After almost seven years, Pastor Peter Seidel will leave the Habach parish community in the summer to take up his new position as a personnel officer for the priests in the diocese of Augsburg - a farewell talk about special birthdays, new challenges and what there is to do before packing your suitcase gives.
Habach / Antdorf / Sindelsdorf / Obersöchering - No, saying goodbye is not easy for him, admits Peter Seidel.
But at the end of June he will be 50 years old - a turning point, he thinks, but not too late to tackle a new challenge that presents itself.
Seidel was pastor of the Habach parish community, which unites the parishes of Habach, Sindelsdorf, Obersöchering and Antdorf, for almost seven years.
At the end of June he will pack his bags and move to Augsburg.
From September 1st he will be responsible for the personnel planning and the deployment of the clergy in the main diocesan department “Personnel / Planning”.
He did not apply for this position, says Seidel.
He actually planned to stay in Habach for a few more years.
“But I was asked,” he says.
At first he hesitated, but after careful consideration he decided to switch, because - as I said - "at 50 you can still tackle a new challenge".
At the age of 60 it might not be that easy anymore.
Pastor Seidel: "At 50 you can still tackle a new challenge"
“It was an intense time here,” says the 49-year-old, summarizing his years in the Oberland.
These years were labor-intensive, but also shaped by nature.
There were times when in twelve months he baptized 47 children and celebrated 20 weddings, took part in countless celebrations and also held 50 funerals - and mostly on his own, because until two years ago he had no support during the week apart from the community clerk he remembers.
It was only two years ago that Father Hermann Sturm gave him spiritual support on weekdays.
Fortunately, says Seidel, there have always been many volunteers in the parish community.
This great commitment of the people: "That was really nice here."
That he moved from his pastor in Günzburg to the parish community in 2014 was his wish.
As a native of the Allgäu, he was drawn back to the mountains.
Seven years later he can gratefully say: "I was happy to be here."
Around 3400 Catholics in the Habach parish community
He had a lot of fun teaching religion to the children in the school buildings in Habach and Obersöchering.
He regularly visited the old people of the parish community who live in senior citizens' homes in the area or are in hospitals in Penzberg or Murnau.
It was very important to him that they received consolation from “their” pastor.
“And I tried to give the staff in the parish community as much freedom as possible to try out new things.” The contact here with the approximately 3,400 Catholics of the parish community was close.
In the course of time “we have grown together a lot.
That pleases me."
In the parish community, Seidel was on the road a lot as a pastor and little at his desk in his office - that will change in Augsburg.
Because as a personnel officer, he would quasi become the “head of personnel for the pastors in the diocese of Augsburg” - and that is around 600 people.
Among other things, he will have to deal with their transfers, solve problems between parishes and pastors, or do sermon exams.
Pastor Seidel: He will miss the Oberland
Instead of being active in pastoral care, he will deal primarily with administrative matters in Augsburg in the future.
He is not afraid of it, because: “Administration and organization: I can do that.” But he also wants to actively help as a pastor in Augsburg a little, because: “Pastoral care is important to me.” The city in Swabia is completely alien to him Not.
Seidel lived here for four years during his studies and then worked as a chaplain for two years.
But he is sure that he will miss the Oberland.
He was out and about a lot with the e-bike in his free time.
In addition, some friendships have developed over the past seven years.
At least a few of them, he hopes, will survive despite the distance.
In order to maintain these relationships, he also wants to visit again and again.
Seidel will probably only come to pack his suitcase shortly before his last day at work on June 30th.
If he flips through his calendar, the next few weeks will be filled with baptisms and weddings.
Many of the believers, he says, still want to receive these sacraments from him.
He also wanted to carry out the first communion, which had been postponed to June due to the corona.
And for Ascension Day, the plans for a large parish festival were in progress.
Succession in parish fellowship is still open
Who will be his successor is still open.
Pastor Justus from Nigeria, who already worked in the parish community two years ago, will come temporarily in July and August, said Seidel.
The vacant pastor's position should then be filled by September 1st.
"I wish that things continue well," says Seidel.
He hopes that the new clergyman will be a "philanthropist".
A pastor who only settles in calmly and looks at everything, and who deals with the believers on an equal footing.
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