Lutheran Church Katanning
St Stephen’s Church is physical evidence of the influx of the German South Australian settlers who arrived in the Shire of Katanning at the turn of the century. Their way of life and religious beliefs were very different to the existing settlers and the church reflects this. Although integration was, at first, not always successful (particularly in light of the two World Wars), these settlers of German descent have become a significant part of the history of the shire. The first Lutheran Church was erected in 1905 in corrugated iron and wood on the site where the present hall now stands.
Lutheran Church Katanning
This hall was originally built as a church in 1926 to replace the original church. A third church, the current one, was erected in 1964, next-door to the second church, on the site of a house. The second church (1926) underwent modifications and additions to become the church hall, as well as provide room for Sunday school classes.
The second St Stephen’s Lutheran Church building (1926)
The church is a simple three-bay auditory plan with lancet windows. The walls are of brick with stucco string courses, the lower walls have been rendered and the roof replaced with zincalume. (inHerit)
PAST NEWS REPORTS
OBITUARY
Mr. Johann Herman Steicke.
Great Southern Herald
18 February, 1933
An old and respected resident or the district, in the person of Mr. Johann Herman Steicke, died at the residence of the Rev. A. Linert on Sunday last, at the age of 60 years, after an illness extending over two months.
Mr. Steicke was born at Greenock, South Australia, in the year 1872, and came to Western Australia in 1903. He settled in the Katanning district and took up a farming property near Ewlyamartup, on which he remained practically up to the time of his last illness.
Of an industrious disposition, his activities extended beyond his own holding, and with his sons he undertook chaff cutting and contract farm work. He leaves a widow and a family of four daughters and two sons to mourn their loss.
The funeral took place on Monday afternoon, the cortege moving from the Lutheran Church, after a service, to the Katanning General Cemetery. Here the last rites were performed by the Rev A. Linert, deceased’s remains being laid to rest in the Lutheran portion in the presence of a representative gathering of relatives and friends. The pall-bearers were Messrs. G. W. R. Kowald, B. Kowald, J. Woods, H. Kube, A. H. T. Schultz and A. Huepauff.
ABOUT THE LUTHERAN CHURCH
Lutheranism
Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism that identifies with the teachings of Martin Luther, a 16th-century German reformer. Luther’s efforts to reform the theology and practice of the church launched the Protestant Reformation. The reaction of the government and church authorities to the international spread of his writings, beginning with the 95 Theses, divided Western Christianity. Continue reading
Lutheran Church of Australia
The Lutheran Church of Australia (LCA) is the major Lutheran denomination in Australia and New Zealand. It counts 540 congregations and 48,760 members according to official statistics. Continue reading
History of the Lutheran Church in Australia
In 1838 a group of devout Lutherans led by Pastor August Kavel left Germany because of persecution and settled in the new colony of South Australia. A month before their arrival Lutheran missionaries arrived at the same place to begin work among the Indigenous Australian people. These two events mark the beginning of the Lutheran story in Australia. Continue reading