Pastoral Letter
Dear Friends,
A group of us from the Anglesey Group of Parishes have just returned from visiting Oberammergau and attending a performance of the Passion Play. It was a 'once-in-a-lifetime'experience that we shall never forget.
We were hugely struck by the wonderful hospitality that we received in the village. Our hosts were delightful, and nothing was too much trouble for them. The shopkeepers and hotel staff were so friendly and welcoming, and, of course, many of them were actually in the play. The play is awe inspiring and very moving in its scale and power, and it explores in great depth the soul searching that both the Sanhedrin and Pontius Pilate had to face as they considered the prospect of condemning Jesus to death. Ultimately, of course, they were all fulfilling God's plan for the salvation of mankind, and that comes through so strongly in the play. The play is not simply a spectacle, it is a play of redemption that seeks to capture the fears and longings of the people of our times and to give them hope through faith in a God who loves his world and has acted to bring his redeeming love into his world through Jesus Christ.
In 1633 the villagers of Oberammergau were facing the onset of both invasion by the Swedes and a devastating attack of the plague. The villagers turned to God for help, and promised Him that they would perform a play depicting the passion of Christ every ten years if He would spare the village from both threats. The village was spared, and so the villagers kept their side of the bargain, and the passion play was produced. From 1680 the play was indeed produced every ten years, with the exception of 1770 when the local Baron banned it, and 1940 when the 2nd world war intervened.
The Passion Play has remained an integral part of the village life ever since. It is performed exclusively by amateur actors, who were either born in Oberammergau, or have lived there for the past 20 years. This year, some 2,000 of the 5,300 or so inhabitants are involved either on stage or backstage.
The performances initially took place on a simple wooden construction erected in the cemetery alongside the parish Church of St. Peter and St. Paul, but the site of today's theatre has served as the venue for the play from 1830 onwards. The stage, which has been constantly rebuilt and technically improved, was given its present monumental structure in 1930. In 1900, a roof was added to the auditorium, which has seats for some 4,800 spectators. The terraces rising towards the back of the auditorium ensure a good view from every seat of the open-air stage, where the play is performed whatever the weather. The Passion Play Theatre was given a new façade and its technology brought bang up to date as part of a general renewal and refurbishment carried out in preparation for the Passion Play 2000.
The basis for the present-day script originally came from Othmar Weis, a Benedictine monk, and was revised between 1850 and 1868 by the village vicar of that time, Joseph Alois Daisenberger. A special feature of the play is its living tableaux: colourful scenes from the Old Testament, which are woven into the story of the Passion in the form of still-life pictures to assist in meditation and reflection on the meaning of the passion of Christ. The music, with its choral and prologue performances, is beautiful, and considerably enhances the character of the play. Between 1811 and 1820, Oberammergau's teacher and church musician Rochus Dedler wrote a sensitive score which has accompanied the Passion Play ever since.
It is a remarkable experience that is enhanced by the complementary emphasis on woodcarving in the village, with its religious themes centred on the passion play. The village has developed its own woodcarving school, and the quality of the workmanship is quite outstanding. The woodcarvings enable the themes of the passion play to be permanently captured in wood for visitors to take home with them as a memento of their visit.
I for one will always treasure my visit to the Oberammergau passion play, and if you ever have the chance to do so I would encourage you to grasp it with both hands.
May God bless you all.