German Roman Catholic Central Verein of North America

rdf:langString German Roman Catholic Central Verein of North America

rdf:langString The German Roman Catholic Central Verein of North America, now known as the Catholic Central Verein (Union) of America, is a central body of various German Roman Catholic organizations in North America. The organization was founded on April 15, 1855, as a federation of parish mutual aid societies. Although the German Catholic community had a strong reputation for conservatism, the Verein had taken the lead, by 1900, as the most reform-oriented of American Catholic societies, under the leadership of Nicholas Gonner of Milwaukee (1890-1903) and Frederick P. Kenkel (1908-1952). Today, its headquarters are located in St. Louis, Missouri, and its primary mission is the publication of the Social Justice Review, a journal founded in 1908 to promote Christian humanism with respect for the dignity and rights of all human beings. The current president is Michael J. Cross, a native of St. Louis, who obtained his M.A. in Theology and Religious Studies at the Catholic University of Louvain in Belgium.