Marian Library Father Koehler

Collection

Identifier: UASC-031

Staff Only

Marian Library Father Koehler

This Collection consists of 13 boxes of records aboout the Marian Library and Father Koehler. These boxes contain differnet types of documents; they enclose floppy disks, cassettes, photographs, unpublished and published books, programs, inviations, certificates, employment records, newspaper clippings (articles), correspondence, financial records, bibliographies, inventories, meeting minutes, magazines, architecture plans, personal notes and notebooks.

Dates

1963-1999

Languages

The two main laguages in these records are English and French.

Access to Materials

The materials in this collection are open and accessible to the public for use in the University Archives and Special Collections reading room.

Copyright

Copyright to the official records of the University belongs to the University of Dayton. Non-official records in this collection may be protected by copyright law (Title 17, U.S. Code). The materials are available for personal, educational, and scholarly use. It is the responsibility of the researcher to locate and obtain permission from the copyright owner or his or her heirs for any other use, such as reproduction and publication.

Father Koehler

Father (Fr.) Koehler was born on june 23, 1911 in Strasbourg, France. He went to a middle school that was taught by Marianists. After middle school, Father (Fr.) Koehler was enrolled in a Marianist school in Fribourg, Switzerland named Villa Saint-Jean. He completed his first Marianist voews on September 12, 1928 at Remy-Signeult in Belgium. Fr. Koehler received formal military training at Saint-Cyr (France), which was one of the finest military instutions in Europe. he graduated from Saint-Cyr as a reserve officer. During World War II, Fr. Koehler served as a lieutenant in the French army but he was captured and emprisoned by the Germans. He was able to escape to Switzerland in 1940, where he managed to get a Licentiate in Sacred Theology in 1942 and a doctorate in Sacred Theology the following year at the the University of Fribourg. From 1944 to the 1960's, Fr. Koehler taught at different Marianist institutions in France and Switzerland. Moreover, he also became the director of the Marianist International Seminary at the University of Fribourg. Fr. Koehler decided to take on new advantures on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean. He accepted the position of director of the Marian Library at the University of Dayton in 1969. Six years after this appointment, Fr. Koehler established the International Marian Research Institute with the help of the Pontifical University Marianum in Rome, Italy. The International Marian Research Institute is a theology program, which rewards its student with a license and doctorate upon completion. Fr. Koehler finally retired in 1986 as director of the International Marian Research Institue. The following year he decided to put an end to his career at the head of the Marian library as well. Fr. Koehler stayed active during retirement. In fact, he continued conducting research, teaching and writing about Mary. His writings featured in academic journals in the United States and Europe. Moreover, Fr. Koehler was a prominent member of the Societe Francaise d'Etudes Mariales and the Mariological Society of America. He also received several awards throughout his life such as a medal from the catholic university of American (1976), a doctorate of Humane Letters, Honoris Causa from the University of Dayton (1987) and another doctorate in theology with a focus on Mariology from the Marianum (1988) in Rome, Italy. Unfortunately, Fr. Koehler passed away on May 15, 2001 at the age of 89 leaving behind a legacy of passionate Marianist.