Kath. Kirche St. Johannes der Täufer

In 1850, the first families settled on both sides of the newly built Augustfehn Canal. The Catholics were served by the parish of Barßel. With the construction of the ironworks in 1856 and the steel mill in 1872, Catholic families moved to the area. The community grew, and the diocesan office granted the request for a dedicated pastor. In 1863, Vicar Arnold Brinkmann was thus able to celebrate the first Mass in Augustfehn with 125 Catholics.

Ten years later, the ironworks provided a room for Masses and religious instruction until a temporary chapel could be built on the main street in Augustfehn. Shortly thereafter, Vicar Niehaus approved the construction of a new church. The parishioners were responsible for procuring the materials, and so Augustfehn boatmen transported 67,000 bricks to the construction site on their small barges. The cast-iron windows, the cross, and other iron building materials were manufactured at the ironworks. On October 28, 1879, the church was consecrated. As early as November 1, 1879, the young parish received its own pastor, Chaplain Heinrich Nieberding. In 1881, a separate cemetery was established on the property behind the church. By then, the congregation had grown to 150 members. Under Chaplain Heinrich Kühling (1884–1888), a chaplain’s residence was built. Toward the end of World War II, the church and the chaplain’s residence sustained considerable damage due to the effects of the war. During the tenure of Parish Rector Gruhn (1953–1965), a complete renovation of the church was undertaken. From May to September 1963, a sacristy—which was also used for religious education—was added; the tower was fitted with an entrance hall featuring a confessional chapel and a group room for the parish library. In 1987, under Pastor von Merveldt, the chapel was expanded to include a choir loft and a new sacristy attached to the side. Under Pastor Carl Trenkamp, with technical guidance from the architectural firm Recker, the parish hall was expanded in 1993, and a small kitchen and restroom facilities were added. Later, the old chaplain’s residence was demolished for structural reasons.

Until 1927, the Augustfehn chapel parish belonged to the Barßel parish; thereafter, it was affiliated with the St. Peter parish in Oldenburg. Since April 1967, Augustfehn, as a chapel parish, has been entrusted to the pastoral care of the pastor from Westerstede.

The parish can look back on nearly 150 years of parish life as a chapel parish.

Source: Catholic Church of Westerstede