The place in Jockgrim I really wanted to get into was the original church in town – St. Dionysius (there are variations on the spelling). This church’s tower dominates the city skyline. This was the church our ancestors attended prior to leaving for Russia.
When I arrived, it was locked. I went to the new church and got nowhere, then went back for daily (evening) Mass and found someone who spoke English and arranged for me to get in the following day.
Here is some history I found after I returned from my trip (Source)
The old parish church (begun in 1772, consecrated in 1788) is located at the end of the village on a yoke which was developed very early from the Speyer bishops as a natural fortress into a castle. A direct hit was on 05 November 1944, only the outer walls and the tower left, but before July 12, 1951, the rebuilt church was consecrated. From the parish garden you have a beautiful view of the John meadows.
While I was there, I went up to the loft to play the organ – it was open and in good shape. A few minutes in, the caretaker came up to see what was going on. Using Google Translate on my iPhone, I was able to explain to her what I was up to and why I was in there playing the organ and hanging out in the first place. We were finally able to say to each other “all is good”.
After I was done playing, I recorded the following reflection:
Below are photos from the church. While it was rebuilt, it’s good to know our ancestors were within these walls on this site.
And when I was finished, I made the following reflection on being at the site and within the walls where our ancestors worshipped.
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