As of: March 18, 2024, 2:05 p.m
By: Jörg Domke
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Taking stock after a new service order has been introduced within the community for months: from left pastoral officer Alexander Kirnberger, church musician Stefan Krischke, EZ editor Jörg Domke, pastor Eva Haubenthaler, pastor Herbert Walter and Matthias Stiftinger (leader of the worship service).
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Catholic parishes do not expect that they will remain independent in a few years.
You are already adapting.
An example: St. Margaret.
Markt Schwaben
- The service last Sunday at 10.30 a.m. in the Catholic parish church of St. Margaret was once again under a completely different auspices compared to earlier times.
This time it was the boys and girls from the children's choir and the flute group under the direction of Stefan Krischke who were proud to stand in front of the congregation to present their musical practice as part of a liturgy of the word.
Such “new forms” of church services, as Pastor Herbert Walter calls them, have now been established in the Catholic community of Markt Schwaben for a good six months.
Since then, the following rule has applied: There are usually Eucharistic celebrations on Saturday evening and Sunday at 9 a.m., and the later Sunday date is a liturgy of the word.
There are also other forms of prayer every now and then during the week - and depending on the church year.
Walter emphasizes that the fact that St. Margaret gradually approached these new forms had nothing to do with relieving him, the priest.
Rather, the completely renewed order of worship is something like an anticipation of a new era in the near future.
A new time that, according to Walter, will irrevocably approach the parish.
Not only he, but also fellow pastors in surrounding parishes in the north of the district ultimately assume that by 2030 at the latest there will no longer be any independence, but rather parish associations or even just one parish association.
We don't know anything more, said Walter in a conversation with others involved in the reform of the church service regulations in St. Margaret and the local newspaper in the rectory.
Walter emphasizes that the structures have already been gradually changed in order to be prepared if the parish association in question should one day become a reality.
New order of worship: first tests passed
In the first interim assessment since the introduction of the new order, which was drawn up in January, it was positive that the reforms had been accepted.
However, it takes time until everything becomes second nature, says Herbert Walter.
There were only a few cases of anger among believers.
But you also rely on a kind of habituation effect.
That soon no one will talk about the fact that liturgies of the word can also have their charm.
“New forms also appeal to new people,” says Pastor Walter with certainty.
And this assessment is supported by pastoral officer Alexander Kirnberger, hospital chaplain Eva Haubenthaler and church musician Stefan Krischke, who once worked on the changed structures.
Meanwhile, Kirnberger emphasizes that liturgical diversity can also be expanded.
There is no shortage of examples: He refers to a recent sermon by a colleague from company pastoral care, which was about co-determination.
(Child-friendly) word services, which were mainly organized by local kindergartens, also brought particular joy.
Church art has also been brought into focus in a liturgy of the word.
If you can use such offers to motivate people to stop by on Sunday, a lot has been achieved, says Eva Haubenthaler.
“We want to continue to arouse curiosity,” adds Kirnberger.
New forms of worship attract new interested parties
Herbert Walter even speaks figuratively, as pastors often like to put it, of a colorful bouquet of offers.
But this is only possible because there are many committed and sometimes highly trained people in his Swabian parish.
“What we have started here is like digging up a treasure,” said the parish priest.
And he immediately advocates for further changes to be allowed and to be met with benevolence.
“The changes we’re talking about here won’t sink the boat.”
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Herbert Walter is clearly happy to be able to rely on a team of volunteers in St. Margaret who are fully involved in the attempt to carefully modernize the parish from the inside and prepare it for the future.
It is also said that the collaboration with the youth, represented at the table by Liturgy leader Matthias Stiftinger, and the church music (Stefan Krischke) have worked very well so far.
You can read even more news from the Ebersberg region here.
By the way: Everything from the region is also available in our regular Ebersberg newsletter