Sacrament Brotherhood Kirchberg
The Kirchberg Sacrament Brotherhood was founded in 1626 in Kirchberg , a current district of Jülich in North Rhine-Westphalia , and is still in existence today.
Foundation time of the brotherhood
During the Thirty Years' War , many brotherhoods were founded in Westphalia . They were influenced by the rifle brotherhoods from Flanders and northern France as well as the Hanseatic cities. Kirchberg had previously been affected by the Jülich-Kleveschen inheritance dispute (1609–1614). Looting and harassment were common. During this time it was particularly important to “stand together like brothers in need”.
On June 11, 1626 ( Corpus Christi ) the brotherhood was founded in honor of the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar. The pastor Ludovicius Cratz is considered to be the founding father. 60 residents entered the brotherhood register when it was founded. More men came from neighboring villages such as Bourheim and Pattern .
One of the original tasks of the Sacramentary Brotherhood was the protection of the "Holy of Holies" during processions through the streets of the village. Protection and concern for people added to this task. It was only in the course of the 19th century that sociability followed.
The amount of money that had to be paid when joining the brotherhood at that time was one guilder to contribute to God's honor and to the rise of the brotherhood. From the original brotherhood book, which was lost in World War II , it emerged that the brotherhood already had a strong bond with the church and with customs when it was founded. Already in the first article of the statute it was said: “First of all, they should recognize the pastor as their head, and follow the same divine things in permissible and customary matters, which is statuted or decreed in honor and venerable sacrament.”
Membership structure and statutes
The fact that the brotherhood was always in close contact with the church can also be seen from the fact that the respective pastors entered themselves in the brotherhood register and thus presided over the brotherhood as praeses. In addition to the respective pastors from Kirchberg, the pastors from Bourheim, Pattern and Altdorf also signed the brotherhood book.
The brotherhood directory also lists many foreign names for the Kirchberg residents. Most of them are those who were born in Kirchberg but later left the village through marriage or other circumstances. Nevertheless, they remained members of the brotherhood.
In 1711 the statutes were renewed and improved by the pastor Matthias Krichel. The statutes were revised several times over the centuries (1858, 1936, 1971, 1989) and adapted to the current situation, most recently in 1997.
In addition to shooting sports, the statutes also specifically set out religious obligations.
Brotherhood royal silver
As with other brotherhoods, the royal silver was and still is their pride. In 1868 the following were named:
- 1 scepter with two shields,
- 1 silver bird with chain and
- 46 royal shields.
Some of the old signs have been lost. There are still signs of the royal silver before 1800, including the oldest from 1626 as well as the scepter and a 20 cm long silver bird, which is registered as an art monument.
Since the parish monstrance was lost in the Second World War , a new monstrance was cast from royal silver after the war. The brotherhood currently has 101 king, 25 prince and 19 student prince signs.
history
19th century
At the beginning of the 19th century, wolf packs in this area were still a danger to animals and people. In some winters, the wolf plague was particularly great because the wolves found too little food and several times tore horses and grazing cattle in Kirchberg and Lohn . In 1818 the brotherhood set up guards for the grazing cattle and took part in the wolf hunts with drivers.
In the years 1816–17 there was famine in the region due to wet weather. The Brotherhood encouraged its members to donate food to the poor. Through this action, the need in Kirchberg could be alleviated.
On June 25, 1826, the brotherhood celebrated its 200th anniversary.
In 1858, on October 21st, there was a great fire in the village , in which the houses of some members were also destroyed. As a result, the brotherhood actively helped the victims to rebuild their homes.
20th century
Under Pastor Laurenz Drießen, the brotherhood was elevated to the rank of "Brotherhood of the Most Holy Sacrament of the Sacrament for believers of both sexes" on January 1, 1911 by the Archbishop of Cologne , Antonius Cardinal Fischer . Various indulgences for the brotherhood were connected with the canonical establishment , which were granted by the arch- brotherhood in the Church of Santa Maria sopra Minerva .
During the First World War, the brotherhood sent parcels of love gifts to fellow citizens in the field. Twelve rifle brothers did not return home from the war.
In 1928 the brotherhood celebrated its 300th anniversary, Auxiliary Bishop Straeter from Aachen was present. In cooperation with the war club, a new shooting range was built in 1934 and inaugurated at Pentecost. In the same year the brotherhood of the Archbruderschaft of St. Sebastian joined and after its dissolution in the following years the Federation of the Historical German Shooting Brotherhoods .
The time of National Socialism and the Second World War marked a hard turning point in brotherhood life. The brotherhood refrained from “conformity” and remained true to the old ideals of the Sagittarius. As with other brotherhoods, all assets of the association were confiscated in 1937 and public appearances were prohibited. As a result, the king's bird and the royal dignity could no longer be shot, but this dignity was passed on through an annual raffle until the end of the war. Many Sagittarius brothers died in the war.
Due to a court ruling in 1946, the property that had been wrongly confiscated was released. On May 25, 1946, the brotherhood appeared again in public for the first time.
Under the direction of the master brother Konrad Schaffrath, a new shooting range was built behind the fairground on the Rur. The shooting range was inaugurated on April 25, 1964. In 1965 a Bad Godesberg company embroidered a new flag. The flag consecration took place on Pentecost Sunday . The old flag from 1898 was restored in 1988 by the rifle sister Mia Hartmann. It is currently hanging in the parish church of St. Martinus in Kirchberg.
In 1975/76 the brotherhood built an air rifle stand in the old school. From June 16 to July 18, 1976, the Sacrament Brotherhood celebrated its 350th anniversary in connection with the federal festival of the Jülich District Association.
Brotherhood in the 21st Century
Today's activities of the brotherhood include not only the preservation and care of the old traditions, but also the promotion and integration of young people. For this purpose, the Sacrament Brotherhood organizes annual camps and is involved in integrative youth work in order to build a bridge between tradition and the future.
swell
- Festschrift “370 Years of the Sacrament Brotherhood Kirchberg 1626 eV” from 1996
- Festschrift "375 Years of the Sacrament Brotherhood Kirchberg 1626 eV" from 2001