I am thankful that fate allowed me to hear the heartbeat of history so intensely
Stáhnout obrázek
Karel Floss was born on 19th July 1926 in Hodonín. His personality and attitude have been formed by his childhood and adolescence years and by the period of his study in Olomouc. He felt affected by the political changes in February 1948 so much that he joined the Dominican Order while he was still a student. His monastic life was interrupted two years later by the Action K, when he and his fellow brethren became interned in the monastery in Broumov. He fell ill during his internment and he nearly died because he did not receive adequate medical care. He recovered thanks to his faith and his approach to life and then he spent three years doing military service in the Auxiliary Technical Battalions. After his release from the military service he worked as an assistant librarian in the agricultural research institute. Karel did not want to give up on his mission in theology and philosophy and for many years he and his brother were therefore organizing home seminars of philosophy in Olomouc. His faith in God was helping him to endure the pressure of the State Security which tried to convince him to collaborate with them. He was able to fully devote himself to academic activities only after 1990, when he started lecturing at Palacký University in Olomouc. In spite of his advanced age he was also actively involved in high-level politics and he initiated the establishment of the Christian-social platform within the Czech Social Democratic Party. He was also elected a senator for this party in the Kutná Hora district. Karel Floss translated academic works from German and Dutch and he participated on the establishment of KAM - Club of Involved Thinking, and the World Ethos Foundation, which contributes to education and formation of young people. In 2011 he wrote his autobiography titled „God Always Shakes the Building.“ He died on May 15, 2024.
