The Persistence of the Sacred: German Catholic Pilgrimage, 1832–1937 by Skye Doney (review)

Abstract

Reviewed by: The Persistence of the Sacred: German Catholic Pilgrimage, 1832–1937 by Skye Doney Beth Griech-Polelle The Persistence of the Sacred: German Catholic Pilgrimage, 1832–1937. By Skye Doney. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2022. Pp. xxii + 345. Hardcover $85.00. ISBN 9781487543105. Skye Doney's work challenges many of the long-held assumptions regarding Catholicism in nineteenth and early twentieth-century Germany. Rather than examine German Catholicism from the top-down approach of political and bureaucratic elites, Doney presents an interaction between what clerical leaders, secular authorities, and average German Catholics expected from participation in pilgrimages to venerate sacred relics held in Aachen and Trier. This work also presents a new interpretation of notions of the feminization of religion, demonstrating the multitude of ways that men participated in religious life through their involvement in the pilgrimage process. Finally, the author points to ways in which many in the Catholic Church leadership engaged with larger issues in German society, particularly in their attempts to overcome the legacy of the Kulturkampf, proving that Catholics were just as respectably German as their Lutheran counterparts were. Through the use of a multitude of primary source materials, Doney is able to present how many average Catholics interpreted their participation in pilgrimage. Chapter One's examination of pilgrim songs, processions, and prayers reveals the changing attitudes of many Catholics toward relics, moving toward the belief that the Holy Coat of Jesus was symbolic of the sacred and not the literal coat that Jesus wore. This change in belief corresponded to the increased emphasis on science and reason present in modern German society, yet Church leaders and their parishioners never truly denied the possibility that the relics were genuine. Through prayers, pilgrims prepared themselves for the journey to venerate the holy objects; with songs, they praised the power of God; and in their processions, they publicly affirmed their Catholic identity. Chapter Two, "Modern Miracles," tracks the quest that so many pilgrims were on: to visit the relics in the hope that illnesses would be cured. In this fascinating chapter, [End Page 491] Doney points out that while modernity moved forward, with modern transportation and scientific advancements in health and medicine, Rhenish Catholic culture still held firm to the belief that coming into contact with holy relics could provide the miracle of healing. This chapter flows seamlessly into Chapter Three with its examination of how pilgrims and clergy created Andenken (remembrances) and Abzeichen (badges), which commemorated participation in the pilgrimage. Moreover, Andenken also came to have significant meaning for most pilgrims in that many believed that by coming into contact with the Andenken, physical or spiritual suffering could be healed. No matter how clergy might attempt to counter some of these beliefs, they could not control how pilgrims continued to think about the power Andenken might have after coming into contact with sacred relics. Chapter Four examines one Catholic defrocked priest, Johannes Ronge, who led the charge to rid Catholicism of what he perceived to be superstitions, including pilgrimages to the Holy Coat at Trier. Catholic clergy answered Ronge's challenge by first asserting God's presence in the world made manifest in the Holy Coat, and then later in time, clergy argued that the Holy Coat was symbolically important in the history of Catholicism. For many pilgrims, however, the nuances of these new interpretations did not change their desire to see the sacred items and hope for divine intervention in their world. Chapter Five provides insight into how Catholic clergy, reacting to the call for "modern" interpretations, began consulting outside authorities such as medical professionals to verify pilgrim claims of miraculous cures and bringing in scientists and archaeologists to attest to the authenticity of the relics. Despite the work of clergy to incorporate the work of professionals, many pilgrims continued to ignore the professionals' opinions, stating that where science and medicine had failed them, God could intervene and alleviate their suffering. The final chapter addresses the search for authentication of the holy relics using scientific analysis and the ways in which clergy sought to link pilgrimage with ancient Germanic practices. In spite of some clergy's attempts to separate pilgrimage from Catholic belief, most...