Notker Wolf

Notker Wolf on the electric guitar

Notker Wolf at the Leipzig Book Fair on March 19, 2011

Meeting of the Brotherhood of Santa Maria dell'Anima (Anima Brotherhood) in St. Gallen with Rector Franz Xaver Brandmayr and Abbot Primate Notker Wolf OSB

Notker Wolf OSB (* as Werner Wolf on June 21, 1940 in Grönenbach ) is a Benedictine and emeritus Abbot Primate of the Benedictine Confederation .

Life

Werner Wolf was born the son of a tailor. After finishing school at the Oberrealschule Memmingen (today Bernhard-Strigel-Gymnasium ) and at the Rhabanus-Maurus-Gymnasium St. Ottilien, he entered the Benedictine monastery of St. Ottilien in 1961 . There he received the order name Notker. After his profession in 1962, he studied philosophy at the Benedictine University of Sant'Anselmo in Rome . In 1965 he moved to the Ludwig Maximilians University in Munich and studied theology , philosophy, zoology , inorganic chemistry and the history of astronomy . In 1974 he was with the work of the cyclical world model of the Stoa of Dr. phil. PhD . In 1968 he was ordained a priest . In 1971 he was offered a professorship for natural philosophy and philosophy of science at the Pontifical University of Sant'Anselmo in Rome.

On October 1st, 1977 he was elected as the successor of Viktor Josef Dammertz as the fifth Archabbot of the Archabbey of St. Ottilien and thus Abbot President of the Congregation of the Missionary Benedictines . In 1982 he revived the Jakobsberg priory near Ockenheim with a new building. He built a 500-bed hospital in China and one with 200 beds in North Korea . Under him new foundations arose in the Philippines , India , Uganda and Togo . He is very involved in interreligious dialogue.

On September 7, 2000 he was elected the ninth abbot primate and thus the highest representative of the Benedictines. On September 25, 2008, the Abbots' Congress of the Benedictine Confederation confirmed him for another four years in his office as Abbot Primate. On September 21, 2012, the Abbots' Congress confirmed again for four years, making him the second oldest incumbent Abbot Primate. As abbot primate he was the worldwide speaker of the oldest order of Christianity with 7,500 monks and 16,500 nuns and sisters.

Act

Notker Wolf appears in public with decidedly political opinions. In the summer of 2007 he appeared in an advertisement for the New Social Market Economy Initiative . He advocates more personal responsibility for the individual and cuts in unemployment benefit II if a reasonable job is not accepted. On the other hand, he also opposes irresponsible management and profit maximization.

Notker Wolf with his band Feedback

Notker Wolf is also known in Germany for the fact that, as a high official of the Catholic Church , he has not given up his love for rock music and occasionally appears together with the band Feedback at concerts where he plays the electric guitar and especially the flute . Musically, the band is based on the Rolling Stones and, in addition to their own compositions, also plays cover versions , including by Deep Purple , Led Zeppelin and Jethro Tull . On August 3, 2008, the Abbot Primate and his band were the opening act for Deep Purple on the Meierhof in Benediktbeuern Monastery and played “ Smoke on the Water ” with Deep Purple .

On the question of pardoning terrorist murderers, Abbot Notker recalls the real meaning of the word grace . For him grace means “the granting of a thing that I do not deserve. Therefore it is not conditional. From the original thought, grace is an act of the sovereign - it used to be the case with the king or the emperor, there are also many such graces in the church. That means I am not entitled to it. But I can even grant a mercy when someone else doesn't even ask for forgiveness, which is obviously the case in the case of this murderer. But grace is how God approached people in undeserved measure. That actually means grace. "

Other offices

Wolf is a member of the supervisory board and chairman of the international Benedictine committees L'Alliance Inter Monastères and Dialogue Interreligieux Monastique, as well as the Order's China Commission. He belongs to the European Academy of Sciences and Arts and is first chairman of the Catholic Institute for Mission Theological Basic Research in Munich. He was also a member of the Gothaer Advisory Board , with which all German Benedictines have life insurance.

honors and awards

Honorary membership of the student association: KSStV Alemannia Munich in the KV

Honorary membership of the student association: KBStV Rhaetia Munich

Bavarian Order of Merit

Cross of Merit of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany

Great Cross of Merit of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (2007)

Wolfram Engels Prize of the Market Economy Foundation (2007)

Bavarian Poet Thaler (2007)

Reinhold Maier Medal of the liberal Reinhold Maier Foundation Baden-Württemberg (2009)

Benedict Prize of Mönchengladbach : Services to the Benedictine Heritage (2010)

Ludwig Erhard Medal (2010)

Honorary citizen of his home community Bad Grönenbach (September 17, 2010)

Discography

Notker Wolf and Feedback: Rock My Soul. Rock audio CD. point music, April 2003
Notker Wolf and Feedback: No Lies. Rock audio CD. Transformer (membrane), April 2012
Notker Wolf and Inka Stampfl: Weiherserenade. French chamber music from three centuries. Audio CD. EOS-Verlag, St. Ottilien 2008, ISBN 978-3-8306-4040-0
Notker Wolf: Notker Wolf plays Bach. Audio CD. Herder, Freiburg im Breisgau 06/2011, ISBN 978-3-451-31706-4

Fonts

with Johanna Domek: Freedom for God. Practice in Spiritual Reading. Bonifatius-Druckerei, 2004, ISBN 3-89710-280-3 .

What are we waiting for? Heretical thoughts on Germany. Rowohlt, Reinbek 2006, ISBN 3-499-62094-4 .

with Enrica Rosanna: The art of leading people. Rowohlt, Reinbek 2007, ISBN 978-3-499-62256-4 .

Benedict's message. The wisdom of its abbots and abbesses. Four towers, Münsterschwarzach 2008, ISBN 978-3-89680-350-4 .

Out of the blue. Ideas and inspiration for life below. rororo 2008, ISBN 978-3-499-62325-7 .

with Corinna Mühlstedt: In the shadow of the great dragon. Encounters with China's Christians. Kreuz-Verlag 2008, ISBN 978-3-7831-3164-2 .

with Matthias Drobinski : Rules for life. The Ten Commandments - Provocation and Orientation for Today. Herder, Freiburg im Breisgau 2008, ISBN 978-3-451-03017-8 .

As if with new eyes. Path companion for pilgrims. With audio CD. Butzon & Bercker 2008, ISBN 3-7666-0968-8 .

God bless you! New ideas for life down here. Rowohlt, 02/2009, ISBN 978-3-499-62460-5 .

Learn from the monks. Pattloch, 04/2009, ISBN 978-3-629-02179-3 .

Give yourself time. It is your life. Herder, Freiburg im Breisgau 04/2009, ISBN 978-3-451-30187-2 .

Notker Wolf: Where are we making a pilgrimage? Old ways and new goals. Rowohlt, 09/2009, ISBN 978-3-498-07366-4 .

with Corinna Mühlstedt: God is born in the middle of life. Herder, Freiburg im Breisgau 09/2010, ISBN 978-3-451-32329-4 .

All good things come from above. Small truths for in between. Rowohlt, 11/2010, ISBN 978-3-499-62702-6 .

The seven pillars of happiness. Herder, Freiburg im Breisgau 01/2011, ISBN 978-3-451-31707-1 .

Butterflies in the stomach. Herder, Freiburg im Breisgau 03/2011, ISBN 978-3-942208-27-7 .

The little book of true freedom. Herder, Freiburg im Breisgau 09/2011, ISBN 978-3-451-31070-6 .

Fulfilled Time: Encouragement for Life. St. Benno Verlag, 12/2011, ISBN 978-3-7462-3064-1 .

with Alfons Kifmann : NOW is the time for change. Live sustainably for a good future. Herder, Freiburg im Breisgau 4/2012, ISBN 978-3-451-32454-3 .

Do not worry! Suggestions for a full life. Knaur TB, 08/2012, ISBN 978-3-426-78526-3 .

with Leo G. Linder : Jesus: One life. Gütersloher Verlagshaus, 08/2012, ISBN 978-3-579-06578-6 .

The seven pillars of happiness. Virtues for life. Herder, Freiburg im Breisgau 2012, ISBN 978-3-451-06399-2 .

Now is the time for change. Living sustainably for a good future. Herder, Freiburg im Breisgau 2012, ISBN 978-3-451-32454-3 .

with Alfons Kifmann: Spiritus loci - of the spirit of the place. A spiritual travel book. Schnell & Steiner, Regensburg 2014, ISBN 978-3-7954-2905-8 .

with Leo G. Linder : The evil. How our world is falling apart. Gütersloher Verlagshaus, Gütersloh 2014, ISBN 978-3-579-08512-8 , urn : nbn: de: 101: 1-2014110212132 .

with Leo G. Linder: Getting old starts in the head - staying young too. adeo-Verlag, 2015, ISBN 978-3-86334-037-7 , urn : nbn: de: 101: 1-2015062814324 .

"Running. Pessimists stand in the rain. Optimists shower under clouds. ” Adeo-Verlag, 2016, ISBN 978-3863341169 .

with Simon Biallowons: No more fear - Germany is not abolishing itself! Herder, Freiburg im Breisgau 2017, ISBN 978-3-451-37620-7 , urn : nbn: de: 101: 1-201703041187 .

with Alfons Kifmann: Good resolutions. Next time everything will be different. Gütersloher Verlagshaus, Gütersloh 2017, ISBN 978-3-579-08545-6 , urn : nbn: de: 101: 1-2017111912988 .

with Alfons Kifmann: Thinking the impossible, daring the possible. Visions for a better future. Gütersloher Verlagshaus, Gütersloh 2019, ISBN 978-3-579-08548-7 , urn : nbn: de: 101: 1-2019022421043687780690 .

literature

Marlis Prinzing: Notker Wolf. “The grace of obedience opened the world to me”. In: My anger saves me. Kösel, Munich 2012, ISBN 978-3-466-37036-8 .
Vera Krause: Abbot Primate Notker Wolf. Border crosser between heaven and earth. - The biography. Verlag Vier Türme, Münsterschwarzach 2010, ISBN 978-3-89680-471-6 .
Petra Altmann: The 101 most important questions - orders and monastic life. With answers from Abbot Primate Notker Wolf (= Beck's series. Volume 7031). Beck, Munich 2011, ISBN 978-3-406-61381-4 .
Social justice: "We are in a cage of comfort". Conversation with Notker Wolf, the highest abbot of the Benedictine order. In: Stern . No. 26/2006, June 22, 2006, pp. 112-119.

Web links

Commons : Notker Wolf - collection of images, videos and audio files

Literature by and about Notker Wolf in the catalog of the German National Library

Entry to Notker Wolf on medals online

Notker Wolf. “Hospitality is part of Christianity”. (also as mp3; 20.3 MB) Notker Wolf in conversation with Andreas Main. In: deutschlandfunk.de. Deutschlandfunk , July 19, 2018( 10:12 min. ( Memento from July 21, 2018 in the Internet Archive )): “The Benedictine Notker Wolf warns the Germans against trying to isolate themselves. 'Populists simplify in a brutal way,' said the former Abbot Primate of the Benedictine Confederation in the Dlf. 'They want to close all borders. Then I can't breathe. '"; accessed on July 20, 2018

Individual evidence

↑ ^a ^b ^c Notker Wolf OS. IX Abbot Primate. In: osb.org. Collegio Sant'Anselmo , Roma, archived from the original on April 30, 2015 ; accessed on July 20, 2018 (English, dates of the Abbot Primasse).

↑ Article: Notker Wolf remains Abbot Primate from September 25, 2008 on Orden, accessed online on July 21, 2018

↑ Notker Wolf re-elected as Abbot Primate. In: erzabtei.de. Archabbey of St. Ottilien, September 21, 2012, archived from the original on February 3, 2014 ; accessed on July 20, 2018 .

↑ Topics of the day. on YouTube , August 3, 2008, accessed July 20, 2018.

↑ sis: D: Abbot Primate for pardoning the RAF terrorists. In: oecumene.radiovaticana.org. Vatican Radio , January 30, 2007, archived from the original on October 17, 2007 ; accessed on July 20, 2018 .

^ Sibylle Haas: The fearless abbot. Ludwig-Erhard-Medal for Notker Wolf. In: sueddeutsche.de. Süddeutsche Zeitung , September 20, 2010, accessed on July 21, 2018.

predecessor	Office	successor
Viktor Dammertz	Archabbot of St. Ottilien and the Ottilian Congregation 1977–2000	Jeremias Schröder
Marcel Rooney	Abbot Primate of the Benedictine Confederation 2000–2016	Gregory Polan

personal data
SURNAME	Wolf, notker
ALTERNATIVE NAMES	Wolf, Werner (maiden name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	German religious, abbot primate of the Benedictines
DATE OF BIRTH	June 21, 1940
PLACE OF BIRTH	Groenenbach

[OSB-1] Notker Wolf OS. IX Abbot Primate. In: osb.org. Collegio Sant'Anselmo , Roma, archived from the original on April 30, 2015 ; accessed on July 20, 2018 (English, dates of the Abbot Primasse).