Nachlese 2: Jesuiten beim Katholikentag in Mannheim

„Einen neuen Aufbruch wagen “ – (Dare to dare: a new beginning) was the slogan of the 98th Deutscher Katholikentag (German Catholic convention) which took place from May 16st to 20th in Mannheim.

The roads and the marketplaces of the native town of Fr. Alfred Delp SJ (1907-1945) were the presentation area for about 250 organisations in white marquees (big tents). 80.000 people came to this biggest event of the German Catholics. The German Jesuit Province attends these meetings with its own stand since 2000. For the third time since 2006 some women congregations with an ignatian spirituality joined us. The common project was highlighted with the official name of the ignatian marquees: „ignatianisch.de“. The stand was managed by Thomas Busch (PR-Department) and Fr. Bernhard Heindl SJ (Prom.Voc.). Together with a team of confreres and highly motivated pupils of the Jesuit’s College in St. Blasien (Black Forest) they provided information and spiritual talks for the hundreds of visitors who came to the ignatian marquee.

Apart from to the official stand of the Jesuits, there were also presentations of the German section of “Radio Vatican” and of the Heinrich-Pesch-Haus in Ludwigshafen.

In addition, more than 30 Jesuits of the German Province – including Fr. Provincial Stefan Kiechle SJ - enriched the program with spiritual offerings or as sought-after partners in discussion stages and forums about the crisis of the German Catholic church and about spiritual issues. The next „Katholikentag“ will take place in Regensburg in 2014.

… Reported by Thomas Busch, Comms. Officer, Munich