Augustin Sonnleitner was born on August 22, 1941 in the parish of Ertl. After passing the Matura for external students in Vienna, he studied theology and was ordained a priest on November 8, 1981 by Bishop Franz Zak in St. Pölten Cathedral. Between 1982 and 1985 he worked as a chaplain in Amstetten-St. Marien, St. Pölten-St. Joseph and St. Valentine. In 1985 he took over the parish of Golling as moderator, which he looked after until 1987. After a year as moderator of the Michelhausen parish, he was installed as a pastor in Wallsee-Sindelburg in 1988. From 1993 he was a pastor in Behamberg for twenty years in pastoral ministry. In 1995 he also took over his home parish of Ertl as excurrendo provisional for a few months. In 2013 he went into permanent retirement.
In the first two years of his retirement he worked as a house chaplain for the Franciscan nuns in the Hainstetten monastery. In recent years he has been living in the senior center of the city of Haag, where he was a popular and valued roommate. In addition to his involvement in the parishes, he worked for many years as a fire brigade curate at the Ertl fire brigade. In 2006 he was awarded the title of Spiritual Counselor for his services to pastoral care.
During his lifetime, Pastor Sonnleitner had expressed the wish to be buried in the priest’s grave in Behamberg. This wish was fulfilled by the parish and community. It is proof of the friendship and good cooperation in Behamberg.
The funeral took place last Wednesday. Many priests and deacons from the deanery, above all Vicar General Christoph Weiss and Auxiliary Bishop Anton Leichtfried, delegations from the Behamberg associations, the music bands and fire brigades, the parish and parish church council, the Behamberg municipal council, relatives and a large crowd of mourners attended this funeral. The singers d’Huznbleiba, Alois Schönangerer, Alfred Gansberger and the Behamberg music association performed this requiem. The Wachtberg Music Association accompanied the walk to the cemetery.
Source: Nachrichten
