expect that Paths Crossing will national Cultural Transfer.” Both dresses the issue of language death in be available within a short time, and were well received and garnered new two German-American communi- we recommend it to all friends of interest in the work of the MKI. ties; (8) Steven Hoelscher investigates German-American studies. Order the growth of ethnic identity in the it from Peter Lang <http://www. Announcement of a New Max Swiss-American community of New peterlang.com/> or your favorite Kade Institute Publication Glarus, Wisconsin, between the bookstore. World Wars; (9) Uwe Lübken shows We are pleased to announce that connections between river floods Paths Crossing: Essays in German- in Germany and the United States; American Studies, edited by MKI and (10) Louis Pitschmann suggests Director Cora Lee Kluge (London: Peter Lang, 2010), is about to appear in the Peter Lang series entitled Ger- Board of Directors, Friends of the Max Kade Institute man Life and Civilization under the Peter Arvedson Treasurer, Elm Grove general editorship of Jost Hermand. Hans Werner Bernet Monroe Based on the symposium that was Sandra Casterline Oconomowoc held in Madison in April of 2009 to Gary Gisselman Secretary, Wausau Elizabeth Greene Madison th celebrate the 25 anniversary of the Charles James Vice President, Madison founding of the MKI, it contains James Kleinschmidt Fitchburg ten essays by European and North Cora Lee Kluge ex officio, Madison American scholars in the humanities, Tom Lidtke West Bend Fran Luebke Brookfield social sciences, and natural sciences. Peter Monkmeyer Assistant to the Treasurer, Madison The contributions, in brief, are the Antje Petty ex officio, Madison following: (1) Cora Lee Kluge and Karyl Rommelfanger President, Manitowoc 3 was using its power to diminish the influence of the Catholic church.