Come and worship with us!
In addition to our regular German-language services, we offer the opportunity to worship and partake in Holy Communion in English in Hannover, and celebrate Evening Prayer in English in Osnabrück.
Everyone is welcome to join us (whether a member of a church or not). All who are baptized and who wish to come into the presence of Christ are welcome to partake in the sacrament of Holy Communion, regardless of denomination -- for not we, but Christ Himself invites us to His holy meal. Families with children are also welcome.
Come and join us in praising God in all His glory!
My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour... (Luke 1:46b-47)
Holy Communion in Hannover
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When
First Saturday of each month, at 6 pm
and third Saturday of each month, also at 6 pm
All services followed by an informal English-language get-together
(Check our calendar for exact dates and times) -
Where
Parish hall (Gemeindezentrum) of the Old Catholics
Brabeckstraße 24, Hannover-Kirchrode
(map to parish hall here) -
Liturgies
We combine elements from the following:
US 1979 Book of Common Prayer (Rite One),
1991 Anglican Service Book,
Scottish Episcopal Church 1972 Liturgy,
1662 Book of Common Prayer,
Taizé Community,
and Church of England Common Worship 2000 (Traditional English). -
Contact
John Grantham
Tel: 0511-2880519
E-mail: john@grantham.de
Or use our contact form below
Evening Prayer in Osnabrück
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When
Thursdays at 8 pm
Alternating each week between English and German
(Check our calendar for exact dates and times) -
Where
Baptistry (Taufkapelle) of the Bonnuskirche
Obere Martinistraße 54, Osnabrück
(map to church here)
Listen! I am standing at the door, knocking; if you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in to you and eat with you, and you with me... (Revelation 3:20)
What's an "Anglican"?
Anglicans belong to a worldwide family of national churches who mostly trace their ancestry to the Church of England, headed by the Archbishop of Canterbury, and through him to the earliest roots of Christianity in the British Isles. Other well-known Anglicans include Archbishop Desmond Tutu of South Africa, Bono (lead singer of U2 and social activist), C.S. Lewis, Terry Waite, J.K. Rowling (author of "Harry Potter"), and numerous American Presidents. (In the United States and in some other countries, Anglicans are generally known as Episcopalians and the church is called the Episcopal Church.)
The Anglican churches follow a path between Roman Catholicism and Protestantism, sometimes called the "Via Media", and attempt to be more inclusive and "broad church" as a general rule.
Like the Old Catholics, most Anglican churches permit clergy to marry, have female priests (and in some cases bishops) and so on. Anglicans base their faith on the three pillars of Scripture, Tradition and Reason, while keeping an open mind and welcoming the challenges of the modern age.
You can find out more about what Anglicans are on Anglicans Online.
What's an "Old Catholic"?
The Old Catholics in Germany formed as a response to the new dogmas of papal infallibility and papal supremacy, which were promulgated at the First Vatican Council in 1870 over the strenuous objections of many bishops and archbishops, particularly in German-speaking countries, and many attempted to boycott the council in a vain attempt to stop the dogmas from being adopted. Once the dogmas were proclaimed, the Old Catholics attempted to remain within the Roman Catholic Church and founded Old Catholic associations, but because of their rejection of the new dogmas, they were excommunicated and forced to start a church of their own. The original Old Catholic associations formed the basis of the new church. Hence the name -- "Old Catholic" refers to the church's insistence on maintaining the "old", original form of Catholicism, as opposed to the new version now embodied by Rome.
The various Old Catholic churches that resulted from this joined the (historically separate) Old Catholic Church of the Netherlands. The Archbishop of Utrecht consecrated the German Old Catholic's first bishop, Josef Hubert Reinkens. The Old Catholic churches on the Euroepan continent then joined together to form the Union of Utrecht -- a communion of autonomous national churches with many similarities to the Anglican Communion, with the Archbishop of Utrecht as the figurehead. Today there are Old Catholic churches in Germany, Switzerland (where they are called "Christ-Katholiken"), Austria, Poland, the Netherlands, the Czech Republic, with missions in France, Italy, Slovakia, Croatia, Sweden, and Denmark.
From their earliest days, Old Catholics were very open to ecumenism, and sought union with both Anglicans and the Orthodox Church. Discussions continue with the Orthodox, while full communion with Anglicans was established by the Bonn Agreement in 1931. Since then, Old Catholic bishops and Anglican bishops join in consecrating one another, clergy is exchanged, Anglicans may participate in Old Catholic parishes as full members (and vice versa), and so on. Theologically and liturgically, Old Catholics and Anglicans are very similar, and discussions for deepening the relationship are ongoing.
Like Anglicans, the Old Catholics permit clergy to marry and have families, admit women to the priesthood, permit divorce and remarriage within limits, celebrate open communion (i.e. open to all baptized faithful regardless of denomination), and have a more synodical-democratic and decentralized structure. While the Old Catholic churches offer guidance and teachings in questions of morals, these are not forced upon the members through threats of excommunication.
More information about the Old Catholics and the Union of Utrecht may be found on Wikipedia.
A note for Anglicans and Episcopalians
Are you an Anglican or Episcopalian living in or visiting the greater Hannover region or Osnabrück? The Old Catholics of Hannover-Lower Saxony invite you to worship with us!
While there is currently not an Anglican or Episcopal parish in Hannover or Osnabrück, you may or may not know that the German Old Catholic Church and the Anglican churches worldwide are in full communion -- that is, our churches fully recognize and support one another. We share liturgy and ideas freely and represent one another in ecumenical conferences. In fact, a few years ago our parish priest at the time was himself an Episcopalian.
If you are elsewhere in Germany, you can find Anglican chaplaincies in Germany here, Episcopal parishes here and Old Catholic parishes here.
We look forward to worshipping with you!
For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them. (Matthew 18:20)
If you want to meet English speakers elsewhere...
...other conversation groups in Hannover are also available:
Other English-langauge Christian services in Hannover
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Hannover International Bible Church
Baptist congregation in Zooviertel -
Hannover International Worship
Monthly Lutheran prayer service in Kleefeld
(Please note: Our parish does not necessarily endorse or support these groups and the links are provided for informational purposes only.)
Contact form
If you would like more information about our Anglican church services, such as being regularly informed of upcoming dates and times, please use this form to contact us.
Note
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