Making the Church in their own image

Shaping the local church and giving women a place in the sanctuary

Parish councils are committed to a vibrant local church. They make important decisions for the parish and are the backbone of parish engagement. Gertrude Pallanch served as a parish councilor for 20 years.

Gertrude Pallanch from Wels has actively shaped the church as a parish councilor for 20 years. She continues to be active in Caritas and the Catholic Women's Movement. 

In March, new parish council members were elected in the parishes for the next five years. After 20 years, Gertrude Pallanch from Wels did not stand for re-election for the first time. However, she continues to be enthusiastically involved in the parish of St. Johannes, the Wels city parish.

Actively shaping parish life for 20 years

Gertrude Pallanch works passionately for the local church. It is important to her that the church be close to the people, that women also have a place in the sanctuary at every Mass, and that parish life can be actively shaped by the people themselves.

"Twenty years ago, with Father Nikola Prskalo, a real awakening was noticeable in the city parish. The parish has become more vibrant, more open to the outside world. Women have increasingly begun to get involved," says the culture-loving Wels native about the time when she was first elected to the city parish council.

As a parish council member, she has developed into a networker. She founded a women's group, is involved in the Catholic Women's Movement, is a Caritas home collector, a hospital chaplain, and a lector. Being able to offer spiritual opportunities outside of church services was very important to her. Her training as a life coach and meditation leader, as well as her work in adult education, has been very beneficial here.

Thanks to her excellent network in the diocese, she has always been able to provide information to the parish council early and firsthand. Through her contacts with other parishes, she has repeatedly brought new ideas to the city parish.

Critical questions as well

She consciously and actively engages with biblical themes. But she by no means accepts everything. "I am also very critical of the official church. But everything has to be discussed in mindful communication," says the mother of three adult daughters, describing her approach: "I always wanted to contribute sincerely and authentically."

The introduction of a parish café, the challenging work of redesigning the sanctuary, the introduction of a book flea market, and the organization of parish festivals: these are the things she looks back on fondly over the past 20 years and the things she has enjoyed being involved in – simply because she recognized that the local church can be influenced and shaped by the parishioners.

The Parish Councils

Currently, approximately 8,000 people in 39 deaneries are involved in the 486 parish council committees of the Diocese of Linz. Following the new elections on March 20, the constitutive meetings of the newly elected committees are currently taking place in the parishes. Around 915,000 Catholics were eligible to vote.

Source

The same woman offers Meditation Courses at her "House of Attentiveness" which gives some indication which direction she would like the Church to go. The great dogmas of the Church at a discount.

"The house makes mindfulness tangible and provides inspiration for a mindfulness practice in everyday life. It is a place where one can connect with stillness, with confidence, with nature, and with the questions of living a fulfilling life. This enables relaxation and regeneration as a counterbalance to sensory overload, stress, and negative messages.

Founded on a cosmopolitan Christian spirituality, this house welcomes everyone, whether young or old, male or female, with personal, familial, professional, or entrepreneurial motives. Special mindfulness offerings are aimed at people of all contemplative religions as well as those without religious affiliation.

The house's established atmosphere is a soothing experience for those who come here: healthy simplicity, tangible hospitality, a place of silence and lived mindfulness. The unique surroundings and nature of the Almtal valley act as an oasis of relaxation.

The house is committed to the principles and goals of sustainable development, is supported by a lived, cosmopolitan Christian spirituality, builds on the power of the “we,” and is operated as a public-benefit enterprise."