The Catholics in Bad Heilbrunn have a new pastor.
Father Clemens Schliermann was officially inaugurated into office on Sunday.
At the same time, the community said goodbye to Father Karl Bopp.
Bad Heilbrunn - The Catholic community of St. Kilian in Bad Heilbrunn as a football team: That was the image with which Lisa Bahnmüller and Franz Steger from the parish council portrayed the relationship between the believers at the standing reception on the occasion of the farewell to Father Karl Bopp and the inauguration of Father Clemens Schliermann described to her two pastors.
With the farewell to Father Bopp, who worked in St. Kilian for eleven years, and the takeover of the parish by his Salesian brother Schliermann, there is now a “change of players” for the believers, Steger said to the numerous guests who came early Sunday evening, the standing reception in the Kursaal included representatives of the political community, members of the Salesian Order and other church representatives.
Before the reception, which was made very personal by, among other things, the altar boys and the church choir, a service was celebrated in the parish hall.
Father Bopp was “always close to people”
In 2012, the pastoral theologian Bopp moved to Bad Heilbrunn to “active and practical play,” as Bahnmüller put it.
Since then, the 70-year-old has held hundreds of masses in St. Kilian as the community's “master.”
He was deployed in all situations and was “always close to people”.
Steger praised Bopp as an open clergyman who accepted opinions other than his own and was always able to adapt well to changing “game situations”.
Now, with a reduced contract, the priest is essentially moving “to the substitution bench,” from which he will hopefully be “subbed on occasionally.”
“The team, i.e. the parish council, could not imagine a better captain,” emphasized Steger and Bahnmüller in their warm-hearted and at the same time humorous speech, in which they thanked Bopp “from the bottom of their hearts for his tireless commitment.”
During his time as pastor of St. Kilian he “achieved far more than was stated in his player contract”.
Schliermann has already “warmed up on the sidelines”
And Bopp's successor?
As a clinical chaplain at the specialist clinic, Schliermann has already been warming up on the sidelines for the past five years and will now take over the community in which he has previously worked as a temporary player.
Bahnmüller and Steger emphasized how happy they were that the position in Bad Heilbrunn could be filled again despite the lack of pastors.
The two welcomed the 67-year-old “warmly” to their “team” because: “We are happy to have a new captain.”
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The farewell and welcoming words of the two parish council representatives were joined by numerous speakers at the standing reception, including Mayor Thomas Gründl, who spoke of an “important time” that he had been able to spend working with Bopp.
Together they “achieved a lot together,” which resulted in a “bond” growing between them that “will last forever.”
Specialist clinic is pleased that Schliermann is staying
The Protestant pastor Johannes Schultheiss described Bopp's successor Schliermann as a "great pastor" and emphasized the "great luck" of the Heilbrunn Catholics to have him.
Doris Gerbig, chief physician at the specialist clinic, praised the priest as an “extremely committed clinic chaplain”.
She is very happy that he wants to continue this work.
Father Reinhard Gesing, Provincial of the Salesians of Don Bosco, was “very touched by the appreciation shown here this evening.”
As reported, the change of pastor in Bad Heilbrunn was already completed on paper on December 1st.
Bopp, who is retiring for health reasons, wants to take on temporary services in the region again and again in the future.
His successor Schliermann will continue to work in the specialist clinic.