How Germany's only deaf Catholic congregation makes its voice heard

Father Schmitz addressing men and women at the Sacred Heart Church in Trier, the only parish for deaf people in Germany. Photos: Harald Tittel/dpa

The congregation is singing, but strangely, the church remains silent. Whether it's during the Hallelujah or the Gloria, the faithful in the pews do nothing but nimbly move their hands and arms as they are singing in sign language: Visible, but not audible.

All of the 20 or so men and women who have come to the Sacred Heart Church in Trier for the service are deaf. They belong to a unique parish: the only one in Germany for deaf people.