Ivo Wefers, OFM

1844 – 1921

Br. Ivo Wefers, OFM, was born in Herbern, Germany, on Jan. 11, 1844. He entered the novitiate in Fulda Aug. 14, 1874, and made his temporary profession Aug. 15, 1875. He made his solemn profession on Aug. 26, 1878.

Before entering the friars, Br. Ivo had been a master tailor at the royal court in Berlin. He served his country in the Seven Week War of 1866, and in the Franco-Prussian War of 1871. The day after his simple profession, Br. Ivo was exiled from Germany with Fr. Francis Koch, OFM, during the Kulterkampf.

Br. Ivo was among the first pioneer friars who took up residence in Paterson, N.J., and he lived and worked there faithfully as a tailor and porter for almost 50 years.

As porter in Paterson, Br. Ivo served the poor and hungry with soup and bread from the kitchen. As a tailor his motto was: “Every stitch for God.”

He died in the Paterson friary on July 21, 1921. He was 77 years old and a professed friar for 45 years.