City of Offenbach mourns the loss of Pastor Hans Blamm

It was with great sadness that the city of Offenbach received the news of the death of priest Hans Blamm. Born in Offenbach, he died a few days ago on St. Nicholas Day at the age of 72 after a short and serious illness.

"Not alone, but above all through his social and cultural work in the Mathildenviertel, Hans Blamm was a highly esteemed personality in the city society. With his death, the city loses a piece of humanity," announced Lord Mayor Dr. Felix Schwenke and City Council Chairman Stephan Färber in a joint statement.

Pastor Blamm was born in Offenbach in 1952 and grew up in Mühlheim. He did not initially study theology in the traditional way. Due to the death of his father at the age of 14, he initially completed an apprenticeship at the paint company Schramm in Offenbach after leaving school. It was not until 1973, after graduating with a degree in process engineering, that Blamm began his theological studies in Mainz via the second educational route. He was ordained a priest in 1980 and moved back to Offenbach in 1991. After working as a chaplain and religious education teacher, Blamm became pastor of St. Mary's parish in the Mathildenviertel district on September 1, 1991. Culture also returned with him. The church became a center for concerts and choral singing.

His social heart was particularly broad. For almost 20 years, Blamm supported the needy by distributing food in the church and packing bread bags himself. In 2010, the service was expanded together with the Offenbacher Tafel food bank with a distribution point in the Mariensaal and is still one of the most important points of contact for people with limited financial means in Offenbach. "He wasn't just a social conscience as an admonisher, he was also a go-getter, a practitioner. That's why it's fair to call him the social heart of the city center," said Mayor Schwenke, full of appreciation for Blamm's work

After his return to Offenbach, Blamm headed the OF-Mitte parish association from 2000 and then the OF-Innenstadt parish association in 2008. Also in 2008, Pope Benedict XVI awarded him the title of "Chaplain to His Holiness" (Monsignor).

In addition to his great love of animals, for example his white shepherd dog named White, charity was also a matter of course. Due to his many years of commitment to people, even if much of it was part of his work as a priest, the city of Offenbach honored him as a person with the City Hall Medal on July 4, 2010.

Pastor Blamm also took a clear political stance. The year 2007 in particular will remain unforgotten for Mayor Schwenke and many other Offenbach residents. On December 15, the NPD had registered a rally on Mathildenplatz. Offenbach's civil society stood up and loudly resisted this march - and Pastor Blamm rang the bells of St. Mary's Church at the same time. The right-wing extremist slogans were drowned out by the sound of St. Mary's bells, which are considered to be the deepest and heaviest in the entire diocese of Mainz. The rally could not go ahead as planned. "Like everyone else involved at the time, I will never forget the bell ringing against the right, which was started by Father Blamm," recalls Schwenke. Later on, the NPD was even forced to turn back by a sit-in blockade. Although Blamm was not on the street himself, he was part of the civil society that demanded that the street not be cleared. "I was proud of Pastor Blamm at the time and that he took a clear stance," says Schwenke. Pastor Blamm also did not stay away from the bells at St. Paul's Church in summer 2021 during an AFD rally.

As a camponologist ("bell expert"), Hans Blamm looked after the most powerful ringing in the entire diocese of Mainz in St. Mary's. On his initiative, the Mariengeläut was extended to a total of ten bells, which ring out over the rooftops of Offenbach several times a day. "With the ringing, he always wanted to carry a special message to the world that there is more out there than what you think is important in everyday life," remembers City Councillor Färber. One unforgettable event was the casting of a bell for St. Mary's Church in the "An den Eichen" district on October 24, 2020. Copper and tin were heated to over 1000 degrees in a furnace and poured into a mold. A day later, the bell had cooled down enough to be dug out and cored. The finishing touches were made in a foundry. The bell is named after Walter von Pontoise, a Benedictine monk.

"Our thoughts are with the relatives and friends of the deceased in these difficult days. On behalf of the city, we express our deepest sympathy to them." Schwenke and Färber emphasize in conclusion: