Mesner for 50 years: why the bells rang too early one Whitsun morning and when it is most beautiful in the church

Hans Baumer has been a sacristan in Burggen for 50 years.

He told us what a former mayor and the Bundeswehr have to do with his career.

Burggen - "I was not completely unfamiliar with the sacristan service when I took over the office at the beginning of 1973," says Hans Baumer, who recently celebrated his 50th anniversary as a sacristan in Burggen.

His grandfather and later his uncle had already worked as sacristans in Frankenried near Kaufbeuren for many years.

Baumer made his first church experiences as an altar boy, before he temporarily held the office of sacristan from 1972.

The "main sacristan" at that time was Josef Schuster, who later led the fortunes of Burggen as mayor for many years.

"I still remember that evening mass in September 1972, when Josef Schuster said that he could no longer do his sacristan service during the week with immediate effect because he was going to a secondary school," says Baumer.

The then 15-year-old Hans Baumer was supposed to take over the weekday services, Schuster wanted to take care of the Sunday services.

(By the way: everything from the region is now also available in our regular Schongau newsletter.)

"At just under 16, the youngest sacristan in the diocese" - this is how Hans Baumer came into office

But things turned out differently: At the beginning of 1973, Schuster signed up for twelve years in the Bundeswehr.

As a result, he was no longer present on Sundays either, and the Burggener pastor at the time, Wolfgang Fleischmann, decided to hire Hans Baumer as a full-time sacristan.

"That made me the youngest sacristan in the diocese at just under 16," says Baumer.

At the time, Baumer would not have thought that it would turn out to be 50 years old: "But it was only possible with the support of my parents and later my wife and our children." Since 1989 his wife Marlene has been responsible for the church decorations in Burggen.

Baumer's activities as a sacristan include above all the so-called liturgical services, i.e. the preparation of masses, weddings, baptisms or funerals.

The work of the altar boy also falls within his area of ​​responsibility.

Parallel to his office as sacristan, Baumer worked as a master carpenter in the Diakonie Herzogsägmühle until he retired in 2021.

The sexton particularly remembers these experiences

In the 50 years Baumer was allowed to serve as a sacristan under three pastors: Wolfgang Fleischmann, who was in office until 2006, was followed by Joachim Schnitzer from 2006 to 2018 and since 2018 the current pastor Thaddäus Biernacki.

“The day Pastor Fleischmann died in May 2009, when I was able to sit by his sickbed at the hour of his death, is what I remember as the most moving experience during this time,” says Baumer.

For Baumer, the most beautiful moments in the church year are Christmas mass and the Easter Vigil, when, after much preparation, the “Transeamus” or the “Exultet” are sung.

“The moments are also calming when the incense is still heavy in the nave after a festive service and silence has fallen.

Then I'm alone with my Lord," says Baumer.

When the bells rang too early: An experience for the sexton to make you smile

He also remembers one experience in particular that made him smile: he woke up one Whitsun morning and, with a cursory glance at his alarm clock, realized that it was high time to ring the morning bell for the feast day.

So Baumer went to the church and had all the bells rung, as is customary on high church festivals – but a whole hour too early: Baumer rang the bell at 4:30 a.m. instead of 5:30 a.m., as it later turned out.

Due to the early time, Baumer's little faux pas was hardly noticed.

In addition to the office of sacristan, Baumer has also been involved in other areas of church life in recent decades: He was a member of the parish council for 40 years.

Baumer has been an episcopal appointed communion helper since 1976, and for many years he was the sole lector.

Mesner is the contact person for church matters in the village

Since the founding of the Auerberg parish community, the pastors responsible for Burggen no longer live in the village itself, and so Baumer is now often the first point of contact in Burggen in the event of a bereavement or other church matters.

"And because that's not enough, in 2007 I was also elected dean's chair of the Weilheim-Schongau sacristan," adds Baumer.

In any case, Baumer would like to continue as a sacristan for five years, because one thing is clear to him: "Being a sacristan is a beautiful service - for the glory of God and for the good of the people in the parish."

by Andreas Jaeger

You can find more current news from the region around Schongau at Merkur.de/Schongau.