Jordan Mai

Trained as a cook, Brother Jordan served in several convents (Paderborn, Münster, Neviges, Dingelstädt) before being permanently assigned to Dortmund in 1907, notably to treat his chronic migraines. Despite his fragile health, he made himself useful as an assistant cook, porter, sacristan, and gardener. At the porter's lodge of the Dortmund convent, he carried out a silent apostolate among the workers of the Ruhr, the poor, and the sick, particularly during the First World War and the economic crisis.

Brother Jordan led a life of intimate union with God, marked by Eucharistic adoration and a devotion to the Sacred Heart and the Virgin Mary. He conceived of his life as a reparation for sins. In January 1922, after the sacrilegious burglary of the church in Dortmund where the tabernacle was stolen, he offered his life in reparation, predicting his death one month to the day after the event. He passed away faithfully on February 20, 1922.

From the time of his death, his reputation for holiness drew crowds to his tomb. In 1950, his remains were transferred to St. Francis Church in Dortmund before nearly 100,000 faithful. The beatification process, opened in the Archdiocese of Paderborn (1934-1937), continued in Rome. On December 21, 1991, Pope John Paul II promulgated the decree recognizing the heroic nature of his virtues, conferring upon him the title of Venerable.

Brother Jordan's spirituality is rooted in the Franciscan tradition of simplicity and joy. His legacy is perpetuated by the Bruder-Jordan-Werk in Dortmund, which supports his cause and leads social initiatives such as the Jordan Treff, a drop-in center for the homeless. Several schools and care centers in Germany also bear his name.