Mariendonk Abbey
The Mariendonk Abbey is a Benedictine monastery in Grefrath , district Mülhausen , near Kempen in the diocese of Aachen .
history
founding
The founding of the Mariendonk Monastery on the border between the Viersen and Kleve districts is closely linked to the general history of the late 19th century, especially the Kulturkampf . For the monasteries, the "law on religious orders and congregations similar to that of the Catholic Church " from 1875 was decisive, because all monasteries in Prussia were dissolved in it, with the exception of those devoted to nursing the sick. Many disbanded communities were therefore re-established in the Netherlands, including the Benedictine Sisters of Perpetual Adoration from Kloster Bonn- Endeich , who moved to Driebergen near Utrecht.
Nevertheless, during this time the monastic way of life was very attractive to young women and the community in Driebergen grew very quickly. After the end of the Kulturkampf, the nuns there soon learned that Johanna Stieger (1848–1904) was ready to donate land and money to build a monastery near Kempen. On October 23, 1900, the new prioress , mother Ursula Kleberg, came and built a monastery for the Benedictine Sisters of Perpetual Adoration with 22 sisters from Driebergen under the patronage of St. Mary . In order to create a material basis and to secure the food of the community, the establishment of a small farm was soon started. The embroidery, which the sisters also did, brought in only occasional income, and the wafer-making began slowly since 1914. At the end of the First World War , about 40 nuns lived in Mariendonk. The founding priority, mother Ursula Kleberg, continued to lead the community.
The monastery was not closed in the Second World War with the condition that the military would do sewing and embroidery work , but larger areas of the house were declared to be soldiers' and later refugee accommodation. Bombed out neighboring families also found refuge here. In 1946 Sr. Felicitas Berg (1909–1989) was elected prioress. At the request of the community and after thorough preparation by the spiritual Father Hermann Keller, Beuron (Spiritual from 1946 to 1970), it was able to convert from a monastery of Perpetual Adoration to an abbey .
Mariendonk Abbey
In 1948, the new constitutions were confirmed by the Vatican and elevated to the status of an abbey. On June 24th, the previous prioress Felicitas Berg was consecrated first abbess . The abbey chose the name Mariendonk. A Donk is an elevated place in a swampy landscape, here in particular the Niersaue. On 24 October 1950, took place consecration of the monastery church and the blessing which also converted crypt .
From 1953 the nuns began to cultivate the fields belonging to the abbey themselves. Two sisters were trained to be agricultural masters who, together with Father Hermann Keller OSB, to whom the economic independence of the convent was a major concern, instructed other sisters. Agriculture had to be stopped in 1993 because the work could no longer be done by the sisters. The fruit and vegetable cultivation for their own needs has remained. In 1961 the construction of the urgently needed new building with library, guest rooms and workrooms for embroidery and the weaving mill, which had been added as a new work area, was completed. The new building also offered more space for scientific work on the Old Latin Bible, the so-called Vetus Latina .
The full incorporation of lay sisters into the convent, which was made possible by the Second Vatican Council , was accomplished in 1968; however, the abolition of the separation of lay and choir sisters had long been a wish of a large part of the convent.
In 1982 Sr. Luitgardis Hecker was ordained abbess after the age-related resignation of mother Felicitas Berg. Under her leadership, the guest chapel was redesigned in 1984 so that guests can now take part in Holy Mass and the choir prayer together with the convent . The participation of the guests in the liturgy was a major concern of the community. Therefore, very soon after the end of the Second Vatican Council, it was decided to celebrate the divine service in German.
After the first doctorate of a sister from Mariendonk in theology and the Old Testament and due to the serious illness and death of the last spiritual, P. Bonifatius Fischer OSB, the sisters increasingly took on the task of imparting theological knowledge themselves. From 1990 onwards the Mariendonker Sisters began working on a bilingual edition of the Church Fathers , the Fontes christiani , as well as intensifying pastoral care and theological training for guests in the form of lectures, Bible discussions and retreats . In 1992 patristic courses were set up for members of the order.
In July 2005 Sr. Christiana Reemts (* 1957) was ordained abbess after mother Luitgardis Hecker resigned herself for reasons of age . In 2012, the convent consisted of 32 perpetual and one temporary professed sisters as well as a claustrophobic oblate .
Sisters of the abbey are currently working on the following scientific projects:
- of the series “Biblical Figures among the Church Fathers”, linked to the Dölger Institute, Bonn
- Edition of the Vetus Latina
- Novum Testamentum Patristicum (NTP)
spirituality
For many decades, the Church Fathers' understanding of Scripture has been a special focus for the spirituality of the Community of Mariendonk. Aside from the readings from the Bible, her Bible commentaries are the only texts that are heard together in the Matins of the Liturgy of the Hours . Individual sisters have also published academic papers on Origen and other church fathers.
literature
- Christiana Reemts: On the 100th anniversary of the Mariendonk Abbey: The development from the foundation to the end of the First World War. In: Heimatbuch des Kreis Viersen , 51. Episode 2000, pp. 91–96.
- Placida Bielefeld: The Mariendonk Abbey 1918–1945. In: Heimatbuch des Kreis Viersen , 56th episode 2005, pp. 140–149.
Web links
- Homepage of the Abbey of Mariendonk
- Website for the spiritual interpretation of scriptures under the responsibility of the Abbey of Mariendonk
- Vetus Latina Institute
- Entry to Abbey Mariendonk on order online
Coordinates: 51 ° 22 ′ 37 ″ N , 6 ° 21 ′ 37 ″ E