All Saints is an active Roman Catholic community of about 400 members.
It grew out of a small number of parishioners (about 35) who were “left
over” when the American military moved out of Berlin in September,
1994. This Roman Catholic Community quickly recognized the value of the
Hüttenweg facility for itself and future Americans, Germans, and
others, who would soon be attracted to Berlin for whatever reason and
would welcome the opportunity to become a part of a “home away from
home”, as well as a community of worship. After intense competition
with many groups wanting to gain control of the facility, the Friends
of All Saints, a non-profit organization, was founded to assume responsibility
for the control and operation of the entire facility. All Saints was primarily
able to prevail because of the financial and moral support received from
the Berlin Archdiocese, who took the fledgling group under its wing keeping
it alive at considerable expense to itself for more than four years, at
which point the Friends of All Saints Association was founded. It is the
association that now rents to the Archdiocese and to the Protestant Faith
Fellowship, the Berlin Jewish Community and the Crossway International
Baptist Church who share the facility with All Saints.
At present the Berlin Jesuit Community,
The English-speaking Mission and the White Fathers provide the priests
who celebrate Holy Mass at All Saints every Sunday at 10:00 am. The community
represents a broad cross-section of the entire English-speaking Roman
Catholic population in Berlin.
1957-2007:
50th Anniversary Celebrations
There were a series of events throughout
2007 commemorating the 50th Anniversary of the All Saints Catholic Community:
— St Patrick’s Day Celebration: Saturday, March 17, 2007
— Common ESM Mass at All Saints: Sunday, June 03, 2007
— Summer Music Event: Mozart: Missa Brevis,
July 01, 2007
— Four Faith Communities BBQ: September 01, 2007
— Jubilee Thanksgiving Dinner: November 24, 2007
50 Years
The past fifty years have been abundant in historic events in West Berlin,
the previous free part of Berlin. Since the former Military Chapel of
the US Army was a shining beacon of freedom in a hostile sea, so is its
successor, the All Saints Church, a signpost for all of us. We are privileged
to be able to walk in the footsteps of those who once stood up to the
darkness and helped this free outpost survive.
The 50-year celebrations on St Patrick’s Day, the common English-speaking
Mass, Mozart’s Missa Brevis in our Summer Music Event, the Four
Faith Communities BBQ, the Jubilee Thanksgiving Dinner and our Christmas
Worship have shown that the Holy Spirit is still at work in our midst
and guides us in our search for Christ.
We bow our heads before our almighty Father and ask for His grace to
be able to continue on our path and maintain this holy place of worship
on Hüttenweg, Berlin-Dahlem. May His spirit dwell in our hearts and
enlighten our children’s hearts and minds in their search for His
truth.
The Time when History Pivoted
Historians recognize John Paul II’s epic pilgrimage to Poland in
June 1979 as a moment on which the history of our times pivoted. By igniting
a revolution of conscience that gave birth to the Solidarity movement,
John Paul II accelerated the pace of events that eventually led to the
demise of European communism and a radically redrawn map in Eastern Europe.
… Granted, the Polish pope had not used the vocabulary normally
associated with affairs of state: he said not a word about politics, economics,
the Polish communist regime or its masters in Moscow. Rather, he spoke
of Poland’s authentic history and deeply religious culture while
summoning his people to a noble project: the restoration of their true
identity. The message was received by those with ears to hear, and history
changed as a result.
George Weigel: "How Benedict XVI Will Make History", Newsweek,
April 21/28, 2008 |
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