German visitors on separate quests enjoy similar welcome

Two German visitors -- a priest and a medical student -- are in town but for different reasons.

The Rev. Matthias Feldmann, a priest from the Diocese of Essen, searches for new pastoral approaches, and Jan Martin Sohns, a fourth-year medical student at the University of Goettingen and a native of Stadthagen, seeks an impression on America's medical process.

Feldmann, a guest of the Roman Catholic Church of the Holy Spirit, is part of "Crossing Over," a collaboration between Chicago's Loyola University and Germany's Ruhr University in Bochum. The Rev. Bill Tkachuk said German clergymen set aside a month to stay in Chicago's model parishes.

"It is the desire of the Catholic church in Germany to learn from model parishes to revitalize their parishes," Tkachuk said.

Ordained five years ago, Feldmann, who is fluent in English and Spanish and served as a youth pastor, seeks new inspirations for his ministry.

"I believe the present concepts of pastoral work no longer can be put into practice as people cling to those old structures," the priest said. "I perceive that people neither have the creativity nor courage to look for new pastoral approaches. In this context, I expect the opportunity to reflect on our situation and seek new inspirations for my work."

The priest said he readily noticed the "welcoming atmosphere" of his host parish, the parishioners' open spirit, the music, the participation of the laity, the way the pastor stays in the narthex to talk with folks and also the opportunity to have coffee and doughnuts following the liturgy.

"These are ideas I certainly will take home," he said.

He was amazed at the great number of volunteers. "As far as I see it," Feldmann said, "people easily choose the ministry they want, and they know quite well which gifts they should bring in and how much time they are expected to spend. They have a clear vision of what the ministry means. I think that is something we still have to work hard on in Germany."

He took notice of cultural differences, including the abundant use of cars rather than bicycles or public transportation, the "custom of using air conditioning in nearly every place" and one more big difference.

"I think people here are much more open-hearted and share their thoughts and feelings, something that for German people often is hard to do. Germans would do this only with good friends," Feldmann said.

"However, this has a great impact on the parish life. I think in Germany it is quite hard to get into a new parish and establish relationships, while I get the impression that this is quite easy at the Church of the Holy Spirit."

Meanwhile, Sohns determined before he arrived that he wasn't going to be "a stranger from Europe." Instead he's aimed at "being an ambassador of the Old Schaumburg from the other side of the ocean, where a lot of settlers came from in the 1850s."

A guest of the Chuck and Mary Nagy family -- Mary serves on the Schaumburg Sister Cities Commission --Sohns considers Mary, who also specializes in geriatric care and cares for Alzheimer's patients, "my host-family mother" and is grateful because she "organized everything so perfectly and with a big engagement for me."

The medical student spent five weeks shadowing Dr. Paul Nourbash of Barrington Orthopedic Specialists for instruction on the care of patients, but also spent 48 hours with paramedics and firefighters, becoming a member of the team at Fire Station One to experience emergency care. He observed older adults at Mary Nagy's workplace, Oak Crest, an assisted living facility in Elgin.

He spent a day riding with a Schaumburg police officer, noting the procedure used at accident scenes, and met the four German policemen who were here as part of a two-week exchange. Sohns said he thoroughly enjoyed his day on Lake Michigan observing water rescue efforts with the Chicago Police Department.

"I accompanied the Chicago Water Police on Lake Michigan, I marched in the Septemberfest parade with a German flag in my hand, and made a trip with my host family mother Mary to visit the famous Mayo Clinic and the nearby farm where she grew up," Sohns said. "Driving a John Deere tractor was a great experience for me."

He noted some differences between the two Schaumburgs, including sports preferences and what he considers low gas prices --those in Germany cost nearly eight U.S. dollars.

Sohns explained his new sports allegiance, saying, "We like soccer in Europe, and in the U.S.A. they prefer baseball and football, but now after learning the rules and spending hours in front of the television, I am a Cubs fan." Turning philosophical, Sohns believes "people are very similar and have the same dreams and fears."

"North Americans and Europeans have the same roots: historical, cultural and religious," he said. "We should never forget this. Schaumburg, Illinois, and Schaumburg, Germany, stand for an international unity of different countries, thus, an exchange like mine supports the togetherness." Although he appreciates everything he did and all the sights, he is impressed most with the people.

"They were so friendly, open, and explained things or invited me to spend more time with them," Sohns said. "I arrived alone and knew nobody, and I leave with a big pack of cards and addresses in my bag. I know that it will not be the last time I visit the Sister City."

"I will fly home with great experiences, a bigger horizon and a new vision of the U.S.A. and its people," Sohns said.