Helmut Schlegel

Helmut Schlegel (2017)

Helmut Schlegel OFM (born May 15, 1943 in Riedlingen an der Donau as Helmut Alfons Schlegel ) is a German Franciscan , priest , meditation teacher , book author and lyricist of New Spiritual Songs to the melodies of various composers.

Life

Helmut Schlegel grew up on his parents' farm in Upper Swabia and attended Franciscan boarding schools in Riedlingen and Rottweil . He felt a connection to Francis of Assisi and entered the order of the Franciscans. He then studied philosophy and theology in Sigmaringen , Fulda and Munich and was ordained a priest in Fulda in 1969. A part-time course in meditation and retreat accompaniment as well as in meaning-oriented psychology ( logotherapy ) complemented his training.

Pastoral care and leadership in the order

After 10 years as a chaplain and youth pastor in Wiesbaden and other places, he took over the management of the Franciscan Center for Silence and Encounters in Hofheim am Taunus in 1988 . In 1998 he was elected Provincial of the Thuringian Franciscan Province of St. Elisabeth . As such, he was President of the Franciscan Mission Center in Bonn - Bad Godesberg for 6 years . His term of office as Provincial ended in 2007. From then until October 2018 he headed the meditation church " Holy Cross - Center for Christian Meditation and Spirituality of the Diocese of Limburg " in Frankfurt - Bornheim . He continued to work there until June 2019 as a retreat and meditation leader and priestly assistant. Even after his work in Bornheim he continues to offer events in the retreat house Hofheim and in cooperation with the Center for Christian Meditation and Spirituality of the Diocese of Limburg.

In the Holy Year of Mercy Helmut Schlegel was one of the “Missionaries of Mercy” sent out by Pope Francis on Ash Wednesday 2016 .

Literary work

Schlegel worked as a youth pastor and retreat companion in the “Working Group for Youth Pastoral Care and Church Music ” of the Limburg diocese. The first New Spiritual Songs were written in collaboration with the church musician and composer Winfried Heurich . The song The Lord will bless you with his kindness with music by Thomas Gabriel was voted best German contribution in the worldwide competition of the New Spiritual Song in 1983. It is included in the German-language Catholic hymn book Gotteslob as GL 452.

Schlegel then wrote around 300 New Spiritual Songs, which were set to music by Winfried Heurich, Stephan Sahm , Sieglinde Weigt, Thomas Gabriel , Rudolf Schäfer, Joachim Raabe and others. A number of these were included in the Praise of God published in 2014 .

From 1998 to 2013 Schlegel was editor-in-chief of the magazines "Weg mit Franziskus" and "Franziskaner". Since 2013, together with Mirjam Schambeck sf, he has been publishing the book series “Franziskanische Akzente” at Echter Verlag , Würzburg . In addition, there is a large number of contributions from spiritual literature .

In 2016 he wrote the libretto for the oratorio Laudato si ' , for which Peter Reulein composed the music.

Publications

Books

• 1983: The future is a seed - A book to read, pray, meditate and sing for young people , (as edited with Hadrian W. Koch ), ISBN 3-87163-183-3
• 1986: The Rosary : Meditations, Pictures, and Sermons , ISBN 3-7904-0476-4
• 1989: Window in my soul - stories, thoughts and prayers on the way to myself, to people and to God , ISBN 3-7840-2674-5
• 1993: Singing, praying, celebrating with Clara of Assisi : songs, prayers, meditations , ISBN 3-87163-198-1
• 2000: The Song of the Sun : Exercises in everyday life with Franz and Clara of Assisi , ISBN 3-429-02311-4
• 2004: Francis means to me ...: personal testimonies , ISBN 3-429-02621-0
• 2005: Time out in everyday life: A spiritual companion through the year with texts by Franz and Clara of Assisi , ISBN 3-429-02676-8
• 2007: Trust your heart: Through the year with Elisabeth von Thuringia ; a spiritual exercise book , ISBN 978-3-429-02879-4
• 2007: Spiritual Coaching - Leading and accompanying based on basic spiritual values , ISBN 978-3-429-02923-4
• 2008: I am the fire and you are the wind: biblical meditations on the becoming and growing of the inner man , ISBN 978-3-8367-0663-6
• 2009: Catholic Heilig-Kreuz-Kirche Frankfurt-Bornheim (church leader), with Hermann Gille, ISBN 978-3-7954-6808-8
• 2010: Colors - quietly glowing prayers: A spiritual accompaniment through everyday life , ISBN 978-3-429-03215-9
• 2013: Assisi for Pilgrims : A Spiritual Travel Companion , ISBN 978-3-429-03586-0
• 2012: Today, Only Today - Ten Commandments of Serenity from John XXIII. - Spiritual exercises , with Ricarda Moufang, ISBN 978-3-429-03535-8
• 2014: The Healing Power of Human Tensions (Franciscan Accents) , ISBN 978-3-429-03749-9
• 2016: Stories of Faith are Stories of the Way - The Emmaus Tale as a Model of Christian Existence , ISBN 978-3-429-03986-8

Song books, song books, recordings

• 1994: Pace e bene - Peace and Bread - New Spiritual Songs for Clara and Franz von Assisi ( audio CD ), music: Stephan Sahm and Winfried Heurich
• 1999: Sonnenmusikant - A Franciscan Songbook , (as edited by Sieglinde Weigt), ISBN 3-87163-250-3
• 2001: Schalom, Jerusalem: Pilgrims' mass based on biblical texts , 17 songs, music: Winfried Heurich, M-2009-2700-9
• 2010: Lights on the Way: A Mass with New Spiritual Songs; for three to four-part mixed choir, congregation and piano , music: Winfried Heurich
• 2015: Fire in the Heart: A Mass with New Spiritual Songs , Music: Winfried Heurich

Texts for sacred music games

• 1991: Francis of Assisi: Dream or Reality? A spiritual music game , music: Winfried Heurich
• 1994: Mulier fortis - Clara of Assisi. A spiritual game with texts and songs, pantomime and dance , music: Stephan Sahm
• 1996: Guardian, tell me the time! A spiritual music game on the history of the Franciscan Sisters of Reute , music: Stephan Sahm
• 1997: Katharina - Fool of God. A spiritual music game on the 100th anniversary of Maria Katharina Kasper's death , music: Stephan Sahm
• 2005: clara.francesco - musica per forma - music performance: a collage of texts, music, dance and expression , music: Mea Kauß and Werner Dannemann
• 2006: David Fuchs: Playing with Life. A sacred music theater , music: Rudi Schäfer
• 2007: Elisabeth von Thuringia: A sacred music play , music: Stephan Sahm
• 2016: Laudato si '- A Franciscan Magnificat in 5 pictures - For solos, choir and orchestra , music: Peter Reulein , ISBN 978-3-943302-34-9 , ISMN 979-0-50226-047-7

Web links

Commons : Helmut Schlegel  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

• Works by and about Helmut Schlegel in the catalog of the German National Library (accessed December 6, 2016)
• Official website of Father Helmut Schlegel (accessed December 6, 2016)
• Lyrics by Helmut Schlegel on www.evangeliums.net

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Beate Hirt: Catholic Church in HR - Helmut Schlegel. In: Website of the Diocese of Limburg . Diocese of Limburg Episcopal Ordinariate , August 7, 2014, accessed on February 18, 2018 . 
2. ↑ ^{a b c} André Madaus: A doctor and a Franciscan - art as an annunciation . In: Provincialate of the German Franciscan Province (Ed.): Franziskaner - Magazine for Franciscan Culture and Way of Life . Winter. meinhardt publishing house and agency, Idstein 2015, p. 26-27 .
3. ↑ ^{a b c} Heidi Katting: With heart and soul and passion - Meditation Center Heilig Kreuz bids farewell to its long-time director. 2019, accessed July 21, 2019 . 
4. ↑ Heidi Katting: Holy Cross - Center for Christian Meditation and Spirituality - Team - About us. Holy Cross - Center for Christian Meditation and Spirituality, June 6, 2018, accessed July 21, 2019 . 
5. ↑ Catholic.de , accessed on February 2, 2017.
   Franziskaner. Magazine for Franciscan Culture and Way of Life .
6. ↑ ^{a b} (arch) bishops of Germany and Austria and the bishop of Bozen-Brixen (ed.): Gotteslob - Catholic prayer and hymn book . Edition for the Diocese of Limburg. 1st edition. Katholische Bibelanstalt GmbH / Lahn-Verlag GmbH, Stuttgart / Kevelaer 2013, ISBN 978-3-7840-0203-3 , p. 502-503 .
7. ^ ^{A b} Gabriel Dessauer, Franz Fink, Andreas Großmann, Peter Reulein: Laudato si '- A Franciscan Oratorio - Oratorio for choir, solos and orchestra . Ed .: Department of Church Music of the Diocese of Limburg . Limburg an der Lahn November 6, 2016 (text booklet for the premiere on November 6, 2016 in the High Cathedral of Limburg ).
8. ↑ Gerda Arendt: Laudato si 'in Limburg Cathedral. (PDF) Idstein choirs were involved in the world premiere of the oratorio. In: Martinsfeuer January 2017. Catholic Parish St. Martin Idsteiner Land , January 2017, p. 14 , accessed on January 21, 2017 .