"It was a very difficult decision for me"

Created: 2023-01-09 06:42

Many contacts and great acquaintances: Pastor Heinrich Denk on Corpus Christi 2022 in the parish garden of St. Peter.

© Simone Wester

After more than ten years in the Heilig Kreuz/St.

Peter left Pastor Heinrich Denk at the end of the year in Dachau.

Dachau - Next Sunday, January 15, from 10 a.m., the congregation will have the opportunity to see the clergyman for the last time in a solemn service.

At the subsequent reception in the parish hall of Heilig Kreuz there is the opportunity to say goodbye personally.

The Dachauer Nachrichten spoke again with the 65-year-old native of Lower Bavaria.

Pastor Denk, you asked Cardinal Reinhard Marx to be released for health reasons, is that correct?

Heinrich Denk: That is correct.

I no longer felt able to shoulder a parish association with the strength that was left to me.

The decision was very, very difficult for me.

But I've been ill on and off for the last two years, and I didn't want to put my employees through that any longer.

I already gave up my position as dean in 2021, but even that wasn't enough.

Then, in March of last year, I asked the cardinal for my release.

What will you miss the most?

Over the years I have made many personal contacts and made great acquaintances.

I really miss these human contacts, it hurts me.

How long have you been a priest?

I am a latecomer.

When I was 18, I decided to do my Abitur.

At the time, I put my path in God's hands and said to myself: if I graduate from high school, I'll become a priest.

I did it, that was a sign from above.

After graduating from high school, I entered the Capuchin order, so I became a religious and studied in Eichstätt.

I was almost 30 when I was ordained a priest. I was first employed in various positions within the order, including two years in Laufen an der Salzach.

After that I came to Munich and was provincial secretary for a few years and then also a graduate student.

In 2010 I was appointed Provincial Treasurer.

I then became a pastor at the age of 53 – in 2010 in Dachau.

What is the best thing about your job?

The liturgy, i.e. the celebration of Holy Mass and the administration of the sacraments.

And then, of course, getting to know the people in a parish.

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What are your plans for the future?

I will be working as parish vicar in a parish in Munich.

That means I help the pastor with his priestly duties and I am primarily responsible for the celebration of Holy Mass.

Baptisms and marriages can also take place if necessary.

As long as my health allows, I will remain parish vicar.

As a priest, you retire at 70.

How do you see the future of the Catholic Church and the pastor's profession?

I'm worried about the future of the German Catholic Church, but I firmly believe that Jesus supports his Church, so I won't let that deter me.

The church is carried through, albeit possibly slightly changed and reduced in size.

What is your advice to young men who are considering becoming a priest?

This job is definitely worth it.

He gives life a very, very deep meaning.

You never feel left alone, but supported by God.

It is a fulfilling, joyful task.

Interview: Simone Wester

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