Doesn’t the Heilige Familie in Düsseldorf-Stockum look like a fortress of faith with its red brick facade? This is Heilige Familie. It serves over 12000 Catholics in Düsseldorf. The Heilige Familie church we see today was built between 1960 and 1962. Hans Schwippert, an architect living in the community, designed it.
Notice there is no towering spire. The church has a modern design. Its basic structure is made of concrete. Red brick and glass blocks fill sections of exposed concrete.
Step inside the Heilige Familie. The interior is bright and column-free. The community gathers in a semicircle around the altar. The solid brick east wall provides a contrasting backdrop. It invites quiet contemplation.
Let me share an interesting fact. The area around the church was first settled around 1923. After World War I, homeless people sought shelter here. They lived in barracks and ammunition depots left by Belgian and French forces.
These forces were part of the Ruhr occupation from 1921 to 1925. Later, people added earth huts and shacks made of boards. By the end of 1931, hundreds of families were spread across about 800 plots in five locations. The city provided land as directed by the national government. Sinti and Roma also lived on part of the land in caravans and huts.
In 1930, the Roman Catholic community started in an old barrack. Evangelical Deaconesses from Kaiserswerth ran a daycare center there. From 1931, it also served as a temporary worship space. It served almost 1000 Catholics in the area.
In 1934, about a year after the Nazis seized power, Chaplain Matthias Beckers became rector. He was from the neighboring parish of St. Bruno. The area was then known as the Golzheimer Heide rectorship. In 1940, it became the independent Heilige Familie rectorship parish.
After World War II in 1945, Matthias Beckers was appointed parish priest. He had been persecuted by the Nazis. In 1951, the church became a canonical parish. Beckers became the community’s first pastor.
Look closely at the altar area. Gisbert Dahmen-Wassenberg redesigned it between 2002 and 2003. The floating tabernacle hangs between the floor and ceiling. Steel cables hold it in place. It symbolizes the connection between people and God. It shows how the Holy of Holies mediates between them.
Kurt Schwippert created the altar cross. Fritz Peretti designed the Stations of the Cross. In 1985, Hubert Spierling added new stained-glass windows. They changed the character of the interior. The new organ from Franz Breil was installed in 1981. It reflects the musical ambitions of the parish.
In 1978 and 1979, a parish center was added to the east end. It also has a semicircular design but is only one story high. Rolf Bähr and Karl Heinz Gansfort were the architects responsible for this extension. They also designed the new organ case.
The church has grown over the years, both in structure and in community. The Heilige Familie continues to be a place of faith. It is a welcoming home for many in Düsseldorf.