At this year’s confirmation, Auxiliary Bishop Ansgar Puff traveled to Bad Münstereifel once more as an official dignitary
Then to Mutscheid, in order to hire numerous young people there following an appropriate period of preparation
In the Church of St. Helena the choir sang “To be continued”
By Manfred Goergen
Bad Münstereifel/Mutscheid. “The Holy Spirit and you dear confirmed candidates with your godparents are the focus today.” This was said, among other things, by the new leading Bad Münstereifel pastor Robert Rego on the occasion of the upcoming confirmations in two churches. “We celebrate that God’s spirit and power comes alive in you and urges you to grow up.”
And Auxiliary Bishop Ansar Puff as a secular donor of the sacraments: “What we are celebrating today is a new reception. The Spirit will encourage you. Difficult times in life.” The dignitary also responded and asked what worries you the most, that what you certainly think you can’t handle even at a young age. It takes strength and this confirmation with the Holy Spirit. “I look forward to celebrating the feast of the Holy Spirit with you all here,” said the auxiliary bishop.
“Who strengthens our strengths and decreases our weaknesses”
Not only in Bad Münstereifel there was a lot going on last weekend. Not only because of the Christmas market that is finally taking place once more (albeit in a slimmed-down form), but especially because of the confirmation in the Jesuit Church. The same sacrament was also administered a few hours later in the Church of St. Helena in Mutscheid.
The reason was once more the coming of a great man from the cathedral city of Cologne in the person of Auxiliary Bishop Ansgar Puff. This is combined with his indispensable shepherd’s staff (crosier) and his headgear (mitre). So in the person of Ansgar Puff and as in previous years, a guest that many people have always welcomed.
As a highly official bishop’s visit because of the two confirmations in the core town of Bad Münstereifel and a few hours later in the high area in Mutscheid. The auxiliary bishop recently made a flying visit to the Angela Gymnasium, which is still being rebuilt following the devastating flood in summer 2021 and still has a lot to do.
And it almost seems to be becoming something of a tradition in Bad Münstereifel and in the highlands for the great man from Cologne, because in December 2013 the former Düsseldorf pastor, who has now been auxiliary bishop of Cologne for more than a dozen years, Ansgar Puff also visited his new one for the first time Area of responsibility as a high dignitary in the Bad Münstereifel area and confirmed in two churches. This was repeated almost every year: this one too.
But December 2021 was something special for the bishop and the confirmands in Bad Münstereifel and Houverath. For the first time following his “leave of absence” because of the allegations of abuse that had been covered up for so long, auxiliary bishop Ansgar Puff came to the church in the Eifel and confirmed numerous young people. At that time and also now briefly “because of the cover-ups”, he asked for an apology and forgiveness for his personal omission in the process of coming to terms with the past. Last year, he also spoke of a “tough week in the past”, without going into it directly at the time. There was no more talk of that in December 2022. Ansgar Puff went briefly into what is still hovering over the church “as an organization already mentioned by many” and the bishop reflected on the most important thing: the holy sacrament of confirmation.
After the departure of auxiliary bishop Dr. Heiner Koch, who had accepted an office in the east of the republic, was given the Bad Münstereifel area, which belonged to the Archdiocese of Cologne, to the former Düsseldorf pastor and Cologne auxiliary bishop Ansgar Puff more than ten years ago. And the “new” and quite “tall” in terms of body size always presented himself in a good mood, also because of the young people with towering stature who were quite a lot opposite him, and was “felt very pleasant” by most and “looking for closeness and contact with people”. before.
And this time, too, something like modesty might be heard in his well-chosen words in the sermon. The bishop asked forgiveness in these churches for the well-known incidents, from which he too was unable to absolve himself because of a formal error he had committed.
Recently it was mainly regarding the sacrament of confirmation to be donated.
The auxiliary bishop was received by the leading Münstereifel pastor, Robert Rego, in the presence of deacon Dr. Ulrich Günzel welcomed.
The bishop then prepared the young women and men for the upcoming sacrament with the necessary seriousness. In both churches with the now accustomed 20-minute sermon, which, thanks to the always good content, was also recently well received.
The dignitary also spoke of the flood in Bad Münstereifel and other places “from a terrible time and the associated devastation.” But also from the times of war and the economic difficulties. But addressed directly to the young people to be confirmed, once more regarding opportunities that God gives them that they probably wouldn’t even guess at today. Was the talk of humility and love, not hate and violence.
Please continue to see the church not just as a building and walking through the door simply as intuition, but as much more. It is unfortunate that many people have turned their backs on this church. For some it has become a foreign church, where things are unjust, where women are not granted the same rights as men. However, the church has not only been a difficult topic since today. Many would view the Church as just a type of organization with failures in reclamation and abuse.
The words of Auxiliary Bishop Ansgar Puff at Confirmation last year have also not been forgotten: “I too would like and have to ask for forgiveness because eight years ago I made a mistake in coming to terms with it.” And with regard to the young women and men, it took a long time for him to find the right path when he was young, until the Holy Spirit seized him, as did the words recently during the two pontifical offices. And so that the young people – if they don’t already have one – get interested in the Bible, everyone was given a copy of this kind, previously blessed by the bishop. mg/ magö/ Manfred Görgen