1. Dettelbacher pilgrimage: 500 pilgrims on the way to hope!

<Ol> <li> Dettelbacher pilgrimage: 500 pilgrims on the way to hope! </li> </l>

In a remarkable event, almost 500 pilgrims from the towns of Höchstadt, Gremsdorf and Etzelskirchen made themselves on the 385th Dettelbacher pilgrimage. This traditional pilgrimage leads to the pilgrimage basilica Maria in the sand and attracted numerous believers who went on different routes. City pastor Kilian Kemmer started on Saturday morning to send 35 footwalls for the 60 -kilometer route.

The presence of two clergymen, Father Alazare Kiflom, a guest priest from Eritrea, and Deacon Georg Paszek, accompanied the pilgrims. This underlined the spiritual character of the pilgrimage. Cyclists were added on Sunday morning, who also started the day with a blessing of pastor Kemmer.

accompaniment and organization of the pilgrimage

The organization team, which included Karola Lorz, Renate Kaspar, Gerhard Witnesser, Wolfgang Dorsch and Hubert Scheidel, ensured that the foot pilgrimage runs smoothly. A special mention deserves the gastronomic care by Gerhard Römer as well as Roland and Andrea Vogel, who ensured that the pilgrims had enough strength for the challenges.

The pilgrims moved along the route from Höchstadt to Dettelbach, held on various churches, including the key field and Wiesentheid, and took part in pilgrimage prayers. The three breaks to strengthen contributed to making the strain of the long hike more bearable. A positive surprise for the pilgrims was the sympathy of the people from the surrounding places that they met on the go.

Elmar Gerner and Martin Bocka led the bicycle bike, which also designed a prayer in the Geiselwinder church. After a hearty breakfast, the bike pilgrims continued their journey to unite in Dettelbach with other pilgrims that had traveled by bus. Together, all participants reached the pilgrimage church, where an amphora with around 700 prayer concerns was placed on the altar.

festival service and honor of Angela Neudörfer

The highlight of the pilgrimage was the festive service, to which Mayor Gerald Brehm and his deputy Axel Rogner also appeared. During the ceremony, they renewed the pilgrimage vows of 1639, which underlined the historical importance of this tradition. The thunderous applause, which Angela Neudörfer, is considered the "mother of the pilgrimage", received particularly moving after more than 35 years of active participation. For health reasons, she was not involved in the pilgrimage this year, which particularly emphasized her merits and the connection to the pilgrims.

In his sermon, city pastor Kilian Kemmer emphasized the Christian virtue of hope, which forms the basis of this deeply rooted tradition. With this event, not only the religious feeling of togetherness is strengthened, but also the cultural identity of the region is maintained.

Wer mehr über die Wallfahrt und die damit verbundenen Traditionen erfahren möchte, findet weiterführende Informationen in einem ausführlichen Bericht on www.nn.de .