Abschied aus Rheinbach

Moving forward after a great time

Pallotti Church in Rheinbach Dedicated with a Solemn Mass

On February 6, the Vincent Pallotti Church in Rheinbach was dedicated after 50 years with a solemn Eucharistic celebration. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, only about 60 attendees could participate in the mass with Provincial Father Helmut Scharler, who urged everyone to view the farewell as an opportunity for a new beginning.

As the altar relics were removed, the eternal light and candles extinguished, and the chandeliers placed on the floor, the Pallottiners, led by Provincial Father Helmut Scharler, processed out of the church, marking the end of a long history of over 85 years of their community with the city of Rheinbach. However, this story does not end definitively, as the speakers unanimously emphasized that the Pallottiners would not be forgotten; their spirit would remain in Rheinbach.

Provincial Father Helmut Scharler acknowledged this in his sermon, emphasizing that Rheinbach had been a significant time for the Pallottiners. The community had run an educational institution there, where not only the mind but also the heart could be cultivated. “Now this great time has come to an end,” said Scharler. He looked back gratefully and proudly: “We were able to equip young people for their lives: Is there anything more beautiful?”

Yet, it is now time to move forward. The joyful message of Jesus is dynamic; it is about breaking new ground and moving on. It is not the memory that matters, nor looking back, but the longing that drives one forward. The Apostle Paul also did not remain in any one community; he spread the joyful message and moved on. Thus, the news reached India and Europe in a very short time.

“We were able to provide young people with the tools for their lives: Is there anything more beautiful?”

New Mission in Malawi and Nigeria

The Provincial continued: “And if there is still life within us Pallottiners, then we will continue onward, towards the next adventure.” This next adventure has already become visible. God has placed Malawi and Nigeria on the hearts of the community alongside South Africa. “There we will find a church that can also change us here in Germany: through exchange, dialogue, building bridges, and mutual learning,” emphasized the Provincial, thanking the Pallottine missionaries who laid the groundwork for this.

He also called on everyone not to let the pain of farewell from Rheinbach become overwhelming, but rather to shape this farewell and turn it into a new beginning.

Living Faith in Daily School Life

Thankfulness, farewell, and new beginnings: These themes were not only central to the prayers and rituals of the dedication mass; the speakers also addressed these topics. The Mayor of Rheinbach, Ludger Banken, emphasized that around 2,200 young people had graduated from the Vincent Pallotti College and had been prepared for life beyond that. The Pallotti Church, with its impressive interior and unique acoustics, had been “part of the living faith in daily school life.” The fact that the consecration from 50 years ago was now being reversed was a painful loss. However, there was comfort in knowing that the inventory would now find new use in various churches around the world, allowing parts of Rheinbach to continue living elsewhere. He promised that the Pallottiners would always remain a part of Rheinbach.

The pastor of the Catholic community of St. Martin, Bernhard Dobelke, assured that there would be a place to remember the Pallottiners. The Marian chapel, which the parish would take over from the community for care, was also a comfort in saying goodbye. The administrative director of the Pallottine College, Jürgen Wünsch, expressed relief that the remaining brothers from Rheinbach had all found a new home and thanked the provincial leadership and all staff members. Provincial Helmut Scharler remarked: “What would we have been without you? You are a brother and a kind of honorary vice-provincial.”

The celebration was musically accompanied by an ensemble from the chamber choir, which performed pieces by Bach, Albert Becker, Jan Sandström, and David Evans. When Dean Hans-Josef Lahr read the decree of dedication, it was officially confirmed that the Pallotti Church in Rheinbach no longer serves as a church in the sacred sense. A visible symbol of this was the removal of the altar at the end, the Host being taken from the tabernacle, the relics being removed from the altar, and the candles being extinguished.

Abschied aus Rheinbach

Background

The Pallottiners were in Rheinbach from 1935 to 2021, meaning over 85 years. This primarily represented 85 years of Pallottine educational work. The Vincent Pallotti College (VPK), which began as a training school for Pallottiners, transformed into an institution that defined its collegiate goal as producing responsible citizens who take on responsibilities in the church and society.

In 1969, the VPK awarded its first state-recognized Abitur. The VPK evolved into a regionally significant and esteemed gymnasium. Gradually, fewer Pallottiners were part of the teaching staff; in 2002, a non-Pallottine became the school principal for the first time. Issues related to costs and personnel increasingly raised questions among the Pallottiners about the viability of the Rheinbach location. Consequently, the process of reducing the VPK began in 2012.

The school has long since been closed. The buildings were demolished in 2017. Also in 2017, the provincial assembly decided to close the community. With the dedication of the Pallotti Church, the history of the Pallottiners in Rheinbach has come to an end. The church will be closed, and the liturgical items will be transferred to the Diocese of Pristina in Kosovo through the mediation of Renovabis. The organ will move to the cathedral of the Diocese of Pristina, and the pews, altar, ambo, and tabernacle will find a place in a church that is currently being built. The altar cross will be shipped to Nigeria, where the Pallottiners are constructing a youth house..

Text: Alexander Schweda
Photo: Axel Vogel/Pallottiner

Auszug aus der Pallottikirche in Rheinbach 2021

You can read the sermon by Provincial Father Helmut Scharler SAC. It is available as a PDF.

The farewell service of the Pallottiners in Rheinbach and the dedication of the Pallotti Church are available as a YouTube video.
Total Duration: 1:58

Gospel: 18:15
Sermon by Father Scharler: 20:30
Ubi Caritas (Audrey Snyder): 57:20
Speeches: 1:04:00
Dedication: 1:33:40

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