Herring Easter in Corona is not an easy task. The parishes now give the faithful signposts, which is currently possible.
Bad Tölz-Wolfratshausen - Traditionally, palm bushes are consecrated on Palm Sunday, the Sunday before Easter. However, no services are currently taking place due to the corona pandemic. Many believers are now wondering how this tradition can be maintained.
The parishes have given much thought to this. “We received the recommendation from the diocese that families should pray,” says Dean Thomas Neuberger, who is responsible for the parish association Reichersbeuern-Gaißach and Dietramszell. "There is no other way to keep to everything that is currently imposed." Because even in the church, the distance of one and a half meters to other people must be kept.
That is why there are now house services or prayers that are available in the churches and can be taken away. Live streams or television services would be offered anyway. Of course it is difficult, especially for the church, which traditionally works directly with people, says Neuberger. “We are with the believers in our thoughts. But our hands are currently tied. ”This is not the case in the families: Praying together can be done there.
Believers should hit regulation hard
For this reason, the parish association Bad Tölz also puts the template for a home prayer on its website at www.pfarrverband-bad-toelz.de during the week. "The palm bushes will not be officially consecrated this year," Pastor Peter Demmelmair regrets. There is no other way, because otherwise contacts could not be avoided. "And the church is not a sterile, legal-free space either," says Demmelmair. Here, too, the ban on assembly must be observed.
Many believers will be hard hit that the bushes are not ordained and should not be distributed. According to Demmelmair, the custom is firmly anchored in the region. In the past few days, the pastor's office has received numerous inquiries as to how the regulation will look this year. Now it is clear: it boils down to a house service. Parents are responsible for whether and to whom the children hand over the bushes, says Demmelmair. The city pastor hopes, however, that the legal guardians will adhere to the ban on contact - and that the normal procedure can be returned next year.
A film by Deacon Baumann
Deacon Joachim Baumann has meanwhile made a small film for the faithful in Reichersbeuern, Gaißach and Greiling. In it he explains the importance of palm bushes and why it is currently not possible to receive the blessing in the usual way. Baumann also wants to draw people's attention to something: "Every baptized and confirmed person can bless."
In addition to the film, Baumann wrote his own text, which is now displayed or sent everywhere. "Nobody wants to deliver a virus to the tolerated Palm," he writes. He explicitly advises against going through the village and asking who would like to have a palm bush. "Yes, carrying palm bushes is important. But other times need different answers. Everything will look different next year. "
And there is a way to start Holy Week together: On Palm Sunday, the church bells will ring in Gaißach at 8.30 a.m. and in Reichersbeuern at 9 a.m. In Greiling on Palm Saturday at 7 p.m. "Then a stade Weis will sound, and I will symbolically blow holy water in all four directions. Open your window or sit in the garden - this is how we start the Holy Week at a proper distance and yet with each other, ”Baumann writes in his text.
Carrying the bushes to the churches will not be possible in Benediktbeuern on Palm Sunday. Pastor Heiner Heim advises against this in a letter from the diocese of Augsburg. But the churches are still open. "Until evening there is the possibility of personal prayer." There is also a note box in which you can put personal concerns. "That is included in the intercession in the monastery."
As Pastoral Advisor Christoph Freundl from Lenggries reports, no public service with blessings can take place in Brauneckdorf on Sunday. He also calls on the faithful to celebrate in the family or for themselves. Suggestions for this are available in printed form in the church or can be found on the homepage.
More information is available on the parish homepages. Deacon Joachim Baumann's video can be found at: https://youtu.be/HysuxY2W2Tc
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