Confirmation camp
Pastor Thomas Klein with confirmands on the Starry Path in Saarbrücken
The pastor of the medieval churches in Gimmeldinger and Mußbach, Thomas Klein, was curious about the “Starry Paths” in Saarbrücken and invited his confirmands to a “taster course” on value pilgrimage in Saarbrücken.
The young people were amazed at what they saw on their tour of Saarbrücken Castle with the underground castle, in the castle church and finally in the collegiate church. Along the way, the key ideas of the model project were discussed, as well as central values such as friendship, tolerance, democracy and peace.
The meeting with Peter Lupp particularly impressed us as a group because his passion for art and culture was palpable at every moment. We are grateful for his personal insights and the open manner in which he guided us through the museum. We were particularly impressed by his detailed explanations of the Starry Path, which goes far beyond a cultural project and connects the Christian faith as well as social spaces. His perspectives also allowed us to recognize new connections with regard to Gimmeldingen and Mußbach. All in all, it was an encounter that enriched us and inspired our own ways of thinking and creating.
Leonora Eigenberger, confirmand
The aim of the weekend in Saarbrücken was for young people from two parishes to learn to perceive their own church in a wider context. Both churches in Gimmeldingen and Mußbach are among the reference points within the European model project “Starry Path/Chemin des étoiles” and are also marked with a shell stone. Both communities used to host pilgrims, providing them with accommodation and food, but also offering them spiritual refreshment along the way.
They had open doors and lived hospitality based on their faith. The pilgrims received a blessing in the church and heard the Gospel. But they also simply experienced the church building with its images and symbols. We were particularly interested in the image of St. Christopher and the patronage of St. John the Baptist. The aim was to find points of reference in their own lives.
What interested the young people about St. Christopher was that he persistently searched for meaning in life and that even wrong paths never led to fatal failure. Christophorus became a prime example of the fact that you can never get so far away from God that it is not still possible to turn back. St. John was an interesting figure who was critical of the times and prepared to accept serious consequences for his convictions. His prophetic advocacy of justice made him a maverick and even landed him in prison. It even literally cost him his head.
In the end, both saints led to the question of one’s own baptism and one’s own path in life, as well as to the question of how we as a church today can be or become open to new things, to other people and to change.