The European Parish – A Brief History
St.Alphonse, Rue des Capucins.
The history of the European Parish in Luxembourg is closely linked with the historical development of the European Union. With the founding of the European Coal and Steel Community in the early 1950′s, Luxembourg became an important centre and considerable numbers of officials from the participating countries settled here. The European Institutions began to take shape and the very first European school was founded.Fairly soon the question of the pastoral care of the new arrivals, with their different languages and traditions, became urgent.
In 1955 Fr. Rémy Oliger, a Franciscan priest from Alsace was entrusted with the care of a new non-territorial parish for a variety of French, Belgian, German, Italian and Dutch European civil servants, teachers and pupils from the European School etc. The congregation met for the Eucharist, first in the Church of the Franciscan sisters in Belair and then, from 1957, in the Jesuit Church in Belair. French and German were the principle languages in the Liturgy, and on big feast days the sermon was held in four languages. Once a month there were homilies in Italian and Dutch. In the course of the next few years German, Italian and Luxembourg priests helped out both at the Sunday Liturgy and in the religion teaching in the European school. In 1959 the European parish, under the patronage of St. Francis of Assisi, was formally set up by the then bishop of Luxembourg, Mgr. Léon Lommel, with Fr. Oliger as parish priest. The latter retired for health reasons in 1967. In 1969 Fr. Maurice Girardin, a Redemptorist, took over as parish priest, and the headquarters, offices and secretariat of the European parish were established at the Redemptorist Monastery, 34 rue des Capucins.
The early 1970′s saw two important developments:
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The pastoral care of the Italian Catholic community was taken over by the Italian mission and a similar development took place in the Portuguese and Spanish communities.
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The European parish was divided into four linguistic groups, each with its church and chaplain. The French-speaking community began to hold their Sunday Liturgy in St. Jean in the Grund, the Germans in St. Fiacre in Mühlenbach, the Dutch and Flemish in the Glacis Chapel and the English-speaking community in St. Peter and St. Pauls in Hollerich.
A parish council for the entire parish was set up and the different linguistic communities agreed to meet four times a year for a community liturgy. These arrangements continue until today.
Long before the accession of Ireland and the United Kingdom to the European community and the European parish, there was an English-speaking Catholic community in Luxembourg. In the late 1950′s a group of American Catholics, later joined by some British, used to have Mass each Sunday in the Maison des Missions, near the Cathedral. The community was served by priests who came from the American College in Louvain. In the early 1970′s, with accession of Ireland and United Kingdom to the Common Market (as it was then called), the English-speaking community of the European Parish came into being. Its first parish priest was an Irish Redemptorist, Fr. Tony Mulvey who served the parish from 1974-1985. He was followed by Fr. Pat O’Connor, likewise Irish and Redemptorist, from 1985 to 1999. The present incumbent, Fr. Eamonn Breslin is keeping up the Irish Redemptorist tradition and has been serving the parish since 1999.
The composition of the English-speaking community is by now very international. There are strong American, British, Irish, Filipino and Maltese contingents. But we have parishioners from many countries, from Easter Europe, from Africa, India and Pakistan. In fact, those who use English as the language of the home tend to come to mass in Hollerich, which is in fact, the only English language Catholic service in the city. Our community is, finally, a predominantly youthful one, with young married couples and their children.
