Walter Reiche

Walter Reiche (born January 6, 1913 in Kainscht , Meseritz district ; † August 14, 2003 in Zörbig ) was a Roman Catholic priest and honorary citizen of Zörbig.

Life

Walter Reiche was born in Kainscht in what was then the province of Posen . After graduating from high school in 1934, he began studying theology at the State Academy in Braunsberg / East Prussia , which he later continued in Freiburg . He was ordained priest on December 8, 1939 in Schneidemühl by Bishop Maximilian Kaller . After working as a chaplain in Lauenburg and years as parish vicar in Sierakowitz , he came to Saxony-Anhalt as a displaced person after the Second World War . In 1946 he became parish vicar and later pastor in Zörbig, where he remained after retiring and until the end of his life.

In Zörbig, in the first few years, he made a special contribution to the integration of the displaced. He kept in touch with his old homeland and his former, mainly Kashubian community in Sierakowitz. Through personal encounters and material help, he became a pioneer of German-Polish reconciliation. During the reunification of the GDR, he moderated the round table in Zörbig and was a sought-after advisor on social transformation.

At the age of 80 he was still in charge of the renovation of the church and rectory and initiated the construction of a Caritas nursing home in Zörbig. After retiring, he kept his place of residence in the city.

For his services he was honored with the Federal Cross of Merit on ribbon in 1999 and with the honorary citizenship of the city of Zörbig in 2000. Last year he was made an honorary citizen of Sierakowitz. After his death in 2006, a street was named after him near his former parish church.

Web links

• Biography on the homepage of the city of Zörbig (with photo)
• Appreciation in the day of the Lord for the 85th birthday