Catholic Church Kilsyth


Karl Canon Kruger

Canon Karl Kruger, son of Jewish parents, arrived in Edinburgh in 1939 at the age of 15 as a refugee from Nazi Germany along with his brother Hans. Soon afterwards he was picked up on his way to church, wearing his school uniform of Edinburgh Academy and was deported to a detention camp for aliens in Canada. There he became a Catholic in 1940, and went on to be ordained on the 17th July 1949 at the age of 25. He never forgot his Jewish roots and the Reformed Protestant faith of his family back in Berlin. He went to Grangemouth on 1st Sept 1970 having been appointed by Cardinal Gordon Gray to establish a new church of ‘Christ the King’. Prior to his arrival in Grangemouth, he was a lecturer at Diocesan Senior Seminar of St Andrews in Drygrange to student priests. As well as undertaking his parish duties, the then Father Kruger also took a great interest in the wider community in Grangemouth. He was the chairman and founder member of Grangemouth Enterprises, a member of Grangemouth Council of Churches, Christian Aid, Chairman of the local Catholic Marriage Advisory Committee as well as being the Dean of the Deanery of St Mungos for the Archdiocese of St Andrews and Edinburgh.
On the 26th November 1987 Father Kruger was transferred to St. Patricks Parish in Kilsyth.
Cannon Karl Kruger died 24th May 1989.
After Mass with a congregation of nearly 1000 people in St Patrick’s, containing many of his friends from Grangemouth, his remains were interred at Kilsyth cemetery.
The image on the right of Canon Kruger, is of an original painting by Charlie McGuire of Grangemouth.

A Card from the Parish
Canon Kruger's Prayer Card
This hand made scroll from the Parish was presented to Canon Kruger on
his appointment to the Cathedral Chapter on being elevated to a Canon.

Newspaper Articles on Canon Kruger

Canon Kruger and Fr George Paul

Article on the arrival of
Canon Kruger

Article on the funeral of
Canon Ktuger



 
God BlessYou!