Schneemann, GERARD, b. at Wesel, Lower Rhine, February 12, 1829; d. at Kerkrade, Holland, November 20, 1885. After studying law for three years, he entered the seminary at Munster where he was ordained sub-deacon in 1850. He became a member of the Society of Jesus, November 24, 1851, and was ordained priest on December 22, 1856. For some years he taught philosophy at Bonn and Aachen, and subsequently lectured on church history and canon law in the Jesuit scholasticate at Maria Laach. His first notable publication was “Studien fiber die Honoriusfrage” (Freiburg, 1864) in which he refuted the opinion of Dellinger. Between the years 1865 and 1870, he contributed a number of timely and important dissertations to “Die Encyclica Papst Pius IX” and “Das ocumenische Concil”, two series of papers that were published at Freiburg under the general title of “Stimmen aus Maria-Laach“. In 1871 the “Stimmen” became a regular monthly review and for six years was edited by Father Schneemann. He was moreover the chief promoter in the collaboration and publication of the “Acta et decreta sacrorum conciliorum recentiorum”, commonly called “Collectio Lacensis”, and died while preparing the documents of the Vatican Council for the seventh and last volume. His work “Controversiarum de divinae gratiae liberique arbitrii concordia initia et progressus” (Freiburg, 1881), was the occasion of a renewed controversy on the nature of grace and free will.
F. X. DELANY