As of: February 20, 2024, 10:00 a.m
By: Andrea Beschorner
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Eight years ago, the Catholic women of Zolling left the kfd and then founded the Zollinger Frauen St. Johannes association.
Chairwoman Maria Westermeier looks back on the time.
© Maria Martin
Affected by the increase in membership fees, the kfd Vötting is considering dissolving the local association.
Years ago, a different step was taken in Zolling.
Zolling
– Maria Westermeier from Zolling knows only too well the problems that the kfd local association Vötting-Hohenbachern is currently struggling with.
She is the chairwoman of the Zollinger Frauen St. Johannes association - the association that was founded eight years ago after an agreement could not be reached with the two umbrella organizations of the Catholic women's community.
Even back then, it was the finances that had caused the upheaval in Zolling, and which could now also lead to the dissolution of the local association at the kfd Vötting-Hohenbachern.
In the interview, the chairwoman remembers the time.
Ms. Westermeier, in 2016 the Catholic women from Zolling left the kfd to found a new association.
Were there any attempts by the umbrella organization to prevent this at the time?
There was a lady with us in Zolling at the time.
But she talked about completely different things than what we were talking about, didn't answer our questions and didn't respond to us.
She just wanted to persuade us to move on.
What was that about for you?
The federal association had decided to increase membership fees from 13 to 24 euros - completely surprising.
You are also required to be a member of the diocesan association.
Of course there were many questions: Why are there two umbrella organizations that both charge a contribution?
As a result of this step, we as a local association would have had less money for our work on site than before, even though membership fees would have increased by more than 100 percent.
Before that we withheld five euros for the work on site, but then it was stipulated from above that this amount could not exceed four euros.
We do all the work on site, were supposed to pay significantly more back then and would have had less money available - with double the expenses.
Of course that annoyed us.
Today, eight years later: Looking back, do you and your colleagues regret this step?
No!
Of course, it is fundamentally a shame when women's organizations are weakened.
I think it's very important that there are organizations run by women, organizations that also have weight.
But we didn't feel represented, so we never regretted this step.
From today's perspective - couldn't you have done anything differently, perhaps better - perhaps you should have spoken to those responsible again?
We have nothing to blame ourselves for.
At that time we knew about a meeting of another kfd local association where the contact person from Munich was there.
We thought we'd go there and try to explain our point of view again.
Unfortunately, she didn't give us the opportunity; we had no opportunity to explain our view of things.
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Sounds like you didn't part on good terms.
You could say it that way, yes.
It didn't leave a good impression.
If the kfd Vötting-Hohenbachern now makes similar considerations as the Zollingers back then: What would you advise women?
I can only tell you what we did back then: All of our members resigned from the kfd.
Then we dissolved the club due to a lack of members and founded our new community.
Has anything changed for the better in the new club?
We have gained many new members, those who had previously been bothered by the association's connection.
For me, I have to say that I didn't feel any freer afterwards because I was already free before.
But many people came along and said that the new club was no longer so narrowly Catholic.
We have more younger women with us and also those who are not so close to the church and who were previously put off by the word Catholic in the club's name.
At the founding meeting there were around 100 women, and we have now grown to 275.
The Zollingen Women of St. John are still Catholic, even if it can no longer be found in the name?
Yes, the connection to the church has remained.
We organize church services and continue to take part in church life.
Nothing fundamental has changed.
But something will change for you this evening: There will be new elections for the Zollinger Frauen St. Johannes in the evening - and you will no longer be running.
Do you want to tell us the reasons?
I'll soon be 70, so it's time to slow down a bit.
I just don't have the energy like I did a few years ago.
It is time to pass the office on to younger hands.
A final conclusion about the past eight years: Was there anything that you have had to do without since then?
Something that you still had under the umbrella of the Catholic women's community and now miss?
Honestly, there's nothing we've missed since then.
In the past, the diocesan association sent speakers to the local associations on certain topics.
That was deleted at some point.
We should have gone to Munich - many of our older women would no longer have been able or willing to take that route.