History

In 1854, two German Catholics from the Archdiocese of Cologne travelled to the Holy Land. During their pilgrimage they learned of the difficult situation of the Catholics in Palestine and about the poor conditions of the holy places. Upon their return to Cologne in 1855, they launched the Holy Sepulchre Association with the task of supporting the Catholic Church in the Holy Land.

In 1885, the Holy Sepulchre Association was joined by the Palestine Association of the German Catholics. The latter shouldered the task of “strengthening German Catholicism on the Holy Ground of Palestine”. In 1895, the two associations decided to merge as the German Association of the Holy Land.

The combination of nationalistic enthusiasm and religious sense of mission caused a huge interest in the Association so that the number of its members rose to 30,000. The Association as promoter of German Catholic interests was in competition with other European nations and/or Christian denominations when it had several magnificent buildings erected in Jerusalem. One of them was the magnificient Church of Our Lady on Mount Zion built on a piece of land endowed by the German Emperor William II. At the same time, the construction of a grand hospice was completed to accommodate the hundreds of pilgrims coming to the Holy Land.

One of the original intentions of the Association, to settle German Catholics in agricultural colonies in Palestine, failed as no settlers could be found. On the area of land that had been purchased for that purpose in Emmaus-Qubeibe and Tabgha (on the shore of the Sea of Galilee), the Association built pilgrim guest houses while local Bedouins were employed to cultivate the land.

As a consequence of the two world wars and their aftermath, the Association’s work in Palestine (which had come under British control in 1917) became much more difficult. The Association succeeded, however, in conserving (after initially retrieving) most of its possessions situated both in the State of Israel and in the Palestinian territories.

Nowadays, the German Association of the Holy Land sees itself as a relief organisation for the Christians in the Middle East. Besides the support of needy people, the Association considers the promotion of the interreligious dialogue and reconciliation to be a main part of its mission. In cooperation with religious communities, the Association offers social and pastoral services in its houses. By organising pilgrimages and publishing the magazine Das Heilige Land (“The Holy Land”) for its members, the Association continues to build bridges between the German Catholics and the Holy Land—as it has been doing for more than 150 years.