Services are allowed again. They are celebrated in large churches in the Würmtal. But at first there is no parish without a doorman. The pastors present sophisticated hygiene concepts.
Würmtal - The first to get started are the patrons of Maria Eich. Today, Monday, May 4th, the first public service will take place in the Würmtal at 8 a.m. At 7 p.m. it continues with a May prayer. The clergymen in the Würmtal are happy that they can finally celebrate services with the faithful again.
Don't sing?
"It is nice that you can pray together again," says Rev. Walter Ziermann from the Evangelical Lutheran parish of Graefelfing. But there are clear rules for this. Without freshly disinfected hands, for example, nobody comes to the churches in the Würmtal. Masks are required. Praise of God must not be interpreted, so Ziermann considers whether he should ask visitors to bring their own, whether only known songs such as “Praise the Lord” are sung, or whether singing is dispensed with and instrumental music is played instead. However, there are also restrictions: brass instruments are currently not permitted. "A trombone choir or something like that doesn't work," says Ziermann.
Father Matthäus Klein of Maria Eich deeply regrets that no brass instruments are permitted for May service. "It's not all that sparkling," he says. He asks all worshipers to bring their own praises with them. And for the three Sunday services in the monastery in the future, a prior telephone registration is required on Thursdays between 10 a.m. and 12 p.m. and 2 p.m. and 6 p.m.
Pragmatism is required in part in the Würmtal valley in order to comply with all hygiene rules. There are currently no disinfectant dispensers on the market. So Ziermann uses plant pollinators to disinfect worshipers' hands before they enter the church. He wants to post what he calls a “hygiene person” outside the door, who should also ensure that no more than 50 people attend the service in the Church of Peace.
Order team instructs church visitors
"The conditions under which we celebrate worship are right, but they considerably restrict a living worship," says Pastor Bernhard Liess from the Evangelical Lutheran parish of Planegg-Stockdorf. He receives disinfectants from the Bundeswehr, but he also has difficulties getting the appropriate donor. As of next Sunday, only one of three doors will be open in the Waldkirche, an order team will instruct the people, because they are only allowed to sit in marked places. He estimates that there will be space for 40 people if all the distances are kept. It is easier in the Stockdorfer Apostelkirche, there are no fixed benches, but individual chairs. In addition to the implementation of hygiene guidelines, Liess plans to enjoy art. "To set a small sign for the freelance artists", he has decided to hire a different musician for each service in the future. His services, like those of the Evangelical Lutheran parish of Graefelfing, take place at the usual times.
Pastor Markus Zurl from the Catholic Parish Association will celebrate the services again at the usual times. He also plans to continue internet transmissions. "Otherwise it would be nasty for the risk group," he says. Otherwise it would be excluded. All of his parishioners will receive accurate information in the mail this week. Attending the service at Zurl is no longer possible without prior registration. This must be done on the website of the parish association or by phone in the parish office.
Village church too small for church services
Church services are celebrated again in Neuried. Only the village church is too small to comply with the distance rules, it says in the parish office of St. Nikolaus. In the parish association in the Würmtal there will also only be a service on Sunday at 10 a.m. in St. Elisabeth in Planegg, explains Pastor Johannes von Bonhorst with a heavy heart. He actually wanted to get started with five services next weekend. But when it came to organization, he reached his limits. "I kindly ask parishioners from Stockdorf for their patience and understanding that we cannot celebrate a service in Stockdorf on May 10," says von Bonhorst. But you are welcome to register for the service in St. Elisabeth. A prior registration for the service is required in his parish association, either by email at stelisabeth.planegg@ebmuc.de or by phone at the Parish Office in Planegger. "The risk groups should weigh up whether it is the right time for them to come," says von Bonhorst.
Ziermann assumes that the rush for church services will initially not be great. And Liess also thinks that he doesn't have to reject believers. For all those who have to stay at home for health or space reasons, Liess wants to offer a live broadcast of the service in the Waldkirche on the Internet.
