Funeral without clergymen: grief and anger in Hornstein

Funeral without clergymen: grief and anger in Hornstein

in Hornstein, a small town in Burgenland, there was a funeral on Saturday afternoon, which caused excitement due to the lack of church accompaniment. The deceased 53-year-old was very well known in his community, he was involved in the volunteer fire brigade, brass music and the sports club. Even none other than the mourners from the ÖAMTC from Vorarlberg traveled to the funeral service. The rush was correspondingly large, and some people indicated that such a burial was no longer experienced in 2003.

The bereaved had tried a later date for the ceremony from the start, since many mourning guests from western Austria arrived. According to a guideline from the previous year, the diocese had released Saturday morning for burial celebrations in order to meet the wishes of the faithful. But Pastor Ignaz Ivanschits had to offer only morning dates at 10 or 11 a.m., which was rejected by the bereaved.

misunderstandings and lack of church accompaniment

After attempting was initially attempted to intervene the Vicar General as an intermediary and also addressed neighboring parishes in order to find a clergyman at the afternoon date, these attempts were unsuccessful. In the end, the funeral had to take place without a pastor, but there was still talk and the Mesner took over the blessing.

Pastor Ivanschits said that he could have carried out the funeral at 12 noon, but an afternoon date was not possible because of his evening before and diocesan guidelines. Some survivors then expressed displeasure because the clergyman accused of reacting to their wishes.

The diocese also regrets the course of the funeral and is blocked by the large number of unexplained wishes for the design of the funeral service. A spokesman emphasized that it was really a shame that in this special case there was no common appointment for a church funeral.

The sad event that triggered this displeasure was the fatal accident of a 24-year-old truck driver from Hungary on the A3. According to the State Police Directorate, the truck was confiscated by the authorities after the incident, while an expert should check whether technical problems led to the accident.

The special tragedy of this situation must not be overlooked: the loss of a loved one affects the bereaved, and the circumstances of the funeral reflect the difficulties that can occur during such painful times. The discussions about the design of a funeral service continue while the community in Hornstein deals with the open questions.

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