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George Dering Wolff

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George Dering Wolff
Born(1822-08-25)August 25, 1822
Died(1894-01-29)January 29, 1894

George Dering Wolff was an American Protestant minister, later after a conversion an editor of Catholic publications.

Life

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His parents were Charlotte Wolff, and Bernard Crouse Wolff (b. at Martinsburg, 1794), a prominent theologian of the German Reformed Church (Lutheran). The family moved to Easton, Pennsylvania, in 1835, the father becoming English pastor there.

George graduated A.M. from Marshall College, Mercersburg, Pennsylvania, and there studied law for three years at Easton. Though admitted to the Bar, he never practised, but after a four years' theological course became a minister of the German Reformed Church. The elder Wolff and his son were staunch followers of John Williamson Nevin, who in 1843 began to develop in their sect a system of theology which, whilst strongly opposing Catholicism, held Christ's Church to be a living organism and sought to restore what they held to be teachings of Christ repudiated by the Protestant Reformation (see G. D. Wolff's article "The Mercersburg Movement" in "American Catholic Quarterly", 1878).

George Wolff joined the Catholic Church in 1871. The next year he became editor of the Catholic Mirror published at Baltimore, leaving it the year following for the Catholic Standard of Philadelphia, of which he died editor-in-chief. His editorial success caused him to be called to join James A. Corcoran and James O'Connor in establishing the American Catholic Quarterly Review, first issued in Philadelphia, January 1876. O'Connor was consecrated bishop in August of that year, and went to his vicariate Apostolic in Nebraska. The other two editors sustained the publication until their death. Wolff's articles were largely on matters of apologetic theology. His wife, Sarah Hill, became a convert to Catholicism, as did his brother, Christian Wolff.

Articles

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References

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Attribution

 This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domainHerbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). "George Dering Wolff". Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company. The entry cites: