Ship of Fools: Evangelische Kreuzkirche, Frankfurt am Main, Germany

The Mystery Worshipper

Ship of Fools: Evangelische Kreuzkirche, Frankfurt am Main, Germany

A foretaste of heaven – the church bells should have rung continuously!

Read the full Mystery Worshipper report here

Gee D

You were indeed fortunate to be able to participate in the service and receive the Host as you describe. In our travels, we've received communion from a Catholic priest in accordance with the rules of that church, and valued that opportunity.

Portola

Thank you for your comment. What made this service extraordinary for me was the location: as far as I know it is unheard of that a RC priest would celebrate the eucharist at a Protestant church with the hosting and assistence of a Protestant minister - not because of an emergency situation, but simply to enhance ecumenical fellowship. Has this ever happened before?

Forthview

I have been to such a ceremony in Germany which was held in a Catholic church to mark the retiral of a pastoral assistant who had served in both the local Catholic and the local Lutheran church.
The service took the form of a Mass where the Catholic pastor said the words of consecration over the bread and the Lutheran pastor said the words of consecration over the wine.
Lay ministers from both confessions distributed Communion.
The fact that the Lutheran pastor was a woman added a certain something to the occasion
This would be about 25 years ago.

Gee D

Forthview - What a service. I just hope that the Catholic priest did not get into any trouble. We went to a funeral Eucharist (not at St Sanity) here where the deceased was an Anglican but very good friends with the Catholic priest; the Catholic priest was robed in the sanctuary and very discreetly concelebrated as well as openly participating in other parts of the service.

Portola and Miss Amanda - I have a vague recollection of a previous MW of this church, perhaps 15 or more years ago. Could that be right?

Amanda B Reckondwyth

There are several reports from Frankfurt by Portola on the old Ship, most of which made it over to the new Ship, but I don't see any of the Kreuzkirche.

Portola

There has never been a MW report from the Kreuzkirche. It is in a secluded part of Frankfurt and never gets visitors from tourists.

Amanda B Reckondwyth

Pity. It looks like a lovely church and certainly has its ecclesiastical act together.

Gee D

It certainly looks very attractive, and in a peaceful setting. I must be thinking of some other church near Frankfurt.

Amanda B Reckondwyth

Remember that the new Ship software has search capability in MW. In the "Looking for a church?" field type the name of the city and it will bring up all reports of churches in that city. In the report itself, click on the denomination and it will bring up all reports on churches of that denomination. Likewise for reporter.

Gee D

Thanks

Gee D

Certainly none there

Gee D

Scrolling through and checking led me to the MW of Pfarrei St Franziskus, Frankfurt, Germany. I'm pretty sure that's what I was thinking of - an ecumenical service and the green setting. Both reports were very interesting

Forthview

I think that the relatively new combined RC parish of St Franziskus covers in area that of the Lutheran parish of the Keuzkirche.
On the website of the Kreuzkirche is an interview with one of the priests of St Franziskus' parish.

Portola

The relatively new RC parish of St Franziskus consists of 6 formerly independent RC parshes. Its parish boundaries encompass not only the parish area of the Evanglische Kreuzgemeinde, but of at least 5 other Protestant congregations. The RC parishes are becoming every larger because of a shortage of priests and diminishing membership numbers. Another characteristic of these large RC parishes is that they rely heavily on priests who come from non-German countries. The priest mentioned in this report comes from Bosnia.