Wolfgang Büth, R.I.P.

Suddenly, and unexpectedly even for the doctors in the university hospital, God called his faithful missionary to him today. A cerebral haemorrhage was immediately diagnosed, but the medical art was not able to save his life. 

Wolfgang’s parents ran a drugstore and grocery store. He spent his high school years in state schools. In the upper school he was allowed to go to a Catholic boarding school in Lüding-hausen. In his home parish he was strongly involved with the altar servers and in the youth movement ‘Neudeutschland’.
Through his mother’s brother, who was a Franciscan missionary in Brazil, the wish was awakened in Wolfgang to become a missionary. Fr. G. Völlinger, a friend of his older brother, was an enthusiastic missionary and had the gift of infecting others as well. In 1960 he began to study philosophy in Trier, Germany, and showed Wolfgang the way to the White Fathers. After the noviciate in Hörstel he studied theology in Vals/France and in 1966 he was ordained priest in Frankfurt-Seckbach together with six other candidates.

Before his first trip to Tanzania Wolfgang took a pastoral course in London, in order to begin the language course in Kipalapala. In the diocese of Mbeya, in Mkulwe and Kasamba he was a zealous pastor. After his first home leave he was ready to take over the post of missionary adviser in Aachen, in order to be a support for his seriously ill father. In 1976 Wolfgang became pastor of Mkulwe and later of Irambo. In 1984/85 he was allowed to take a sabbatical year and took part in a Bible course in Canada. On the side he was able to take on temporary help in a parish with 90% African-Americans. In 1990 the popular confrere was elected Regional Assistant based in Dar-es-Salaam. After 6 years this activity came to an end. During his well-deserved home leave he took a course in Dalgan Park, Ireland, on the subject of ‘Psycho-Synthesis’. Back in Tanzania he was appointed to Bukumbi on Lake Victoria, the first parish of the White Fathers, which was founded in 1883. He took part with commitment and interest in the two-year diocesan synod in the archdiocese of Mwanza, which served the renewal of church life. In 2003 Wolfgang was able to put his rich experience at the service of the German confreres when he was appointed Vice-Provincial. In 2008 he was appointed Sector Delegate. It was not until 2012 that the long-awaited return to Nzovwe in the diocese of Mbeya came.
After 50 years of blessed work in Africa and Germany, Wolfgang saw the time in 2018 to take up his old residence in Cologne. For some months he had problems with his spine. He was treated in the Vinzens Hospital and in the University Clinic where God ended his life.

By Bro. Günther