Lothar Zenetti


Lothar Zenetti was a German Catholic theologian, priest, and author of books and poetry. In Frankfurt, he was both a minister for young people and a parish priest. He was also active on radio and television. His songs, for example the popular "Das Weizenkorn muss sterben" and "Segne dieses Kind", appear in both Protestant and Catholic hymnals.

Life and work

Zenetti was born in Frankfurt am Main. From 1931 he attended the Bonifatius-Schule, and the Goethe-Gymnasium beginning in 1936. He began national service in 1943, first with the Luftwaffenhelfer, then with the Reichsarbeitsdienst. At the end of the War, he was a prisoner of war, first of the Americans, then the French. During this time he began to study theology at the so-called ' of Chartres.
Back in Frankfurt, Zenetti completed his Abitur and studied at the Sankt Georgen Graduate School of Philosophy and Theology. He graduated in 1952 and was ordained a priest on 28 September 1952 by Wilhelm Kempf in Limburg an der Lahn. He worked as a Kaplan in Oberbrechen, Kölbingen, Königstein im Taunus and at St. Bonifatius in Wiesbaden. In 1962 he became Stadtjugendpfarrer in Frankfurt. He was a parish priest in St. Wendel in Frankfurt-Sachsenhausen from 1962 to 1995.
Zenetti published several books and many poems. His song "Das Weizenkorn muss sterben", part of Catholic and Protestant hymnals, is popular. About 150 of his poems were set to music in the genre Neues Geistliches Lied, several were included in hymnals, others appeared in song collections and were recorded, like the ballad "" by the singer-songwriter Konstantin Wecker. He translated hymns by the Dutch priest and lyricist Huub Oosterhuis into German, such as "Ik sta voor U in leegte en gemis" to "Ich steh vor dir mit leeren Händen, Herr" which is part of both Gotteslob and Evangelisches Gesangbuch. He also wrote texts and songs in the Mundart. Zenetti worked on the public television series ', and was the representative of the Catholic Church for the broadcaster Hessischer Rundfunk.
In 1984 Zenetti was awarded the prize Humor in der Kirche by the Diocese of Limburg. He died in Frankfurt on 24 February 2019 at the age of 93.

Works

Forty-eight publications by Zenetti are listed by the German National Library.

Books

Nägel mit Köpfen. Handreichungen für das Glaubensgespräch, 1960Gottes frohe Kinderschar. Werkbuch für kirchliche Kinderarbeit, 1961Kinderwelt und Gotteswort. Hundert Kinderansprachen, 1962Morgens, mittwochs und abends.. Werkbuch für Mädchengruppe und -freizeit, 1963Peitsche und Psalm.Spirituals und Gospelsongs. Geschichte und Glaube der Neger Nordamerikas, 1963Initiativen. Junge Christen in einer großen Stadt. Reportagen, 1964Heiße Eisen in der Kirche. Jazz, Beat, Songs, Schlager in der Kirche?, 1966Zeitansage. Werkbuch zum Gottesdienst einer neuen Generation, 1969Texte der Zuversicht. Für den einzelnen und die Gemeinde, 1972Sieben Farben hat das Licht, 1975Gästebuch des lieben Gottes. Gemeinde zwischen Wunsch und Wirklichkeit, 1975Das allerschönste Fest. Ein Frankfurter Weihnachtsbuch, 1977Die wunderbare Zeitvermehrung. Variationen zum Evangelium, 1979’s Frankforder Christkindche. Zwei Krippenspiele in Frankfurter Mundart, 1981Manchmal leben wir schon. Wege, die der Glaube geht. Rundfunk-Ansprachen, 1981, 2002Die Stunde der Seiltänzer. Geschichten und Gedichte, 1982Wunder geschehen nicht nur sonntags. Erfahrungen mit dem Alltag, Rundfunkansprachen, 1984Meine Zeit in guten Händen. Mit alten Bildern, Bräuchen und Gebeten durch das Jahr, 1985Das Jesuskind. Verehrung, Darstellung, Kunst und Frömmigkeit , 1987Wir sind noch zu retten. Neue Texte der Zuversicht, 1989Auf Seiner Spur. Texte gläubiger Zuversicht, Topos Taschenbücher Bd. 327, 2000In Seiner Nähe, 2002

Songs

Some of Zenetti's songs have been included in hymnals, such as Evangelisches Gesangbuch and the Catholic Gotteslob.