Josef Riedl is appointed monsignor shortly before retirement!

Josef Riedl is appointed monsignor shortly before retirement!

A special occasion is being celebrated in Ebersberg today. Just in time for his retirement, city priest Josef Riedl was awarded an honorary title. At the suggestion of Archbishop Cardinal Reinhard Marx, Pope Leo The title “Monsignor” means something like “my Lord” and is awarded in the Catholic Church to priests with special honorable merits.

Josef Riedl was born in 1956 in Sonnenholzen near Wasserburg am Inn. He was ordained a priest in 1982 in Freising, where he initially worked as a chaplain in Berg am Laim and Feldmoching. In addition to his pastoral duties, he was also a deanery youth pastor. Between 1987 and 1992, Riedl showed his organizational talent by heading the diocesan office “Professions of the Church” and then becoming director of the late vocational seminar St. Matthias in Wolfratshausen-Waldram.

Diverse involvement in the region

Riedl was not only involved within the church, but was also director of the St. Matthias Foundation from 1992 to 2002. He was also president of the Catholic workers' movement in the Ebersberg district. His leadership qualities are also evident in his role as dean of the Ebersberg deanery until autumn 2023 and as head of the Moosach and Grafing parish associations. He is currently the pastor of Ebersberg-St. Sebastian and responsible for the parish associations Steinhöring, Kirchseeon-St. Joseph and Zorneding-St. Martin until his retirement in spring 2024.

Over the course of his career, Riedl has also taken on many administrative tasks, such as being an elected spiritual representative on the Diocesan Tax Committee and a member of the Archbishop's Asset Management Council. These diverse activities show that he is a real go-getter.

An honorary title for three other clergymen

But Josef Riedl is not the only clergyman being honored today. Together with him, three other clergy from the region were appointed monsignori: Pastor Hans Huber, who heads the Upper Inntal parish association; Johannes Kurzydem, former head of the Pacem-Munich-Nord-Feldmoching parish association and dean of the Munich-Feldmoching deanery until 2023; and Klaus Günter Stahlschmidt, who led the Munich Parish of Leiden Christ until his retirement in 2017 and also served as dean of Munich-Menzing and Munich-Nymphenburg.

The appointment as monsignor is not only a personal highlight for Riedl, but also underlines the remarkable work he has done together with his colleagues. A monsignor is not only an honorary title, it is also a sign of respect and recognition for years of service in the Catholic Church, as stated by various sources such as South Germans and the Archdiocese of Cologne emerges.

With his impending retirement, Riedl is entering a new phase of his life, which he looks back on with pride. The award of the title of Monsignor is not only the crowning achievement of his career, but also a sign of the trust and esteem he enjoys within the community.