At first the construction of a chapel was started in the years 1952 to 1953, before the Catholic branch church "St. Josef" Harbach was built.
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The foundation stone for the branch church "St. Josef" was laid over 60 years ago
In view of the feast of St. Joseph the Worker (commemoration day set by Pope Pius XII in 1955 to May 1st), the construction of the branch church (chapel) was started in Harbach on 22.04.1953. A small ceremony was the occasion for architect Hans Geimer, Bitburg, to hand over the approved construction plans to the building contractor Peter Seelbach. Pastor Weiler blessed and set the cornerstone on the epistle side. With prayer and singing, the faithful placed the work they had begun into the hands of God.
For a long time, Christians in Harbach and the surrounding area had had the desire to have their "own" place of worship. Until the completion of the branch church, children and adults went to the parish church "St. Mauritius and companions" in Niederfischbach for the services. With wind and weather in all seasons, the walk over cherry soaps, the path sheath, Hüttseifen and Fischbacherhütte to the "Siegerländer Dom" was arduous.
Already at the turn of the century the people of Harbach had been busy with the plans to build a small church. Johann Löcherbach, the then head of the village, had applied for a subsidy in this matter to the Krupp mining administration in Essen. From there a donation of 1,000 Goldmark was assured for the start of construction. This promise was honored in DM in 1953.
However, the episcopal authorities in Trier refused to build the chapel at that time because the parish church in Niederfischbach was not completed until 1898 and probably also because of the lack of funds. The First World War and the inflation, in addition to the question of the location, made the building of the chapel a long way off.
In the autumn of 1928, under the chairmanship of teacher Kriere, the Harbach-Hinhausen community of interests joined together to form a chapel building association. This association had set itself the task of collecting the necessary funds. Collecting from house to house with the bell box did not have the hoped-for success, so that soon the decision was made to have the dedication of fixed amounts confirmed. Through the support of local associations, for example through theatre performances, the sum of 14,500 Reichsmark could be collected in the period from 1928 to April 1935.
After renewed revaluation due to war and inflation, only DM 931.20 remained. These then served as the basis for the new building which was started in 1953. Not least the strong will to have a place of worship in the village led to the building of chapels. "A church must first be built in the hearts of the people before man made of stone can give it form and shape". In the books of the church building association the insight is formulated that only unity in a common great task can lead to the goal.
Through monthly scheduled contributions and voluntary donations, the possibility was created to start building chapels at the beginning of 1953. The topping-out ceremony was celebrated on the evening of August 2, 1953 in front of the almost completed shell of the building.
The church building project was supported by the church building association with the participation of 114 families from the villages Harbach, Hinhausen, Locherhof, Winnersbach as well as the farms Löcherbach, Farnschlade, Kirseifen, Kochschlade, Scheuernhof, Rosenthal and Würden. Since the founding day (March 2, 1952), these families have sacrificed about 58,000 DM from their own resources for the new church, plus quite considerable personal contributions.
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Contact and directions
Kirchweg 3
57572 Harbach