Irish-British Province

BERLIN/GERMANY
Revival of Church Life

“To a parish?” was the question on the lips of many surprised confreres at the recent transfer of Fr. Manfred KRAUSE to our parish in Berlin.

Apparently, pastoral work seldom found place in ordinary discussions which often concentrated on big institutions. After some initial difficulties, Manfred finds the work rewarding and satisfying.

Of the 60,000 people in his parish only about 8.5% are Catholics. One fifth of these are foreigners. The change of the capital from Bonn to Berlin brought along many non-Berliners to the city, actually giving a youthful face to the parish community.

There are 62 children for first communion this year. The children’s choir has 60 active members. The two kindergartens and the Sacred Heart primary school in the parish brim with life with many children around. Along with the children come also the parents, who are often nonpracticing. And some of them have begun to show interest in learning and practicing religion.

The parish organizes religion classes for the grown-ups. Among the 45 who had signed up in the first batch, 35 turned up and some among them were unbaptized. They want to prepare themselves to receive the sacrament.

Source: Arnoldus Nota