Willibrord Benzler [SEP] position held
Willibrord Benzler
Willibrord Benzler OSB (16 October 1853 – 16 April 1921) was the Roman Catholic Bishop of Metz from 1901 to 1919.
Life.
Born as Karl Heinrich Johann Eugen Benzler in Niederhemer, Westphalia, the eldest son of Karl Benzler, an innkeeper, and his wife, Klementine (née Kissing), he was baptized at SS Peter and Paul Church on 24 October 1853. After attending the elementary school in Niederhemer and the "höhere Bürgerschule" in Menden, he went on to study at the
Coat of arms.
The bishopric coat of arms of Willibrord Benzler showed on the heraldic right side three silver fish on blue ground, while to the left it had a red cross of Lorraine with the word "PAX" (peace). The origin of the three hills to the bottom of the cross is unknown, they might have been a reference to his hometown in the hills of the Sauerland. Below the shield is the motto of Bishop Benzler, "In verbo tuo" (Following your word).