Archdiocese of Hamburg – Religious forces receive church teaching license

Image source: EBHH / Christof Haake

Religious forces receive church teaching licenses

In a solemn service, Archbishop Stefan Heße awarded a total of 32 Catholic teachers the Missio canonica – a church permit to give Catholic religious instruction. As part of the Eucharist celebration in the Kleiner Michel, Hamburg’s chief shepherd presented the mission certificates to religious leaders from Hamburg, Schleswig-Holstein and Mecklenburg.

Already in the afternoon he – together with Dr. Christopher Haep, head of the school and university department, and Friederike Mizdalski, head of the religious education department – spoke to the educators about the challenges of religious education and personal work. Haep emphasized the special value of the program as an encouragement and declaration of trust. “Your contribution to the realization of the church’s mission is not only important for society as a whole. “It is indispensable,” says Haep. Because of the confessional nature of the subject, it is necessary not only to teach lessons from the observer’s perspective, but also always to do so from the participant’s perspective. In the sense of critical loyalty, this is especially true in controversially discussed church matters To position topics in the classroom on a theologically grounded basis and thus contribute to a living church.

Archbishop Heße presented the educators with their certificates and a candle in the service that followed. He reminded us that the one who actually invited and sent was not he, but Christ himself. “Christ calls and sends you. “I’m just the middleman,” explained Heße. Looking at the candles distributed, the archbishop encouraged people to “recognize young people in the right light” in order to open up perspectives for them. “Please never give up your kind look, because then young people can develop, change and really mature in their faith,” said Heße.