Introduction
Peter Kohlgraf (born March 21, 1967 in Cologne, Germany) is the current Catholic Bishop of Mainz.
Life
Kohlgraf was born as the son of a mason and a nurse. After his Abitur in 1986 at the Dreikönigsgymnasium in Cologne, he studied philosophy and catholic theology at the University of Bonn and for one semester in Salzburg. Kohlgraf graduated from university in 1991 and went to the priests seminary of the Archdiocese of Cologne. On June 19, 1993 he got the priest ordination in the Cologne Cathedral by the Archbishop of Cologne, Joachim Kardinal Meisner - together with the later archbishop of hamburg Stefan Heße and the later suffragan bishop of Cologne Dominikus Schwaderlapp. The first stations of Kohlgraf as a priest have been in Euskirchen and in Bad Honnef-Rhöndorf, before he became school-chaplain at the Kardinal-Frings-Gymnasium in Bonn-Beuel in 1999. In 2000, he gained one's doctorate at Ernst Dassmann at the University of Bonn with the topic The ecclesiology of the Episcopal Letter in the interpretation by John Chrysostom.
Peter Kohlgraf was vice-director at the Collegium Albertinum in Bonn from 2003 to 2009 and changed then again to the job as a school-chaplain, this time at the Gymnasium Marienberg. He habilitated in 2010 at the professorship of religious education at the University of Münster at Udo Schmälzle with the topic Faith in conversation. The search for Christian identity and relevance in Alexandrian fathers theology. A model for practical-theological endeavor today? Kohlgraf was Privatdozent at the Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität in Münster until 2013 and then professor of pastoral theology and practical theology at the catholic university of Mainz. He was living in Partenheim in Rhenish Hesse.
At April 18, 2017, Pope Francis nominated Peter Kohlgraf to the Bishop of Mainz. As his slogan, he pick Appropinquavit regnum Dei! - The kingdom of God has come near you! (Mk 1:15 and Lk 10:9) The Consecration in the Mainz Cathedral was conducted by his predecessor Karl Lehmann on August 27, 2017. He is the youngest diocesan bishop in Germany.
Coat of arms
Kohlgraf's episcopal coat of arms incorporates elements such as the wheel from the arms of the Diocese of Mainz, the key and eight golden lozenges from the Diocese of Worms. In the lower silver shield there are three blue waves that symbolize the river Rhine. The Rhine connects Mainz and Worms with Kohlgrafs home town of Cologne. In addition, the river reminds of the history of life-giving and healing through the flowing water of the Christian faith, springing in baptism 1 Ezekiel 47. Behind the crest shield the Golden Episcopal Cross. Above it the green episcopal galero with twelve tassels. Under the coat of arms in the banner of the bishop's motto: Appropinquavit regnum Dei - The kingdom of God is come nigh unto you is derived from 1 Luke 10:9.