The services for Easter were on the brink - now it is clear: They should be possible.
The churches are preparing for the festival.
There are also many offers for the whole family outside of church services.
Wolfratshausen - Easter next weekend is an important date in the church year for both Catholics and Protestants.
Because of the corona pandemic, the festival on the occasion of the resurrection of Christ will be quieter than usual in some places.
Nevertheless, there is a lot to look forward to on the Easter weekend.
An idyllic walk - combined with reflection and devotion
It's a contemplative walk up the Wolfratshauser Bergwald to the idyllic Trinity Chapel.
There the Kolping family Wolfratshausen has been decorating the holy grave every year since 2004, where visitors to the small chapel can pause.
For 15 years, between Good Friday and Easter Monday, believers used this opportunity to slow down and prayer - until the outbreak of the corona pandemic: Last year, the tradition they had grown fond of had to be canceled.
"We have pulled out all the stops this year to make it possible again," reports Karin Stammler from the Wolfratshausen Kolping family when asked by our newspaper.
With success: if strict hygiene rules are observed, believers can visit the Trinity Chapel on Easter days.
One of the rules is that only a limited number of guests are allowed into the small church at the same time - with a mask, of course, and only for a short period of time, in order to allow access to all those waiting.
Alone in the chapel?
The risk of infection is low
“It's a beautiful tradition that we absolutely wanted to keep,” explains Stammler, referring to the amount of work that the people of Kolper invest.
And - "at least that's what my common sense says" - a short visit with a few other prayers in the chapel represents only a low risk of infection in their eyes.
Parishes plan flexibly, "we have all learned that"
A similar opportunity for reflection - a children's way of the cross with accompanying material - is offered by the Dietramszell parish this year.
Children can walk the path to Maria Elend together with their parents.
"Many, almost all parishes are currently offering such additional offers to the usual church service program," says Dean Thomas Neuberger.
Digital offers are now "a matter of course for most of them".
Nevertheless: Neuberger is happy that, according to the current status, face-to-face services are possible at Easter.
Nevertheless, the parish plans flexibly, "we all learned that over the past year".
An additional Easter Vigil service is planned so as not to gather too many people at once.
"The big celebrations, for example on Palm Sunday, will be celebrated outside," says Neuberger, "because we know that this date is important to many people and we are expecting a lot of visitors."
Also read: Last year the Easter services had to be canceled - the churches became inventive
The traditional ratchets remain silent this year
It is quieter than usual on Good Friday and Saturday in the largest city in the district: The Ratschenboum of Eghalanda Gmoi, who usually ring in the Easter weekend with traditional noise, are staying at home this year.
“There is no other way,” said club boss Helmut Hahn.
The groups that roam the city together “actually never” come from just two households and a safety distance or the need to wear a mask for hours “cannot be implemented”.
Hahn thought for a long time whether a replacement event would be possible - "we could at least run with a few former Ratschenboum on Karl-Lederer-Platz" - in the end these plans were also dashed because of the increasing number of infections and the ban on gatherings.
It is the second time in a row that the tradition - this custom has been celebrated in Geretsried since 1947 - has to pause.
Visiting church is not comparable to visiting a theater or a cultural event "
Florian Gruber, Protestant pastor in Wolfratshausen
It is not certain whether this fate will also threaten the services of the Protestant Church in Wolfratshausen.
"We will coordinate with everyone involved as to whether and how we can carry out the services," says Pastor Florian Gruber.
He himself is glad that there is no nationwide ban on sacred celebrations: "Attending church is not comparable to attending a theater or a cultural event." Gruber sees church services as a "service to society" that must be maintained - and preferably in face-to-face form.
"It is not possible to transfer this one-to-one into video format," said the pastor.
Also read: Dean Thomas Neuberger spoke in an interview with our newspaper about the fasting period during the corona pandemic
Taboo topic in the Easter sermon: the pandemic
In recent months, however, many parishes and parishes have posted entire sermons or brief food for thought on the Internet. In this context, the dean of Dietramszell, Thomas Neuberger, speaks of a “good, additional option”. In his sermon, Neuberger, who is at the side of the pastors in the training of the diocese as a sermon advisor, wants to avoid one topic as much as possible: "I've been trying not to discuss the pandemic for about two months." There are many parallels to the corona pandemic, but Neuberger thinks “it is important that the 45 or 60 minutes in the service do not deal with the omnipresent topic”. In any case, people are constantly confronted with the topic in everyday life.
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