Raich, JOHANN MICHAEL, Catholic theologian, b. at Ottobeuren in Bavaria, January 17, 1832; d. at Mainz, March 28, 1907. Raich pursued his gymnasial studies under the Benedictines at St. Stephen’s at Augsburg, and studied philosophy and theology at the Collegium Germanicum at Rome (1852-5). On May 29, 1858, he was ordained priest at the same place. In the autumn of 1859 he left Rome and went to Mainz as secretary of Bishop von Ketteler. He accompanied the bishop on journeys and thus was at Rome during the Vatican Council. He was also a cathedral prebend from May 4, 1867. After the death of Bishop von Ketteler, during the years of the Kulturkampf, Raich had a position in the episcopal Chancery. On November 29, 1890, Bishop Haffner appointed him cathedral canon, and on April 11, 1900, he became cathedral dean.
Raich did much notable literary work. Among his writings are: “Die Auflehnung Dollingers gegen die Kirche u. ihre Autoritat” (Mainz, 1871); “Veber das Alter der Erstcommunicanten” (Mainz, 1875); “Shakespeare’s Stellung zur katholischen Religion” (Mainz, 1884); “Die innere Unwahrheit der Frei-maurerei” (first issued at Mainz, 1884, under the pseudonym of Otto Beuren; 2nd ed. under his own name Raich, 1897); “St. Augustinus u. der Mosaische Schopfungsbericht” (Frankfort-on-Main, 1889). Besides these original works he edited the following: Liebermann’s “Institutiones theologic” (10th ed., 2 vols., Mainz, 1870); “Joannis Maldonati Commentarii in quatuor Evangelistas” (new ed., 2 vols. Mainz, 1874); “Predigten des Bischofs von Ketteler’ (2 vols., Mainz, 1878); “Briefe von u. an Wilhelm Emmanuel Freiherrn von Ketteler, Bischof von Mainz” (Mainz, 1879); “Hirtenbriefe von Wilhelm Emmanuel Freiherrn von Ketteler, Bischof von Mainz” (Mainz, 1904); “Novalis’ Briefwechsel mit Schlegel” (Mainz, 1880); “Dorothea von Schlegel geb. Mendelssohn and deren Sohne Johannes and Philipp Veit, Briefwechsel” (2 vols., Mainz, 1881); J. B. Rady’s “Geschichte der katholischen Kirche in Hessen” (Mainz, 1904). After the death of Heinrich and Moufang, Raich was editor of “Der Katholik” from 1891 to 1907. From 1887 he also revised the “Frankfurter zeitgemassen Broschüren”.
FRIEDRICH LAUCHERT