Kaiserslautern Campus Church Dedicated
The Kaiserslautern Campus Community, a merger of the Evangelical Student Community (ESG) and the Catholic University Community (KHG) of Kaiserslautern, is now located under one roof for the first time. The center at Herrmann-Hesse-Straße 50, not far from the RPTU campus, was inaugurated with an ecumenical service. A site visit.
For many years, the property on Hermann-Hesse-Straße served as the headquarters of the Protestant Student Community of Kaiserslautern. The property is owned by the Protestant Regional Church of the Palatinate. When the official residence of former student pastor Eckhart Stief in the building became vacant, the way was paved for the two congregations to come together under one roof. For the Catholic University Community, which was based in the diocesan house next to St. Martin’s Church on Klosterstraße, this was a good opportunity to continue the collaboration with the ESG—which had grown over many years—together under one roof.
“We are an open house with a diverse program offering for students, faculty, and staff at the universities,” say university chaplain Britta Geburek-Haag, University Chaplain Stefan Seckinger, and Parish Assistant Guido König, expressing their excitement about their future joint work in a single location.
Even though nothing has changed on the outside—except for a wheelchair-accessible entrance from Ludwig-Thoma-Straße to the chapel in the building’s basement—the vacating of the former staff apartment on the first floor has made it possible to create a “co-working space,” an internet-enabled workspace with individual and group workstations. The floor also houses four shared apartments for students. On the ground floor, in addition to office spaces for both parishes, there is a communal area equipped with a library, comfortable seating, and a small bar. Under the roof, a recreation room invites students to relax and engage in sports activities.
A round wooden altar, which previously stood in the chapel of the diocesan headquarters, and a colorful cross created by students on the windowpane of the rear entrance to the chapel adorn the prayer room. Ecumenical services and Eucharistic celebrations will take place there in the future.
“A Fresh Start” is the title of the campus parish’s program for the 2023–24 winter semester. “A fresh start opens up new perspectives and new paths,” say Geburek-Haag and Seckinger, looking back on over 50 years of pastoral care for students and faculty at colleges and universities.
Two-thirds of the students who visit the campus parish are international students. “They aren’t just nominal Christians,” says Seckinger. Some seek guidance in various life situations, while others want to help shape the community. “Every worship service looks different,” says Seckinger, advocating for creativity and spontaneous intercessions in the design of liturgical celebrations. “We have become more international and interfaith and form a community that transcends all boundaries,” Geburek-Haag sums it up.
The chaplains want to break new ground together with students and faculty. To this end, the campus congregation has had its own space in Building 38 on the campus of the Rhineland-Palatinate University of Technology since the summer semester of 2023. The room, located next to the university’s administration tower, is available by appointment for counseling and pastoral care sessions. The staff of the campus parish dedicate time to offering counseling services for students in various life situations, as well as psychological counseling and financial assistance.
Through new initiatives, the chaplains aim to support students during special times of the year, such as Advent and Christmas, Lent, and Easter. Collaborations with university communities in France and Rwanda foster mutual networking. Alternating between the Protestant Friedenskirche and the Catholic Church of St. Theresia in the university housing area, ecumenical university and college services are held, featuring sermons by prominent guests.
The pastoral care services for higher education institutions, headquartered at the Campus Congregation in Kaiserslautern, include the Homburg campus of Saarland University and the University of Applied Sciences Kaiserslautern with its locations in Pirmasens and Zweibrücken.
Joachim Schwitalla
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