A Container with Crosses and Candle Holders

The Memories of the Pallottines in Rheinbach and Untermerzbach Embark on a Journey

Candle holders, tabernacles, Stations of the Cross, and busts of St. Vincent Pallotti will soon find a new home in the Pallottine communities in Nigeria. This marks a new chapter for the community, as they extend care to the African regions of the Province, as former Provincial Father Helmut Scharler expressed during the secularization of the Pallotti Church in Rheinbach.

February 6, 2021, was a poignant moment when the eternal light and candles in Rheinbach were extinguished, heavy candle holders lowered to the ground, and the hosts removed from the tabernacle. It was a heartfelt farewell for the Pallottines and the people of Rheinbach, who had supported the community for over 80 years.

At that time, a commitment was made to direct both the proceeds from the sale of buildings and sacred items to Nigeria. As Father Scharler explained, the Good News of Jesus is dynamic — a call to move forward driven not by memory or looking back but by a yearning to continue.

Bittersweet Emotions

Until recently, these items were stored at the Provincial House in Friedberg: the large steel cross from above the altar, candle holders, Paschal candle stand, tabernacles, processional cross, Pallotti statues and busts, various crosses, the ambo, and the Stations of the Cross from the former novitiate in Untermerzbach. Carefully packed, they are now being shipped to Nigeria, expected to arrive by the end of July. They are destined for Mbaukwu, home to the postulancy and philosophy studies, and Owerri, where the novitiate and theological studies for the Pallottines are based.

This event is both sad and joyful for Mission Secretary Father Reinhold Maise—sad because it marks the end of a chapter for the Pallottines in Rheinbach and Untermerzbach, but joyful because it breathes new life elsewhere. This transformation, as Father Maise describes, requires sensitivity, especially when bringing European art to Africa, as sometimes it is more fitting to display African art.

“The Essence of Our Work Continues”

Father Maise reflects on the handling of sacred items when they are no longer needed and shares an example: when brothers pass away, they often leave behind their personal chalices. Some of these have been restored and shared with their brothers in Africa.

In this way, not only objects but also experiences are passed on. Father Maise, a trained gardener, often uses a botanical analogy: when a plant dies, it becomes compost for new growth. “The essence of our work continues,” he is convinced. During the secularization, Father Helmut Scharler expressed his belief that “we will find a Church in Nigeria that can also transform us here in Germany — through exchange, dialogue, building bridges, and mutual learning.”

Text and Images: Alexander Schweda