Responsible Bodies
Diocese of Hildesheim
The Diocese of Hildesheim, founded in 815, is one of the oldest dioceses in Germany and, with its 30,000 square kilometres, covers large parts of Lower Saxony as well as Bremen-North and Bremerhaven. It is a public corporation and, as an ecclesiastical pastoral and administrative district, is divided into 17 deaneries and 119 parishes. Around 555,000 Catholics live in the Diocese of Hildesheim. They form a minority (diaspora) in almost all regions of the diocese. The diocese is led by Bishop Dr Heiner Wilmer SCJ. The bishop’s Church is St. Mary’s Cathedral in Hildesheim.
Bonifatiuswerk
Bonifatiuswerk supports Catholics in regions where they live their faith as a minority – in the so-called diaspora. Through the four types of aid – building aid, transport aid, aid to children and aid to the faith – projects are supported in Germany, Northern Europe and the Baltic countries of Estonia and Latvia.
In this way, local Churches are supported in their mission to carry faith in God into the world and to be missionally effective in a timely manner. The long-term vision of the relief organisation is based on the motto “No one should believe alone”.
zap Bochum
zap is a nationally and internationally active research centre in questions of innovative faith and Church development. Strategic knowledge is generated and communicated in various competence centres in the areas of innovation, leadership, evaluation and communication. zap works in an interdisciplinary and ecumenical way. It is in close contact with the Church and other religious institutions. The aim is to network knowledge from the field and knowledge from reflection, to communicate and to transform it into new Church practice.
Porticus
Porticus advises and supervises the philanthropic activities of the entrepreneurial family Brenninkmeijer (C&A). The name Porticus stands for the vision of a better future and is closely linked to the mission to create a just and sustainable future where human dignity can flourish. The approximately 180 staff in 14 offices around the world work with partner organisations in around 130 countries. They cooperate with more than 1,000 non-profit organisations and support over 3,500 projects. The German office of Porticus is located in Düsseldorf.
In the context of the congress, Porticus is currently overseeing the “Space for Grace” programme, which is based in Germany at Bonfatiuswerk in Paderborn under the name “Räume des Glaubens eröffnen”. Space for Grace seeks, promotes, networks and evaluates pastoral new beginnings in Belgium, Germany and The Netherlands.