Firminius Wickenhauser

In 1908, Brother Firminius was sent for the first time to the Düsseldorf friary, and from 1911 he resided at the Dorsten friary. During the First World War, he served as a military medic while continuing to exercise his talents as a sculptor. After the war, he returned permanently to Düsseldorf, where he made his solemn vows. As an artist and sculptor for the Franciscan province, he was entrusted with the restoration of numerous churches and chapels of the order. He worked notably on the restoration of the Apollinarisberg church in Remagen, that of Kreuzberg in Bonn, and carried out work on the Marienberg in Neviges. He also sculpted a copy of a work by Murillo representing Saint Francis for the Calvary cemetery of Moresnet-Chapelle in Belgium. Alongside his artistic work, Brother Firminius was in charge of the porter's lodge at the Düsseldorf friary. It was there that he won the deep affection of the local population. Faced with the misery of the homeless and the poor who knocked at the friary door, he began to distribute lard sandwiches (Schmalzbrote) to them. His warm humor, deep humility, and tireless charity earned him the affectionate nickname of "Herrgottsbrüderle von Düsseldorf" (the little brother of the Good Lord of Düsseldorf). Several famous anecdotes illustrate his original and joyful personality. Little inclined to be disturbed in his studio, he did not hesitate to put importunate visitors to work or to make stone dust fly at their feet. One day, while art experts were admiring his works, a confrere called him to peel potatoes in the kitchen; he complied immediately, but sculpted a devil's grimace on the first potato. He was also seen crossing the Oststraße in Düsseldorf carrying on his shoulder a statue of the Virgin that he had just sculpted, delighted to show it to the crowd. On the eve of a great feast, he offered a hungry family the roast that the brothers had prepared for their own festive meal.

Brother Firminius died on September 30, 1939, at the Marienhospital in Düsseldorf. His funeral, celebrated on October 3, 1939, brought together thousands of people who came to pay him a final tribute. He was initially buried in the Stoffeler cemetery in Düsseldorf. Due to his persistent reputation for holiness (fama sanctitatis) and the numerous pilgrims visiting his grave, the Diocese of Cologne opened his beatification process in 1951. In 1957, his remains were exhumed and transferred to the crypt of the Franciscan friary church in Düsseldorf. On December 21, 1998, Pope John Paul II recognized the heroic nature of his virtues, officially declaring him 'Venerable.' In February 2015, following the closure of the historic Franciscan friary in Düsseldorf, his relics were solemnly transferred to the St. Mariä Empfängnis (St. Mary of the Conception) church in Düsseldorf, which became their final resting place.

The diocesan informative process on the life and virtues of Firminius Wickenhäuser was officially opened on September 2, 1957, under the direction of Cardinal Joseph Frings, Archbishop of Cologne. The decree on his writings was promulgated on December 16, 1976. The validity of the informative process was confirmed by a decree of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints on May 24, 1991. After the examination of the Positio, the theological consultants voted favorably on July 1, 1997. The cardinals and bishops of the Congregation confirmed the heroic nature of his virtues during their ordinary session on October 6, 1998. Finally, on December 21, 1998, Pope John Paul II promulgated the decree recognizing that he had practiced the theological virtues (faith, hope, charity) and cardinal virtues (prudence, justice, fortitude, temperance) to a heroic degree, conferring upon him the title of Venerable. His cause is currently awaiting the recognition of a miracle to pave the way for his beatification.

The spirituality of Brother Firminius is deeply rooted in the Franciscan ideal of simplicity, joyful poverty, and service to the least among us. For him, art was not an end in itself, but an extension of his prayer and a means of evangelization. One of his confreres wrote about him: "It is only from his union with God and his spirit of prayer that one can understand his artistic creation. That with which his heart was so filled had to overflow not only from his mouth, but also from his hammer and his chisel." He also cultivated a serene vision of death, which he considered a sister opening the door to eternity, writing that all our works, thoughts, and words should be a preparation for death so as to be able to welcome it at any moment as a friend. His legacy remains alive in Düsseldorf through the "Bruder FirminusKlause" (Brother Firminius Tavern), a soup kitchen located next to St. Mary's Church, which continues his work among the homeless and the destitute by distributing between 150 and 200 hot meals daily. Each year, the city celebrates the "Brother Firminius Week" (Bruder-Firminus-Woche) at the end of September. In his hometown of Massenbachhausen, his birthplace (the former synagogue) was saved from demolition thanks to the action of volunteers and inaugurated in 2010 under the name "Firminushaus," serving as a place of memory and a community center.