Dr. Josef Mair (1909–1986):From Diocesan Youth Leader to Resistance Fighter

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Photograph Dr. Josef Mair (1933). in private archive Mag. Mair Hall in Tyrol.

Childhood and Youth in Matrei

Josef Mair was born on June 21, 1909, in Matrei am Brenner, the son of Josef Mair, a shoemaker and farmer. His mother was Maria Mair, née Etzelsberger. He grew up on the "Glasnhof" farm in Schöfens 8 (Pfons, today part of the municipality of Matrei) and initially attended the primary school in Matrei.

Photo of Matura from the Franciscan Gymnasium in Hall in Tyrol, July 4, 1933: Franciscan Archive of Tyrol, Hall in Tyrol.

His further education took him to the Franciscan Gymnasium in Hall in Tirol. In the 1925/26 school year, he entered the 1st class but briefly interrupted his studies. After private tutoring and a qualification examination, he returned to his class. Josef Mair was a gifted student and graduated with distinction on July 4, 1933. During his school years in Hall, he initially lived in the St. Josef's Mission House, then on Straubstraße in Hall. In Hall, he was a paying guest with the Ghedina family at Waldaufstraße 8 – an encounter that would shape his life.

The Path to Family

After graduating from high school, Josef Mair began studying theology in Brixen with the aim of becoming a priest. At the same time, Maria Ghedina trained as a certified infant nurse in Vienna and subsequently spent three years in Italy. After two years, Josef Mair decided against the clerical state, transferred to the University of Innsbruck, and completed his law studies with a doctorate. Afterwards, he took a position at the Chamber of Commerce in Innsbruck.
Maria Ghedina returned to Tyrol and worked as an infant nurse in Innsbruck and Hall. On September 20, 1939, they were married in the parish church of St. Nicholas in Hall. The wedding ceremony was conducted by Bishop Dr. Dr. Paulus Rusch – a connection that would prove to be of particular significance in the years to come.

The "Anschluss" – A Profound Caesura

March 12, 1938, tore deep wounds. On that Saturday, Josef Mair was at his workplace in the Chamber of Commerce when the National Socialists marched into Innsbruck. Along with other employees, he was locked in a room and interrogated. The interrogation was led by Dr. Focke, an illegal National Socialist whom Josef Mair had already distrusted – a dueling scar on his face betrayed his fraternity past.
Under supervision, some officials had to remove the crucifixes and pictures of Federal Chancellor Kurt Schuschnigg from the offices. After the interrogation, which served merely as a loyalty test, Josef Mair was allowed to return to his workplace to issue a permit. At 12 o'clock, he left the building – and experienced another disappointment: From the balcony of friends' house, a swastika flag was hanging. The thought that his very best friends had turned to National Socialism hit him deeply.

Between Mourning and Hope

Maria Mair experienced the "Anschluss" with no less dismay. Working as an infant nurse for a family in Innsbruck's Saggen district, she was caring for a newborn when the news of the invasion reduced her to tears. Her employer, herself a National Socialist sympathizer, was initially taken aback by this reaction.
Maria Mair explained herself openly: "You know, not everyone shares your convictions. In Italy, I saw how Fascism turns against the population, and from the German Reich, as a Catholic, one hears much about persecution." The family showed magnanimity: They respected Maria's stance, never betrayed her, and later even provided Josef Mair with an alibi on the crucial night of the rescue of the miraculous image of Maria Waldrast (April 17-18, 1941).
On the day of the invasion, Josef and Maria did not take to the streets but instead sought out the church. "We prayed in the cathedral and hoped that a miracle might still happen," Maria recalled.

Adolf Hitler (1889-1945) in Innsbruck

On April 5, 1938, Adolf Hitler entered Innsbruck. At the suggestion of her employer, who thought one should have seen "something so grand," Maria Mair went into the city. She stood at the corner near the fair hall on Falkstraße, where SA men formed an impenetrable cordon. Hitler drove by in an open car, accompanied by cheering masses of people.
Maria remained detached: "The people screamed 'Heil Hitler' like crazy – as if he were the Messiah. The hysterical cheering almost swept me away, but I just thought: This has nothing to do with me." Josef Mair added that Hitler himself had been dissatisfied with the reception and promptly replaced the Gauleiter with Franz Hofer.
The family's maid did not return home for days – completely enchanted by the reception. Maria confronted her: "There you go along and shout 'Heil Hitler,' and last week you were still singing the song of the Red Falcons." The young woman was surprised that the two could not be reconciled.
These personal accounts show: The "Anschluss" divided society down to families and circles of friends. But Josef and Maria Mair held onto their stance – and their faith in a future beyond the brown terror.

Dr. Josef Mair (1909–1986): From Diocesan Youth Leader to Resistance Fighter

The Young Family in Turbulent Times

After the invasion of the National Socialists, Dr. Josef Mair was dismissed from his position at the Innsbruck Chamber of Commerce. However, since no suitable replacement could be found for him, he was temporarily reinstated, but shortly thereafter transferred to Landeck. In October 1938, he received an instruction from one day to the next to settle his accounts and report to Innsbruck. There, he was informed of his immediate dismissal; his salary, however, was continued until December 31, 1938.
Subsequently, the mayor of Schattwald – an avowed monarchist and opponent of National Socialism – offered him a position in the municipality. At the same time, he received an offer from Bishop Dr. Dr. Rusch to take on the role of Diocesan Youth Leader, which he ultimately accepted. In this capacity, he became the right-hand man of the Tyrolean bishop, who himself was not recognized by the National Socialists. Thus began his work as Diocesan Youth Leader – a position that would inevitably bring him into conflict with the National Socialist regime.

Wedding photos September 20, 1939. In the private archive of Mag. Mair, Hall in Tyrol.

On September 20, 1939, just a few weeks after the beginning of the Second World War, Josef Mair and Maria Ghedina married in Hall in Tyrol. The wedding ceremony was personally conducted by Bishop Dr. Dr. Paulus Rusch – a sign of the deep connection that bound Josef Mair to the diocese.

Photo of Maria with Michael Mair (1941). In private archive Mag. Mair Hall in Tyrol.

The young family moved into the "Glasnhof" in Schöfens 8, in the municipality of Pfons near Matrei am Brenner. In March 1941, their first child, Michael, was born. The birth took place under a lucky star: Just one day earlier, Josef Mair had been released from the Gestapo prison in Innsbruck after three weeks of protective custody.
Under the pressure of the interrogations, he had been forced to sign a fateful declaration: He would give up his position as Diocesan Youth Leader with Bishop Rusch, accept any activity offered to him by the National Socialists – and in the event of a third arrest, his transfer to the Dachau concentration camp was already sealed.

Photograph Dr. Josef Mair (1941). In private archive Mag. Mair Hall in Tyrol. 

First Arrest: The Easter Letter of 1940

Soon after the wedding, Josef Mair came into the crosshairs of the Gestapo. As Diocesan Youth Leader, he composed an Easter letter addressed to the Catholic youth. It contained a quotation from the Book of Revelation: "Because you are lukewarm, I will spit you out of my mouth." Msgr. Michael Weisskopf advised him to submit three copies of the letter to the Gestapo. Josef Mair refused – rightly, as it would turn out. Nevertheless, Weisskopf sent the copies to the authorities, who immediately confiscated the letter. But the post containing the Easter letters was already on its way.
The Gestapo felt targeted – they interpreted the passage as a direct allusion to the National Socialists. The first arrest followed in 1940, six months after the wedding. Josef Mair spent three weeks in the police prison. Also held in custody with him was Dr. Pfeifauf, who had been arrested under the pretext of holding choir rehearsals in the church in Hall – an obvious sham justification, as Pfeifauf could not sing at all. The Gestapo still did not release him: "Since you're already here, you can stay."
(See Blog 8 Koop. Dr. Nikolaus Pfeifauf and Chaplain Dr. Hermann Blassnig, as well as Blog 77 Anton Plattner Opraem.)

Second Arrest: An Ill-Considered Lecture

The second arrest followed in February or March 1941, just five weeks before the birth of their first child. The trigger was a lecture that Josef Mair had given at the invitation of the pastor of Jerzens in the local church. In it, he described the difference between the political community and the Catholic community. In the political community, according to Mair, "everything belongs to it, including animals, trees, cows, and calves."
A small farmer felt provoked by these words and denounced Mair to the district leader: he had ridiculed the National Socialists. The consequence was the second arrest. A gendarme first brought Josef Mair to the court prison in Ried. On the way there, Mair was allowed to burn incriminating papers under a bridge. The cell in Ried was in a miserable state – the wastebasket had overflowed and had to be emptied by Mair himself. The next morning, he was transported to the Gestapo prison "Innsbrucker Sonne," where he was again held in custody for three weeks.

The Impending Transfer to the Concentration Camp

During this detention, the situation dramatically came to a head. Josef Mair confided in his fellow prisoner, Dean Staud from Navis: "If I don't come back from an interrogation, then notify my wife. Because then they'll be sending me to the concentration camp."
Indeed, the order for his transfer to the Dachau concentration camp was issued. Maria Mair, heavily pregnant, personally appealed to the Gestapo chief Hilliges and achieved the impossible: The concentration camp order was rescinded. An official named Anders later informed her that the chief had personally revoked the order at midday. Nevertheless, upon his release, Josef Mair was forced to sign the dreaded declaration: In the event of a third arrest, the concentration camp now truly threatened him.
Five weeks later, on April 22, 1941, the third arrest took place – and with it began a new, even more dangerous chapter.

The Third Arrest – April 22, 1941

Five weeks after his second release, the Gestapo came for Dr. Josef Mair for the third and final time. This time it was about the pilgrimage to the closed Maria Waldrast sanctuary on "White Sunday" (April 20, 1941) – Hitler's birthday. What had begun as a spontaneous idea in the parlor of the Glasnhof was, for the Nazi regime, a deliberate provocation.
Josef Mair had not actively participated in the organization this time, but his house had been the meeting point. Young theology students – among them Reinhold Stecher – had discussed the pilgrimage there. Mair warned them urgently: "Anyone who does nothing now is not a coward. But anyone who does something and then names names, that person is one."
On the night of Thursday, April 17-18, 1941, his brother Franz and Hans Madersbacher undertook a risky venture: They secretly removed the Madonna statue from the church, thereby securing it from the grasp of the National Socialists – an operation that Josef knew about. Remarkably, the Gestapo was never able to solve this theft before the end of the regime. The two young men remained unpunished.
On Tuesday, April 22, 1941, the moment arrived. Maria Mair saw the Gestapo men approaching the house. She sent her sister-in-law Paula to warn Josef – but in vain. The officers spotted him from the field.
During the interrogation at the Matrei town hall, the Gestapo confronted him with the statements of the theology student Anton Hilber. Broken under pressure, Hilber had revealed details – including that Josef Mair had asked him not to involve any clergy in Steinach. Mair did not deny it, but he knew: This time there was no turning back. He had already signed an "obligation" twice stating that a further arrest would send him to a concentration camp.
That very evening, he was taken to a prison at the Brenner Pass. Maria remained behind with little Michael in her arms and the certainty that she had likely seen her husband for the last time.

With Cunning and Courage Against the Gestapo: Maria Mair's Successful Fight for Her Husband

Josef Mair, the Diocesan Youth Leader, was arrested by the Gestapo for the third time on April 22, 1941. He was accused of having organized a pilgrimage to Maria Waldrast. A theology student named Hilber had revealed all the details. During a confrontation at the Brenner Pass, Josef stuck to his statement while Hilber incriminated him.
When Maria Mair learned that her husband was to be sent to the Dachau concentration camp, she set everything in motion to prevent this. The decisive struggle took place at the end of June 1941. Through a warning from the police employee Franz Huber, Maria learned that Josef would be examined the following Monday by the police physician Dr. Heinrich Heel (b. 1891) for fitness for the concentration camp. She obtained a medication from Max Hallhuber that put strain on the heart, and Josef did 30 knee-bends before the examination.
Dr. Heel was uncertain and requested a clinical examination. During the first examination at the clinic, Josef deliberately did the opposite of what a "Brown Sister" (a nurse affiliated with the Nazi regime) instructed, rendering the ECG film unusable. During the second examination, about two weeks later, a religious sister helped him by labeling a film of a patient with severe heart disease with Josef's name.
The falsified findings showed a serious heart condition. The regular police physician, although a convinced Nazi, subsequently declared Josef "unfit for the camp." The order for transfer to the concentration camp was withdrawn. Thanks to the courage of his wife Maria and a network of helpers – including Franz Huber, Max Hallhuber, Dr. Steiner, and the religious sister – Josef Mair escaped deportation to the concentration camp in June 1941.

Rescue from War Deployment

After his third release from custody in October 1941, Josef Mair succeeded in evading military service. He boiled tobacco and drank the concoction to appear ill. The police physician declared him unfit for detention and later unfit for military service. During conscription examinations, the same doctor repeatedly certified him as unfit for service for six-month periods. When Mair finally asked to be declared fit in order to have peace from the Gestapo, he was given the status "g.v.H." – garrison deployment at home.
In the winter of 1941/42, when his daughter Margreth was born, Josef Mair began his service with the border patrol, initially as an auxiliary customs assistant in Gries am Brenner, later in Zams. His time at the Brenner was short: night duties around the Brennersee without a flashlight were part of daily life. Sick leave could be taken without a doctor's certificate – a welcome opportunity to temporarily evade the Gestapo's reach.

Establishment of a Resistance Group in Landeck

Josef Mair used his transfer to Landeck, to the Military Reporting Office, to establish a resistance group. As early as August 22, 1942, he met with specialist teacher Ambros Mayr for initial discussions. In the following years, he built a network that would gain decisive importance in the final months of the war.
The situation in the Landeck district was explosive: Strong SS units, the 19th and 24th Army Corps with around 20,000 men, numerous high-ranking party officials, and over 10,000 political refugees of all nations crowded into the region. The Wehrmacht was preparing to blow up all bridges and important road points – a final, desperate resistance was to be expected.

Successful Actions in the Final Days of the War

The resistance group around Josef Mair acted decisively. On February 17, 1945, Dr. Mair and Dr. Brugger were able to report initial successes to courier Kirchmair (sent by Dr. Carl Gruber from Innsbruck): They had succeeded in procuring weapons to guard the hospital.
On February 25, the situation worsened. Mair, Dellemann, and Bucher reported increasing reprisals against prisoners of war. Further situation meetings followed on April 8 with Bucher and Dr. Brugger.
The decisive days came at the end of April 1945:
• On April 26, the prisoners of war were deported towards Switzerland.
• On April 27, the group rendered the machine guns at Landeck railway station harmless.
In doing so, the resistance group likely prevented a bloody finale at the last minute and saved numerous lives. Josef Mair had broken his promise, which he had been forced to make under pressure from the Gestapo, in his own way – not through inaction, but through determined resistance until the very last hour of the war.
 

New Beginning after 1945: The Mair Family Between Continuity and New Horizons

The end of the Nazi regime did not mean the end of Dr. Josef Mair's work for the Catholic Church. He quickly found employment at the St. Michael House of Encounters in Matrei am Brenner, where he was able to resume the activities he had already carried out in church service under Bishop Paul Rusch – even before his time with the "Österreichisches Jungvolk," before it was dissolved by the National Socialists.
Josef Mair had a remarkable journey behind him: first studying theology in Brixen, then switching to law in Innsbruck, completing it with a doctorate. In Hall, while still a student at the Franciscan Gymnasium, he had met his future wife. On September 29, 1939, Bishop Paul Rusch married them in the Hall parish church – a sign of the close connection to the church hierarchy that endured even through difficult times.
The Glasnhof provided for the growing family's livelihood, where Josef Mair was known locally as "Jochel-Sepp." (The farm remained familiar to the family only under this name, "beim Jocheler.") The barn of the house was used by Aunt Paula and her husband Hans Signitzer, known locally as "Schusterbauer" – lived neighborhood and family connection in the tightest of spaces.

A Woman with Her Own Path

Maria Mair, née Ghedina, was not a farmer's wife in the traditional sense. Against her own mother's wishes, she had trained as an infant nurse in Vienna and taken on caregiving roles in Hall and Innsbruck. Among others, she cared for Mag. Günther Pollak as a baby – an example of her professional work in well-to-do circles.
She bridged the time of separation from her husband, when Josef was staying in Brixen, on her own: For three years, she worked in Italy as an infant nurse for wealthy families. She did not want to put her husband in a situation of moral conflict – a statement that reveals much about the political tensions of those years and the narrow path on which Catholics critical of the regime had to navigate.

Seven Children in Ten Years

Between March 1941 and October 1952, seven children were born:
• Michael (March 1941)
• Margreth (September 1942)
• Klaus (October 1943)
• Gottfried (April 1945, born in Zams – the birth fell in the very last days of the war)
• Franz (1947, named after his uncle)
• Peter (1949)
• Thomas (October 1952)
In those times of hardship, each birth was a sign of will to live and confidence in the future. The fact that Gottfried was born precisely in April 1945, as the front lines drew closer and the Nazi regime collapsed, lends his birth a special historical symbolism.

Resistance as an Attitude

What does "resistance" mean in this family history? It was not resistance with weapons, not an open political struggle. It was a resistance of attitude: loyalty to the Catholic Church in a time that fought against it; the refusal to serve the Nazi regime; the adherence to human values and professional integrity.
Dr. Josef Mair was able to continue after the war's end where he had been interrupted in 1938. The fact that he so quickly found his footing again in church service shows: The Catholic networks in Tyrol held. Bishop Paul Rusch, who had married the couple, remained a central figure of this milieu.
Maria Mair, in turn, embodied the type of modern woman: educated, employed, linguistically skilled and internationally experienced – and yet firmly rooted in the traditional Catholic large family.
The Glasnerhof in Matrei thus became the setting for a dual history: Here they lived in a rural-traditional way, but the life paths of the parents extended far beyond the valley – to Vienna, to Italy, to the intellectual and ecclesiastical centers of the country.
This family stands as exemplary for those many quiet life stories that made the new beginning after 1945 possible: in trust in God, in the cohesion of the extended family, and in the determination to build a future worth living from the rubble of the past.

Dr. Josef Mair: A Pioneer of Marriage Preparation and Long-Time Director of the St. Michael Educational Center - 1945

A defining figure in the history of the diocesan St. Michael Educational Center was Dr. Josef Mair. Appointed by Bishop Paulus Rusch, he took over the leadership of the center after the end of the war. He guided the fortunes of this important educational institution of the diocese until his retirement due to illness.
His tenure included a challenging period when the educational center had to be closed for several years in 1970 due to serious structural defects. Despite these adversities, his name remains primarily associated with a programmatic focus that still enriches the lives of many people in the diocese today: Dr. Josef Mair played a key role in the introduction and expansion of the so-called "Engaged Couples Days" (Brautleutetage). This pioneering program for preparing young people for marriage has remained a valid priority of the Diocese of Innsbruck to this day.
Dr. Josef Mair spent his retirement years in Hall. He passed away on August 14, 1986, at the age of 77. Just a few days later, on August 20, the long-time director of the St. Michael Educational Center was laid to rest in the cemetery in Hall. Among the numerous mourners who paid their last respects was Bishop Dr. Reinhold Stecher, underscoring the appreciation for his many years of service to the diocese.
(Source: District News August 1986, supplemented by a correction from his son Gottfried Mair)

Photograph of the gravestone of Dr. Josef Mair and Maria Mair, née Ghedina, at the municipal cemetery in Hall in Tirol. In the private archive of Mag. Mair, Hall in Tirol.