1. Johannes Greber’s life as a Catholic Priest in Germany Johannes Greber was born on the 2nd of May 1874 in Wenigerath, in the district of Bernkastel. Greber’s parents were poor crofters. But as their son was extraordinarily talented, the village priest supported him financially and sent him to the convent in Prüm (80km south-west of Coblenz). After receiving his high school diploma, Greber enrolled at the priest-seminary in Trier where he studied Catholic theology. He was ordained as a priest on the 31st of March 1900. From 1900 to 1901 he worked as a chaplain in Saarbrücken and from 1901 to 1904 in Trier. On the 1st of May 1904, he took on his first rectorate in Obergondershausen (Picture 1) in the Hunsrück (17.5km south-east of Coblenz) which he occupied until the 31st of March 1915. He was well liked as a human being and as a priest, had a formidable oratory gift and was tirelessly engaged in active charities. Picture 1: Johannes Greber’s Church in Obergondershausen (7) The region where he practised his office was one of the poorest in Germany. A lot of the inhabitants there were stricken with tuberculosis. He often distributed vouchers he paid for himself amongst the poorest so they could buy basic food items like bread and meat at the shops in the villages. Most of the sick had to do without medical help. Because the nearest doctor could only be reached in Boppard, about 20km away, Greber, who would have dearly liked to have studied medicine, already dealt with treating illnesses in Obergondershausen. At that time with so-called house remedies and the laying on of hands. He used herbs and treatments with water according to Kneipp. Greber was ready to help at any time at any time, day or night and this without grumbling. This was made possible by the fact that he owned a horse and could therefore speedily reach the more distant villages in his parish. He also founded an aid organisation to take care and support the ill and the member of his and adjacent Church communities. Nurses were trained on his behalf in order to help the sick within his parish. He saw it as his greatest duty to visit the ill and to palliate their suffering. By way of greeting them he gave them his hand and placed the other hand on their forehead, whilst saying a silent prayer. He didn’t know anything about HEALING POWERS at that time. Only in later years did he work more prolifically as a spiritual healer and this in the USA. When the Church bells rang to announce the mobilisation in August 1914. Greber was overcome with great anxiety and trepidation. He immediately had a vision: He saw, like in a movie, thousands of half-starved children in front of him. A FINGER pointed to these numerous children and a VOICE spoke to him: “This is your job.” – The meaning of this vision became clear to him when two years into World War I the great famine began to take hold. He could now see these undernourished
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