Posted On 2017-08-31 In Dilexit ecclesiam

In the midst of the people of God: the Feast of Mary’s Assumption

GERMANY, Regina Heilig in Baden Online – Offenburger Tageblatt, Local Press Offentburg •

On Monday, August 14, 2017, Deacon Matthias Buerkle and the new chaplain, Fr. Frederik Reith, celebrated the Feast of Mary’s assumption into Heaven with numerous believers at the Schoenstatt Branch Shrine near Zell-Weierbach.

It is always very special, when the feast of Mary’s Assumption into heaven is celebrated in the middle of the vines at the Schoenstatt Branch Shrine rather than the parish church in Weingarten.  The Mass was first held there on August 15, 2007, during the restoration of the chapel after a (not religiously motivated) fire struck at Christmastime in 2006 and destroyed the wooden door. The idea that Mass could be followed by a feast in the vines came from the ranks of the Weingarten parish council. We can thank the well-known predilection of the then chaplain, Christian Breunig, for the idea that salad made mostly with sausage or German “wurst” is on the menu.

New Priest is allowed to shine…

On this particular Sunday in August, a chaplain was also the center of attention: Fr. Matthias Buerkle, deacon and parish priest, generously left the first place at the altar to the newly ordained priest, Fr. Frederik Reith, ordained on May 14 and working in the pastoral care unit at St. Ursula Vikar.  Fr. Frederik Reith impressed those there with a provocative and dense, yet very short sermon.

The “high festival of Mary’s assumption into heaven” expresses “good Catholic tradition” in several respects, according to Fr. Reith. In the first place, both the worship of the Mother of God and the custom of blessing are anchored deeply in the Catholic Church. Secondly the belief in Mary’s assumption into heaven was also an expression of the great importance, which in Catholicism belongs to the pure biblical word of tradition. Since this truth cannot be derived from any biblical quotation, “something that must be firmly and faithfully believed by all children of the Church ” became a dogma in 1950.

The best company – Mary

Fr. Reith also emphasized that the feast was imprecisely defined by the popular expression “the ascension of the Virgin Mary,” since only Christ himself could enter the heavens on his own, but Mary was accepted by God’s will. “Christ is God and human, while Mary is only human.” But this also contained a promise to all the faithful. If, like Mary, “God’s will is bestowed on us, we can also be in the best company, namely Mary’s” and find ourselves in Heaven.

The “sausage salad festival” occurred after the celebration of the Mass, and the weather was wonderful. The parish team lovingly prepared the food, and it tasted so good that in the end there were not any leftovers.

 

Source: Offenburger Tageblatt. Published with the kind permission of the Publisher Baden Online – wwww.bo.de.

Original Article

Original: German, 16.08.2017. Translatuion: Lindsay Burger, Munich, Germany. Edited: Melissa Peña-Janknegt, Elgin, TX USA

 

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