An evening in Bottrop forty-one years ago

In the early 1970s a small group of German Dominicans rented a house in Bottrop, an important mining town in the Ruhr Valley in Germany.

The Dominicans ministered as worker priests in the area.

In the summer of 1972, along with a number of students from the house of studies in Walberberg, I visited the community in Bottrop. It was a vibrant place, impressive too and different from the accepted priestly life in presbyteries or religious communities. These men set about to be part of the community as workers. As far as I remember two of them worked in the mines.

Bottrop remained open for a number of years. One of the first men, who went there died young, and eventually the Dominicans moved out.

Today some of those original men are dead, others are spread throughout the Province of Teutonia. One man is working in San Salvador.

On a recent visit to Leipzig, sitting at table, I was introduced to the community. One name registered, Hubert Wiegand. But that's all it was. And then later that evening somehow the word 'Bottrop' was mentioned. I had my man. Hubert Wiegand was one of the men I met that evening in Bottrop in 1972. And the more I looked at his face I began to recall and see the man of that evening in 1972.

Hubert is now 80. He was born in Wanne-Eickel, right in the heart of the Ruhr Valley in 1933.

Observing the 80-year-old Hubert in Leipzig there was something about him that made him stand out. He was different, not the usual style 'cleric'. No holy words at all, just normal ordinary talk. A lovely gentleness too. Also kindness.

Among those who were in Bottrop that evening was Dominik Germeshausen, who had been expelled from Taiwan because of his left-wing political orientation. Dominik returned to Germany and after some time in priories in Warburg and Hamburg returned to Taiwan where he was part of a team that translated some of Meister Eckhart's works into Mandarin.

Dominick died of cancer in Hamburg in 2007 in his 65th year.

That evening in Bottrop 41 years ago left an indelible mark. Interesting to have it recalled.