St. Sturmius was not the first church in the village. As early as 1732, the Elector of Cologne gave instructions to support the construction of a chapel in Leitmar to prevent a change of religion.
The first chapel stood on the site of today's memorial, directly on the old church road to Heddinghausen. It was only a small building, but for more than a century it was the village center, until it was demolished in 1852.
The end of the chapel was not accepted without complaint. An indication is the purchase of a new bell in 1869 "for a new chapel to be built".
In 1904 the present area came into view, in 1912 the new building site was purchased, in 1914 the chapel board approved the construction and in October 1915 the chapel "St. Sturmius" was consecrated.
Due to its location in the new village center and its elevated position, the church became the defining structure of the village.
Finally, two remarks about the first 100 years of the St. Sturmius Chapel:
- Parish of course remained Heddinghausen and the parish priest was also chairman of the chapel board.
- The end of World War II brought an important break for our parish. Due to the wave of refugees many Protestants came to Leitmar. Soon the question arose whether Protestants could also find their place under the roof of St. Sturmius. Of course, there was resistance, but fortunately, or thank God, an early ecumenism prevailed.
(according to Theo B. Schulte-Coerne)