Geisberg-Regnitztal is to be the name of the future pastoral area 32, which will then include more than 18,500 Catholics from Litzendorf via Strullendorf to Hirschaid. This proposal found at least a clear majority in the transitional committee, which includes pastors, pastoral assistants, church councils and parish councils from the participating parishes. The vote for the future administrative headquarters, on the other hand, was closer, with Strullendorf prevailing with 19 votes against Hirschaid (17 votes). Of course, the cathedral mountain has the last word in this question.
"One can say, it was a factual discussion", says Marianus Schramm, pastor of Litzendorf, who has been appointed coordinator for this pastoral area. "There are certainly also larger areas, but we have many districts that want to continue to maintain their traditions."
The example shows that five months before the official entry into force of the new pastoral areas, there is still a lot of basic organizational work to be done, such as joint record keeping or the division of secretarial hours. But not only that: "The spiritual aspect remains important to us, we still want to provide reasonable pastoral care," says the pastor from Litzendorf, says Schramm. "The question will also be: How can we be an open, welcoming church, even to those unfamiliar with the church??"
The structural reform was born out of a certain need, since the number of priests is also in sharp decline in the archdiocese of Bamberg. In the pastoral letter with which Archbishop Ludwig Schick initiated the reform, he stated that one of the goals was "to distribute pastoral personnel fairly and sensibly throughout the entire archdiocese". As a consequence, what were previously 95 pastoral areas will become 35 large units, some of which will also include ten or more parishes. "Here and there the distance to the next Eucharistic celebration may become somewhat larger, but the parishes as such will remain", says Harry Luck, spokesman for the archdiocese. The parishes expect relief from full-time administrative staff at the respective administrative headquarters, which are to be hired for the new pastoral areas. For each one a leading pastor is appointed.
As far as the September deadline is concerned, the Litzendorf pastor reassures: "Nothing will change overnight." With regard to the future organization of church services, the respective pastoral teams will give some thought, for example, to Eucharistic celebrations on a rotating basis and services of the word elsewhere.
"It was already the case that the Cathedral Hill involved the parishes, even if some things were only gradually experienced", Schramm says. There are also dioceses where the bishop makes such decisions overnight without asking the parishes for their opinion.
"This reform is certainly born out of necessity and probably not to be seen as an ideal case. Rather than a lack of administration", says pastor Schramm. For a fundamental solution to the problem, "reforms from higher up" are probably necessary necessary, for example, regarding the conditions for admission to the priesthood.
The fact that the pastoral staff will become contact persons in even more areas is another approach, but "they can’t do all the services either. The original wish to orientate Litzendorf, Lohndorf and Geisfeld to Memmelsdorf and the southern part to Hirschaid and Buttenheim came to nothing.
Memmelsdorf merged with Gundelsheim and Scheblitz, the resulting new pastoral area 31 is to be called "Gugel and have their administrative headquarters in Scheblitz. The people of Scheblitz, on the other hand, wanted everything to remain as it is in their case. The current pastoral area of Scheblitz-Jura has almost 10,000 Catholics; with the new partners, there will be 17,000. "The area was already big and now it’s going to get even bigger,", says Thomas Dittner, pastoral advisor at Scheblitz. The future unit is to comprise six positions, three of them pastors. Admittedly, it is already difficult to reconcile the wishes of all parish branches.
The parish councils were only newly elected in 2018 and will remain in office for the next few years; after the transition period, there will probably be new bodies. How they will be composed and who can be elected is one of many questions still to be answered. "We are still pretty much at the beginning", says the Litzendorfer pastor Schramm. The new pastoral areas are to take effect on 30. September 2019 will be erected. Then begins a transition period until 2022. Until then, a joint pastoral concept is to be worked out, which will deal, among other things, with future orders of worship and possibilities of cooperation.
"In our rural deanery, we have many services during the church year that are organized and led by volunteers. They need professional support from main officials", had dean council chairman Georg Ries at the recent council meeting of the deanery Hallstadt-Scheblitz noted. "One of the main goals of the new pastoral concept for the new pastoral area is to strengthen the local parishes."
