
St. James' Church and Reformation
The Reformation was already mentioned on the "Constance" page. Upon crossing the border, the pilgrim leaves the Roman Catholic regions of southern Germany and alternates between Reformed and Catholic areas. Reformed until Rapperswil, they then return to Catholic lands with significant stops for pilgrims, such as Einsiedeln Abbey or Flüeli-Ranft, the center of life of St. Nicholas of Flüe. After the Brünig Pass, they walk on Reformed soil again until they reach the cantonal border between Bern and Catholic (initially German-speaking) Fribourg. The same applies again when they reach the canton of Vaud after Romont. After passing through the city of the important reformer Calvin, they remain in a predominantly Catholic environment until Santiago de Compostela. The Märstetten Church is particularly suitable for reflecting on the relationship between the denominations because the Reformed Church is also open to Catholics. Catholics hold services here almost every Sunday and twice a month on Saturdays. A beautiful sign of a living ecumenism.
Not only Catholics, but also Lutheran pilgrims will find Zwinglian or Calvinist churches and services somewhat strange. During the Reformation (Märstetten 1529), images and altars were banned from churches. The services, too, are more austere and far removed from Catholic ritual than Lutherans are used to.
The tradition of pilgrimage predates the Reformation. Being Reformed and going on pilgrimage are therefore not mutually exclusive. Pastor Theo Bächtold of St. James' Church and the Zurich Pilgrimage Center comments: "Today, even in the Reformed Church, physical forms of practicing faith, such as pilgrimage, fasting, or meditation, are increasingly recognized as valuable. From a Reformed theological perspective, however, pilgrimage should serve the inner search for God. It should not be viewed as a pious act with which one earns entry into heaven (from Ultreïa 1/2008)."
Info:
Reformed Märstetten: http://www.ref.ch/quickpage/pub/ShowUebersicht.do?gid=15
Catholic Märstetten: http://www.katholischweinfelden.ch/ (with link to Märstetten)
Public transport:
Märstetten train station, bus