Ernst Sieber

Ernst Sieber

Ernst Sieber in 2007
Born (1927-02-24)24 February 1927
Horgen
Residence Zürich-Seebach
Nationality Swiss
Alma mater University of Zürich
Occupation Swiss pastor, social worker, writer and former politician
Years active since 1957
Notable work Founder of the Sozialwerke Pfarrer Sieber foundation and relief organisation
Spouse(s) Sonja Sieber-Vasalli
Awards Ernst Sieber#Awards
Website Official website (German)

Ernst Sieber (born 24 February 1927 in Horgen, citizen of Zürich) is one of the most popular and best known personalities associated with the Reformed church in Switzerland. In winter 1963 he initiated the basis for the relief organisation Sozialwerke Pfarrer Sieber, founded in 1988 for disadvantaged people, to help to alleviate the hardships around addiction, disease, violence and homelessness. Sieber wrote books about his work as social worker to finance the foundation. From 1991 to 1995 he represented the citizens of the Canton of Zürich as member of the Evangelische Volkspartei (EVP) political party in the Nationalrat, the lower Swiss parliament's house.

Life and work

Early life and education

Born as son of Katharina Josepha née Hess and Hans, Ernst Sieber raised in the municipality of Horgen on Zürichsee lake shore.[1] Sieber calls himself a dreamy child, I preferred to go fishing with my brother than to go to school, but also he said on occasion of an interview in February 2015: The sense of justice and for the most vulnerable people in society has always been in me.[2] First he worked as farmhand in the French-speaking part of Switzerland, and graduated from the former Zürich agricultural school Strickhof at the present Irchelpark in 1947. In 1950 he gained the Maturität diploma on the second-chance education. He decided to study theology and ordinated at the Theological Faculty of the University of Zürich in 1956.[3]

Work as pastor and social worker

As a vicar, community and prison chaplain and priest Sieber engaged for the people on the margins of our society. After his tenure between 1956 and 1967 in Uitikon-Waldegg, in 1967 he became the parish priest in Zürich-Altstetten where he worked until his retirement as pastor in 1992.[3]

In Winter 1963 Sieber initiated a shelter for homeless and marginalized people in Zürich-Aussersihl, and started to establish further projects, among others for drug addicts at Platzspitzpark and Letten in the 1980s.[3] At the time of the so-called open drug scene in Zürich, Sieber provided the addicts with soup and bread, and gave them shelter. With his commitment he initiated the 1990s discussions about a new, better and more humane drug policies in Switzerland. His understanding of the people without shelter, for drug or alcohol addicts was and is leading the way.[4][5]

Supported by his wife Sonja Sieber Vasalli and many other helpers, Sieber established a wide range of projects in the city of Zürich and in its agglomeration. Besides, from 1988 to 1992 he was appointed as dean of the city of Zürich links der Limmat, meaning for the area on the left bank of the Limmat River. Between 1991 and 1995 the popular pastor was elected (for the EVP political party) by the citizens of the canton Zürich as their representative in the Nationalrat, the Swiss lower parliament's house.[3] For his life's work Ernst Sieber was awarded by Zürich's mayor Corine Mauch in the name of the city council with Staatssiegel von Zürich,[6] meaning the seal of the former city republic of Zürich, on 18 September 2013.[7]

Sozialwerke Pfarrer Sieber

In the extremely cold winter of 1963, Sieber established the first homeless community in a bunker in Zürich-Aussersihl. The later charity Sozialwerke Pfarrer Sieber (SWS) started numerous initiatives over the decades,[3] among them Sune-Dörfli, Sune-Egge, Ur-Dörfli, Sune-Stube,[8] Pfuusbus,[9] and the Brothausen settlement in Zürich-Affoltern for homeless people, or food supplement for poor people in cooperation with Swiss retailers.[10] In 1988 the foundation was formally established,[5][11] to support, committed on the basis of the Gospel...to help to alleviate the hardships around addiction, disease, violence and homelessness. The foundation calls its work an update of the biblical message in view of social distress and the distress of individuals who are mentally and physically suffering, socially injured, homeless and refuged, drug addicted. To give pastoral, social, medical and material assistance, as well as to ensure partnership and mutually complementary aid, SWS states that it cooperates with individuals, private, civil and ecclesiastical authorities.[12]

Awards (excerpt)

Publications

Literature

References

  1. 1 2 Marianne Härri (2010-09-03). "Sieber, Ernst" (in German). HDS. Retrieved 2015-09-18.
  2. ↑ Regi Sager (moderation) and Krispin Zimmermann (redaction) (2015-02-22). "Pfarrer Ernst Sieber – Der Menschenfischer vom Zürichsee" (in German). srf.ch. Retrieved 2015-09-18.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 "Pfarrer Ernst Sieber" (in German). Sozialwerke Pfarrer Sieber. Retrieved 2015-09-18.
  4. ↑ Laudatio of Corine Mauch on 18 September 2013.
  5. 1 2 3 Matthias Scharrer (2013-09-19). "Wo andere wegschauen, da will Pfarrer Sieber hinschauen" (in German). Limmattaler Zeitung. Retrieved 2015-09-18.
  6. ↑ "Staatssiegel und Wappen" (in German). Staatskanzlei des Kantons Zürich. Retrieved 2015-09-20.
  7. 1 2 "Stadt Zürich ehrt Pfarrer Dr. Ernst Sieber" (in German). stadt-zuerich.ch. 2013-08-18. Retrieved 2015-09-18.
  8. ↑ "Stiftung Sozialwerke Pfarrer Ernst Sieber" (in German). Reformierte Kirche des Kantons Zürich. Retrieved 2015-09-18.
  9. ↑ "Siebers Pfuusbus bietet deutlich mehr Obdachlosen Unterschlupf" (in German). Limmattaler Zeitung. 2016-04-13. Retrieved 2016-04-14.
  10. ↑ Nina Kunz (2014-12-18). "Kein Thonsalat für Bedürftige" (in German). WOZ Die Wochenzeitung 51/2014 vom 18.12.2014. Retrieved 2015-09-18.
  11. 1 2 "Engagement auf der Gasse – 25 Jahre Sozialwerke Pfarrer Sieber" (in German). srf.ch. 2013-08-25. Retrieved 2015-09-18.
  12. ↑ "Stiftungszweck und Leitbild" (in German). Sozialwerke Pfarrer Sieber. Retrieved 2015-09-18.
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