Franz Alexander Kern, also known by his religious name Jakob, was an Austrian Roman Catholic priest and a professed member from the Premonstratensians. Kern served as a soldier in the Austro-Hungarian armed forces during World War I and suffered threatening injuries that impeded his health for the remainder of his life and which often hampered his studies. He fostered an intense devotion for the Eucharist - for which he was known - and was often found in constant Eucharistic Adoration.