One New Zealander who is making a difference in Munich
People are sometimes reluctant to talk to Mike Gallen, very reluctant in fact. The genial, open New Zealander even tells about one man who came to his office frequently, but left again after a short time without saying anything. The silent visitor began coming to Gallen’s workplace following the publication of a newspaper article describing Gallen’s work. It seems the 50-something man, who was carrying a copy of the story in his wallet, simply wanted to talk, but it took quite some time before he was able to muster the courage to begin a conversation. This is understandable to Gallen who works as a pastor for the Munich archdiocese (Erzdiözese), counseling the unemployed. Born in Timaru, New Zealand, Gallen spent most of his youth in Christchurch. He started seminary training to become a priest, in Napier, North Island, but during his studies he lost interest in the job. “Priests,” says Gallen, “were put on a pedestal and some, in turn, started to believe they belonged there.” Though he wanted to help people, it was not as an ordained member of the church. This career change was followed by the decision to travel to Europe. Gallen took the long way, trekking across India to reach the Old World. It turns out the long journey was worthwhile because while visiting the Christian ecumenical community in Taize, France, Gallen, then 22, met his future wife, Marianne. The couple has now been married for 21 years and have two teenage daughters, Teresa, 17, and Jenny, 15. Gallen says he and Marianne fell for each other just before she headed back home to Munich. That was August 1977. Two months later, with just DM 30 and a backpack, Gallen followed his heart to Germany. He remembers having to borrow a bike to go look for a job. He literally went from door to door, finally landing a job with an English antique wholesaler, which enabled him to get a visa to stay in Germany. He knew the field thanks to years of helping out at his father’s antique shop in New Zealand. The job helped Gallen pay his bills, but the young kiwi soon realized his calling was bound up with the Church. He took German courses at night and after a year his language skills were good enough to earn him a place at university. While working part-time at the antiques store, he studied theology and trained to become a pastoral assistant—one key difference to becoming a priest is that a pastoral assistant is not ordained and may not perform certain tasks, such as baptism or saying Mass. The less structured life-style that comes with being one of the Munich diocese’s 300 lay theologians perfectly fits the free-spirited Gallen. After five years of study and a year of training, Gallen began work at a parish in the Munich suburb of Harlaching. Five years of youth work followed. He then moved on to a three-year stint in industrial ministry, which allowed him to develop contacts with workers’ unions and local employment officials. This was also the time that Gallen began offering guidance to the unemployed or to those who were about to lose their jobs. The experience convinced him that the issue of unemployment needed more attention. His superiors agreed and let him spend part of his time working on a pilot program. Gallen started by organizing a week of events for the unemployed. Soon, two people contacted him to say they would like to get a group going to help the unemployed. The three created the program’s first flier, which they distributed throughout the city. Today between 25 and 30 people consistently attend the group’s meetings, which are held every other week. “In the last two years the program has taken on its own identity,” says Gallen. “Now the challenges are letting people know that the program exists and convincing them that it is OK to seek help.” The latter is often quite difficult, but the intrepid pastor is not discouraged: “The church offers the luxury of having somebody who has plenty of time for people.” A typical meeting offers a mixture of up-to-date information, informal fellowship and a guest speaker. People also like to use the time to share what they are going through—this is important since most participants live alone—and to try to help one another with the problems they are confronted with. When asked what explicit part religion plays in the meetings, Gallen explains that the subject comes up naturally during the Christmas and Easter seasons or when the Bishop is the guest speaker but that otherwise, it is not a structured part of the meetings. Since the program’s founding most of the people who show up at the meetings are 50 and over, but Gallen likes to point out that in the last year the program has been drawing more young people, even those in their early 30s. Part of his job is to act as a facilitator for other unemployment groups. Currently, he is providing guidance and support to programs throughout the city; one example is a group of unemployed academics, whom Gallen helps with counseling and organization. Gallen’s position also requires him to be the voice of the unemployed in Munich, a demanding job in these times of economic recession and mass redundancies. He often speaks to organizations about the impact of the ongoing crisis. The job is demanding yet Gallen says it is also rewarding. When asked about his future, he is realistic: “It is certainly the right place for me to be at the moment, but life teaches you not to hang on to anything.” Visit www.arbeitslosenseelsorge.de or contact Mike Gallen, Tuesday to Friday, at (089) 51 09 93 73 for more information on the program. His office is at Kiliansplatz 1. You can also attend the next meeting, on September 10 at 10 am at the Pfarrheim St. Rupert, Gollierstr. 61.