Pope Pius XI. and personal friends, as well as authorities in church and state, mission works in the catholic church and missionary orders helped financially in building the
MEDICAL MISSION INSTITUTE IN WÜRZBURG.
A real friend at this time of need was His Excellency Adolfo Meyer.
Adolfo Meyer was the son of a Jewish family settling in Nienburg at Saale as from the middle of the 18th century. He saw the light of day in the home of his parents in Nienburg, Schloßstr. 1 on 3rd July 1852.
Adolf Meyer started school in Nienburg. When he was 11 years old he continued in grammar school. At the age of 20 he emigrated to America to try his luck there. Full of initiative and energy he made his career as owner of plantations and builder of railways in the central American state of Guatemala. Emperor William (Kaiser Wilhelm) made him consul of Germany (Konsul des Deutschen Reiches), gave him the title of nobility and award ("Schwarzer Adlerorden"). After World War I Mr. Meyer returned to Europe. The Republic of Guatemala made him Consul General in Munich. Later on he became administrator and secretary of Bern. In a document of 11. January 1927 we read in this context:

"The town of Nienburg, Saale makes his son Adolf Meyer, the Honorary Secretary in Bern (Switzerland), administrator of the Republic of Guatemala, HONORARY CITIZEN because of his extraordinary contributions to the social welfare institutions of the town."

Not only Nienburg donated generously, Meyer also received large amounts of money for the German Museum in Munich. The German medical students for the missions ("Bund der deutschen Missionsmediziner") were supported as well. Furthermore he contributed generously to the building of the MEDICAL MISSION INSTITUTE in Würzburg.

On 12 .January 1934 Adolfo Meyer sent a telegram to Father CHRISTOPH BECKER, the founder of the Medical Mission Institute: "FR. BECKER, COME TO ZÜRICH IMMEDIATELY, PLEASE."

On 13. January 1934 Fr. Becker goes to Zurich. He found Mr. Meyer as a patient in a small private hospital in a serious condition.
"Fr. Becker, I ask you, as agreed, for holy baptism and the obvious reception into the catholic church. All my life is known to you."

Mr. Meyer´s parental home was Jewish.

On 16. January 1934 shortly after 7 p.m. Mr. Adolfo Meyer returned his life into the hand of the creator of heaven and earth.

On 23. January 1934 at 3 p.m. was the funeral of Honorary Mr. Meyer in his home town Nienburg at Saale. Fr. Becker and three deputies of the Medical Mission Institute were present. Fr. Becker made a speech for his good friend at the funeral ceremony (in the midst of the houses Mr. Meyer had donated for orphans, old and helpless, sick people).
Everyone in town who possibly could, attended the funeral of a
"BENEFACTOR OF HUMANITY". (This is written on Mr. Meyers grave stone as well).

Lots of flowers decorated his grave until November 1938 when fanatical Nazis, like thieves in the night, turned his grave stone upside down in the so-called "Reichskristallnacht". The remembrance of Adolf Meyer was supposed to be distinguished from the memory of Germans for ever because he was of Jewish descent. The carillon he had donated was taken down, the bells melted down and the name Meyer erased. In 1936 already, the "Adolf-Meyer-Street" was changed to "Markgraf-Gero-Street" on application of the Nazis. (Today it is called "Adolf-Meyer-Street" again). Also the graves of Jewish citizens who died long ago were violently destroyed in Nienburg cemetery by Nazis full of racial hatred towards the Jewish in a night of November 1938.

After 1945 the grave of Mr. Adolf Meyer was restored.

Adolf Meyer is a man who should not be forgotten!

Written by Father Barnabas Stephan and Dr. Erich Vogel