Karl Schumacher

Karl Schumacher was born in Schwaz, the son of the local doctor Karl Schumacher and his wife Paula. Like his brother Viktor Schumacher, he attends the Franciscan grammar school in Hall/Tyrol, where he joins the Sternkorona Hall secondary school fraternity in 1914. In 1915, he had to join the Standschützen and was transferred to the southern front. Here he was seriously wounded in September 1915. In October 1915, he passed the war matriculation examination and was released from military service as an "invalid" in June 1916. He began studying theology in Innsbruck, where he became a member of the student fraternity Austria Innsbruck in 1916. He had to interrupt his studies from February to October 1917 because he was declared fit to be sent to the front again.

After his ordination to the priesthood on March 19, 1921, Karl Schumacher worked as a cooperator (chaplain) in Finkenberg, Tux, Weerberg and Imst. He then came to the provostry in Innsbruck (St. Jakob) and became president of the journeymen's association and rector of the Servite Church in Innsbruck.

In October 1938, he was overheard during a conversation and reported to the Gestapo, who detained him for ten days. When he failed to ring the victory bells in time as rector of the Servite Church in Innsbruck after the Polish campaign in 1939, he was arrested again on October 4, 1939.

After his release on October 25, 1939, he was forced to leave the Servite Church at the end of October and became a provisional minister in Jungholz and in 1942 in Tösens, where he also became a pastor. In this position, he witnessed the liberation of Austria in May 1945.

In 1946, he finally became the ecclesiastical notary of the diocese of Innsbruck and president of the journeymen's association. He finally retired in 1959.