Vratislavice's parish website
Dioceze of Litoměřice | Vicariate of Liberec
Vratislavice had for the long time mainly German population. The German name for the township is Maffersdorf. Among those native - born here belongs, for example, the world famous car designer Ferdinand Porsche, whose native house can still be found here until now.
German population was traditionally catholic, therefore religious life was flourishing here along with its traditional forms like pilgrimages, processions etc. There had also been "Catholic society" and the parish owned a number of building and acres of land. The parsonage proper comes from 1764. The baroque church of "the holiest trinity" by the Prague architect Marcus Canevalle was completed in 1701 and later underwent a number of adaptations the latest repairs in the church took place in 1984.
After the end of the world war II. A gradual transfer of the German population was carried out, which was essentially completed in 1946. The original Czech inhabitants forced to leave in 1938 were returning to the township, but gradually people from all areas of the country started to settle here.
From 1945 till 1989 several priests were active here. First of them was Josef August, who due to his "exaggerated activity" was a "thorn" in communist's eye, who therefore transferred him to a different place in 1951.
The genuine u-turn began, how else not until 1989. In 1990 an outstanding Rochlice's parson Antonín Kejdana started to serve here, whose Franciscan's charisma addressed many inhabitants. A big impulse for revitalising the parish community was appointing of the deacon Václav Vaněk as a parish administrator in 1991. Both of the men, especially then the new administrator Václav, managed(with the god's help, of course) to achieve almost a miracle. The community revitalised and started to grow - on the one hand, due to several newly moved in families, on the other, owing to a patient work with children, who originally used to come to the parsonage for amusement. Many of the parish community members owe to brother Václav, father Antonín and other assistants for their baptism and life of faith.
Faithful to his Franciscan order father Antonín left in 1992 for his new position. To his original post another Franciscan, father Radim Jáchym, came who been serving here until now. Father Radim was even imprisoned for his faith during the former regime. Nowadays he also acts as a highly sought - after exerciser in spirituals.
Significant for the parsonage was also the arrival of sister Evelyn Bernard from the German secular institute of St. Boniface. Sister Evelyn does here the work of an assistant leads catholic training, helps to prepare mass, etc., etc.
It is the truth that not all those who were baptised in the euphoric post revolutionary times participate actively on the life of the church. Despite that the community growth has not stopped in the following years. Nowadays, several groups' work here and those who have answered to the god's knocking on the doors of their hearts are also still coming.
The pages about the Present accompany this text.