New pastor in Herne: Nils Petrat wants to make faith tangible!

dr. Nils Petrat was installed on March 1, 2024 as the senior pastor of the parish of St. Dionysius in Herne. Born in Castrop-Rauxeler, who worked as a priest in various cities such as Rome, Paderborn, Frankfurt and Sauerland, has had a long and varied career in the Catholic Church.

his decision to take the path of the priest matured over several years and began during his Abitur period. He studied Catholic theology in Münster and initially did not visit the seminary. A formative experience was his participation in a reconstruction camp in Bosnia-Herzegovina, where he met many priests and religious. Here he began to deal with existential questions and felt the desire to become a priest.

career and challenges

nils Petrat finally moved to the seminar and studied in Münster and Rome, where he completed in 2017 with a doctorate at the theological faculty Paderborn. His family's reactions to his career choice were mixed. While his father remained silent and his mother was initially reserved, his brother supported him from the start.

he received the ordination in Herne in 2007 and followed in 2008 with the ordination in the high cathedral of Paderborn. He began his professional career in Neheim-Hüsten before going to Paderborn as a pastor and cathedral pastor. In 2023 he returned to the Ruhr area and initially took over the position of the pastor in St. Dionysius.

Petrat notes that the social challenges in the Ruhr area have increased, but explains that the openness of people has remained. He is committed to making the Christian faith tangible and promotes innovative projects in the community. He emphasizes the need to fill existing places of worship with life and to strengthen the potential of the community.

He was also known for his YouTube channel "Soul Soul" and participation in the church TV show "Motzmobil" on ProSieben. Petrat has also completed an internship with the member of the Bundestag Christian Lindner in Berlin and will take over a lecture commission for cancellation law at the "Campus for Theology and Spirituality Berlin gGmbH" in spring 2024.

His extensive training and expertise is supplemented by published works on theological topics, such as "prayer rooms in public buildings: a trend phenomenon of church law" and "finally arrive - how you can find your place in life".

Overall, Nils Petrat is a committed clergyman who faces the challenges of the modern church and wants to promote the communities with innovative ideas. You can also find more on the person Nils Petrat on the Wikipedia.

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