Being religious meant being a Roman Catholic until the end of the sixties in Cologne. That was the standard. This religious life had a private and a public component: The private part was to celebrate birth with christening, becoming a active member of church by holy communion and confirmation and so on. The public part were festivals like Chorpus Christi (Fronleichnam) or the so-called ’Schuetzenfest’. Regardless how strong your individual belief was living in the church created a solid frame after 12 years of confusing dictatorship. Priests as mediators of the rites were highly respected.
The pictures show the ordinary religious life of a Roman Catholic christian.
Holy communion of Maria (Mia) Aachen, probably late thirties
So-called Muelheimer Gottestracht and Chorpus Christi feast in Vogelsang
Leave-taking of pastor Knappmann in Oberhausen