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"Bring more joy into life instead of fasting!"

2021-03-01T05:07:54.623Z


During Lent, it is customary to limit yourself. But don't we have to do without enough things because of Corona? How do the clergy experience this situation? And what advice do they have for people? The Dachauer Nachrichten asked.


During Lent, it is customary to limit yourself.

But don't we have to do without enough things because of Corona?

How do the clergy experience this situation?

And what advice do they have for people?

The Dachauer Nachrichten asked.

District - "Corona presents us with completely different challenges" - Pastor Thomas Körner currently has other thoughts than the fasting period, which began on February 17th.

"The fasting campaign is unnecessary," regrets the pastor of the Friedenskirche in Dachau.

He sees the current social distancing as a "forced fasting action".

Therefore, he does not want to expose himself or his community to additional privations such as giving up nicotine, alcohol or sweets.

Getting in contact with the faithful is currently difficult in the Friedenskirche anyway.

The church council decided not to offer any attendance services until the lockdown was relaxed or lifted.

“We are missing a piece of human encounter,” explains Körner.

That means in plain language: You can take part in the church service online, but you cannot meet each other face to face, as the evangelical pastor regrets very much.

The ecumenical retreats, daily exercises to discover the presence of God and his work, in which one actually exchanges in weekly meetings in small groups, are only possible to a limited extent.

“But we live from encounters,” emphasizes Körner.

And not only from that, also from the financial support of the church members.

“We currently have no income, but we had to buy all the technology,” says the evangelical pastor.

The Friedenskirche did not receive a single cent from the regional church.

It was only because of member donations that she was able to buy anything for the online offerings.

Körner is also happy about the donations to the Peace Church Foundation because they can help parishioners who have got into difficult situations due to the corona pandemic.

The Friedenskirche team is in the “starting blocks”, says Körner, who emphasizes that we have to be patient at the moment.

In spite of everything, there is a lot to do online, such as Körner's “break snack”, in which the evangelical pastor explains and interprets passages from the Bible.

Interested parties can find the complete range at www.friedenskirche-dachau.de.

In the parish association of Dachau with the Catholic parishes Heilig Kreuz and St. Peter, the ecumenical retreats take place at least partially.

Every Wednesday at 7.30 p.m. there is an accompanying small prayer service in the Church of the Holy Cross, to which all believers are cordially invited.

But they can also take part completely online if they don't want to go to church.

Meetings in small groups in the parish hall are of course not possible this year.

However, on February 26th there was a devotion on the Way of the Cross in St. Peter, the parish association has scheduled a second for March 19th.

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Speaker Angelika Elsen-Hack: "Had enough waivers!"

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For parish officer Angelika Elsen-Heck from the parish association Heilig Kreuz / St.

Peter is not interested in "performing" during Lent.

Especially in the lockdown, people should "bring more joy into life", emphasizes the community officer.

"We already have enough waivers, we don't have to torture ourselves any more," said Elsen-Heck.

Approaching others, supporting those in need and questioning what is important in life, these are things that are right at the fore for them.

The parish is already dealing with the time after the lockdown.

She wants to create more space, especially for mourning work, because this work - like terminal care and funerals - posed great challenges for many relatives and pastors in the pandemic.

For pastor Heinrich Denk from the parish association Heilig Kreuz / St.

Peter said that personal deprivation was not so "noticeable", but he did experience how much his parishioners would suffer from the Corona restrictions.

He experiences two things in personal conversations: people who lack nothing because they have had little contact beforehand.

But also parishioners who lost the social contacts massively.

Anyone who already suffers from it, says Denk, does not have to look for another “fasting sacrifice”.

Rather, these people could “ask God for help so that they can get through everything better” - so that they can better accept the situation, says Heinrich Denk.

Source: merkur

All news articles on 2021-03-01

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