The canvas fell for the Sint Franciscus Church in Emmerschans. The Catholic Church closes its doors because too few people come to the services and the number of volunteers is falling.
“Today after 77 years. A moving and undoubtedly a painful celebration here in Saint Francis, which will be the very last worship to him in this house of God.” It is the words of Pastor Peter Stiekema, who leads the last service.
The pews are filled early. Some people come from the neighborhood and have been going to this church for years, others now live somewhere else but have returned specially. “You know it is coming, it is rationally inevitable. But that does not mean that people also have other layers,” said the pastor of Emmen and Erica.
It is more than a building that is now being abandoned. “You were baptized here, did all the sacraments here and married here. My parents went to church here to be buried. It is a farewell for me,” says Leny, who attends the last service today.
Annemiek van Os Naber is 20 years old conductor of the church choir. “I wanted to close the service with a nice choir so I asked all the churches if choir singers wanted to come and sing along. That led to a nice full of choir, so that you can proudly look back on the latter celebration. But at the end I really had something like: oh yes, now it stops.”
According to her, the sense of community is the most important of the church. She also hopes to find that at another church in Emmen. “Being church and being busy with God, of course, doesn’t stop, you’re going to find your place for that. My husband and I are going to do that too.”