Desch, Adam

Father Adam Desch was born in 1881 Pfeifer and died on 8 October 1937 in Astrakhan.

He studied theology at the Catholic Seminary in Saratov and was ordained on 22 April 1904. He celebrated his first Mass the following week on 29 April 1904 in his home parish of Pfeifer.

From 1 May 1904 to 1911 he served as the vicar of the parish in Yekaterinoslav.  From 1911-1913, he was in the parish of Khristino (Kherson Province). In 1914, he began serving the Catholic parish in Astrakhan where some sources claim that he served until 1928.  However in 1921, he was appointed confessor of the Catholic parish in Saratov after several priests had left there.

He was arrested in 1931 along with other Catholic clergy in the Volga region, and on 6 June 1931 was sentenced to 3 years of exile in Siberia. In 1933, he was released from exile and returned to Astrakhan. He was re-arrested in 1934, but after 4 months was released for health reasons.  He died on 8 October 1937 in Astrakhan of stomach cancer.