Four years: That's how long the Habachers had to do without the admonishing words of their canon Thomasius.
On Sunday, the high cleric finally returned to the podium for his Lenten sermon and launched into a moral all-round blow that was not meant to be taken very seriously.
Habach – A loud fanfare from the Habach music band announced shortly after 1 p.m. that Canon Thomasius, alias Thomas Kirnberger, would be arriving in the hall of the Habach bistor, Zum Trödler.
A black robe and a solemn expression of a pinched expression – this is how Habach's favorite clergyman presented himself to his numerous followers.
The Habachers had to wait four years for Thomasius
"It's a shame that it worked again," Thomasius said at the beginning, only to then add: "It's also sorely necessary".
The fact that he had not been able to read his followers the riot act for four years because of the pandemic - the last time was in 2019: "You can tell that in the village," said the Reverend.
A decline in customs and morals can be observed everywhere.
"Without my strict hand, a lot went down the drain - but now I'm here." Well, lucky.
"We'll get through that together," assured Thomasius, and then gradually sounded out the moral shoals of the village, denounced the missteps of the mayor and municipal council, and sometimes rubbed off on various clubs and private individuals quite roughly.
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But now I'm here: Lenten preacher Canon Thomasius.
© Franziska Seliger
After he initially went to court harshly with the former tenant of the Eichbichl-Stüberl (“He tried his best, but he drove everyone away”) and had characterized the members of the voluntary fire brigade as a “devastating plague of locusts” because of their high beer consumption at festivities, he zeroed in on the veterans' association that had organized the event with strong beer tapping.
Its deputy chairman likes to wear a completely unacceptable pointed cap instead of a hat on high festivities.
And the technical glitches at veteran's anniversary and similar events make for a "situational comedy that Mister Bean couldn't stage better".
You shouldn't be tense and easily offended
Yes, anyone who dared to listen to the audience on Sunday was not allowed to be tense and easily offended.
Whereby many of Thomasius' followers dared to raise their voices at least a little and verbally defy their chief shepherd.
He, on the other hand, was clearly out of practice after a four-year hiatus during his sermon on the curtain – you could clearly tell, especially at the beginning.
Again and again he lost the thread or made slips of the tongue, which Thomas Kirnberger mostly covered up quite well.
Of course, he also went into the strange blossoms that the pandemic had produced in Habach: ominous new businesses opened in houses where private individuals had previously lived.
And the "drinking" fire brigade invited to their general assembly in the church (because the distance rules could be observed here).
"That was well intentioned," praised Thomasius, but it was of no use if you then moved on to the clubhouse to "drink together".
Hill at the roundabout: "An eyesore of the Oberland"
He was also "very worried" about the goings-on in the neighboring community of Söchering, where roast pork was eaten at the funeral feast after a funeral on Ash Wednesday.
"On Holy Ash Wednesday!!!", Thomasius roared, which his flock acknowledged with roaring laughter.
In general, there was a lot of loud and hearty laughter during the Lenten sermon.
The preacher also addressed things that could be understood as real criticism.
For example, his urgent demand to the community to create a youth room, or finally to remove the high hills at the Habacher Kreisel.
They are "an eyesore of the Oberland".
Thomasius scoffed at trial votes in the municipal council,
grumbled about property tricks to expand flood protection or compared Mayor Michael Strobl to the Italian politician Silvio Berlusconi.
After almost two and a half hours and a few intercessions, the fun was over.
There were a few friendly words to say goodbye: "You were such a nice bagage," praised Thomasius and, after a standing ovation, dignifiedly stepped back from the podium.
