Headbanger Services in Catholic Church

 Church in Baden-Württemberg celebrates "Headbangers' Services"

"Heavy metal makes me burst with life"

At the "Headbangers' Church," music fans celebrate worship in robes and to loud metal music. Matthias Fuchs, pastoral assistant of the Catholic parish of Bruchsal-Michaelsberg, believes this fulfills the message of Jesus.

DOMRADIO.DE: Shrill guitars, heavy metal, and rock in church - that's the concept of the Headbangers' Church. Why do you think rock and church go well together?

Matthias Fuchs (Pastoral Assistant in the Bruchsal-Michaelsberg Parish): For me, it's quite simple: Jesus said he came to bring life in abundance. That's always when life is in full swing and we humans get a glimpse of this abundant life and feel that he's on board. I experience exactly that in the music and when we celebrate worship together. That's why it fits together quite well for me.

DOMRADIO.DE: How do you organize these services?

Fuchs: I make it a point to emphasize that it's a worship service. It's not a concert in our church, but a truly spiritual event. The service consists of a classic opening with the sign of the cross, music, of course, one or two Bible texts, a sermon, the Lord's Prayer as a communal prayer, and a blessing at the end. These are elements that I don't want to do without in worship.

DOMRADIO.DE: And how well attended is the church at such services?

Fuchs: Our church has about 400 seats, which were filled at our previous two services. It was packed.

DOMRADIO.DE: Who do these services appeal to? Are they exclusively fans of these musical genres?

Fuchs: Many come from our core congregation, and many come in their robes, with black T-shirts, and with tattoos. But there are also people from the surrounding area who are simply curious and want to see how it goes and what the response is. That's why we have a diverse group.

Matthias Fuchs

"I'm happy that we've received such a positive response."

DOMRADIO.DE: You had the idea for this headbanger service. How did your suggestion initially resonate with the church leadership?

Fuchs: I thought it might be difficult to get people on board with this idea. But I was surprised: Both my service chairman, our local senior pastor, immediately agreed, as did the parish council and our dean. And the archdiocese even provided financial support for this project. I'm really happy that we've received such a positive response.

Matthias Fuchs

"If I could burst with joy, with the fullness of life, then that's a religious experience for me."

DOMRADIO.DE: What does hard rock do to you personally?

Fuchs: Sometimes I stand in front of the stage, for example at the Wacken Festival, and I can feel and absorb this music so much that I wonder where this vitality comes from in that moment. I can't believe how happy I am. As a theologian and a believer, I'm convinced that this must have something to do with God. If I could burst with joy, with the fullness of life, then that's a religious experience for me.

Matthias Fuchs

"We talked about tattoos and faith and blessed the people with heavy metal music."

DOMRADIO.DE: The band that plays at your church was formed last year specifically for the first "Headbangers' Church Service." So, the project seems to have a future. What are your plans for the future?

Fuchs: We want to celebrate the next big "Headbangers' Church" this December. It will focus on Advent and Christmas, so we might play a quiet song or two. We recently held a service in the neighboring parish and invited motorcyclists, who then blessed them. We went to a bar last December and got talking to people there. We talked about tattoos and faith and blessed the people with our music. We still have some ideas.

DOMRADIO.DE: Have you already become a role model for other Catholic parishes?

Fuchs: I have already received a lot of positive feedback. I know that there have already been small-scale attempts to bring heavy metal into churches, for example as part of a prayer service. But we have to honestly admit that our Protestant colleagues in Switzerland are the big role model. There is a reformed pastor there who has half a job as a metal pastor. I've already had a look at his work. They celebrate differently there than we do now, but that was certainly also a source of inspiration.

Source

And Carnival Time