It states that in 1049 there was a St. Andreas Chapel in Heerlen, which, together with a chapel in Welten, belonged to the main church in Voerendaal.
Saint James the Greater
On October 22, 2017, Bishop Frans Wiertz performed one of his last acts as bishop before enjoying a well-deserved emeritus status.
He has come especially to St. Pancratius Church, where he has been pastor/dean for so long, to bless a statue of St. James the Greater. The Brotherhood of Saint James the Greater from Roermond also traveled to Heerlen, in full regalia, to see Mgr. Wiertz and to witness the consecration of the James statue.
The sculpture that Peter Schunck from Heerlen had made especially for this church by his fellow townsman, the sculptor Sjaak Teunissen, is of a James in the traditional form as a pilgrim. James does wear a remarkable azure robe.
The statue is placed in a niche above the north door in the tower. It is striking how small the image is. The reason for this donation was the successful pilgrimage that Peter Schunck, from Heerlen, walked in 2012, together with his wife Marlène. After her death, he did this again in 2015, on his own.
