Krimmer, Ansgar: Der Katholische Gesellenverein in der Diözese Rottenburg von 1852 bis 1945. Ein Beitrag zur Geschichte des Katholizismus in Württemberg, Paderborn [u. a.] 1994

Ansgar Krimmer: Der Katholische Gesellenverein in der Diözese Rottenburg von 1852 bis 1945. Ein Beitrag zur Geschichte des Katholizismus in Württemberg.

From the mid-19th century, associational life constituted a salient feature of German Catholicism. The Catholic Journeymen’s Association was an intrinsic part of this »associational Catholicism.« Ansgar Krimmer’s study examines the Journeymen’s Association in the Diocese of Rottenburg from 1852 to 1945.

Krimmer depicts the association's origins, organization, and evolution, paying special attention to its public dealings in Church and society. The Nazi era receives special emphasis. Krimmer places the association's history in the context of church and political developments of the time. He thereby illuminates both the achievements and limitations of an organization operating at the crossroads of church and society

The lengthy time span covered enables the author not only to focus on specific aspects of the organization’s history but to identify long-term continuities. He portrays the Journeymen's Association as an institution that exerted considerable influence on Catholicism in Württemberg, at both the grass-roots and state levels. The study illuminates the history of Catholic welfare activities in the diocese of Rottenburg and offers manifold insights on the subject of »the Church and the social question.«