Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church

The Memorial Church in Berlin is a victim of World War II. It was bombed during the war and has spent the rest of its life as a ruin. They've covered up the main tower of the church as they do restoration work.

'Til 2012.

They're not rebuilding the church or tearing it down or anything. They're just preserving the ruin, as a part of the Berlin skyline. Which I think is a wonderful thing.

The church they have up is modern hexagon with walls of stained glass squares. I came in, once again, in time for a quick evening mass. The priest looked so small below the giant Jesus hanging from the ceiling.

Floating, really...

Again, the service was in German, so I mumbled along. My heart is kinda breaking for a Good Word in my own language, but I can float through another hymn in German. I can't help but get annoyed at the tourists who come to look at these churches and then sneak out when they're actually used as a church. They take their pictures and go and I'm not quite sure what they're going to do with them. Then again, I guess I'm the same thing. I just sing along when I'm there after I take the pictures.

After the service, there was a woman sitting in front of the Stalingrad Madonna, of which I really wanted a picture. I was just going to wait around the corner for her to finish praying, but she was pretty dedicated so I stood back from a distance and snapped my picture.

There's so many stories wrapped up in this building. It doesn't do me any good to retell them, but I'm glad they're not forgotten. As long as who we are is aware of who we've been, I guess we're good. Though the euro I dropped in the collection basket on the way out is certainly not enough to assure a memory, I'm sure there will be.