Introducing Vicar Jacob Fabich
Hi I’m Jacob and I’m Vicar in the Goulburn-Murray Lutheran Parish (Shepparton/Echuca). I’m in my 5th year of study at Australian Lutheran College in the pastoral stream. As part of our final year, we undertake a six-month vicarage placement. In recent years, this is unusual to be out of SA for vicarage, so I was very fortunate to be placed in Victoria.
I grew up in Mildura, Victoria, and after school I moved to Adelaide to study a Bachelor of Health Science (Naturopathy) while I boarded at ALC. After this, I worked full-time in ALC’s Refectory as a cook. At its closure I finally took the plunge and began studies at ALC in 2019.
During my vicarage, I am still doing units towards our ALC studies. This involves units on preaching, teaching and leading. While there is assessment for our units, many of the components of vicarage are non-graded, such as visitation. I work closely with my vicar-father, Matthias Prenzler, and our parish deaconess, Kathleen Mills. This does not mean that I am always with them, often I will do visits on my own, and often I work unsupervised, while still working closely with the others. This “gives me a taste” of what parish life is like.
During my vicarage, I became engaged to Tegan Smith, and we will be married in December. We are both excited for what the future holds for us.
At the end of vicarage, I return to Adelaide for a final semester at ALC, then, God-willing in December I will be ordained. If ordained, in early 2024 I will be installed into a parish somewhere in the LCANZ.
