“Lost your way?” a kind voice startled me. I blinked, realizing I’d been staring at Sankt Martin Church, lost in thought. Sankt Martin in Barsbüttel. This unassuming church held a surprising connection to a much grander celebration. The annual Laternelaufen, the lantern processions held across Germany around St. Martin’s Day. Children, their faces aglow with candlelight, parade through the streets with homemade lanterns, singing traditional songs. A beautiful tradition honoring St. Martin of Tours, a Roman soldier who, legend says, shared his cloak with a beggar during a snowstorm. Here at Sankt Martin, the spirit of sharing and community is kept alive, echoing the story of the saint. While this specific church might not host a large procession like those in the Rhineland, its very presence serves as a reminder of the values St. Martin embodied. The simple act of sharing, of caring for those less fortunate, is at the heart of the story. And that story resonates here, in the quiet presence of Sankt Martin Church, as much as it does in the grandest of processions.
Allerheiligen Kirche
Hidden within Hamburg’s Neugraben-Fischbek district lies the Allerheiligen Kirche. It serves as a spiritual home for Ukrainian immigrants. The Allerheiligen