St. James Episcopal Church
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​Werner Krätschell
​Biography

Werner Krätschell is a man who has both witnessed history in the making, and has made history.
When the Berlin Wall sealed the border between East and West Germany in 1961, Werner Krätschell, age 21, was on vacation in Sweden. He made the courageous decision to cross the Wall back into the East zone, knowing he might never be able to leave, but knowing also that his life’s vocation as a pastor would be needed there.

During WWII, young Werner spent much of his early years with relatives outside Berlin because of the intense bombing. After the war, he and his family settled in East Berlin, the Communist zone. There his parents and later his own wife and four children had to live ‘under the radar’ as practicing Christians. He took his theological degree at the East Berlin Hochschule für Theologie. Starting as pastor of one congregation, he eventually became superintendent of 24 parishes. In this capacity, he became the protector of the anti-government peace movement, and his local church and parsonage were the meeting point for leaders of the opposition to the government. The STASI (East German secret police) dedicated six officers specifically to investigate and harass him, and many officers included him in their espionage portfolios.
In 1985, Coventry Cathedral in Great Britain named him Companion of the Order of the Cross of Nails, in honor of his role in the pursuit of peace and reconciliation. This occurred after his first visit in the USA with mostly Episcopal congregations linked with Coventry Cathedral, when he spoke about the meaning of Christian life behind the Iron Curtain, especially in East Germany.

​When the Wall fell in November 1989, he was instrumental in the peaceful transition from the Communist authoritarianism to democracy. As a moderator of the Round Tables of East Berlin and Pankow, he was de facto head of East Berlin, then the capital of East Germany, for a short time until a government could be formed with elected officials.

In 1997 he was given the task of establishing a chaplaincy in the military of former East Germany, which had been by law atheistic.

Dr. Krätschell spoke at the Opening Convocation of Furman University in 2002 on the first anniversary of 9.11, at which time Furman conferred on him the Doctorate of Humanities. On return visits to Furman, he has been named Visiting Professor and Visiting Lecturer.

He has been twice interviewed on National Public Radio’s ‘All Things Considered’; featured in a recent NY Times article on the 30th anniversary of the fall of the Wall; been subject of ‘The File,’ a book by historian Timothy Garton Ash on the STASI records; and has written numerous articles and his own book, published in 2019 and in its third printing, ‘Die Macht der Kerzen’ (The Power of the Candles), concerning the peace movement’s role in the miraculous peaceful transition from totalitarianism to democracy.​

Link to the New York Times article 

Sermon that was to be preached at St. James
​on March 22, 2020

08_krätschell_st._james_sermon_2020.03__003_.pdf
File Size: 1631 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

Location

Directions

Service Times

SUNDAY SCHEDULE  
​8:00 a.m. Rite I (said Eucharist)
10:30 a.m. Rite II (Choral Eucharist)

Nursery care is available during the 10:30 service

​WEDNESDAYS
6:30 p.m. Celtic Eucharist with Anointing for Healing
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Contact Us

301 Piney Mountain Road
Greenville, SC 29609
864.244.6358
​864.244.6359 (fax)
​admin@stjamesgreenville.org
  • Home
  • What We Believe
  • Welcome
    • Welcome Visitors >
      • St. James Online Visitor Card
    • Who We Are
    • The St. James Story
    • Leadership >
      • Ministry Staff
      • The Wardens, Vestry & Delegates
    • Baptism & Membership
  • Worship
    • What to Expect on Sunday
    • The Wednesday Celtic Evening Eucharist with Healing
    • Live Streamed Services
    • The Sacraments & Sacramental Rites >
      • Holy Baptism
      • The Holy Eucharist
      • Confirmation
      • The Celebration and Blessing of a Marriage
      • The Burial of the Dead (Resurrection Liturgy)
      • Reconciliation of a Penitent (Confession)
      • Ministration to the Sick (Holy Unction)
      • Ministration at the Time of Death (Last Rites)
      • Holy Orders (Ordination)
    • Music >
      • From the Music Director & Organist
      • St. James Organ
      • Organ Specifications
      • St. James Choral Scholars
    • Stained Glass Windows
    • Altar Flower Registration
    • Sanctuary Lamp Registration
  • Formation
    • Prayer and Spirituality
    • St. James Day School >
      • 2020 Day School Parent Contact Info
      • From the Day School Director
      • Pay Day School Tuition
      • Weather Conditions and Closings
    • Episcopal Youth Community (EYC) >
      • Calendar & Communications
      • Newsletters
      • Registration and Forms
    • Adult Christian Education >
      • Faith Seeking Understanding
    • Adult Ministry >
      • The Gathering - A Senior Adult Ministry
      • St. James Small Group Ministry
      • St. James Men's Group
      • Yoga
    • Children's Ministries >
      • Children's Christian Education
      • Christmas Pageant Registration
  • Mission
    • St. James Outreach >
      • St. James Companions
      • Vivancos' Ministry in Ecuador
      • Prayer Shawl Ministry
      • Housing Ministry
      • KAIROS
    • Pastoral Care
    • Grief Ministry
    • Restoring Trinity Abbeville
    • Iglesia Episcopal San Francisco
  • Giving
    • St. James Stewardship
    • Online Giving
  • Resources
    • Parish-Wide Calendar
    • St. James Store
    • St. James Facebook Page
    • Servants in Worship Calendar
    • Forms & Documents
    • St. James Enote Archive
    • News Sites >
      • Anglican Communion News Service
      • Episcopal News Service
      • EDUSC News
    • The Anglican Communion
    • The Episcopal Church
    • Daughters of the King
    • Liturgical Resources >
      • The Daily Office
      • Book of Common Prayer Online
    • Galleries >
      • Photo Gallery >
        • Bishop Waldo 2020 Visit
        • Meal Packaging Event - Oct. 2019
        • Burning of the Greens 2019
        • 2018 All Parish and Friends Breakfast
        • Bishop Waldo Visits St. James (2017)
        • Stop Hunger Now Nov. 2016
        • 2016 Fall Festival
        • 2016 Blessing of the Animals
        • 2015 Annual Meeting
        • All Saints Day 2015 Baptisms
        • 2015 Fall Festival at St. James
        • Stop Hunger Now Photos
        • Faith Memorial 2015
        • Bishop's Visit 2015
        • Epiphany 2015
        • Christmas 2014
        • Easter 2014
      • Video Gallery
    • Recorded Sermons