Johannes Ronge

Johannes Ronge (16 October 1813 – 26 October 1887) was the principal founder of the New Catholics. A Roman Catholic priest from the region of Upper Silesia in Prussia, he was suspended from the priesthood for his criticisms of the church, and went on to help found and promote the New Catholic movement. When the movement split, he led the more liberal wing, which became known as the German Catholics. Following his involvement in the political struggles of 1848 he went into exile in England, where he and his wife Bertha Ronge established a kindergarten in Manchester and then Leeds. He returned to Prussia in 1861 following an amnesty, and made efforts to revive the German Catholic movement and to combat antisemitism.

Biography Johannes Ronge was born in 1813 in Bischofswalde (now Biskupów) in Upper Silesia, then part of the Kingdom of Prussia (now in Poland). Ronge was educated at Breslau (1837–1839), entered the Roman Catholic priesthood (1840), and was settled at Grottkau (1841). His liberal tendencies brought him into frequent conflict with the Roman Catholic authorities. When he published criticisms of the relation between Rome and the Breslau Cathedral chapter in the Sächsischen Vaterlandsblättern,

Ronge and his wife moved to Manchester, England, where they founded a kindergarten. In 1860 they relocated to Leeds, as other supporters of the kindergarten were disturbed by Ronge's religious views, and opened another kindergarten. He died in Vienna in 1887.

Legacy After the failed revolts, many Freireligiöse went to the United States (where they were known as "Freethinkers") or moved to Canada and South Africa where they acted as missionaries. In 1852, Wisconsin had 32 congregations. Their influence lasted into the early part of the 20th century, but then began to falter. The influence and lasting effect of this German movement remains in the Midwest.

Works in English A German Catholic's Farewell to Rome (London, 1845) The Holy Coat of Treves, and the New German-Catholic Church (New York, 1845) The Autobiography and Justification of Johannes Ronge translated into English by John Lord (London, 1846) A Practical Guide to the English Kindergarten, with Bertha Ronge (London, 1855)