Beilmann, Josef

Father Beilmann was born in 1873 in Volmer, attended the Saratov Theological Seminary, and was ordained in 1896. His first call was to Rohleder where he served until 31 July 1898. He also served the parishes of Bergtal and Krasna in Bessarabia. From 21 September 1908 to 9 October 1910, he served as the administrator in Karlsruhe (Odessa District). He then served as vicar of the parish of Pfeifer, and in 1914 began religious instruction in Seelmann. From 1924 to 1928 he served the parish of Köhler.
From 1928 to 1930, when services were banned, he went to Volmer to live with his parents. On 10 January 1930, he was arrested on the border with Poland and taken to the Butyrka prison in Moscow where he was charged with being part of a conspiracy group of Volga German clergy. On 20 April 1931, he was convicted and sentenced to 10 years in a concentration camp in Murmansk. He was taken first to Tambov and then on 4 January 1935, along with priests Adam Gareis, Alexander Staub, and Josef Werbizkij, he was moved to Medweshya Gora in Murmansk. He was later moved to a construction site of the White Sea – Baltic Canal where he disappeared. Nothing further is known about his whereabouts.