I was pleased to get this e-mail… worry I don’t have time to translate it – the news that the Institute of St. Philip Neri in the other Berlin (Germany) closed the deal on a new church.
This excellent "brick by brick" news indeed!
Institut St. Philipp Neri – Nachrichten
Der Kauf der Kirche ist abgeschlossen!
Sonntag, 19. Oktober 2008
Im Namen + des Vaters
und des Sohnes
und des Heiligen Geistes.
Durch die Gnade des Dreieinigen Gottes, die Fürsprache Seiner Jungfräulichen Mutter, des hl. Joseph, der hl. Afra, des hl. Philipp Neri, des hl. Simeon Franziskus und aller Heiligen, sowie durch Ihr Opfer und Gebet und das vieler anderer Gläubiger können wir voll Freude mitteilen:
Die St. Afra-Kirche
ist nunmehr endgültig Eigentum
des Instituts St. Philipp Neri.
Voll Dankbarkeit erneuern wir daher am Christkönigsfest, dem 26. Oktober 2008, vor dem Levitenamt um 10.30 Uhr die Weihe des Instituts an die Muttergottes und grüßen ihren Bräutigam. Die hl. Messe endet mit der Weihe an das Herz Jesu und dem feierlichen
Te Deum.
Nach der Liturgie sind Sie herzlich zu einem kleinen Empfang eingeladen.
Diejenigen, die an diesem Tag nicht in St. Afra sein können, bitten wir, sich im Geiste mit unserem dankbaren Lobpreis zu verbinden.
Für das Institut St. Philipp Neri
Dr. Gerald Goesche, Propst
Indeed… let there be sung Non nobis and Te Deum.
Institut St. Philipp Neri – News
The Purchase of the Church is Complete!
Sunday, 19. October 2008
In the name + of the Father
and of the Son
and of the Holy Ghost.
Through the grace of the triune God, the intercession of His virgin Mother, of
St. Joseph, of St. Afra, of St. Philipp Neri, of St. Simeon Franciscus, and of all
the Saints, as well as through your sacrifices and prayers and those of many more of the
faithful; it is with great joy that we can inform you:
Henceforth the St. Afra Church
is permanently the property of the Institute of St. Philipp Neri.
Full of gratitude, we will therefore renew the consecration of the institute to the
Mother of God and salute her bridegroom on the Feast of Christ the King, the 26th of
October, 2008, before the Solemn High Mass at 10:30. Holy Mass will end with the
consecration to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and with a celebratory Te Deum.
You are warmly invited to a small reception after the liturgy.
We ask all those who cannot be with us in St. Afra on this day to join in spirit
with our celebration of praise and gratitude.
For the Institue of St. Philipp Neri
Dr. Gerald Goesche, Propst
I told my wife about this and her immediate response was “Let’s move back to Berlin!”
Unfortunately that seems unlikely but I hope to visit someday.
Afaik, this is the church they started using 3-4 years ago, but only now they managed to pay the whole debt. I wouldn’t say it is a new church. In fact the church has always been the headquarters of ISPN.
I’m glad to hear this. I have been to Berlin several times but have not found a Catholic church.
Mark, there are many Catholic parishes in Berlin. Even good liturgy is not that hard to find. I attended St. Matthias on Winterfeldtplatz for almost two years as non-catholic, and that experience led directly to my later discovery of the traditional mass and my conversion.