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Falling membership numbers are putting the Diocese of Fulda under pressure. Now we are checking which buildings will be preserved. There is also a threat of farewells in the Hünfelder Land.
Hünfeld – The continuing decline in the number of believers in the diocese of Fulda In addition to the restructuring of the parishes in recent years, this now also means that they have to rethink which buildings they still want to preserve in the future. An information evening about this took place in Hünfeld.
“The feedback from community members varied – depending on the categorization of their churches and community centers,” summarizes Dr. Michael Müller, pastor of the Parish of St. Mary Magdalene Hünfelder Land in conversation with our newspaper. The diocese of Fulda had previously classified the condition and importance of the individual buildings in the respective church locations – the buildings were then categorized as A, B and C.
Diocese must save: These churches in the Hünfelder Land are affected
The diocese leadership first presented the corresponding draft of the strategy to the parish and the community committees, which in turn presented the draft to the church members.
“If the classification as a C church applies to the church in which, for example, I was baptized, received communion or got married, the emotional connection is different,” says administrative manager Kerstin Brüggenolte. In addition, many local churches put in numerous volunteer hours, for example in building maintenance or church services, adds Müller. In the further planning process, the company's own real estate portfolio would be recorded and discussions would be held for further use.
Three categories
For the evaluation of the real estate strategy by the parish of Hünfelder Land, the buildings were divided into three categories.
Category A (green): St. Michael (Michelsrombach), St. Jakobus (Hünfeld), St. John the Baptist (Mackenzell), St. Peter and Paul (Hofaschenbach), St. Mauritius (Haselstein).
Category B (yellow): St. Maria Immaculata (Sargenzell), St. Valentinus (Dammersbach), St. Antonius the Hermit (Rimmels), St. Antonius the Hermit (Großenbach), St. Georg (Kirchhasel).
Category C (red/should be handed in): St. Sebastian (Rudolphshan), St. Anna (rückers), St. Vitus (Nüst), St. Ulrich (Hünfeld), St. Anna (Molzbach), Assumption of Mary (Roßbach), St. Odilia (Silges), St. Nikolaus (Morles).
Solutions could be, for example, the establishment of support associations to preserve churches, such as in Sargenzell, or the takeover by the political communities. “We will be holding discussions about this in the coming months with the mayors and local leaders or the Protestant side. Ecumenical solutions are rather difficult here, because there are only a few Protestant communities in our area“, analyzes Müller.
A look at the numbers makes the problem clear: While the diocese currently collects 96 million euros annually through church tax, this will fall to 84 million by 2035. Exacerbated by the price increase – estimated at two percent per year – around 33 million euros are missing. In contrast, there are 238,000 Catholics instead of the current 317,338, for whom the diocese currently maintains 380 church buildings.
Of these 380 buildings, 177 will belong to category C in the future, which will no longer be covered by the subsidy directive. “Churches, parsonages and parsonages are affected by this loss, but not church kindergartens, as these are the responsibility of the municipalities and we will continue to act as sponsors in the future,” explains Müller.
The merging of the parish offices shows how efficiency-enhancing the reduction of buildings can be. The central office is well received. Something similar could happen with the parish centers. “If, for example, ten events take place there every year and there is a village community center next door, you have to ask yourself whether the events can not be held there,” says Müller.
Despite all the emotion, many participants in the information event also recognized the need to give away buildings. “As a church, we are not a monument protection association; our job is to proclaim the Gospel and create community,” explains the clergyman. It is crucial that in the future we get to a building level that still leaves financial resources for pastoral care, which can also be used to support the important voluntary work on site.
