Blessing campaign for holidaymakers: Experience the church in Sommerach!”

Blessing campaign for holidaymakers: Experience the church in Sommerach!”

Pastoral care for tourists is becoming increasingly important in order to offer spiritual offerings to people in holiday regions. Ilse Waldenmeier, community officer in the St. Benedict pastoral area of ​​the Würzburg diocese, took over responsibility for tourism pastoral care in October 2022. After 30 years in various pastoral ministries, she brings a breath of fresh air to this pilot project aimed at connecting with tourists and facilitating unexpected encounters outside of church. Sunday paper reports that Waldenmeier attaches particular importance to giving the church a face and being present where people are, such as in vineyards.

The special offers include an ecumenical blessing campaign entitled “Gönn’ Dir Blessing”, which will take place on July 22nd from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the wine yoga swings in Sommerach. This campaign offers religious impulses and an open ear for the concerns of visitors. Pastor Mareike Rathje emphasizes that it is important to reach out to people with low-threshold actions. Anonymity is made possible, which helps participants feel that their worries and fears are taken seriously.

Spiritual offerings on vacation

The importance of free time and vacation should not be underestimated. These breaks are intended to strengthen the body, mind and soul and provide space for spiritual reflection. Questions about meaning, biography, interpersonal relationships and ethical values ​​come into focus. Like the leisure and tourism pastoral care website informed, leisure pastoral care aims to create new approaches to Christian life knowledge and to offer perspectives for a fulfilling life.

Although special services for tourists are not offered, Waldenmeier plans spiritual walks and hikes to give travelers access to faith and community. She brings prayer books and hymn books with her and is ready to pray or sing with people. However, it does not provide information about leisure or dining options in order to focus on the spiritual experience.

Support for tourism regions

The “Church and Tourism” department offers support for parishes and institutions in regions with high tourist volumes. This includes the planning and implementation of pastoral and educational offers for holidaymakers and hotel employees. An example of such offers is the camping church at the Gohren campsite in Kressbronn, which provides educational and religious offers during the summer holidays and is also looking for volunteers.

The collaboration with other institutions, such as the Archdiocese of Freiburg and the Evangelical Regional Churches of Baden and Württemberg, enables a variety of offers in the touristically attractive regions of Baden-Württemberg, including the national park, the Lake Constance region, the Allgäu and the Tripsdrill wildlife paradise. The church is also present at the CMT Caravan - Motor - Tourism trade fair in Stuttgart with an information and advice stand to present further options.

The tourism pastoral care initiatives are not only aimed at accompanying holidaymakers during their time out, but are also intended to have an impact on everyday life and encourage people to engage with their faith.