Biography
Father Falkenstein was born in 1895 in Schuck, the son of Wilhelm Falkenstein and Anna Maria Distel. He was ordained in 1912 and began serving in the parish of Marienburg. He began serving in Josefstal in 1928. He was arrested in 1931 and in 1932 sentenced to five years of imprisonment. He was sent to a prison in Novosibirsk and is assumed to have been killed there.
Photo
Johannes Falkenstein Source: Greg Falkenstein.
Choir of Josefstal Parish (ca.1927). Father Johannes Falkenstein (seated center). Photo courtesy of Barbara Schaab via Ted Gerk.
Saint Anthony of Padua Catholic Church, Schuck, Russia. Childhood parish of Mr. Alois Falkenstein, Sr. (11/15/1908-12/22/1998), and his brother, Rev. Fr. Johannes Falkenstein, Ordained a Catholic Priest by and for The Diocese of Tiraspol (Saratov) in 1912. May They Rest In Peace. Source: Michael J. Calvaruso.
Sources
Bosch, Anton. Lebensbilder russlanddeutscher Märtyrer: Bischöfe und Priester.
Falkenstein, Greg (personal interview).
Schnurr, Joseph. Die Kirchen und das Religiöse Leben der Russlanddeutschen - Katholischer Teil (Stuttgart).
Falkenstein, Johannes (wolgadeutsche.ru)