Retirement can't slow him down: Deacon Peter Salamon awarded a badge of honour

Created: 04/11/2022, 07:00

By: Sebastian Grauvogl

Pleasant surprise: Peter Salamon (centre) with Mayor Jens Zangenfeind and Third Mayor Ria Röpfl.

© George Jackl

The retired deacon did not expect this: Peter Salamon received the golden badge of honor from the Hausham parish.

He is still active today.

Hausham

– Up the turntable ladder or down the canal: That was Deacon Peter Salamon (75) a bit too much at his age.

"I preferred to keep my feet on the ground," says the pastor in Hausham.

So he did without the tough exams for the special training that he would have needed to be able to support the crisis intervention team across the county.

Salamon remained deeply connected to the people, but above all to the emergency services of the Hausham fire brigade, even after retirement.

For this he has now received the Golden Badge of Honor from the community of Hausham.

The “unretired deacon”, as Mayor Jens Zangenfeind humorously acknowledges him, knew nothing of his happiness.

As every year, he took part in the general meeting of the fire brigade in the equipment house as an emergency pastor.

He was quite surprised that he was suddenly the center of attention himself, says Salamon.

And even if he usually practices modesty and prefers to work in the background, he was very happy about the award.

Retired Deacon still conducts baptisms and marriages today

As early as December, the municipal council decided to award the deacon, who has been retired since 2011, with the badge of honour, reports Zangenfeind.

In addition to Salamon's official commitments, the main reason for this was his great popularity among the population.

As before, the 75-year-old is often asked to conduct baptisms or weddings.

"He is a kind-hearted person, always there for others and always committed to those who need his help and support," says the mayor.

Even after his active time as a deacon, he remained rooted in the village.

"He has become a real house hamer."

Also read: Josef Grill receives a badge of honor from the community of Hausham

Salamon was familiar with roots long before he arrived in the former mining community.

As a master gardener, he took care of the care of nature.

In his places of work in the psychiatric hospitals in Haar, Attl and Gabersee, he felt that he could also do something good for the human soul.

"Something has matured in me."

From 2003 it came to full bloom in Hausham.

But here Salamon had to deal with a difficult task.

It was up to him, together with the then pastor Günther Stachnowski, to take care of the reorganization of the then independent parishes of Agatharied and Hausham.

But the deacon accepted the challenge - and succeeded.

"With his open and down-to-earth manner, he quickly made friends with many community members," says Zangenfeind.

Active as an emergency chaplain at the Hausham fire brigade

From 2006 to 2008 Salamon was even responsible for the management of the parish of Hausham as parish commissioner.

But he took this opportunity and, according to Zangenfeind, created an active and lively parish with "incredible commitment".

Salamon then stayed for three years with Pastor Michael Mannhardt, who came to Hausham in 2008, before he began his well-deserved retirement.

Also interesting: Sepp Danninger awarded a badge of honor by the community of Hausham

But even after that, the priest remained true to his calling.

He helped out in the surrounding communities - especially in Gmund and Bad Wiessee - as a deacon and continued to work as an emergency pastor.

The Hausham fire brigade, with which the 75-year-old has been closely associated since 2006, appointed him at the 2012 Annual General Meeting as "Specialist counselor for pastoral care in the fire brigade and rescue service".

Ten years later, Salamon received the community's Golden Badge of Honor almost in the same place.

Also – or precisely because – as a clergyman, he has always kept his feet on the ground.

so called