Servant of God His Excellency Aloysius Maria Benziger (1864-1942)
“For you, O Lord, have made me glad by your work; at the works of your hands I sing for joy.” (Psalm 92: 4)
Archbishop Aloysius Maria Benziger was a Swiss Catholic bishop and a pioneer missionary in Kerala of the Order of Discalced Carmelites (OCD). He served as the Bishop of Quilon, Titular Bishop of Tabae, and Titular Archbishop of Antinoë (1901-1931).
His Excellency was born in Einsiedeln, Switzerland on January 31, 1864 to Adelrich Benziger and Marie née Koch as Adelrich Benziger. After his primary education he was sent to a business school in Frankfurt. While in Frankfurt Adelrich lost interest in business and felt the strong calling of the Lord to priestly vocation. His parents, who were devout Catholics, supported the decision of his son.
Having met with the Discalced Carmelite order in Brussels, he decided to join them. After becoming a priest as Fr Aloysius of Mary, he expressed his desire to work in the Malabar Mission, in South India.
On July 17, 1900, Fr. Aloysius was appointed as Bishop of Kollam by the Holy See as the successor of Bishop Ferdinand Ossi OCD. Coming down to Kollam, he constantly visited parishes and mission areas, and awakened and strengthened the Christian life in the diocese. He used to travel by bullock cart and by train. He did not allow his spiritual life to be disturbed even in the midst of his active life.
The Carmel Hill Monastery was established in 1906 as a result of his tireless efforts to start a monastery for indigenous vocations to the Carmelite mission in India. As a result of his efforts for the reunification movement, under the leadership of Archbishop Mar Evanios, several members of the erstwhile Jacobite and Orthodox churches returned to the Catholic Church.
By 1930, His Excellency’s health had deteriorated and he informed the authorities in Rome that he could no longer perform his duties as before. The following year he was relieved of his duties as a bishop and was promoted to the position of Antinoë’s vicar. He resigned as Bishop in 1931 and came to Carmel Hill Monastery to lead a life of rest.
For the next eleven years, he lived a simple and ordinary life as a member of the Carmel Hill Monastery. His illness worsened and he breathed his last on 17th August 1942. His mortal remains were exhumed and transferred to a new tomb inside the Church on 18th November 1983.On 12th October 2018, Archbishop Aloysius Maria Benziger was declared the Servant of God at Trivandrum Archbishop’s House.
Bishop Benziger, through his tireless work as the Bishop of Kollam, and his missionary zeal was a true shepherd with the strong desire for the salvation of souls. The growth and deep rooting of Christian faith in South Kerala owes to the missionary zeal and direction given by shepherds of his stature and prayer.
Baptismal Name : Adelrich Benziger
Birthdate and Place : January 31 1864; Einsiedeln, Switzerland
Parents : Adelrich Benziger and Marie née Koch.
Education : Business school in Frankfurt and took private lessons in theology and history from Johannes Janssen, a priest and historian.
1884 : Joined the Bruges Carmelite convent.
1885 May 28 : Professed his first vows and took the name Aloysius Maria Benziger.
1888 December 22 : Ordained Priest
1892 – 1900 : Served as secretary of Ladislaus Zaleski.
1900 July 17 : Appointed as Bishop of Kollam
1931 August 11 : Retired as Bishop of Kollam
1942 August 17 : Returned to heavenly abode
1983 November 18 : Mortal remains transferred to a new tomb inside the Church.
2018 October 12 : Archbishop Aloysius Maria Benziger was declared the Servant of God