Education
Feeling himself called to the priesthood, he studied theology at Bonn (1849-1851) and was ordained priest on 15 March 1851.
Feeling himself called to the priesthood, he studied theology at Bonn (1849-1851) and was ordained priest on 15 March 1851.
He was a chief promoter of the Catholic movement in the Palatinate. After studying philosophy and jurisprudence in Munich and Heidelberg (1836-1840), he held various juridical positions in the service of the State from 1843-1849. In the same year he became secretary to Nicolaus von Weis, Bishop of Speyer.
On 11 November 1857, he was elected canon of the cathedral chapter and, soon after, appointed custos of the cathedral, and professor of archæology and homiletics at the episcopal seminary.
He took part in the consultations of the German bishops at Bamberg (1867), Würzburg (1868), and Fulda (1869). In 1868 Pope Pius IX summoned him to Rome as a consultor, ahead of the First Vatican Council.
His ultramontane principles made him unacceptable to the Bavarian Government, which in consequence repeatedly prevented his election to the See of Speyer. He founded the "Pfälzicher Pressverein", the daily paper "Rheinpfalz" and the "Katholische Vereinsdruckerei".
From 1875-1877 he was a member of the Bavarian Landtag.