Wolfgang Pucher
Wolfgang Pucher CM (born March 31, 1939 in Hausmannstätten , Styria ) is an Austrian Catholic religious priest of the Lazarists who is referred to in the media as a pastor of the poor in Graz because of his social commitment .
Life
Wolfgang Pucher spent his childhood in the village of Zerlach , part of the Kirchbach parish in Eastern Styria. At an early age and with the support of his mother, Pucher decided to become a priest. He was also admitted to the Episcopal Boys' Seminar in Graz , but had to leave it again at the age of 13 due to poor performance, since repeating a class was not intended there, and went to a private boarding school. He was looking for an alternative way to become a priest and entered the order of the Lazarists after graduating from high school , followed by ordination in 1963. Then he was chaplain and religion teacher in Graz. From 1969 to 1973 he worked as a boarding school director at the Austrian St. Georgs College in Istanbul , where he also looked after street children. In 1973 he was appointed pastor of the St. Vinzenz parish in Graz.
In 1978 he drew the city politicians' attention to the situation in Heßgasse , above all it was difficult for the residents there to find work with this address. The alley was deleted from the city map in 1986 for socio-political reasons, and the street sign was given to him.
His next goal was to fight homelessness in Graz. In 1991 he started with the Vinzibus , which distributed food donations to the needy every evening. In 1993 Pucher opened the so-called VinziDorf in the St. Leonhard district of Graz , a village made of construction containers for homeless people. This was followed by the establishment of other social institutions, such as:
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In 2005 the Haus Rosalie women's emergency shelter was opened in Graz. In Vienna he founded VinziRast-CortiHaus and VinziBett (emergency sleeping places for the homeless) and in 2008 the social market Vinzimarkt . These initiatives are part of the internationally active Catholic St. Vincent Community . He is also the editor of the quarterly magazine Armendienst ist Gottesdienst .
Since 2001 he has been an official member and curate of the scout group Graz 4 “St. Vincent ". The Roma from the Slovakian Hostice , who come to Graz as beggars, are of particular concern to him . After numerous allegations of only importing beggars to Graz, he started the VinziPasta project , a pasta factory in Hostice, with which the local women can earn money at home.
In 2009, shortly before his 70th birthday, Pucher fell ill with severe pneumonia , from which he however fully recovered.
When the state of Styria issued a ban on begging in 2011, he fought it legally. He let himself be reported and assists those who have been reported with appeals. In 2013 this ban was lifted by the Constitutional Court.
In 2013 Wolfgang Pucher celebrated his 50th anniversary as a priest, was pastor of St. Vinzenz for 40 years and celebrated the 20th birthday of the Vinzidorf. On this occasion he received media recognition from daily newspapers and television.
Awards
- 2001 Ute Bock Prize for moral courage
- 2005 Austrian of the year in the field of social engagement
- 2008 Leopold-Kunschak recognition award
- 2008 Fritz Greinecker Prize for moral courage
- 2012 Essl Social Prize
- 2013 honorary citizen of Zerlach
- 2015 Silver Decoration of Honor for Services to the Republic of Austria
- 2017 Gold Medal of the State of Styria
Publications
- with Hans Hödl and others: St. Vinzenz Graz. St. Vinzenz, Graz 1998.
- with Cornelia Krebs (arrangement): Wolfgang Pucher. Rebel of charity. Styria, Vienna 2009, ISBN 978-3-222-13264-3 .
Web links
- Literature by and about Wolfgang Pucher in the catalog of the German National Library
- Vincent Community Graz
Individual evidence
- ↑ Come a little closer to the goal. Kleine Zeitung , January 3, 2012, archived from the original on January 19, 2012 .
- ↑ "Then people show their asses to God". Kleine Zeitung , June 16, 2013, archived from the original on November 3, 2014 .
- ↑ Der Vinzentiner * Interview with Pastor Pucher ( page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , The Global Payer on February 6, 2012
- ↑ Elizabeth Schwarzenbauer: Manns.Bilder. Written by life - enlivened by thought. VinziDorf - home for the homeless. Steirische Verlagsgesellschaft, Graz 2003, ISBN 3-85489-097-4 .
- ^ Pastor Pucher turns 70 , Kleine Zeitung on March 29, 2009
- ^ Poor pastor Pucher continues to fight against the ban on begging , Kleine Zeitung on August 1, 2011
- ↑ The ban on begging is unconstitutional , ORF.at on January 10, 2013
- ^ At your side - The rebellious pastor , ORF
- ↑ Wolfgang Pucher receives Essl Social Award , ORF online on January 2, 2012
- ↑ Kleine Zeitung: Pastor Pucher receives the Republic's Silver Medal of Honor . Article dated November 10, 2015.
- ^ Poor pastor Pucher from the State of Styria honored on Kathpress from June 2, 2017, accessed on June 6, 2017
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Pucher, Wolfgang |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Pucher, Wolfgang CM |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Austrian religious, Catholic priest |
| DATE OF BIRTH | March 31, 1939 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Hausmannstätten , Styria |