Old Catholic Community in Düsseldorf Aims to Increase Visibility (Düsseldorf, Germany)

The old Catholic congregation in Düsseldorf, known as the Thomaskirche in Reisholz, has been seeking greater visibility within the community. Founded in 1876, the congregation has its current home in the Thomas Church since 2008. Since 2023, Father Clemens Engels has led the congregation, which includes members from Aachen, Wuppertal, and surrounding areas.

The congregation’s founding in 1876 was a response to the decisions of the First Vatican Council in 1870, which emphasized the Pope’s infallibility and supreme authority. Founding members believed these decisions did not align with biblical teachings and the broader Catholic tradition. The church’s name, while potentially misleading to some, reflects a commitment to progressive values. Both married men and women can be ordained priests, and the congregation has performed marriages for homosexual couples for the past decade.

Father Engels, who has been leading the congregation for nearly three years, shares his journey of leaving the Catholic Church. Ordained at age 25, he spent 30 years in the diocese of Trier, where he worked on modernizing the Dean’s Office with a three-person leadership team. However, plans for reform were halted by Rome in 2020. Engels subsequently supported other congregations before making the decision to join the old Catholic church. He now lives with his wife and has left the Catholic chapter behind, though the liturgy remains similar to that of the old Catholics.

In Düsseldorf, the congregation found a new home in early 2023. Following the departure of Thomas Schüppen, there were several staff changes at the Thomas Church in 2014, leading to a reduced presence of the old Catholic community in urban life. The congregation continues to seek a more prominent role in the community, reflecting its ongoing efforts to grow and be recognized.

Source: Read the original report (translated from German)