In Pace Christi

Father Sebastian Hopfgartner (29.01.1940 – 11.03.2025)

Sebastian was born on 29^th January 1940 in Lutago (Luttach), a hamlet of the municipality of Valle Aurina (Ahrntal) in the province of Bolzano. The town lies at the foot of enchanting mountains of 3,000 meters and more. Not far away there are very famous and popular ski resorts. Sebastian is the second of eight children of a very religious and musically gifted Catholic family as he himself was.

After attending elementary school in the town, at the age of 12 he entered the minor seminary ‘Vinzentinum’ of the diocese of Bressanone. In 1960 he obtained his high school diploma and entered the major seminary for theological studies. On 29^th June 1964 he was ordained a priest in the cathedral of Bressanone by Bishop Joseph Gargitter.

Sebastian has long wanted to become a missionary. Among his family there are already missionaries: his cousin Joseph, who entered the Mill Hill Missionaries Institute, was involved in evangelisation in Pakistan; an aunt of his was a Dominican missionary in South Africa. In a letter dated February 20, 1988, addressed to the superior general, Father Francesco Pierli, he revealed: “Already at the time of my priestly ordination I was very tempted to enter the institute of the Missionary Sons of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the German branch of the Comboni missionaries. I also spoke about it to the bishop, who asked me to wait at least a year for a deeper discernment and to complete, in the meantime, my theological studies, which I finished at the end of 1965.”

The years spent in the diocese become five. First, he was curate of Velturno (about 2,000 inhabitants), where he remained for a year, and then he was assigned, as curate, to the parish of San Giacomo near Bolzano (about 6,000 inhabitants).

In 1970, he obtained permission from the bishop to go to Malawi as a fidei donum priest in the diocese of Lilongwe, to replace another priest from the diocese of Bolzano-Bressanone, who had returned to his homeland. In 1975, his permission to remain in the mission until 1989 was renewed. But he was now convinced that, if he wanted to continue his missionary life, he needed to live in a community. At the end of 1982, after 12 years spent in Malawi, during which he had many opportunities to get to know the Comboni missionaries present there, he returned to his homeland with the clear decision to enter the Comboni Institute. He spoke to the bishop, who told him: “It is up to you to decide whether to return to the diocese or join a missionary institute.” Father Sebastian chose the second alternative. The bishop gave him his dimissorial letters and, in 1983, Father Sebastian spent a year as a postulant in various communities of the Comboni province.

In January 1984 he began his novitiate in Bamberg, where on 1^st January 1985 he made his first religious profession. He was immediately assigned to the community of Bressanone, in charge of missionary animation and vocational pastoral care. In July 1986 he was in Messendorf, near Graz/Austria, with the same two roles. There he took his perpetual vows on 17^th April 1988.

From January to May 1990 he was in Rome, at the general house, for a renewal course. During the course, the superior general, Father Francesco Pierli, gave him the letter of assignment. Among other things he wrote: “Visiting Malawi during the last month of November, many confreres asked me when you would return to the mission. The memory of your commitment, of your apostolate, of the style of contact you had with the people during the years spent there, is very great. Your return – to be able to live closer than in the past – is awaited with great hopes. […] I thank you for the work you do in your home province. I pray that the good seed of missionary animation, the interest in evangelisation and the human promotion of the peoples that you have tried to spread may grow more and more and bear fruit.”

In July he was already in Limbe, in the parish of Mthawira, on the outskirts of Blantyre, the capital. His confreres in community were Father Giuseppe Buffoni and Brother Romano Maran. In June 1991, he was assigned to the parish of Gambula as superior. The Gambula community comprised 4 other Comboni Fathers – Tarcisio Candian, Emilio Franzolin, Martinho Lopes Moura and Lorenzo Turrini – belonging to the Comboni province of Mozambique who were engaged in pastoral ministry among the many refugees from Mozambique.

In October 1994, Father Sebastian was assigned as superior to the community of Chipata, in Zambia. In January 1997, he returned to Malawi, assigned to the mission of Lirangwe, where he remained until March 2000, when he was able to go to Rome, for a refresher course, and then to Bressanone for a period of rest and medical care.

In November of the same year, he received a letter of assignment from the Superior General, Father Manuel August Ferreira, who assigned him to the German-speaking Province from 1^st January 2001. Father Manuel wrote: «I would like to thank you for your willingness to accept this change in your missionary life, despite the obvious difficulties that your health situation entails. [...] I would also like to thank you for the years of missionary service that you have given to the province of Malawi-Zambia, which you are now leaving. [...] In this Jubilee Year, I wish you “a new beginning” in your missionary life with the courage and fidelity of our Founder, Blessed Daniel Comboni».

In January 2001, he went to the scholasticate of Innsbruck for a few months as a formator. In July, he was assigned to the Halle community for about a year, and then to the Neumarkt community, in charge of missionary animation.

From 2004 to 2009 he worked in Limone sul Garda, the birthplace of Daniel Comboni, to welcome and accompany the many German tourists who visited the house. Speaking fluent German and Italian, he was able to welcome them and tell them about the life of Saint Daniel Comboni and the work of his missionaries. Every Sunday, he celebrated mass in the parish in German for the many tourists and vacationers from Germany present in Limone.

In 2009 he returned to Milland where, at the request of the diocese, he took on the pastoral care of the two parishes of Sarnes and Albes in the municipality of Bressanone. Wherever he went, he was always highly appreciated by the people, also for his musical talent.

In 2017, for health reasons he had to give up his office as parish priest. The Covid-19 pandemic put him to the test and greatly compromised his health. In 2021, he accepted with obedience and serenity to be assigned to the Center for elderly and sick confreres in Ellwangen, where he regained some strength. He became a passionate listener to Radio Maria and Radio Horeb. He would stay in his room listening to the radio for hours on end so as not to miss any programs.

Father Sebastian died in Ellwangen on 13^th March 2025. Many messages of condolence and sincere gratitude arrived from Malawi from a bishop, numerous diocesan priests and confreres.

Today his body rests in the nearby local cemetery near St. Wolfgang in Ellwangen, together with 82 confreres who preceded him in the house of the Father.

Certainly, the Lord Jesus welcomed him lovingly into his arms, whispering in his ear: “Come, Sebastian, blessed of my Father, receive as your inheritance the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world” (cf. Mt 28:34b).
(Father Alois Eder mccj)