By Dale Gavlak Catholic News Service OBERAMMERGAU, Germany — “I shout: ‘Jesus is innocent! Set him free!’” Roswitha Stückl exclaimed in a loud voice, while grinning at her husband, Peter, who plays the Annas, the high priest. White-haired Peter Stückl chuckled as he recounted his many years of acting in the world-famed Passion Play and […]
Oberammergau
Passion Play makes a post-pandemic return to German town By Günther Simmermacher Catholic News Service In 1633, at the height of the Reformation, the Black Death was sweeping through Europe, including the southern German region of Bavaria. The terrified people of one small village decided to do something to protect themselves from this pandemic: The […]
Two deacons leading pilgrimages to Passion Play
In Europe in the early 17th century, sentries guarded towns, villages and hamlets to protect them from a silent, deadly and relentless killer — the bubonic plague. No one could get in or out without the proper clearances and medical screening. For months the small village of Oberammergau in Bavaria, Germany, maintained its precautionary measures […]