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In the diocese of Fulda, around 200 parishes are to become 28 so-called parishes of the future in the coming years. Now the Catholic bodies in the southern district of Fulda are setting out to become a parish.
Neuhof/Flieden/Kalbach – When the church bells ring in Sunday at 5 p.m. on Saturdays from the Pentecost weekend in the Catholic parishes of St. Michael Neuhof, Christkönig Flieden, St. Kilian Kalbach, Mariae Himmelfahrt Rommerz and St. Bartholomäus Hauswurz, then that has a meaning. On January 1, 2029, the parishes in the southern district will merge into one large parish.
Five communities in the southern district of Fulda merge to form a large parish
The first discussions have been held and the project has been presented. The new foundation is currently listed in the diocese's plans under the working title “Parish of the Future 21”: its pure area extends over 203 square kilometers between Gieseler Forst in the north and Veitsteinbach in the south and between Weidenau in the west and Uttrichshausen in the east. It thus affects the municipalities of Neuhof, Flieden, Kalbach and Freiensteinau. According to a map of the Diocese of Fulda, the approximately 13,300 Catholics make up 55.6 percent of the population (as of April 1, 2026).
The future parish will include 16 church locations. This is no longer included Already profaned St. Barbara Church in Neuhof-Ellers. What special features and strengths these places have was already the topic of a large committee meeting of the parish and administrative councils. On this occasion, a steering group has already been formed that will accompany the start-up process.
The subject of this will be, among other things, which churches can be preserved according to the diocese's real estate strategy and how the church locations will be filled with life in the future and strengthened – in other words: which pastoral offerings can be provided where.
Steering group prepares merger of the five parishes
Before that, however, there are fundamental decisions that must be prepared by the steering group and decided by the individual parish and parish administrative councils. According to the diocese's specifications for the establishment of new parishes, the fundamental decisions must be made up to six months before the deadline for the establishment of a new parish – in the southern district, i.e. by June 30, 2028 at the latest. This initially includes the general decision to merge, including the ratification of a contract. This is supported by the Diocese of Fulda and moderators from the Church Organizational Advisory Service (KOBE).
By the same deadline, the location of the central parish office and possible branch offices, the location of the parish church and the finding of a name will be agreed upon. Then it's time to implement it by decree, draw up the certificate and design seals and logos. The election of the new committees will then take place in the first quarter after the founding date, which will also be followed promptly by a founding service.
This is not the first new business to be founded in the region. At the beginning of this year, the parish was built directly adjacent, including Giesel St. John the Baptist with Johannesberg, Bronnzell and Edelzell. According to the diocese's plans, this will change in the future the parish of St. Lioba Petersberg, founded in January 2025 and St. Flora Künzell (also since January 2025) merge. Such start-up processes are currently taking place all over the country because not only the number of believers is declining, but also the number of priests and pastoral care employees.
The diocese of Fulda expects there to be significantly fewer Catholics by 2035
In its projections, the diocese of Fulda assumes that the number of Catholics in the diocese will fall from just over 317,000 in 2025 to 238,000 in 2035. For priests, the forecasts predict a decline from 116 to 67 over the same period, and for lay people in pastoral ministry from 136 to 95.
The process also includes the reorganization of the real estate. The Diocese of Fulda assumes that 203 places of worship will be classified as A and B churches in the future. This means that they are either fully subsidized in terms of building structure and furnishings (A churches) or only in terms of “roof and functionality” (B churches), while C churches no longer receive any money from the diocese. Here the parishes in the diocese will have to look for new ways and (financial) resources. The real estate strategy for the southern district will be presented this summer.
In Neuhof, Flieden and Kalbach, however, the Catholics are only at the beginning of their new founding process, which will require a lot of consultation apart from the real estate problem. Michael Happ from the Neuhof parish council sees a good basis. The first committee meeting was constructive: “There was a sense of optimism and a positive attitude,” he says. The focus of the committee members' discussions was on the hopes and concerns of the believers and the exchange about how the believers can be taken with them on the way to the new parish.
