It is to be assumed that the Old Liberal German Bishops also can't wait for the expected clarification from Rome.
The Mass of All Ages
(kreuz.net, Vatikan) The Instruction 'Universae Ecclesiae' to the Motu Proprio 'Summorum Pontificum' isn't slap in the faces of the Old Believers, nor is it perfect.
This was reported by Father John Zuhlsdorf from a well-known Weblog 'wdtprs.com'.
The priest received the three page long document, which will be addressed by journalists at ten o'clock tomorrow.
He will honor the moratorium till noon.
The Rights of Traditionalists Before the Bishops
Vatican Andrea Tornielli went cleverly to work.
He published today on his website the first contents of the document.
According to that 'Universae Ecclesiae' underscores the rights of the Traditionalists against the Old Liberal Bishops.
The shepherds must not obstruct the freedom of the Traditionalists by limiting rules or qualifications.
For example there are no specifications about the number of faithful necessary for a group of Traditionalists to have a Mass.
In any case, the priest must have a solid understanding of Latin for the celebration of the Old Mass.
That about closes out the ninety percent of the priests who've been educated in the system of seminaries run into the abyss by the Bishops for the last thirty years.
Even the Easter Triduum
In the new generation of priests it will be different. Because the Clarification desires that the celebration of the Old Mass will be a part of priestly education again.
It is to be expected that the German speaking Bishops will not be kept out of Rome by any further schismatic acts.
The Clarification also provides for the celebration of the Easter Triduum, in so far as there is a Traditionalist group.
As recently as last Good Friday neo-Conservative Bishop Fraz-Peter Tebartz-van Elst of Limburg refused to allow the Traditionalists in his Diocese to celebrate the Old Liturgy.
Finally the Papal Commission 'Ecclesia Dei' explains Tornielli will in the future be a clearing house for receiving alleged or real conflicts.
The cardinal creation of Jean-Claude Hollerich SJ, Archbishop of Luxembourg and President of COMECE.
Pope Francis wants to set the course for his successor so closely that the conclave cannot help but elect one of his crown princes. There are several of them, since the Argentine Pope is clear and unequivocal in his objectives, but also erratic and capricious due to his character. That's why new names keep popping up in his favor, while others don't resign because of it. Despite all the imponderables of a conclave, he not only wants to expand the circle of those who are committed to him but apparently also increase the chances of success. The Vaticanist Sandro Magister recently drew attention to a new name in papal favor.
“On the list of cardinals Francis would like to see succeed him, a new name has quickly jumped to the top. It is Jesuit Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich, Archbishop of Luxembourg.”
Cardinal Hollerich would combine characteristics of the two very different recent popes in a remarkable way. He comes like Benedict XVI. from the German-speaking area and, like Francis, is a Jesuit.
However, the latter is also the main obstacle, which a priori speaks more against than for him as a promising candidate. While Magister considers this hurdle “not necessarily insurmountable”, it is very unlikely that the papal electors will put two Jesuits in a row on the throne of Peter. Overall, Magister's assessment seems a bit too benevolent, but the punchline follows at the end. Let's hear the Vaticanist himself.
The Missionary from Japan
Hollerich's "only limitations would be his relatively young age, 64, and that he is a Jesuit. But these limitations are not necessarily insurmountable."
"In terms of age, Hollerich is just a year away from the other frontrunner dear to Jorge Mario Bergoglio, Filipino Cardinal Luis Antonio Gokim Tagle, Prefect of Propaganda Fide, and six years, so not much, from the most recognized of the alternative candidates, the Hungarian Cardinal Peter Erdö, Archbishop of Esztergom-Budapest. And as for his membership of the Society of Jesus, he has hitherto shown the best and least partisan sides of it, the most fascinating, especially for those twenty-seven years of missionary work in Japan, at the very frontiers of the faith.
Magister attests Cardinal Hollerich to speak “with a seriousness and depth that distinguishes him from the mediocre depth of most of the cardinals appointed by Pope Francis”.
The Luxembourger studied at the Jesuit University in Frankfurt am Main and in Munich, speaks several languages, including Japanese, and taught for a long time at the renowned Sophia University in Tokyo. According to Magister, this university has nothing to do with the university of the same name, founded in 2008 by Chiara Lubich and her Focolare Movement in Loppiano, according to Hollerich's official biography on the Vatican website, which is incorrectly stated.
The Jesuit worked in Japan until Pope Benedict XVI. returned to Europe in 2011 by appointing him archbishop of his homeland. As the seat of various EU institutions and as a mediator between the two core countries of the EU, the Federal Republic of Germany and France or the corresponding language areas, the small Grand Duchy of Luxembourg plays an important hinge function, which is usually exercised discreetly and in the interests of the supranational unification process.
Hollerich's rise
This was also taken into account in the Church by electing Hollerich in 2018 to chair the Commission of the Bishops' Conferences of the European Community ( COMECE), which is composed of the delegated bishops of the Bishops' Conferences of the European Union. The Church has little weight in the current EU and seems to have largely resigned itself to playing an extra role. A rather rare exception was Hollerich's criticism against French President Emmanuel Macron's proposal to include a "right to abortion" in the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights. Macron made the corresponding move on January 19 in his speech to the EU Parliament in Strasbourg, with which he took over the French EU presidency.
Macron's initiative, which can hardly be surpassed in terms of cruelty and impudence, illustrated the state of affairs in the EU. With the icy coolness of the technocrat, who had never stood for election until the time when he was nominated in backrooms as a presidential candidate, he openly and publicly demanded that the killing of innocent people be made a "fundamental right" and "European value". Even more outrageous is the fact that MEPs sat idly by and listened to this incredible blunder.
Hollerich's objection came late and quietly, but it came nonetheless. He accused the Frenchman of "ideological guidelines" and expressed his "deep concern". As COMECE President, the cardinal spoke of an "unjust law without any ethical basis, which would lead to constant conflicts between the citizens of the EU". Human dignity is a core value of the EU. We are aware of the "tragedy and complexity" of the situation of women who are considering having an abortion. “Women in need should not be left alone, nor should the unborn child’s right to life be disregarded. Both must be given all the help and support they need.”
The Leap Forward
Hollerich stepped into the front row in the church when Pope Francis created him a cardinal in 2019. Since Francis follows idiosyncratic criteria when selecting those who wear purple, Hollerich's elevation to the rank of cardinal is to be seen as a special sign of favor. The Luxemburger is one of four Jesuits who were appointed to the Church senate by the Jesuit on the papal throne.
Cardinal Hollerich (*1958)
Hollerich had first taken over the leadership of the church in his homeland, then a leading position at the EU level, and now he has stepped onto the global stage. An apparently unstoppable rise. On July 8, 2021, Francis appointed him General Rapporteur of the multi-year Synod of Bishops on Synodality. The concept of synodality plays a central role for the reigning pope, and he made Hollerich the standard-bearer of this synodality, under the auspices of which Francis wants to transform the Church.
The role of the reporter general does not have to be given as much weight as Magister does, but Hollerich's appointment is nevertheless a signal: "Compared to Francis, who always remains indecipherable even when he opens up space for new solutions, Hollerich stands out with greater clarity.”
What is essential about Magister's analysis is that it shows Hollerich's positions, which he has made in several recent interviews. Magister writes:
“In recent weeks he has given lengthy interviews in which, apparently with intuitive approval from above, he has made clear directions that the pope does not wish to articulate in his own words, which is certainly linked to the wave of extreme demands now being poured out by the almost schismatic synodal path in Germany.”
Magister evaluated the three interviews that Cardinal Hollerich gave to the daily newspaper of the French bishops La Croix, the Herder Correspondence, and the Catholic News Agency (KNA ). Its statements on the nine "challenges" of our time explain his meteoric rise.
1) Married priests
“I used to be a big advocate of celibacy for all priests, but today I wish there were 'viri probati' [Hapless old boomers, short on orthodoxy and long on professional accomplishments.]It's a deep desire. And yet it is a difficult path for the Church because it can be felt like a rupture. After the Synod on Amazonia, one of the reasons why the Pope did not allow viri probati could be that they were too strongly demanded and the Synod was too reduced to this issue. But I think we have to go in that direction, otherwise, we'll soon run out of priests. [BS, dioceses that promote the Catholic Faith don't have a shortage of priests.] In the long term, I can also imagine the path of orthodoxy, in which only the monks are obliged to be celibate.”
2) Priestesses
“It seems to me that the first problem is not whether or not women should become priests, but more importantly whether women have any real weight in the priesthood, which is common to all baptized and confirmed members of the people of God, and whether they in this way exercise the associated authority. Would that also mean preaching at Mass? I would say yes.
3) Deaconesses
"I wouldn't mind. But the reforms must be based on a stable foundation. If the Pope were to suddenly allow 'viri probati' and deaconesses, there would be a great danger of division. There is not only the situation in Germany, where maybe only a small part would break away. In Africa or in countries like France, many bishops would probably not participate.”
4) German Synod
“Sometimes I have the impression that the German bishops do not understand the Pope. The Pope is not liberal, he is radical. It is the radical nature of the Gospel that brings about change. I share Tomás Halik's attitude: we can't just talk about structural reforms, spirituality must also grow again. If it just reforms as a result of a conflict, things can quickly turn around. In this case, everything depends only on the greater influence of one group or another. That way we don’t get out of the vicious circle.”
5) Sexuality and abuse
“We need to change the way we look at sexuality. So far we have had a rather repressed view of it. Of course, it's not about telling people they can do anything, or getting rid of morality, but I think we have to say that sex is a gift from God. We know that, but are we saying it? I'm not sure. Some people attribute the increase in abuse to the sexual revolution. I think just the opposite: in my opinion, the most horrible things happened before the 1970s.”
6) homosexuality
“The Church's position that homosexual relationships are sinful is wrong. I believe that the sociological and scientific basis of this doctrine is no longer correct. It is time for a fundamental revision of the Church's teaching, and the way Pope Francis has spoken about homosexuality may lead to a doctrinal change. In the meantime, in our archdiocese in Luxembourg, no one is dismissed for being homosexual or for being divorced and remarried. I can't throw them out, they would be out of a job, and how can something like that be Christian? As for homosexual priests, there are many of them and it would be good if they could talk about it with their bishop without his condemning them.”
7) Intercommunion
“In Tokyo, I gave communion to everyone who came to Mass. I have never refused Communion to anyone. I have assumed that when a Protestant comes to Communion, he knows at least as well what Catholics mean by Communion as do other Catholics who go to Mass. But I would not concelebrate with an evangelical pastor. In Tokyo I got to know and appreciate Protestantism very well. But I attended one of their evening meals and was horrified when the remaining wine and bread were thrown away. That shook me a lot because as a Catholic I believe in the Real Presence.”
8) Latin Mass
“I like the Latin Mass, I find the texts very beautiful, especially the first canon. When I celebrate Mass in the chapel of my home, I sometimes choose a Latin prayer. But I wouldn't do that in a church. I know that the people there don't understand Latin and can't do anything with it. I have been asked to celebrate a Latin Mass in Antwerp according to the current rite. I will, but I wouldn't celebrate the old rite. That doesn't mean that others might not be able to do it in a good way. But I can not. In our language and in our imagination, the past is behind us and the future is ahead of us. In ancient Egypt, it was the other way around. The past was seen as something that lies ahead because we know and see it, while the future lies behind us because we do not know it. The Catholic Church still seems to me to have an Egyptian touch. But it doesn't work anymore. God opens up for the future. Some say that the fair used to be much nicer. But what form do they refer to? Mostly they imagine a certain past that is 'stylized' into a tradition. This is where Egyptian civilization ultimately failed. She was no longer able to change herself.” God opens up for the future. Some say that the Mass used to be much nicer. But what form do they refer to? Mostly they imagine a certain past that is 'stylized' into a tradition. This is where Egyptian civilization ultimately failed.”
9) abortion
“I know men and women, including those on the left, who identify as committed Christians fighting climate change, but vote in the European Parliament to make abortion a fundamental right and restrict doctors' freedom of conscience. They tend to confine their religious preferences to the private sphere. But in this case, it is no longer a religion but a personal belief. Religion needs a public space in which to express itself. For example, I am absolutely against abortion. And as a Christian, I cannot take any other position. But I also understand that it is about the dignity of women and that what we used to say against the abortion law is no longer audible today. What other actions can we take at this time? At this point, what else can we do to protect life? If discourse is no longer followed, you shouldn’t bite your teeth, but look for other ways.”
Smooth and progressive. Francis likes his politically correct brother Hollerich. Does that make him suitable for the papacy?
Magister's Notes
Aside from the fact that Hollerich says deaconesses but means female deacons, it would be interesting to know what he is referring to when he says that the "most horrible things" of sexual abuse happened before 1970, which his age and his choice of words make him not seem to have what I know from my own experience that the positions of the Jesuit cardinal are frighteningly clear. He proves to be a more liberal spirit – despite the fact that he is the same as Francis in terms of content. However, this does not predestine him as a candidate for the Petrine ministry.
On another point, the liturgical blessing of homosexual couples, "on which the German synod got into an uproar and Pope Francis himself showed signs of giving in", Hollerich, according to Magister, made "short work":
"I don't agree with marriage blessings, because we see marriage only as a bond between a man and a woman."
However, Hollerich distances himself from something that is not (yet) demanded in this form even by the Church homosexual lobby. The man who, according to the Magister, formulates "with greater clarity" than Francis, also uses veiling means of dialectics.
According to the Vaticanist, Hollerich's vision of the Church also differs from the "hyper-democratic" view that the Limburg bishop and chairman of the German Bishops' Conference, Georg Bätzing, recently confirmed in an interview. But that doesn't seem so sure.
Magister doesn't mention it, but it fits the picture: Hollerich advised Cardinal Rainer Woelki, Archbishop of Cologne, in early February to resign. Such "advice" could already be heard from Munich. With Hollerich, Santa Marta is not far away.
“However, one unknown factor remains open. How long will Hollerich's reform guidelines, which consist of many yeses but also some nos, last if the disturbing proposals of the German synod in Rome meet the synod of the whole Church on synodality?
At a press conference on February 3, Bätzing said that after meeting Hollerich and Maltese Cardinal Mario Grech, general secretary of the synod of bishops, in Luxembourg, he was received in audience by Pope Francis, who advocated the establishment of a working group to reconcile the German synod with of the Synod of the Universal Church.
In the summary, Magister sounds devastating criticism:
“Hollerich as a reform candidate for the papacy seems to promise a more straightforward and coherent path than the current shaky and contradictory pontificate. However, he is a banal echo of Bergoglio, even if he repeats the litany so important to the incumbent Pope: 'Even the shepherd does not always know the way and knows where to go. Sometimes it is the sheep who find the way and the shepherd who laboriously follows, step by step'.”
Not to mention, according to Magister, the ruthless mockery of the Aristotelian principle of non-contradiction, in which Hollerich does not shy away from turning it into its opposite "with a touch of coloring à la japonaise" - like Pope Francis:
“I am a bishop who is from Japan and I think these experiences have given me a different perspective of thinking and judgement. Unlike the Europeans, the Japanese do not think in terms of the logic of opposites. When we say something is black, it means it's not white. The Japanese, on the other hand, say: 'It's white, but maybe also black'. In Japan, you can combine opposites without changing your point of view.”
Text: Giuseppe Nardi Image : Vatican.va/MiL/La Croix (Screenshots)
(Vienna) He was named in 2009 but an unprecedented smear campaign prevented Bishop Gerhard Maria Wagner of the Diocese of Linz. He has today presented and talked plaintext his new book. 2009, the Upper Austrian priest Wagner had become a victim of bishop-bashing, which is a popular smear game in trend-setting circles. Now, he said the church in Austria is not only in a precarious condition, but is a "pig stye" in which it "stinks".
Pastor Wagner 2009 Victim of the Bishop-Bashing
The list of victims of the bishop-bashing is already considerable. It ranges from Bavaria with Bishop Walter Mixa of Augsburg to Hesse with Bishop Franz-Peter Tebartz van Elst of Limburg and Grisons with Bishop Wolfgang Haas from Chur to Lower Austria with Bishop Kurt Krenn of St. Pölten. The blocking of Rev. Gerhard Maria Wagner 2009 as auxiliary bishop of Linz is a special variant of the smear game. Wagner was then not allowed to take office.
The persecution is only possible because authoritative church circles are interested in the jettisoning personal rivals because of personal or ideological reasons and have been actively involved behind the scenes.
The fight against Wagner was tantamount to an exemplary execution, while the Windischgarsten priest was supposed to have only been an auxiliary bishop, i.e. auxiliary bishop of Linz. An auxiliary bishop has entrusted to him only as much decision-making power as is given him by the responsible diocesan bishop, and ig may be withdrawn from him again at any time. In the Diocese of Linz, however, there was the anxiety that the appointment of Bishop Wagner by Pope Benedict XVI. would be followed by an early position in the Episcopal succession by the same Wagner, if Diocesan Bishop Ludwig Schwarz were to complete his 75th year and become emeritus.
It's not only the Social Democratic Party of Austria (SPÖ) write about Linz as "Left". The same could be said of the full-time staff apparatus of the diocese. At least the more influential part. With the subtle difference that it is not so much the SPÖ, but is more close to the Greens. There are hardly any Diocesan priestly voacations. Who would want to become a priest, would do this in the context traditional communities or seeks refuge in the still reasonably intact community of a monastery.
Feeble Roman Knees
The lay Apparatchiks and the Liberal, often effeminate clergy of Upper Austria quickly found allies in the media to begin shooting practice on a living object. In Austria it was belched loudly and Rome was already in its knees. Although Pastor Wagner was appointed over Pope's brother, Msgr. Georg Ratzinger and Pope's secretary Georg Gänswein handpicked him and with the best knowledge of the situation on the ground, the priest's career as a bishop ended after 30 days and did not get beyond the appointment status.
Pope Benedict XVI. would lose face because of the weak knees of Rome, Wagner asked formally to withdraw the appointment, which the Pope "granted".
On January 31, 2009 Wagner was appointed, and on 2 March 2009 Benedict XVI. granted a dispensation from the appointment. In the meantime, Pastor Wagner experienced hell on earth and the devout Catholic nation rubbed its eyes, as to how lies can produce a smear campaign. Each day new lies were unpacked. It wasn't until Wagner's "chalice" had passed over to progressive part of the Diocese, where it was presented as a trophy for hunted prey, that the whole nightmare was over.
Question of Episcopal Succession in Linz Directs Media Attention on Pastor Wagner
An Auxiliary Bishop Wagner would have done the Diocese of Linz, more good than ever, but his prospects to once again be considered for the episcopate by Rome are very small. Nevertheless, the retirement of the Diocesan Bishop Ludwig Schwarz is fast approaching. In this context, the media is again suddenly paying attention to the absent pastor Wagner again after years of peace.
Wagner obeyed in 2009 as a faithful son of the Church. Rome wanted him as auxiliary bishop and he accepted. Rome had changed her mind again under heavy pressure and he obeyed as well. After some time of silence, Wagner, however, took stock and spoke of a "conspiracy" to which he had fallen victim. Wagner today is also the publisher and editor of a Little Penny Sheet, with a wide circulation in Austria, which has the rare virtue of wise, but clear speech. He just said what was obvious, but at that time almost no one dared speak out.
New book "Heaven or Hell" - "Many People Feel Disoriented"
Pastor Gerhard Maria Wagner
Wagner had raised his voice even after the appointment that it was not for him, but much more so for the Catholic Church in Austria a fiasco. The media hardly cared. But now someone feels their toes being stepped on. Today, Pastor Wagner has presented his new book, "Heaven or Hell." At the book launch, the sharp witted and eloquent priest was not sparing with plain writing and a gaze at the Archdiocese of Archbishop Cardinal Christoph Schönborn. Schönborn had supported Kasper's "mercy" last October at the Synod of Bishops in Rome and would also like to see a new "gradation" applied to all the sacraments. Wagner commented that the Archdiocese of Vienna was a "pig stye" in which there is a foul stench.The situation of the Church in Upper Austria, and born by opposites, says Wagner.
He wished "all the best" to the future Bishop of Linz. For himself, says Wagner as once before, he had already credited the need to "shovel out the pigsty". After all, the position of the Church is questionable because she is not on the right track. There were many tensions and many people are disoriented.
"We Basically Obey to be Catholic"
Pastor Wagner founded an initiative two years ago to strengthen the sacrament of penance in daily life. He called all the priests of the German-speaking countries that committed themselves, to sit every day for an hour to make confession available. In this context, Wagner complained today that in many parishes the Sacrament of Penance is "dead". In the liturgy there is a "momentum" that "disturbs" him. The reason for this is, among other things, an incomprehensible competition between laity and priests. There were quite a few priests who would"fear of the parish council meeting." "There's something wrong," said Wagner.
It's a disorientation, which is reinforced by the church or is only caused by it.Pastor Wagner quoting a priest who complained to him about his suffering, "that today we have to basically stop being Catholic."
In the Diocese of Linz There is an "Oligarchic Business"
However, his opinion was not in high demand in the diocese of Linz and he accused his home diocese of operating "quite a bit of an oligarchic business". He took to his bishop's defense, because not a few bishops are simply "alone" and isolated. As the homosexual Conchita Wurst Thomas Neuwirth was imposed as a Euro Vision winner, he had put "shame on Austria," said Pastor Wagner.
As for Pope Francis, Wagner says in his new book that he was pleased that the new Pope could find sympathy and confidence all over the world, but he does not notice in fact that the churches have become full, "people go to confession more and all that, praise Pope Francis, have become more religious in recent times," said Pastor Gerhard Maria Wagner, almost Auxiliary Bishop of the Diocese of Linz.
The church circles referred to by Wagner responded with offense. The pastor "disqualifies" himself with these statements themselves, suggested the Vicar of Linz, Wilhelm Vieböck to the ORF: "I find it appalling that Father Wagner used the dramatic word, pigsty 'for the whole Church in Austria". Vieböck confirmed the same time, what is really going on in the background: Such an attitude does not qualify Wagner for higher church offices.
In June 2015 the Diocesan Bishop Ludwig Schwarz completed his 75th year. In Linz, nobody expects an extension in office. The Diocese sent Rome sent a shortlist few days ago of three candidates for the succession. What are names on the list, is not initially known. It can only be that the name of Father Wagner certainly not there.
The Monastery of the Immaculate Heart of Mary in Reichenstein: Saturday will see the re-settlement of a former cloister by a Society of Tradition
On the following Saturday, October 14, the consecration and settlement of the monastery of the Immaculate Heart of Mary will take place in Reichenstein. While monasteries are being closed elsewhere because of the lack of vocations, a new monastery is being moved into Monschau by traditional Benedictine monks.
Monschau is located in the Eifel south of Aachen and borders directly on the territory of the German-speaking community in Belgium (Eupen).
In 2007, the German District Superior of the Priestly Society of St. Pius X, Father Franz Schmidberger, announced the intention to found a traditional Benedictine monastery on German soil in which the sacred liturgy will be celebrated in the Immemorial Mass of All Ages. In 2008, after the purchase of the historical monastery by the St. Benedict Society, the key handover of Reichenstein to the Benedictine monks took place.
After 200 years of revival of an old monastery
Church with new monastery buildings and cloister
In the 11th century, the counts of Limburg had erected Richwinstein Castle on a hill on the upper Rur. Having ascended to dukes, they donated the castle in 1131 to the Premonstratensian Order, which had just been founded by St. Norbert of Xanten. The castle was converted into a double monastery, as was customary in the early days of the Order. When this practice was abandoned, the Premonstratensians, Choir Nuns, remained in Reichenstein. Since 1487 it was then a principal choir house. The buildings, including the monastery church, originated in their present form in the late 17th century.
When in 1794, the French revolutionaries occupied Germany on the left bank of the Rhine, the conquest of the Premonstratensian monastery also began its decline. In 1802 Napoleon Bonaparte, in the course of secularization, abolished the monastery together with many other monasteries.
After several changes of ownership, the lawyer Ernst Wilhelm Handschumacher, the Grand Officer of the Order of the Holy Sepulcher, bought the former monastery together with his wife Helma in 1973 and renovated the complex in the 1970s. It was the couple's endeavor that the buildings be returned to their original purpose.
The twelve monks who will settle the monastery next Saturday, come from the Benedictine monastery of Notre-Dame de Bellaigue, built in 2001, connected to the Society of St. Pius X. The monks speak of the "reawakening of the monastery". In 2009, Dom Matthäus Haynos, the priest of the convent in Bellaigue, was given the name of the monastery church and celebrated the first Holy Mass by a new priest of the monastery. To this end, it had been re-established with a neo-Gothic high-altar with a statue of the Immaculate.
Bellaigue is a subsidiary of the Benedictine monastery Santa Cruz in Brazil. The first four monks came to France in 1999. After ten years, 25 monks were already living in the Auvergne, so a daughter-foundation could be established. For several years, a Benedictine convent has been built, a few kilometers from Bellaigue.
For years there have been urgently needed renovations in Reichenstein, as well as modifications and new buildings. The monks will supply their own heating with 36 hectares of forest belonging to them. The construction of the new cloister was started in 2015. 2017 saw establishment of a provisional central chapel. It will serve the monastic community in the coming four years for the liturgy "in order to be able to reconstruct the monastery church into the central, worthy and sacred space of the entire monastery."
This coming Saturday, Reichenstein will be officially established as a subsidiary of the monastery of Bellaique and be populated by a monastic community.
The program
At 9.45 o'clock Terce and then consecration of the monastery.
At 10:30 am Solemn High Mass in honor of the patroness of the monastery, the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
At 12.30 pm, Sext with welcome and luncheon for the faithful gathering to celebrate this memorable day with the Benedictines.
At 2.30 pm None and then coffee and cake.
At 4 pm Vespers and Sacraments.
At 5 pm, is the establishment of the cloister with the main gate closed.
The Society of St. Benedict, which is legally responsible for the repair of the buildings, regularly informs about the developments and the progress of the construction work with the "Monastery News." They will be occupied with the young monastic community for several years, as the actual monastery with cloister must be rebuilt (see plan).
"We want to build a school for the Lord's ministry. Everything without exception is to be done in this monastery for the glory of God, so that in all God God may be glorified."
This is how Br. Bernhard OSB writes in the latest edition of the "Klosternnachrichten."
Since 1 October 2017 Holy Mass in Reichenstein has been celebrated every day on workdays, Feast Days, Saturdays and Sundays at 7:20 am and 11:15 am in the Immemorial Roman Rite.
All of the faithful are invited to blessing and settlement of the monastery on 14 October.
