St. Michael's Association

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The St. Michaelsvereinigung (also St. Michaelswerk ) is a religious community in Switzerland named after the Archangel Michael ; From a doctrinal point of view, it is a free church with a cult similar to the Roman rite .

It was founded by Paul Kuhn (1920–2002), a gardener and teacher of the Coué method of autosuggestion , and the medium Maria Gallati (1920–1988). After Kuhn reported about the apparitions of Mary following a trip to San Sebastián de Garabandal , a center was opened in Dozwil at the end of 1970 . Kuhn saw himself as the reincarnation of the Apostle Paul , called by God , Jesus and the Virgin Mary . Kuhn's ordination to the priesthood was not confirmed by the Catholic Church. Kuhn was ordained by Michel Colin, who had made himself Pope.

Kuhn caused a considerable stir in the press when he published apocalyptic revelations in the spring of 1988 . Fueled by the tabloid Blick , riots broke out against the St. Michael's Association on the weekend in question in May 1988, although Kuhn had distanced himself from his statement shortly beforehand in a press release.

On October 12, 1989, the German-Swiss bishops announced that the supporters of the St. Michael's Association had to make a decision. You could not belong to the official church and attend the services in Dozwil.

In a church in Dozwil with a capacity of around 2,000 people, the St. Michaelsvereinigung regularly celebrates services with sermons and mass . The association is estimated to have 3000 followers. There are no membership and taxes. St. Michael's Church is financed by what people throw into the offering box at the exit of the church and by individual donations .

literature

  • Article “St. Michaelsvereinigung “, in: Churches, Sects, Religions. Religious communities, ideological groups and psycho-organizations in the German-speaking area. A manual. Founded by Oswald Eggenberger. 7th, revised and expanded edition. Edited by Georg Schmid and Georg Otto Schmid. Theological Verlag, Zurich 2003, ISBN 3-290-17215-5 , p. 226f.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Bischöfe Der Spiegel, article on spiegel.de from April 1, 1974
  2. ^ The spaceship did not land in an article in tagblatt.ch from May 26, 2008