January 26: The German Professor

Welcome to the American Catholic Daily Reader podcast. Today is January 26th, and our story is The German Professor. Shortly after midnight on March 12th, 1938, three Gestapo agents pounded on the door to Dietrich von Hildebrand's home. When no answer came, they broke the door in, only to find the Viennese apartment empty.

Hildebrand and his wife, Margaret, had left just five hours before, and were already on the other side of Austria's border with Czechoslovakia. Later that morning, Austrians awoke to find their country occupied by the German army. Austria's political leaders had been arrested in the middle of the night.

After the heads of government, von Hildebrand had been next on their list. What made the philosopher such a threat to the Nazi party? Von Hildebrand, who was born to German parents living outside of Florence, Italy, converted as an adult to Catholicism. In 1933, he fled to Austria from Germany, knowing that his outspoken opposition to the Nazi party would threaten his life.

Once in Austria, he took up a position teaching philosophy at the University of Vienna and founded a popular Catholic news weekly, Der christliche Ständestadt, for which he penned more than 70 articles against National Socialism. Those articles were what brought the Gestapo agents to his door.

From Austria, von Hildebrand went on to France, and then to America in 1940, where for the next two decades he taught at Fordham University. In 1959, two years after the passing of his first wife, Hildebrand married his colleague Alice Jourdain. He retired from teaching a year later, and devoted the rest of his life to writing.

When he died on January 26, 1977, von Hildebrand left behind one of the most impressive philosophical legacies of the 20th century. His large body of work profoundly influenced the church's understanding of the human person, sexual love, and holy matrimony. So much so, that decades before his death, Pope Pius XII described von Hildebrand as the 20th century doctor of the church. Hildebrand's story illustrates the intersection of moral courage and intellectual integrity. He risked life and liberty to stand for truth, opposing a regime bent on oppression and evil.

His life reminds us that faith can guide our conscience in public and professional life, and that principled resistance often comes at great personal cost. Consider a moral or ethical issue you face. Take one deliberate step this week to act courageously in line with your principles. Thank you for listening to the American Catholic Daily Reader podcast. Join us tomorrow, January 27th, for another story of faith and courage in America.