Maria Plain pamphlet - ca 1951 (German text) The pamphlet was written in German. The cover, As seen for sale on eBay (no longer available in 2010), was selling for 1 Euro on May 11, 2008. The description of the book said it was printed in 1948 by Rupertuswerk publisher of Salzburg. It had 32 pages and was described as a brown/white church guide in German language. The description was written in German: Braun/weiß Kirchenführer, 32 Seiten, Verlag Rupertuswerk, Salzburg, 1948, Sprache: Deutsch. The words on the bottom of the cover say: Verlag Rupertuswerk, Erzabtei St. Peter-Salzburg. The eBay seller may have used 1948 as the printed date due to 1948 being listed on the back cover as the date of renovation.  The same pamphlet was seen for sale on May 6, 2010 at this website. Description: Maria Plain - 32 Seiten mit 8 Abbildungen - Verlag Rupertuswerk Erzabtei St. Peter Salzburg 40er Jahre (EP1877), 8 Euros. [Translation: Maria Plain, 32 pages with 8 pictures. Publisher: Rupertuswerk Erzabtei St. Peter Salzburg. Dated in the 1940s. Selling for 8 Euros] I purchased that pamphlet in June 2010 from a Heimat Sammlung (homeland collection) website. There was no publish date, but a date on the back referred to renovations made in 1948. A paragraph on page 22 referred to the year 1951. What year was this pamphlet published? Possibly in 1951. On page 22, a count of the married couples in 1950 was given (673 couples). This means the publish date had to be after 1950. From page 22: "Möge die Gnadenmutter von Maria Plain besonders 1951, dem Jubiläumsjahr ihrer feierlichen Krönung, das zugleich des "Heilige Jahr der Heimat" ist, all ihren Verehrern ihren mütterlichen Schutz angedeihen lassen, möge sie in aller Zukunft ihr Heiligtum auf dem Plainberg schützen und alle segnen, die vertrauensvoll zu ihm pilgern, möge sie der Welt einen dauernden Frieden erflehen und sich auch fernerhin als Zuflucht der Sünder, Trösterin der Betrübten und Helferin der Christen erweisen!" Translation from page 14 of an English version: "May the Mother of Grace of Maria Plain, especially in 1951, the jubilee celebration of the solemn crowning, that is at the same time the "Holy Year of the Homeland," grant her motherly protection to all her faithful clients; may she in the future protect her sanctuary on Plainberg and bless all who trustfully travel to it; may she obtain a lasting peace for the world and in the future show herself as the Refuge of Sinners, the Comforter of the Afflicted and the Help of Christian!" Was that prayer referring to a future date (1951) - the Jubilee year of the coronation? It's not clear whether 1951 was the current year or a date in the future. There were 31 numbered pages, plus a front and back cover. On page 3 had a picture of Maria with baby Jesus. Several more pictures appeared throughout the book. Pages 23-31: Beschreibung der Kirche und der Kapellen (description of the church and chapels). The booklet measured nearly 17 x 11-3/4 centimeters (6-5/8 x 4-5/8 inches) when closed. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
| Another Maria Plain pamphlet, but in English - undated (after 1950) This undated pamphlet was "published" by Edward Kraemer. It is an English translation of the German version published about 1951. On the second page it says: "Published by Edward Kraemer, Plain, Wisconsin" Notice that t he two pamphlet covers (German and English) are almost identical (see side-by-side comparison below), except for the extra text at the bottom of the Kraemer pamphlet. The exact wording of the text at the bottom of the Kraemer pamphlet says:
The Kraemer pamphlet consisted of 22 pages written in English. Other than the statement on the cover ("The Shrine after which the village of Plain, Wisconsin is named"), there is no further discussion or facts referring to the naming of Plain, Wisconsin. As in the German version, the English version describes in great detail the history of Maria Plain and the miraculous picture, with detailed descriptions of the interior of the church. In 1913, about 12,000 people made a pilgrimage to Maria Plain, with dignitaries from Munich and Passau, Germany. The English version is very much the same as the German version as far as facts and history, but the English version does not include 6 of the photos that appear in the German version. A typo appeared on page 22 where Crucifixion was spelled wrong. Another typo was on page 14 (see below) regarding the year 1950. Following are Edward Kraemer's cover page and the second page: Verlag = publisher Erzabtei = monastery If Rupertuswerk is the publisher (Verlag), can Edward Kraemer also be the publisher? (Left: German version. Right: English version)  The cover on the left is from the pamphlet which I purchased in June 2010. The pamphlet on the right was "published" by Edward Kraemer. Looking closely at the detail of the picture of the Basilica, the Kraemer version appears to be a photocopy because the photo is dark and washed out. The clock in the tower on the cover on the right is dark. Side by side comparison of the Virgin Mary page (click to enlarge) (Left: page 3 of the German version. Right: second page of the English version) Regarding the 2nd page of Edward Kraemers book: The same picture and German text appear on page 3 of the German version. The German version has some script above and below the picture. This script does not appear on the Kraemer version. The cover clearly says the publisher was Rupertuswerk, Erzabtei St. Peter-Salzburg. But Edward Kraemer added the words, "Published by Edward Kraemer, Plain, Wisconsin."  On page 22 of the original version (2nd paragraph), it tells about an event which took place on Oct. 31 'In diesem Jahr' (in this year). "In this year" meant '1950' in reference to the previous paragraph. In the English version (page 14), it tells of that same event but gives the date as Oct. 31, 1954. "1954" was either a typo, or a mistranslation. Was the translation done in 1954, and did the translator think "in this year" meant the date he/she was translating? To prove that 1954 cannot be correct, the story goes on to say that this date (1950) was the first time the miraculous picture left Plainberg in 274 years. Page 6 (German version) and page 5 (English version) give the year as 1676 when the miraculous picture arrived at Plainberg. 1676 plus 274 years equals 1950 (not 1954). It is very possible that the English version was "published"/translated in 1954. Edward Kraemer and his wife Gisela Frank Kraemer took at least six trips to Europe, here are 5: 1) 1950 (April to June). On the return trip, they traveled on the Queen Elizabeth from Southampton (England) and arrived at the Port of New York. As the Weekly Home News reported on June 22, 1950, "Return from Europe. Mr. and Mrs. Edward Kraemer and Fr. Frank Mueller of Plain returned last week from their trip to Europe. They spent several weeks touring European countries and made a Holy Year pilgrimage to Rome and other shrines." The Kraemer Chronicle says they took a train to Paris, then toured around at Lourdes (France), Rome and Venice (Italy), Innsbruck (Austria), Oberammergau (Germany) and London (England). At Oberammergau, they saw the Passion Play. They also took a side trip to Irlach (Bavaria, Germany). 2) 1958. They traveled on a German ship, the Hanseatic, and returned on a US ship amidst violent storms. They visited Lourdes in France. 3) date unknown. A trip to the Shrine at Fatima at Portugal, Spain, by plane. 4) Summer of 1960. They spent some time in Somersham, England, visiting the Eckhardt family. The Kraemers once again saw the Passion Play at Oberammergau, Germany. It's possible they also visited Basilica Maria Plain near Salzburg. 5) 1971. A trip to Europe included stops in Treffelstein and Waldmünchen (Bavaria, Germany) to visit Gisela's relatives. Since it appears the pamphlet was published after 1950 (and after the Kraemer's 1950 trip to Europe), was the Maria Plain pamphlet sent to the Kraemers later? Or did they pick up a copy on their later trips to Europe? Several American and German priests visited the Kraemers Did a visiting priest or friend give a German "Maria Plain" pamphlet to the Kraemers? The Kraemer Chronicle (page 99 and 101) says, "On their various trips, they formed friendships with several priests, some travelling Americans and some Europeans. Two American priests whom they met in Rome drove up from Ames, Iowa to attend Ed and Gisela's Golden Wedding party. Father Paul Hanisch, who had been the Chaplain on the Hanseatic [1958 trip to Europe], flew from Elberfield, Germany to visit them in June 1962. Father Vollrath [Vollath] came over to visit them three times. On his three-week visit in July 1964, Father Vollrath was accompanied by Father Wurth of Amberg, Bavaria; and his assistant, Father Schraml, accompanied him on the third visit in 1970. The foreign Fathers were always astonished by how Americans support the Church financially because in Germany, where the Church is funded by the State, there is no tradition of private donations." When was Maria Plain first mentioned in print? The first known written reference that Plain was named for Basilica Maria Plain appeared in the 1968 book, The Romance of Wisconsin Place Names by Robert E. Gard & L. G. Sorden. However, the book incorrectly called it "Maria Von Plain." One wonders where the authors got this information. If from the Kraemer "Maria Plain" book, then the Kraemer book was "published" after 1950 and before 1968. Edward Kraemer died on October 23, 1973. Gisela and her daughter Iris took one more trip to Europe after Edward had died. Questions that may never be answered:
Continues to Part 3 Back to Part 2 Back to the beginning History of the Naming of Plain:
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