Page 7 - GC-Sept-Oct-Guide-2025

Julius Fučik (1872-1916): The patron saint(s) of beer and brewing

An Austro-Hungarian story by Martin Ederer Many years later a fish was de-
s we approach Oktoberfest livered to his kitchen with his ring
by Martin Ederer season, we might be inside. Arnulf immediately resigned
ew people know who Julius Apleased to know that our as bishop and became a hermit. At
Fučik is, but everyone knows beer drinking has its patron saints. I that very moment a fire broke out in
Fone of his marches. Julius recently discovered this fact reading the royal palace, and threatened to
Ernest Wilhelm Fučik in some ways the bulletin of St. Anthony Church destroy the whole city. Alone, he
is the quintessentially Austrian sto- in Buffalo, which hosted a blessing confronted the fire with the sign of
ry. A Czech figure with a Czech of beer to commemorate St. Arnold the cross. The fire miraculously ex-
name who was born in Prague went of Metz. tinguished itself.
on to become very much a man of As a Catholic, I should not have After his death in his hermitage
the Austrian world in which he lived been surprised. There are patron near Remiremont, the people of
and worked. saints for just about everything. The Metz attempted to recover Arnulf’s
Fučik was born in a Prague that church calendar is full of medieval remains and bring them back to
was part of the Austro-Hungarian saints whom we rarely hear about Metz. The hot, dry weather and the
Empire. But that was also true of with fun Celtic and Germanic long trek exhausted the delegation, wine merchants, innkeepers and
other major Czech talent such as names. I often tell my students that and their beer was running danger- bartenders – and boy scouts (he
Bedřich Smetana and Antonin In 1913 Fučik finally settled the Middle Ages is full of great ously low. Thanks to a prayer to traveled a lot?).
Dvořák. The difference was that the down in Berlin, where he started his names they can select for their chil- Arnulf, the beer miraculously re- 3. St. Arnulf of Soissons/St.
latter two were much more an- own band and also a music publish- dren someday – with the guarantee plenished itself in the crock. There Arnulf of Oudenburg (1040-
chored to their Czech homeland. ing business. He died in Berlin dur- that no other kid on the playground was plenty of beer for everyone for 1087). Arnulf of Soissons (above)
Fučik, in short, got around so much ing World War I. will have the same name. One guy the rest of the day and the day after was born in Flanders (present-day
that many people could claim a Fučik’s list of compositions in- took up the challenge and suggested that. His feast is July 18. BTW the Belgium). After a military career,
piece of him as their heritage. clude chamber works, overtures and it to his fiancée. They subsequently English rendering of Arnulf’s name Arnulf became a Benedictine monk
After music studies which in- suites and a requiem. More numer- broke up. Anyhow, obscure medi- is Arnold. in Soissons in France. After living
cluded composition lessons with ous are his waltzes, polkas and eval saints are probably good places 2. St. Amand of Flanders (584- as a hermit, he was called to be-
Dvořák, Fučik joined the 49th Aus- marches. To most people Fučik re- to take your prayers. Millions of 679). Born in Neustria (France), come the abbot of the monastery.
tro-Hungarian Regiment Band sta- mains unfamiliar outside the Czech people bother the busy popular Amand was dispatched to service in Arnulf attempted to refuse the hon-
tioned in Krems in Austria in 1891. world, but some of his marches saints all the time. the Merovingian Kingdom after a or and flee, but a wolf appeared and
In 1894 he accepted a position as made their way into the canon of After a little bit of research on pilgrimage to Rome. The Merovin- forced him to return. He was later
bassoonist at the German Theatre in Austrian and German military the topic, I also discovered that gian King Chlothar II asked Amand offered the bishopric of Soissons.
Prague. In the following year he marches. there are several patrons of brewing, to evangelize the peoples of Ghent. He also did not want this honor. No
conducted the Danica Choir in Cro- Fučik is best known for his En- and details of their stories tend to Eventually he extended his activities matter: another man usurped it,
atia in the kingdom of Croatia- trance of the Gladiators March, overlap. Such are the murky vicissi- to the rest of Flanders. He founded a which suited Arnulf just fine. Ar-
Slavonia ruled by the Austrian which was originally named Grande tudes of nailing down medieval sto- monastery in Elnon and also became nulf retired and founded the Abbey
crown. Marche Chromatique. Inspired by ries in much detail. It was not a bishop. After he called out Dagob- of St. Peter in Oudenburg.
In 1897 Fučik decided to re-up Polish author Henryk Sienkiewicz’s unusual for medieval stories to be ert I’s dissolute lifestyle (Dagobert In Oudenburg Arnulf began
in the Austrian Army, this time as description of Roman gladiators more about the lessons they con- was the last Merovingian king to brewing beer, encouraging the lo-
the bandmaster for the 86th Infantry making their entry in his novel Quo veyed than about absolute factual have any real power), Amand had to cals to drink it as an alternative to
Regiment in Sarajevo. In 1900, Vadis, Fučik decided to change the accuracy – the result of very differ- go. Many travels followed: to Rome, the water, which was making them
Fučik’s band moved to Budapest, name from something more “music ent literary standards and purposes, to Slovakia, to Maastricht, to Tour- sick. Even without the luxury of
where he found eight other Austrian specialist” to something more evoc- and the fact that paper and literacy nai, to Basque country. modern science, Arnulf seemed to
regimental bands and some signifi- ative and dramatic. For Germans were extremely rare and costly lux- Amand died at the ripe old age of understand the medicinal value of
cant competition – but that allowed and Austrians Einzug der Gladiato- uries. Often word-of-mouth had to 95 and is regarded as a father of boiling water for making the beer
him to engage more musicians, ren remains a serious military do for many centuries. Still, the evi- monasticism in Belgium – under- and the value of alcohol as a disin-
which gave him opportunities to march. dence is clear enough that these fig- scoring nicely the strong connection fecting agent. In this way, many of
tinker with band arrangements of For the rest of the world, this is ures actually existed and did plenty between monks and brewing. His the people survived a plague. As a
serious orchestral works. the march that has entered pop cul- enough useful things. As for the feast day is February 6. Amand was result, St. Arnulf of Soissons is also
In 1910 Fučik was back home in ture as the “screamer march” de- finer details, well…see for your- known for his hospitality, which has venerated as the patron saint of hop
Bohemia, this time the bandmaster signed to warm up circus audiences selves. made him the patron saint of all who gatherers and brewers. He is typi-
of the 92nd Infantry Regiment. This as the clowns enter the arena, thanks The list (with no claims of abso- produce and serve beer and wine: cally portrayed holding a mash
band quickly gained a reputation as to an arrangement by Canadian lute completeness): brewers, wine growers, vintners, rake. His feast is on Aug. 14.
one of the finest in the Empire. It composer Louis-Philippe Lauren- 1. St. Arnulf of Metz (c. 582-c.
toured regularly in major cities. deau with the title “Thunder and 643). Arnulf looms large in medi-
Blazes.” Everyone has heard it! eval history with a story much inte-
grated into the larger stories of the
Germanic Frankish Pippinid,
Triduum Merovingian and Carolingian Dy-

honoring St. Donation of St. Ann nasties. Suffice it to say that Arnulf
was the great-great-great grandfa-
relic sweetens
from page 2 ther of Charlemagne, who reassem-
St. Ann Triduum bled Western Europe and “created”
ing always to make peace, working Medieval (Western European) Civi-
to create a society that values chil- Participants at the second lization. Arnulf is also the oldest
dren and family, caring for the sick, evening of the St. Ann Triduum identifiable ancestor of Charle-
caring for the elderly, visiting the at St. Louis Church learned of a magne.
imprisoned and valuing immigrants generous donation of a St. Ann Arnulf was born near what is
by enacting just and reasonable pol- relic from Mary Lou Wyrobek in now Nancy in Lorraine (present-day
icies. honor of her France). Merovingian King Theude-
He also pointed out that pursuit maternal bert II of Austrasia called him to his
of these ideals can be difficult and grandmother, court as a very young man. In 596
must be rooted in an understanding Anna Mros- he married Doda who bore him two
of real life. A few examples he zczak, nee sons, St. Chlodulf of Metz (also in
gave included honesty when mak- Mrozek, (at France) and Ansegisel, who married
ing peace, explaining how one felt right) to Begga, the Daughter of Pepin I of
wronged, but still striving to look whom it first Landen (the family connection to
beyond the hurt; not simply telling belonged. Af- the Carolingians and Charlemagne).
a married couple to have children, ter her death Around 611 Arnulf was offered
but also helping to structure a soci- in 1969, the bishopric of Metz, already an
ety to encourage having children; Wyrobek’s sister kept the relic ancient town that had been an im-
or seeing sickness and hardship not until her death in 2002. portant Celtic settlement before the
only as suffering, but as a means of Wyrobek explained that Romans made it a major town in
salvation. “Babcia was deeply religious, Gaul. In Arnulf’s time it was the
The third day’s lecture explored spending much of her day in residence of the Merovingian kings
SS. Ann and Joachim as the patrons prayer…. When she was more of Austrasia. Both he and his wife
of grandparents. Here Fr. Peter mobile, she went to Mass and saw Arnulf’s appointment as bishop
identified problems with intergen- stayed for a couple of them.” She as a sign from God. Doda went off
erational conflict: the problem of also donated towards the church to a monastery for women in Trier,
the elderly becoming impatient in her hometown in Poland, and Arnulf became a priest and
with the young, and the young set- Rogoznik. Wyrobek added that bishop.
ting aside the elderly as irrelevant, “My mom and two aunts supple- Arnulf’s appointment as spiritu-
which easily leads to warehousing mented the donation. Many years al leader in the Merovingian capital
of the elderly and increasingly, leg- later, I found a letter from Cardi- of Metz made him a participant in
islation permitting euthanasia. nal Wojtyla [Pope St. John Paul some nasty and violent politics. Ar-
The message permeating all II], hand typed and signed by him nulf came to realize that he had
three evenings was the importance thanking her for the donation. fallen well short as a Christian spir-
of Christians not giving into the Thankfully our family never itual leader. At one point he was so
world’s fearfulness and despair but threw anything out!” distraught over his sins that he
rather becoming generous vehicles threw his bishop’s ring into the Mo-
of hope, a hope that itself becomes selle River, hoping to receive a di-
a powerful tool of evangelization. vine sign that he was absolved. Septembrer - October 2025 • THE GERMAN CITIZEN • 7