Health and a return to normalcy - these are Pastor Franz Sand's greatest wishes for the new year.
The Partenkirchner celebrated his 85th birthday this week.
The honorary citizen and pastor is still extremely active in retirement - in the parish association and in his hobbies.
Garmisch-Partenkirchen
- The contacts to relatives, friends and believers are what Pastor Franz Sand particularly misses.
So it's no wonder that the pastoral worker in retirement would like to see “normal conditions” again for his new year.
Just this week, in which he was able to celebrate his 85th birthday, the native of Partenkirchen became painfully aware of how much one currently has to restrict oneself due to corona.
“I couldn't celebrate, luckily there's a telephone,” he says.
This is how the numerous well-wishers reached him and he keeps in touch - with his friends in Munich, for example, where he worked as a pastor for eleven years, and with his sister in Upper Franconia.
Sand doesn't want to complain, of course.
His health is fine - "fortunately".
Therefore, he can continue to enjoy nature on his walks.
And the tasks that he still takes on in the Parish Association of Partenkirchen.
"This is how I get out a little, among the people." That is important to him, he could not retire to old age and put his hands on his lap.
The faithful appreciate it, and Dean Andreas Lackermeier is also happy about the support.
Pastor Sand: honorary citizen for the 40th anniversary of the priesthood
"He's getting me involved quite nicely," confirms Sand.
The two clergy have known each other for years.
When the 85-year-old was still a pastor in the Garmisch district, Lackermeier came to him as a chaplain.
They worked closely together for two years.
Lackermeier emphasizes that he owes a lot to Sand.
"He has implemented his ordination 'Serve the Lord with joy' magnificently over the years."
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One of the many hobbies for Pastor Franz Sand is calligraphy, the artistic calligraphy that is also useful for him when writing the family chronicle.
© mm archive
One of the reasons why Sand was made an honorary citizen of the Garmisch-Partenkirchen community on his 40th jubilee as a priest in July 2013.
"The market would like to express its extraordinary thanks and appreciation for your sustained outstanding services", explained the then mayor Thomas Schmid when handing over the certificate.
Pastor Sand received the honor "also for his civic engagement for the benefit of the whole place: As a pastor and through his solidarity and identification with his homeland, which he lived far beyond the local borders, he played a significant part in the reputation of Garmisch-Partenkirchen".
At that time, Sand was the only living honorary citizen.
After him, the winter sports stars Laura Dahlmeier, Rosi Mittermaier and Christian Neureuther as well as Alfred Heinle, the founder of child, youth and adult welfare, also received this award.
More important than honors: service to one's neighbor
More important than all honors is for the pastor, who initially worked as a locksmith's journeyman in his parents' company on Pfarrgasse and who entered the late vocational seminar in Stams near Innsbruck in 1963, serving others.
But even there, the corona pandemic thwarted his plans.
He had to give up his job as a pastor in the Lenzheim, where he also celebrated church services with the seniors, at the end of 2020 because of the strict hygiene requirements.
To his regret.
"Corona is causing me difficulties," he says.
He's not just referring to his departure from the old people's home.
The tiresome masks also plague him.
“I don't hear well and I wear glasses.” When putting on and taking off the mouth and nose protection, however, he likes to get stuck on the hearing aid or glasses.
Sand finds it annoying.
Especially at church services.
The pastor in (un) retirement has a lot to do despite the corona-related restrictions.
“I'm tidying up, after all, you never know when the hour will strike.” The passionate calligrapher, who has devoted himself to artistic calligraphy, is also working on his family chronicle.
“My nieces and nephews can read everything there.” And the nature in his Werdenfelser home belongs to his great love.
In order to be able to enjoy this for a long time on his walks, his greatest wish for the new year remains: health.
