Being silent together is part of pastoral counselling
Topic at Mid-Lent meal held by Haus der Seidenkultur                            

“Around 80 per cent of our assignments are carried out in the private sphere” says pastoral counsellor Norbert Heymann at the Mid-Lent meal organised by Haus der Seidenkultur (HdS) in the Crefeld Südbahnhof. In the event of a sudden death of a family member, pastoral counsellors are normally contacted by the fire brigade via the doctor on call.
“Cooperation between the different faiths functions particularly well in our organisation“, explains Heymann, who arranges pastoral counselling in the greater Krefeld area. Large-scale spectacular assignments are fortunately exceptions. Here Heymann looks back to 3rd June 1969 when nine people died in Forstwald as a public transport bus was hit by a passenger train on a level crossing.
The people who have suffered an adverse stroke of fate often simply need someone to listen to them, said Heymann. And: “Being silent together can also be a great help in pastoral counselling.”  Simply saying that “Everything will be alright” would be completely inappropriate in such a situation.
Some 30 guests listened to Heymann’s talk in the “Alten Damenwartesaal” (former Ladies Waiting Room) of the Crefeld Südbahnhof. HdS Chairman, Hansgeorg Hauser, said that the talk had “provided a very authentic insight into a field which is not normally accessible to us.”

HdS is donating Euro 300 of the money raised to participate in the meal for pastoral counsellor training in the region.

At the mid-Lent meal HdS Chairman, Hansgeorg Hauser (left) presents pastoral counsellor, Norbert Heymann, with a tie with a historic pattern which was once weaved at the ecclesiastical weaving workshop Hubert Gotzes.