St. Joseph and St. Theresa of the Child Jesus

Exterior view

The Church of St. Joseph and St. Theresa of the Child Jesus is the Catholic church in Weferlingen , a district of the city of Oebisfelde-Weferlingen in the Börde district in Saxony-Anhalt . It belongs to the parish “St. Christophorus ”based in Haldensleben , in the Stendal deanery of the Magdeburg diocese . The church, named after Saints Joseph of Nazareth and Therese von Lisieux , is located at Friedrichplatz 6 (corner of Thälmannstraße).

history

With the introduction of the Reformation in the 16th century, the population of Weferlingen became Evangelical-Lutheran .

It was not until 1900 that Catholics returned to the Weferlingen area in large numbers. They were workers from Poland who found employment in agriculture. On May 7, 1906 in the Wefer Linger inn "Black Eagle" was held by the in Oebisfelde resident priest the first Joseph Evers Mass instead. In 1910 there were almost 200 Catholics in Weferlingen, and more Catholics lived in the surrounding villages.

Building in which the emergency chapel was located from 1912 to 1929 (2014)

In 1911 a church building association was founded and the property on which the church was later built was acquired. First of all, an emergency chapel was set up on the ground floor of the building on the property . It was inaugurated on March 10, 1912 by Pastor Koch from Gardelegen , already with the patronage “St. Joseph". Initially, Weferlingen belonged to the “ Herz Jesu ” in Oebisfelde as a parish vicarie. On May 15, 1912, the parish vicarie Weferlingen, which had around 500 Catholics at that time, received its first priest, Vicar Alfred Meyer . Later, a roof turret with a bell , which is no longer available, was built on the building with the emergency chapel .

On September 3, 1929, took place the consecration of the newly built church by John Hillebrand , auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Paderborn to the Weferlingen then belonged. Father Ferdinand Knörzer was parish vicar in Weferlingen at the time. The emergency chapel was initially converted into a club room. In 1935 the church building association was dissolved. In 1936 the rectory was built next to the church, and in January 1937 it was inaugurated. In 1937 the previous club room was converted into a rental apartment.

After the Second World War , the number of Catholics in the Weferlingen area increased to over 3,000 due to the influx of refugees and displaced persons from the eastern regions of the German Reich. From 1946 to 1953/54, Redemptorists took over pastoral care in Weferlingen. On October 1, 1948 the parish vicarie Weferlingen was raised to a branch parish. In addition to Weferlingen, it also included Behnsdorf , Belsdorf , Döhren , Eickendorf , Eschenrode , Everingen , Hödingen , Hörsingen , Klinze , Ribbensdorf , Seggerde , Siestedt and Walbeck .

Since the church was only two kilometers away from the inner-German border during the existence of the German Democratic Republic and was therefore in the restricted area , many of the newcomers left Weferlingen again. In 1966 Weferlingen was released from the previous parish association, the parish of Gardelegen , and raised to an independent parish .

In 1987, Franz Josef Lohse, the last local priest left Weferlingen, and the church has been looked after by clergy from Haldensleben ever since. At that time the parish of Weferlingen only had around 420 members. The most recent major renovation of the church took place in 1991/92. On July 8, 1994, the Magdeburg diocese was founded, to which Weferlingen has belonged ever since.

On March 1, 2007 the community association "Haldensleben - Eichenbarleben - Groß Ammensleben - Weferlingen - Wolmirstedt " was founded, to which the church belonged from then on. On May 2, 2010, today's parish “St. Christophorus ”. In addition to the church “St. Josef and St. Theresia vom Kinde Jesu "also the churches" St. Johannes Baptist "in Althaldensleben ," Holy Cross "in Calvörde ," St. Nikolaus von der Flüe "in Colbitz ," St. Benedikt "in Eichenbarleben," St. Peter and Paul "in Groß Ammensleben," St. Liborius "in Haldensleben," St. Josef "in Wolmirstedt and the pilgrimage chapel" St. Anna “on Gut Glüsig . The parish of Weferlingen was canceled in this context. The 2011 census in the European Union showed that of the 13,838 inhabitants of the city of Oebisfelde-Weferlingen 480, and thus 3.5%, belonged to the Roman Catholic Church.

Architecture and equipment

inside view

The church, which is almost 90 meters above sea level , has 120 seats. Its spire, which is visible in the townscape, is crowned by a weathercock .

Of the four bells that were once there, three still exist, of which two are still rung. The organ comes from the demolished Catholic church in Mössingen , it was rebuilt in Weferlingen in 1995. The confessional is under the organ gallery . Furthermore, a copy of the miraculous image of Our Lady of Perpetual Help and a picture of Therese von Lisieux, in front of which sacrificial candles can be placed. A small relief depicts Anthony of Padua , a larger one next to the sanctuary depicts Mary , the mother of Jesus . A statue of Joseph of Nazareth is located above the entrance to the baptistery two steps below the church nave . The display on the Tabernacle shows Jesus with the disciples of Emmaus in the breaking of bread . The sanctuary is dominated by a crucifix . The interior also includes a wooden altar and 14 stations of the cross .

Catchment area

The catchment area of the church includes the localities Altenhausen , Behnsdorf, Belsdorf, Bregenstedt , Döhren, Eickendorf, Eschenrode, Everingen, Flechtingen , Hödingen, Hörsingen, Ivenrode , Klinze, Ribbensdorf, Schwanefeld , Seggerde, Siestedt, Walbeck and Weferlingen. The chapels set up in Eschenrode, Everingen, Hörsingen, Ivenrode and Walbeck in the post-war period were given up again.