St. Konrad von Parzham

**St. Konrad von Parzham** (December 22, 1818 – April 21, 1894), born Johann Evangelist Birndorfer, was a German Capuchin lay brother who served for over 40 years as the porter at the friary of St. Anna in Altötting, Bavaria. He was canonized by Pope Pius XI on May 20, 1934, becoming the first German saint to be canonized after three centuries. Born in Parzham (near Bad Griesbach) in the Rottal valley of Lower Bavaria, Johann was the eleventh of twelve children in a devout farming family. Orphaned at sixteen, he worked the family farm while deepening his spiritual life through pilgrimages, processions, and confraternities. At age thirty-one, he distributed his inheritance and entered the Capuchin Order, taking the name Konrad in honor of Conrad of Piacenza. After his profession on October 4, 1852, Brother Konrad was assigned to the friary attached to the Shrine of Our Lady of Altötting, Bavaria's most important pilgrimage destination. As porter, he stood at the door of the friary for 41 years, welcoming thousands of pilgrims, distributing alms to the poor, and offering spiritual counsel to all who came. Despite dealing with difficult visitors—some friars initially resented the young porter's important position—Konrad maintained extraordinary patience, charity, and meekness. He spent long hours in prayer before the Blessed Sacrament, often late into the night. His profound devotion to the Virgin Mary was evident in his constant invocations of her intercession. Conrad was known for his gift of reading hearts and for occasional prophecies. He served until three days before his death on April 21, 1894, at age seventy-five. His rapid canonization—beatification in 1930, canonization in 1934—reflected the universal recognition of his holiness. As Pope Pius XI noted, Konrad's life demonstrated "the divine art of Our Lord in preparing, arranging and organising things." His relics rest in a shrine in the Capuchin church of St. Konrad in Altötting. ## Feast Day **April 21** – Memorial of St. Konrad von Parzham