St. Joseph's Church

Faith, love, hope - With God in Schalke

On weekdays, they risk their lives in the mine underground. And together with the Schalke players, they pray for a victory in the next match. The entire Schalke neighbourhood is football-mad, and the priest is no exception.

Eine Postkartenansicht der St.-Joseph-Kirche um 1910. Sie zeigt die beiden Kirchtürme mit ihren alten Kirchturmspitzen. Sie sind höher und spitzer als die Türme heute.

A church for Catholic workers

The industrialist Friedrich Grillo had St Joseph's Church built. Many of the workers who moved here were Catholic. Grillo himself was a Protestant. But he knew how important religion was for his workers.

Source: Institut für Stadtgeschichte Gelsenkirchen

Die Luftaufnahme zeigt die St.-Joseph-Kirche um das Jahr 1920. Hier steht die Kirche neben den Stadtvillen des gehobenen Bürgertums.

Built at Schalke's best address

St Joseph's Church was located directly on Kaiserstraße. It was the best address in the whole of Schalke. The upper middle classes lived here in splendid houses.

Source: Institut für Stadtgeschichte

Der Fußballspieler Berni Klodt dribbelt mit dem Ball in der Kampfbahn Glückauf. Die überdachte Tribüne im Hintergrund ist voller Zuschauer.

A world champion in the confessional

Berni Klodt, world champion in 1954, was one of the most enthusiastic members of the congregation. He could be found in church almost every Sunday.

Source: Institut für Stadtgeschichte Gelsenkirchen

The People in the church benches slide nervously back and forth. St Joseph's Church is full to the last seat. And this despite the fact that their FC Schalke are currently fighting for the German championship against the Hamburger SV in Hanover. The final Ascension Day service also had to take place on 18 May 1958 of all days. But fortunately, parson Franz Kohle is just as much a Schalke fan as they all are. While the church community sits in the church and listens to the pastor's sermon, Father Kohle sits in the sacristy and listens to the game on the radio. In the fifth minute of the game he rushes over for the first time. From the pulpit, he gives his congregation the good news: team captain Bernhard Klodt gives Schalke the lead - their Berni, who normally sits with them in church every Sunday. He returns two mor times. Just in time for the end of the service, he announces the final score of 3 to 0: Schalke is German champion.

They all came together in St Joseph's. Here, the men who worked in the mines or the ironworks from Monday to Saturday sat next to the players they cheered on at the Glückauf Stadium on Sunday afternoons. In the evenings, they celebrated the victories and championships together at the Schalke Market and in the pubs along the Schalke Mile. This old Schalke was tragically destroyed by bombings during the Second World War. After its reconstruction, St Joseph's Church was given new stained glass windows. They depicted what made Schalke great: industry, above all the Consolidation Colliery, the immigrants who found a new home here, and football. One of the church windows shows St Aloisius. It emphasises the deep connection between the parish and FC Schalke 04. The window, which was installed towards the end of the 1950s, shows the saint in blue and white socks and with a pill on his foot.

Die Fassade der St.-Joseph-Kirche wird an einem Herbsttag von der Sonne angestrahlt.

The church today

The church looks a little different today than it did in Grillo's time. After the reconstruction, the two church towers are significantly smaller than the original ones.

Source: Olivier Kruschinski

Vor dem Eingang der St.-Josephs-Kirche hängen Fahnen des FC Schalke 04. Auch die Blumenkästen und Verkehrspoller vor der Kirche sind in den Schalker Vereinsfarben geschmückt.

A place of pilgrimage on match days

Even though the church is no longer used by the congregation, it is open on match days. It is located directly on the way from Gelsenkirchen's main railway station to the arena. Anyone wishing to pray for divine assistance before kick-off has the opportunity to do so here.

Source: Olivier Kruschinski

Am Altar der St.-Joseph-Kirche hängt ein blauer Schal mit dem Schriftzug "Ein Leben lang" in weißen Lettern.

A special window

In the church, fans can not only ask for help from above. They also have the opportunity to see the stained glass window of St Aloisius. It is the only church window in the world with a football theme.

Source: Olivier Kruschinski

Im Innenraum der St.-Joseph-Kirche in Gelsenkirchen-Schalke stehen verschiedene Theaterrequisiten.

Little wonderland

In 2021, St Joseph's Church was transformed into a small wonderland. The Materialverwaltung on Tour presented theatre props in the rooms. The props had been discarded from theatres in the surrounding area.

Source: Ole-Kristian Heyer

When FC Schalke 04 plays, the Arena is filled almost to capacity every time. Even when the miners are playing in the second Bundesliga, 60,000 people make the pilgrimage to the game. But the church benches in St Joseph's became emptier Sunday after Sunday. On New Year's Eve 2019, the last regular church service took place in St Joseph's after 125 years. The number of parishioners had dwindled too much in previous years. However, St. Joseph's has lost none of its symbolic appeal: no place in Schalke illustrates more how the people of the district were connected through faith, association, mining, industry and labour.