After the compulsory Corona break last year, more is possible again this year on All Saints' Day.
Dean Rauscher explains what is planned in the Freising district.
District
- The pandemic prevented the traditional handling of graves on All Saints' Day last year.
This year a piece of normality is returning on this holiday.
Pastor Stephan Rauscher, parish administrator in Freising, dean in Moosburg and head of the parish association Holledau, explains how the Catholic festival is celebrated in the district this year.
(By the way: Everything from the region is now also available in our regular Freising newsletter.)
Pastor Rauscher, in 2020 All Saints' Day could only be celebrated to a very limited extent. How does it look this time?
It must be emphasized that we also did something last year - within the framework of the very limited possibilities.
Thankfully, a lot more is now possible again, because the restrictions in the open air are no longer there.
Up to 1000 people can meet outside, without distance regulation and masking requirements.
This means that the grave blessings in the cemeteries in the entire Freising district can take place as usual.
In the church, however, the distances must still be maintained.
Yes, as far as the services are concerned, the rules have changed very little. So we decided to straighten out the festival. We are lucky that All Saints 'Day follows the weekend this year, which is why, for example, All Saints' Day is celebrated on Sunday in Holledau. On Monday morning there will be another All Saints service. The grave blessing takes place in the afternoon, and this continues in the various congregations throughout the week. This means that even in congregations in which the church is too small for an All Saints service, which traditionally many people attend, a prayer with a grave blessing will definitely take place in the cemetery. This is the case in Attenkirchen, for example. In Pulling, on the other hand, a mass can be celebratedbecause the church is relatively large.
+
Pastor Stephan Rauscher is happy about more normality.
© ft
Why is it so important to you that every parish has a cemetery tour?
All Saints 'Day and All Souls' Day are not only important components of the church year, but also deeply rooted in Bavarian.
It is important to us that the dead are not forgotten.
You can also see that it is very important to the people to pray for the deceased.
Remembering them is an important part of our culture.
Therefore, with these devotions and blessings, let us create places of prayer and remembrance.
Of course, it is important to me to accompany the people - that's why I am a pastor.
And of course the people are happy that this tradition can take place again and that something more normal is returning.