The faithful have been eagerly awaiting: Services can finally take place again, for example on Saturday in Waldram and Wolfratshausen. Masks are required.
Bad Tölz-Wolfratshausen - For many believers it is a great and important relief: Christian services can finally take place again, in many churches in the district for the first time in the coming days. However, there can be no question of a return to normality, because strict requirements apply.
Gerhard Beham, Kahtolian pastor in Wolfratshausen and dean.
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Pastor Gerhard Beham is a man with a sense of humor. And he kept it in times of the pandemic. "I don't think there has been a pastor without a ruler in the past few days," says the dean with a laugh. "We had to look forward, backward and diagonally to maintain the required distance of two meters." The result was a "sophisticated" concept, according to which the services from Saturday - the first two evenings in St. Andreas and Waldram - will expire.
There can be no uniform procedure in the parish associations of the Dean's Office in Wolfratshausen; the structural requirements of the places of worship in the congregations are too different. “The smaller churches with us,” says Beham, “remain closed”. An opening would not allow the required distance rule of two meters. The doors to the parish churches of St. Andreas in Wolfratshausen and St. Josef der Arbeiter in Waldram open for the faithful. And: "In Gelting and Dorfen we hold a service for the elderly, who may not be motorized, one evening a week," explains the pastor. One can estimate that "the number of visitors remains manageable and does not exceed the maximum limit."
Unlike in the neighboring deanery of Bad Tölz, Wolfratshausen largely refrains from registering. Because of the number of worship services offered, Beham assumes that it will be "well distributed". In St. Andreas there are about 100 seats. And: "Every half hour we have three services of 45 minutes each in the morning, one on Saturday and Sunday evening and two weekday masses." In addition, "not all people would come yet". And if there are really too many at once, you can put them off at the service an hour and a quarter later. “In the current situation people certainly understand this,” believes the pastor. Of course, all hygiene regulations are meticulously observed. The mistress and one employee of the church foundation disinfect the liturgical places and devices as well as the microphones. What is not possible: disinfecting the benches. The wood would be damaged by the sharp agent.
Church services are not possible in small churches
In the rural parish associations of the dean's office, services are also concentrated on the larger houses, in Münsing, for example, the Ammerland church. You can seat there, says Gerhard Beham. However, because of the smaller number of places, believers must register their visit there.
Choirs may not sing even after the loosening. However, the Wolfratshausers do not want to celebrate without music: “We will have a vocal ensemble for Pentecost and Merry Christmas. Four or five people can keep their distance on the organ gallery, ”says Beham. Together with the church musicians, they will also come up with something instrumental. "We basically sing, but only with a mask we bring with us, and everyone is allowed to sing along." Disposable song sheets are available, "or you bring your own praise of God with you." Singing is an expression of joy in a service, the dean says. "Without it, it would be a terribly sad event."
The host is dropped
Communion is distributed by two people, they go directly to the faithful. Since benches remain free at regular intervals, the communion helpers have enough space. In addition, nobody has to squeeze past a visitor who does not go to communion. "We drop the host in the open hands from a proper distance." Beham says that whether it is from the hand or a pair of pliers, you will see. "The hands are definitely disinfected before and after, and we also have disposable gloves."
Everything is extremely complicated, admits the pastor from Wolfratshausen. "Nevertheless, it is my concern to offer a happy celebration." People would get used to the changes, he believes, "and many are simply looking forward to church services again". However, he emphasizes, he got “a lot of positive feedback on the online services offered and very well received, so that I could fill a small laundry basket. In this sense it was a strangely fulfilled time ”.
In many parishes there is a registration system
In the deanery of Bad Tölz, to which Königsdorf belongs, the procedure according to the infection control requirements of the archdiocese was discussed intensively. In order to comply with all distance and hygiene rules, the times and places of worship had to be adjusted individually in each parish or parish community. For example, two trade fairs that take place in quick succession are not possible, explains Dean Thomas Neuberger from Dietramszell. “Because in between, all the benches must be cleaned and disinfected.” In addition, the number of people who can stay in the churches at the same time is limited. According to Neuberger, no mass can be celebrated in small houses of God "which, due to the distance rules, may only allow eight people inside". So there will only be open-air services in Gaißach and Reichersbeuern that are canceled when it rains.
Thomas Neuberger, Catholic pastor in Dietramszell and dean
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A maximum of 50 people are now likely to be present in the Dietramszell church, which, according to Neuberger, can accommodate “hundreds of people” on special occasions. If you remove the pastor, lecturer, mesmer and security officer, there is room for a maximum of 42 believers. In order to avoid having to reject anyone at the church door, there is a registration system in many parishes.
In the Dietramszell parish office, someone was personally available from Monday to Saturday from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. “It is very important to us to process the registration in person so that you can discuss alternatives in person if necessary,” says the pastor. When registering, names and telephone numbers would be noted. If it turns out in retrospect that a demonstrably infected person also attended the service, you could notify everyone in this way. Whether on the phone or at the door: in an emergency, having to tell believers that there is no longer any place in the church for them, "that's what we struggle with the most," says the minister.
Please arrive early for the services
Neuberger asks the faithful to appear early for the services so that long lines do not form at the entrance just before the start. There would be no holy water and no hymn books. During the entire service, all visitors must wear face masks, which they can only remove to receive communion. The communion donor will disinfect his hands and also put on gloves. According to Neuberger, there will be organ music in the services. Singing will be limited to two songs per service.
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Martin Steinbach, Protestant pastor in Bad Tölz and dean.
© Photo: MM Archive
Part of the hygiene concept of the Protestant churches is that there are dispensers with hand disinfectant at the entrance, as Dean Martin Steinbach from Bad Tölz explains. In addition, song sheets are distributed instead of the hymn books. “We will not preach from the pulpit because we would be too close to church visitors there,” says Steinbach. The distance should be four meters. "We will go behind the altar." In the church pews, the places that may be used are marked, or excess chairs are removed from the church.
For the time being, according to Steinbach, the Protestants do without the communion service - it usually takes place every second and fourth Sunday of the month. Their reintroduction will be considered at Pentecost - "if, then only as a communion to change and only with hosts and without a chalice". So you don't stand in a circle as usual and shake hands.
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Theologically, the waiver of the sacrament celebration is unproblematic, since in the Protestant church "word and sacrament are equivalent", says Martin Steinbach. Generally the services would be shortened, explains the dean. “In any case, they should take less than an hour. Overall, Steinbach looks relaxed at the community life under strict conditions. "The main thing is that the word of God will be announced again."
