In Pace Christi

Our confrere Fr. Eugen Kurz, born on 26 October 1930, passed away on 8 February 2008 at 76 years of age. Even though he had had a history of heart problems, his death came rather unexpectedly.

Fr. Eugen originated from Bühlerzell, near Ellwangen. This may have been one of the reasons why he joined the minor seminary in Ellwangen-Josefstal, being one of the first students who sat there for their high-school examinations after World War II. Having gone through the steps of formation and studies, he was ordained priest at Bamberg in 1956. Then, as a Comboni Missionary, Fr. Eugen spent the first period of commitment as formator in the minor seminary at Ellwangen up to 1968. Many people from Ellwangen area knew him from that time.

After this first period as formator, Fr. Eugen found himself involved in direct pastoral work, which lasted up to his end. First he was sent to Essen, not far away from Cologne, to be a founding member of a new local community. The new community was to support the newly established missionary magazine "Kontinente". At the same time the confreres there wanted to be linked with the local Church. Thus Fr. Eugen was one of the priests serving the parish there. From 1975 onward we find him at Pöcking near Munich, which was at that time the new place of our provincialate. When Fr. Eugen became the parish priest at Pöcking, he helped to get our missionary presence rooted among the faithful.

Later on we find him at our place in Graz-Messendorf as a parish priest of the local community (1990-1992). Then we find him for one year in South Africa (1992-1993), as the provincial council offered him the chance to experience somehow direct missionary work. Except for this experience, Fr. Eugen never had been active outside the DSP.

Back in Germany, he worked seven years as parish priest in Opfenbach, the parish to which our local community of Mellatz belongs. Finally, from the year 2000 up to his death, he was parish priest at the huge place for disabled people at Ursberg. Fr. Eugen was buried in Ellwangen.

In 2006 Fr. Eugen celebrated his Golden Jubilee as a priest. When printing a small card to help remember the anniversary, he selected the following quotation: "For it is not ourselves that we are preaching, but Christ Jesus as the Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake (2 Cor 4:5)." Our confrere has now attained his aim, after spending so many years as a faithful and generous servant of the Lord. May the Lord reward him with the fullness of eternal life.
Da Mccj Bulletin n. 238 suppl. In Memoriam, aprile-luglio 2008, pp. 56-58.