New service center in Amberg: A blessing for the churches!

New service center in Amberg: A blessing for the churches!

The ceremonial inauguration of the new service center in Amberg on October 28, 2025 was a very special occasion for the diocese of Regensburg. This facility is intended to serve as a contact point for church administrations and foundations and provide necessary support for volunteers and pastors. Cathedral Chapter Johann Ammer welcomed the numerous guests and emphasized the importance of this support in his speech. The diocese of Regensburg currently includes an impressive 631 parishes, which are often dependent on help.

Together with Vicar General Dr. The new center, which is part of a larger plan, was inaugurated by Roland Batz and other representatives of the diocese. A total of 13 such facilities are to be built in the region from 2025 to 2027. In his opening speech, Ammer thanked the Ordinariate leadership and the Diocesan Tax Committee, who are largely behind this project.

A place for collaboration

The location of the new service center, which is housed in the former rectory on Sebastianstrasse, is particularly important. Regional dean Markus Brunner described this use as a “stroke of luck”. He emphasized that the center offers optimal working conditions for the administrative staff and the proximity of the sacristan, who also acts as a caretaker, is an additional relief. Ammer himself described the basic structures of the service centers as a place where people can work “with an open mind and an open heart”.

The goal of the center is to ensure sustainable and efficient support for all parishes and church foundations in the region. The Parish Support Department provides administrative coordinators to assist with legal, personnel and financial matters. This assistance also extends to the preparation of church administrative meetings and budget management. From 2024, a new administrative management service will also be available, which will take over all administrative tasks and thus give pastors and volunteers more freedom for their pastoral activities.

A look into the future

The official use of the service center is voluntary and can be requested via a church administrative resolution. The facility will initially look after the church foundations of the deaneries of Laaber-Regenstauf, Regensburg-Stadt and Donaustauf-Schierling. This commitment shows how interested the diocese of Regensburg is in supporting the work of volunteers and relieving the burden on administrative processes.

Overall, everything indicates that the new center will make a significant contribution to increasing efficiency in regional church administration. It remains exciting to see how the planned 13 service centers develop by 2027 and what positive effects they will have on the daily work in the parishes. Such support paves the way for harmonious coexistence in pastoral care.

For more information about the inauguration, visit Diocese of Regensburg and also read the report Upper Palatinate24.