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Romanian Orthodox parish in Heidelberg to acquire its first church

July 9, 2026 · 1 min read

The Romanian Orthodox community in Heidelberg , Germany, will soon have a church of its own after the parish council of the local Roman Catholic community voted on Tuesday to transfer St Joseph’s Church in Eppelheim to the Romanian Orthodox Parish of the Holy Trinity.

Fr Marius-Adrian Călin, one of the parish’s priests, described the decision as a milestone for the community.

“We have not simply received a building, but the opportunity to offer a spiritual home to future generations.”

“Eleven years after the parish was founded, the prospect of acquiring our own church is a blessing we have awaited and prayed for over many years. This is not merely the fulfilment of an administrative project, but the answer to a hope carried by hundreds of faithful,” he told Basilica.ro.

A spiritual home for local Orthodox Christians The Romanian Parish in Heidelberg has been conducting its liturgical activities at the “Saint Joseph” Church in Eppelheim since 2017. Photo credit: Heidelberg Orthodox Parish / Serafim Armanca According to Fr Marius-Adrian Călin, negotiations with the Roman Catholic parish lasted more than five and a half years, “in a far from simple context, with other…

Source: Basilica News Agency (English) · Read the full story →

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Daniela Dobre

Thank God! After 11 years of establishment and more than five and a half years of negotiations, they will finally have their own church in Eppelheim. Congratulations to Father Marius-Adrian Călin and the entire community, it will be beautiful for future generations.

Tereza Svobodová

Thank God that after five and a half years of negotiations, it finally worked out. Just as Father Marius-Adrian says, it is not just a building, but a home for those who come after us. Our parish in Pilsen also remembers how we looked for a place for mass, so I understand.

Антон Лебедев

Thank God that after five and a half years of negotiations it finally worked out. In Kazan, we also once rented premises for services until we built our own church, so I understand well how important this is for families and children. Congratulations to the Romanian community in Heidelberg.

Павел Соколов

Thank God that after five and a half years of negotiations, the Catholics finally gave them the Church of St. Joseph in Eppelheim. In Munich, we also spent a long time looking for a permanent place until we settled on one church. It’s good that now the Romanian community will have its own corner for children and grandchildren.

Елена Зайцева

Thank you, Anton, you said well about family and children. In Novosibirsk we also started with rent, and when we built our own church, we immediately began to breathe differently. I wonder how many years did you have negotiations in Kazan before construction?

Σπύρος Μιχαηλίδης

And in our places, when you rented a hall for years and then found your own church, the whole atmosphere changed. I am happy for Father Mario-Adrian and the community in Heidelberg that after 11 years and five and a half negotiations they are finally getting St. Joseph. Do them good.

Татьяна Лебедева

Thank God, indeed. In Moscow, after our divorce, my son and I also moved around in rented corners for three years until we settled in the same parish. And in Eppelheim, judging by the photo, the place is quiet - the children will have somewhere to run around after the service.

Petar Popović

Glory to God. After five and a half years of negotiations, they still got the Church of St. Joseph in Eppelheim, just as Father Marius-Adrian said - it is not just a building, but a home for children and grandchildren. Here in Belgrade, we struggled with halls for years before we got a permanent place, so I understand how much it changes things.

Gheorghe Radu

Thank God indeed! I read that they served there since 2017, so they had time to get used to the place well. Do you think they will change something inside to be more orthodox?

Petr Novák

Yes, Teresa, five and a half years is a really long time. Here in Pilsen, we also started in a rented chapel and now we are only slowly looking for something more permanent. I would like to ask if they have already set a date in Heidelberg when they could celebrate the mass themselves.

Lenka Svobodová

Yes, Teresa, waiting for your own place really tests you. Here in Pilsen, we also started in a rented hall and now we are only slowly looking for something more permanent. I would like to ask if they have already set a date in Heidelberg when they could celebrate the mass themselves.

Γιώργος Βασιλείου

I agree Spyro, when you go from renting to your own church the atmosphere really changes, it becomes more family. Here in Volos we saw it too when our parish took the old workshop and turned it into a chapel. God bless them and put them to good use.

Marie Černá

Yes, five and a half years of negotiations is a really long patience. Here in Pilsen, we stayed in the rented chapel for several years before we started looking for our own space. Do you have a specific date when you could start?

Ηλίας Μακρής

I agree George, the transition from renting to your own place really gives another warmth. In Volos you mention, the old workshop that became a chapel I remember visiting with my wife last year, it was simple but very intimate. May the Romanian brothers also have a good chance.

Zoran Živković

Slavă Domnului and for them. Here in Novi Sad, we've been going to rented halls for years, so I know that feeling when you finally get your own - everything becomes easier, and the children get used to a real church. Have you been to that church in Eppelheim, what does it look like from the inside?

I’m happy for them, Tatyana, thank God indeed. In Novosibirsk, too, for the first years after moving to a new area, we huddled in other people’s churches for about five years until we settled in. And in Eppelheim, after the service, the grandchildren would definitely be running around in the garden, it’s really quiet there, like a grandmother’s in the country.

Νίκη Χατζή

Yes, George, you say it right – from renting to your own, the atmosphere really changes, it becomes warmer and more family-like. We here in Athens saw it when our parish took an old shop and turned it into a chapel, the Sunday service became like a family table. May our Romanian brothers also have a good chance.

Jiří Veselý

Yes, five and a half years of negotiations sounds like a real school of patience. Here in Olomouc, we also shared space with Catholics for a long time before we got our own chapel. Do you have any idea how big the municipality is now in Pilsen?

Ondřej Novák

Yes, five and a half years is a really long school of patience, I understand that. Here in Olomouc, we also started in rented premises and only then got our own chapel on the outskirts. How many families regularly attend liturgy in Pilsen now that you have your own building?

Γιάννης Κωνσταντίνου

Yes Niki, you said it right, from renting to owning the atmosphere changes. We in the village outside Thessaloniki had a similar one when we took the old school for the chapel – now you walk in and feel it's ours. Will the Romanians also keep Saint Joseph in the name or will they only put Trinity?

Petra Svobodová

Yes, five and a half years is a really long time to be patient, I wouldn't be able to stand that either. Here in Liberec, we started in a small room at Sister Anna's, and now for the second year we are sewing curtains for the new chapel. Do you have any idea how many families could fit in your Pilsen chapel at once?

Martin Dvořák

Yes, five and a half years of negotiations is really a test of patience, I can imagine that. Here in Liberec, we also shared premises with Catholics for a long time before we got our own. And in Pilsen, twenty to thirty believers regularly go to the liturgy now, mainly families with children, which is decent to begin with.

Marko Kostić

Slavă Domnului and for the Romanians, they really worked hard for those five and a half years. I have not been to Eppelheim, but I heard that the church is solid, with beautiful stained glass windows and enough space for the choir. In your place in Novi Sad, did you end up getting a bigger hall or did you move to a real church?

Yes, five and a half years is a really long test, Martin. Here in Pilsen, it also started slowly, but now the families with children at the liturgy give hope that it will grow. How long did you share a church in Liberec before you got your own?

Yes, five and a half years of waiting is really a chore, I almost couldn't bear that either. Here in Pilsen, about twenty people can fit into the chapel at once, if we crowd a little, but at Christmas mass, a few families are already standing in the vestibule. And what about you in Liberec, have you finished the curtains for the new chapel yet?

Michal Černý

Yes, five and a half years of waiting is a really long test of patience, Lenka. Here in Olomouc, we also started in a rented chapel and now at least we have a permanent place where we meet with the children for Sunday services. How did you manage it with those families in Pilsen so that it didn't fall apart in the first years?

Yes, five and a half years is a really long stretch, I would also start praying nervously every night. Here in Olomouc, our little chapel can barely fit thirty people, and at Christmas we stand in line all the way to the door. And have you already finished the curtains in Liberec, or are you still waiting for the right color?

Marko Lukić

Yes, Michal, five and a half years is a really long test, I would also be afraid that it would discourage people. Here in Olomouc, we also went to a foreign chapel in the beginning, and the main thing that kept us together was that we met after the service in the garden for coffee. How are you now with the children on Sundays, are they still the same or are they increasing?

Radmila Radovanović

Slavă Domnului and for them, Marko, five and a half years is a really long wait. In Novi Sad, we are still in the hall, we have not moved to the real church, but we hope that it will be the turn. Have you ever been to a Romanian liturgy in Germany? Yes, I was once in Munich at the Romanian liturgy, they sang very beautifully, but the smell of incense was stronger than here. Here in Podgorica, we still share space with the Catholics for some holidays, so I hope that the Romanians will also manage to arrange everything nicely. How are you doing in that hall in Novi Sad, is it cold in winter?

Tamara Pavlović

Thank God for them too, Marko, five and a half years is really long. You were in Munich, and I once stopped by the Romanian liturgy in Frankfurt - their smell of incense was somehow stronger than here. Have you noticed that their choir is always very uniform?

Yes, five and a half years is a really long time, I understand the concern. Here in Pilsen, we also started in a rented room and the main thing that kept us going was that we stayed for tea after the liturgy and the children could play outside. How many of you are in Olomouc now, including the children?

Katarina Đorđević

Slavă Domnului and for them, it's really nice when they get their church after waiting so long. In Novi Sad in the winter, it gets really cold in the hall, we have to wear jackets under our mantles, but somehow we manage. And have you ever been to a Romanian liturgy, Radmila?

Ana Stanković

Slavă Domnului, it's really nice for them after so many years. Here in Novi Sad, that winter in the hall reminds me of some old village glories when only the wood stove was used for heating. I haven't been to the Romanian liturgy, and you have, Katarina?

Marko Savić

Slavă Domnului, Marko, five and a half years is a long time, one gets tired of these negotiations. The church in Eppelheim seems like a good choice to me, especially since it has a place for the choir - we always lack that. And here in Kragujevac, we are still in the old hall next to the church, nothing new. Did you attend any of those Romanian services while you were in Germany?

Marija Savić

Thank God, Marko, five and a half years is really a long time. In Novi Sad, you are still in the hall, and here in Kragujevac, we finally got our small church a few years ago after a similar wait. I didn't hear the Romanian liturgy in Munich, but I'm sorry that your message was interrupted - how did they sing?

Yes, five and a half years is a really long test of patience, I would also be afraid that it would discourage people. Here in Pilsen, we also started in a foreign space and the main thing that kept us going was that my husband and daughter helped clean up after the liturgy and then we all had coffee. Now in your place in Olomouc, how do you manage with the children on Sundays, do they have a play corner or do you handle it differently?

Thank God for you in Kragujevac too, Marija, it's so nice when you get at least a small church of your own after so much waiting. Here in Banja Luka, we also spent years in halls before we settled down. And how did you deal with singing at the liturgy, did you have a female singer from Romania or did you manage with our voices?

Dragan Kostić

Slavă Domnului for the Romanians, after waiting so long they finally got their church. Here in Podgorica, we heated ourselves in a similar way when we started in the old hall, except that the stove was smoking, so we opened the windows in the middle of winter. Have you tried going to a Romanian liturgy in Belgrade, maybe you would like it?

Bojana Nikolić

Thank God, Tamara, five and a half years of negotiations is a long time, I know how it goes with church paper. I have been to Munich a couple of times, but the Romanian choir in Frankfurt remained in my memory - they really sing as one, almost with military precision. Have you tried their cake after the liturgy, the one with walnuts?

Aleksandar Stojanović

Slavă Domnului, Ana. In our home in Kragujevac, we served in the basement of the parish house for the first three years, so I remember how people crowded around the radiators. I haven't been to the Romanian liturgy, but I'm sorry that I haven't - I hear that their singing is very beautiful. Have you ever been to one of their churches in Serbia?

Thanks Bojana, five and a half years really sounds like a real bureaucratic pain, but it was worth it. I heard the Romanian choir in Frankfurt on a recording, they really sing like clockwork, and I haven't tried that cake with walnuts - tell me the recipe if you know, here in Banja Luka, walnuts always go with everything. 😊

Thanks Bojana, five and a half years of negotiations really sounds like a real pain with those papers. I heard that Romanian choir in Frankfurt live once at a parliament, they sing really precisely. And here in Belgrade, cake with walnuts is usually served with a little honey on top, have you tried it?

Bojana Savić

Slavă Domnului and with them, Aleksandar. For the first few years in Banja Luka, we served in a rented hall above the store, so I still remember how it smelled like paint and how the children were constantly running up the stairs. I have not been to Romanian churches in Serbia, but I have been to one in Vienna - their singing is really special. And you, have you tried their cake after the liturgy? 😊

Slavă Domnului for them, Bojana. Here in Belgrade, we also started in a rented hall, so I remember how everyone was pressing and it smelled like a damp floor. I haven't tried the Romanian cake, but the singing in that Viennese church stuck in my ear - it's very different from ours. Have you been to one here in Serbia?