Diocese of Erfurt

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Diocese of Erfurt
Erzbistum Freiburg Erzbistum Bamberg Erzbistum Berlin Erzbistum Hamburg Erzbistum Köln Erzbistum München und Freising Erzbistum Paderborn Bistum Aachen Bistum Augsburg Bistum Dresden-Meißen Bistum Eichstätt Bistum Erfurt Bistum Essen Bistum Fulda Bistum Görlitz Bistum Hildesheim Bistum Limburg Bistum Magdeburg Bistum Mainz Bistum Mainz Bistum Münster Bistum Münster Bistum Osnabrück Bistum Passau Bistum Regensburg Diözese Rottenburg-Stuttgart Bistum Speyer Bistum Trier Bistum Trier Bistum WürzburgMap of the Diocese of Erfurt
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Basic data
Country Germany
Ecclesiastical province Paderborn
Metropolitan bishopric Archdiocese of Paderborn
Diocesan bishop Ulrich Neymeyr
Auxiliary bishop Reinhard Hauke
Emeritus diocesan bishop Joachim Wanke
Vicar General Raimund Beck
founding 1994
surface 12,000 km²
Dean's offices 7 (2018)
Parishes 45 (December 31, 2018)
Residents 1,800,000 (December 31, 2018)
Catholics 146,310 (December 31, 2018)
proportion of 8.1%
Diocesan priest 164 (December 31, 2018)
Religious priest 16 (December 31, 2018)
Catholics per priest 813
Permanent deacons 19 (December 31, 2018)
Friars 21 (December 31, 2018)
Religious sisters 198 (December 31, 2018)
rite Roman rite
Liturgical language Latin , German
cathedral Erfurt Cathedral
address Herrmannsplatz 9
99084 Erfurt
Website www.bistum-erfurt.de
Ecclesiastical province
Erzbistum Freiburg Erzbistum Bamberg Erzbistum Berlin Erzbistum Hamburg Erzbistum Köln Erzbistum München und Freising Erzbistum Paderborn Bistum Aachen Bistum Augsburg Bistum Dresden-Meißen Bistum Eichstätt Bistum Erfurt Bistum Essen Bistum Fulda Bistum Görlitz Bistum Hildesheim Bistum Limburg Bistum Magdeburg Bistum Mainz Bistum Mainz Bistum Münster Bistum Münster Bistum Osnabrück Bistum Passau Bistum Regensburg Diözese Rottenburg-Stuttgart Bistum Speyer Bistum Trier Bistum Trier Bistum WürzburgMap of the church province of Paderborn
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Erfurt Cathedral and Severikirche
St. Marien in Heiligenstadt - the center of the Catholic Eichsfeld

The diocese of Erfurt ( Latin : Dioecesis Erfordiensis ) is a Roman Catholic diocese in Thuringia . The bishop and cathedral chapter have their seat at the Beatae Mariae Virginis cathedral in Erfurt .

Catholic areas in the diocese are the Eichsfeld , where almost two thirds of the communities are located, and to a lesser extent the city of Erfurt. This results from the close historical ties between the two regions and Kurmainz . The other areas of the diocese used to belong to Electoral Saxony or one of the Thuringian states and are accordingly evangelical-Lutheran. The Catholics are only a small minority in the population there .

history

Saint Boniface first founded a diocese in Erfurt in 742. However, this was dissolved again in 755 and added to the diocese of Mainz . The only bishop was Adalar .

From 1821, Thuringia was largely part of the Paderborn diocese . With the Prussian Concordat of 1929, the dioceses were reorganized. The Bishop of Würzburg was responsible for the area of ​​the former Duchy of Saxony-Meiningen , mostly located south of the Thuringian Forest . The areas of the former Russian principalities and the former Duchy of Saxony-Altenburg , located in the east, came to the Diocese of Meißen and the Bishop of Fulda was responsible for the rest, the northern area of ​​Thuringia .

After the Second World War it became more and more difficult for the bishops from Fulda and Würzburg to carry out official business in the Thuringian part of their dioceses. That is why in 1946 an episcopal vicariate general was established in Erfurt for the eastern area of ​​the diocese of Fulda, with the appointment of Erfurt Cathedral Provost Joseph Freusberg as vicar general , who also became auxiliary bishop in 1953 . His successor Hugo Aufderbeck was appointed Episcopal Commissioner in 1968. The diocese of Würzburg had already established the Episcopal Commissariat Meiningen after 1920 and appointed it in 1959 to the Episcopal Vicariate General in Meiningen and appointed Joseph Schönauer as Vicar General (from 1967 Episcopal Commissar). His successor was Karl Ebert in 1970 .

With the reorganization of the Catholic Church in the GDR in 1973, by decree of the Holy See, the areas of the dioceses Fulda and Würzburg were assigned to the new Episcopal Office of Erfurt-Meiningen , but still legally belonged to the two dioceses. Head of the episcopal office was the Apostolic Administrator , Hugo Aufderbeck, who was succeeded by Joachim Wanke in 1981 .

According to a contract between the Holy See and the Free State of Thuringia on the establishment of the Diocese of Erfurt on June 14, 1994, the Episcopal Office of Erfurt-Meiningen was elevated to a diocese by Pope John Paul II on July 8, 1994 with the Apostolic Constitution Quo aptius assigned to the church province of Paderborn . Joachim Wanke can be called diocesan bishop since then . The dean's office Geisa in the Thuringian Rhön remained with the diocese of Fulda due to historically very close connections.

With the Apostolic Letter Fideles ecclesialis , on September 21, 1994, John Paul II confirmed St. Elisabeth of Thuringia as patroness of the diocese ; St. Boniface and St. Kilian became co-patrons.

present

Due to the demographic change , the number of believers is falling considerably - this has a direct impact on the structure of the church. A structural reform began on January 1, 2005, in which the number of deaneries was reduced from 14 to 7 and the parishes from 120 to 95. In 2008 the number of parishes was further reduced to 74, in 2014 the number of parishes had almost halved compared to 2005 to 63. The dissolved parishes continue to exist as subsidiary parishes of a larger parish. By 2020 the parishes are to be further reduced to 33 through gradual amalgamations. This is mainly due to the shortage of priests in the diocese. However, since many parishes will become very large as a result and in some cases several subsidiary parishes should be assigned to them, the diocese is increasingly relying on the work of lay people, including as diaconal helpers .

Effective October 1, 2012, Pope Benedict accepted Bishop Wanke's resignation for health reasons. Since then, the diocese has been vacant . On October 2, 2012, the Erfurt cathedral chapter elected auxiliary bishop Reinhard Hauke as diocesan administrator . Almost two years after the resignation of Bishop Wanke, the appointment of the previous auxiliary bishop in Mainz , Ulrich Neymeyr , as Bishop of Erfurt by Pope Francis was announced on September 19, 2014 . On November 22, 2014, Neymeyr was introduced to office in Erfurt Cathedral.

Bishops

At the time of the first foundation of the diocese

Apostolic administrators of the Episcopal Office Erfurt-Meiningen:

Bishops of the Diocese of Erfurt:

Auxiliary Bishops of the Episcopal Office Erfurt-Meiningen:

Auxiliary Bishops in the Diocese of Erfurt:

Diocese structure

The diocese of Erfurt is divided into the following seven deaneries (as of 2016):

St. Josef (Erfurt)
St. Lorenz in Erfurt
The Melchendorfer Church (Erfurt)
St. Wigbert in Erfurt
St. Marien Church in Meiningen, seat of the Meiningen deanery
Catholic Church in Ilmenau, one of the few new church buildings from the GDR era (1983)
St. Johannes Baptist (Jena)

Church institutions

High mass on the occasion of the diocese pilgrimage in 2004 on the cathedral steps in Erfurt

Student communities

The local pastors are also employed as university chaplains at all university locations of the diocese. There are also student communities (KSG) in Erfurt , Ilmenau , Jena and Weimar .

The communities in Jena and Weimar are looked after by a joint pastor who is only assigned to the pastoral care of students. Since 2010 , this office is no longer accompanied by a priest, but by a consultant, since Rev. Pohlmann has taken over the Jena community as successor to Monsignor Karl-Heinz Ducke . Until 2012 the parish in Erfurt was looked after by the cathedral priest. Due to a change in staff that became necessary, pastoral care has now been taken over by an employee of the theological faculty in Erfurt.

The community in Ilmenau will also lose its pastor. In 2016 the parishes of Arnstadt and Ilmenau are merged, with the parish office moving to Arnstadt. Joint student pastoral care for Erfurt and Ilmenau is then planned.

Monasteries

schools

Houses of the diocese

Culture and sights

Churches

Pilgrimage sites

The Etzelsbach pilgrimage chapel

The most important pilgrimages of the diocese are the men’s pilgrimage to Klüschen Hagis , the women’s pilgrimage to Kerbschen Berg , as well as the diocese pilgrimage and the youth pilgrimage to Domberg in Erfurt. There are also many smaller pilgrimages, especially in the Catholic Eichsfeld.

The area of ​​the diocese is also crossed by several historical pilgrimage routes. For the most part, these were only restored after reunification.

Church closings

Development of membership numbers

In the area of ​​the Diocese of Erfurt, as in many other Catholic dioceses in Germany, the real estate portfolio has been reduced in recent years for cost reasons. Among other things, the following churches were profaned :

  • Aschara , chapel: closed in 2012
  • Bad Liebenstein , chapel: closed, re-use as a brasserie
  • Berga / Elster, Chapel St. Michael, January 17th, 1965 elected, July 1st, 2016 prof. (FROM 6/2016)
  • Breitungen / Werra , chapel: consecrated in 1949, closed in 2012
  • Dorndorf / SHK, Chapel St. Josef, won in 1928, January 11, 2011 prof. (FROM 12/2012)
  • Graefenroda, Chapel St. Josef, elected December 8th 1974, November 23rd 2012 prof. (FROM 12/2012)
  • Großengottern, Chapel Exaltation of the Cross, 1971/1972, January 1, 2010 prof. (FROM 12/2012)
  • Heldburg, Chapel of the Holy Spirit, elected June 20, 1998, September 1, 2013 prof. (FROM 10/2013)
  • Abandoned Heringen near Nordhausen, chapel, July 31, 2004
  • Kindelbrück, Chapel of the Annunciation, 25th March 1954 elected, 1st December 2010 prof. (FROM 12/2012)
  • Köppelsdorf , chapel: consecrated in 1952, last service in 1990
  • Lehna / Eichsf., St. Martin, 1885 erb., May 1, 2010 prof. (FROM 12/2010)
  • Niedersachswerfen, Chapel of St. Johannes Nepomuk, 19 August 1973 won, 1 November 2013 prof. (FROM 10/2013)
  • Oberweißbach, St. Radegundis Chapel, October 14, 1965, elected December 1, 2007 prof. (FROM 11/2007)
  • Plaue , St. Sigismund Chapel: built in 1730, as a Catholic. Chapel dedicated to Mary Queen on May 8, 1961, profaned on December 27, 2006, sold in 2011
  • Rastenberg, St. Josef der Arbeiter, abandoned church, November 24, 2003
  • Rottenbach, St. Josef Chapel, won September 2, 1978, November 1, 2007 prof. (FROM 11/2017)
  • Walldorf, St.Josef der Arbeiter, 19 July 1959 elected, 1 June 2017 prof. (FROM 6/2017)
  • Winterstein, St. Josef Chapel, November 25, 2018 profaned (FROM 11/2018)
  • Ziegenrück, Maria Mediator of All Graces, Church, August 2000 profaned

Diocesan calendar

In the diocese of Erfurt, the regional calendar for the German-speaking area is supplemented by the following celebrations (followed by the rank):

  • 0February 1st: St. Severus , Bishop of Ravenna - g
  • February 12: St. Gregory II , Pope - g
  • March 13: St. Paulina, religious - g
  • May 30th: blessed Otto Neururer , priest and martyr - g
  • 0June 7th: St. Adalar and Eoban , bishops and martyrs - in Erfurt Cathedral G, in the rest of the diocese g
  • June 27th: St. Aureus , bishop and Justinus, deacon (both martyrs) - in Heiligenstadt g
  • 0July 7th, St. Willibald , Bishop and Wunibald , Abbot - G
  • 08 July: St. Kilian , bishop, messenger of faith, martyr, co-patron of the diocese - G (in RK g)
  • August 12th: St. Radegunde of Thuringia , Queen - G
  • August 13, St. Wigbert , Abbot - G
  • September 28th: ​​St. Lioba and Thekla , abbesses - g
  • 0October 9th: St. Günther von Thuringia , hermit, messenger of faith - G
  • October 14th: St. Burkhard , Bishop - g
  • October 27th: Anniversary of the consecration of the cathedral in Erfurt - in the cathedral H, in the rest of the diocese F
  • 0November 5th: Consecrated churches that do not celebrate their real consecration day - H
  • November 11th: St. Martin von Tours , patron of the city of Erfurt and Eichsfeld - in the city of Erfurt H, in Eichsfeld F
  • November 19: St. Elisabeth of Thuringia , Landgravine, Patroness of the Diocese - F
  • 0December 9th: Bl. Liborius Wagner , priest and martyr - g

Abbreviations: H = high festival, F = festival, G = mandatory day of remembrance, g = non-mandatory day of remembrance, RK = regional calendar for the German-speaking area

See also

Web links

Commons : Diocese of Erfurt  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Diocese of Erfurt in numbers. In: bistum-erfurt.de. Episcopal Ordinariate, 2018, accessed September 8, 2019 .
  2. ↑ a b Catholic Church in Germany. (PDF; 1.1 MB) Statistical data 2018. Secretariat of the German Bishops' Conference, July 19, 2019, p. 3 , accessed on July 19, 2019 .
  3. ↑ AP2019 .
  4. ↑ Ioannes Paulus II: Const. Apost. Quo aptius. In: AAS 87 (1995), n. 3 ,. P. 221 ff. , Accessed October 1, 2019 (Latin).
  5. ↑ Bishop em. Dr. Joachim Wanke. In: bistum-erfurt.de. Episcopal Ordinariate, accessed September 8, 2019 .
  6. ↑ Ioannes Paulus II: Litt. Apost. Fideles ecclesialis. In: AAS 87 (1995). Retrieved October 1, 2019 (Latin).
  7. ↑ Katrin Zeiß, Simona Block: Shrinking parishes: Long distances to the parish offices. Churches in Central Germany can hardly fill positions. In: Leipziger Volkszeitung . February 3, 2014, p. 5.
  8. ^ Structural reform in the Diocese of Erfurt 2012–2020 ( Memento from March 27, 2017 in the Internet Archive )
  9. ↑ Erfurt Bishop Joachim Wanke is retiring. In: bistum-erfurt.de. Episcopal Ordinariate, October 1, 2012, accessed on September 8, 2019 .
  10. ^ Auxiliary Bishop Hauke ​​elected diocesan administrator. In: bistum-erfurt.de. Episcopal Ordinariate, October 2, 2012, accessed September 8, 2019 .
  11. ↑ Ashara. In: kath-kirche-badlangensalza.de. March 16, 2019, accessed September 8, 2019 .
  12. ↑ Hotel chapel. In: rennsteig.de. Retrieved September 8, 2019 .
  13. ↑ End and Amen. In: insuedthueringen.de. November 9, 2012, accessed September 8, 2019 .
  14. ↑ Chronicle. In: st-stefan-sonneberg.de. Catholic parish of St. Stefan Sonneberg, accessed on November 5, 2019 .
  15. ↑ Thomas Becker: Chapel “St. Sigismund ”in Plaue is to be auctioned today. In: thueringer-allgemeine.de. Thüringer Allgemeine , August 31, 2011, accessed on September 8, 2019 .
  16. ↑ Britt Mandler: Open Monument Day attracted thousands of visitors to the blaze of color. In: thueringer-allgemeine.de. September 15, 2014, accessed September 8, 2019 .