Reli-bili-Exkursion: St. Elisabeth in Biedenkopf
Reli-bili-Exkursion: St. Elisabeth in Biedenkopf
On 26th April, our bilingual RE-class visited St. Elisabeth church in Biedenkopf. We were greeted by the local priest, Dr. Strüder, who told us that the church had been built in the late 19th century because Catholic workers had come to the mainly Protestant “Hinterland” during the Industrial Revolution. The first Catholic priest was sent to Biedenkopf with basically nothing and was called “der arme Tropf von Biedenkopf”. However, he managed to raise money so this church could be built with donations. After the Second World War, Catholic refugees were settled in the Biedenkopf area, so the congregation grew. Actually it was interesting to learn that the new Catholic church of St. Josef which we all usually refer to as “Katho”, was only built because St. Elisabeth had become too small at some point.
After this introduction, Dr. Strüder showed us the interior of the church. Right behind the altar there is an impressive picture of St. Elisabeth, the patron saint of the church. Is shows her carrying roses and reminds viewers of the rose miracle. It also symbolizes the love she showed to the people of her time, mainly the poor. Pictures on the walls of the church depict Elisabeth practicing the seven works of mercy by helping people in need. For Elisabeth it was important to show everyone that they were “somebody” not just “anybody”. The priest referred to different aspects of her short but very effective life to illustrate that.
We learnt that the role of saints can be viewed differently by individual believers but it is obvious that they point to Jesus, his life, death, and resurrection. So also the Easter Candle and communion; even relics in altars. Dr. Strüder repeatedly made reference to our lives today when he explained and answered our questions. We appreciated that a lot and were all impressed because he gave the church tour partly in English!
(Reli bili, Klasse 10)