Professor Alois Schifferle: A life between faith and science

Professor Alois Schifferle: A life between faith and science

The loss of pastoral theologian Alois Schifferle is deeply mourned by many in the theological community. Schifferle, born in 1945 in Leuggern, Canton Aargau, Switzerland, completed commercial training before turning to theology. From 1970 to 1978 he studied theology and philosophy at the University of Münster and the University of Innsbruck, laying the foundation for an impressive academic career.

After a few years as a religion teacher, Schifferle received his doctorate in 1981 and was ordained a priest. He gained his first pastoral experience as a vicar in Binningen, Canton of Basel-Landschaft, before working as a university pastor in Freiburg, Switzerland, for 13 years. This phase of his life was characterized by a passion for pastoral care and theological education.

Academic career

In 1993, Schifferle completed his habilitation in pastoral theology at the University of Freiburg. A year later he received a teaching position for pastoral theology and homiletics at the Chur Theological University. Between 1998 and 2011 he also worked at the University of Eichstätt, where he held the position of dean of the theological faculty from 2001 to 2005. During this time he dealt intensively with the topics of traditionalism and fundamentalism and published numerous articles in specialist magazines as well as specialist books on pastoral theology, church structure and the Pius Brotherhood.

Schifferle's habilitation thesis addressed biographical research oriented towards work history from a pastoral theological perspective. His teaching activities included the areas of community pastoral care, homiletics, sick and counseling pastoral care, and pastoral psychology. In these disciplines he made a decisive contribution to the training of future theologians and pastoral psychologists.

Commitment and influence

In addition to his academic obligations, Schifferle was involved in adult education, conducted church training courses and gave lectures and sermons. His membership in the Conference of Bavarian and German-speaking Pastoral Theologians testifies to his active role in the theological community, which deals with current challenges facing the Church.

In recent years, Schifferle lived in Switzerland, where he died after a long illness. His legacy is reflected not only in his publications, but also in the practical theology that is strongly influenced by his approach. This discipline examines the church's self-image in its respective contexts and challenges, which is in line with the ideas of Karl Rahner, who defined the foundations of practical theology in the 1960s.

The pastoral constitution “Gaudium et Spes” of the Second Vatican Council, which emphasizes the church's turn to the world, was heavily reflected in Schifferle's work. His contributions to pastoral theology and religious education remain of great importance and will certainly continue to be discussed and valued in the years to come.