Jakob Weis was a priest in the Diocese of Speyer, who also worked as a prison chaplain. During the First World War he became the army chaplain to the 12th Bavarian Infantry Division and Catholic pastoral care advisor to the Armee-Oberkommando Mackensen. From 1918 to 1920 he voluntarily joined soldiers in their internment so as to continue his pastoral care.
Life
Weis was ordained priest in Speyer Cathedral on 4 October 1901. He then spent time as a chaplain in Mittelbexbach, then time in Gersheim, then in Landau in der Pfalz. From 1 July 1909 to 27 February 1921 he served as chaplain to Zweibrücken prison, an extremely difficult and thankless pastoral post. From 4 August 1914 Weis was also pastor to a field hospital, then pastor to 12th Bavarian Infantry Division. He published his memoirs of his time with 12th Division in 1917 as Mit einer bayerischen Division durch Rumänien, along with his postcards from the front, with the proceeds from both works given to soldiers' charities. He was also promoted to Catholic chaplain of August von Mackensen's whole force. At the end of the war he voluntarily went into captivity in Romania with Mackensen's army so as to continue providing its pastoral care, gaining the respect of both the prisoners and their captors. He was elected the troops' delegate to the German Red Cross and was active in alleviating the mental and physical hardship of captivity. He left in summer 1920 with the last German prisoners to leave Romania. , with secretary Konrad von Preysing to the left On his return from the war he continued as a prison chaplain. On 1 March 1921 Weis became city-pastor of Pirmasens, where he was a strong supporter of the construction of a second church building for the parish. Associations already existed for that purpose, but these were inactive and so he galvanized them. From 1 April 1925 Weis worked as a professor at the Oberrealschule, later at the Zweibrücken Gymnasium, as well as engaging strongly in the construction of a daughter-church for Utweiler. In 1940 Jakob Weis retired to the Ruhestand and lived in Zweibrücken, though continuing his pastoral work despite his worsening health. He died in Zweibrücken on 18 March 1948 and was buried there. His obituary in the Speyer diocesan newsletter Der Pilger stated:
Jakob Weis was the great-uncle of the former vicar general and current Speyer diocesan official Domkapitular, Prälat Dr. Norbert Weis. They are both from the same family as bishop of SpeyerNikolaus von Weis.
