Thomas Denter
Thomas Denter OCist (*, 6. February 1936 in Hattert as Gregor Denter ) is emeritus abbot of the Cistercian abbey Marienstatt . He was the 51st abbot in Marienstatt and successor to Idesbald Eicheler . In addition, from October 2011 to March 2013 he was administrator of the Himmerod Abbey in the Eifel.
Live and act
Gregor Denter was born in Oberhattert in the Westerwald in 1936 , where he grew up with three siblings. He regularly attended church services in the Marienstatt monastery and served as an altar boy for many years . After attending the grammar schools in Marienstatt and Mehrerau , he was accepted into the novitiate of the Marienstatt Abbey in 1955 and was given the religious name Thomas . The study from 1957 to 1962 in Freiburg , he finished in Switzerland with his promotion to the doctorate in theology . On June 29, 1960, he received the sacrament of ordination by Limburg Bishop Wilhelm Kempf . From 1962 to 1965 he was chaplain in the parish of Marienstatt, from 1965 to 1972 he was the novice master . From 1966 until his retirement he taught at the private school Marienstatt in the subjects of religion , Greek and Latin and acquired in 1967 at the Pontifical Biblical Commission in Rome Licentiate in Biblical Studies. In 1970 he was appointed prior and on January 31, 1971, he was elected 51st abbot of the monastery. The abbot's benediction took place on February 28, 1971 by Walter Kampe . His motto is Multorum servire moribus - Serving the peculiarity of many .
During his tenure, the monastery buildings were renovated and the basilica restored. The grammar school was also expanded. Denter's particular commitment was and is, however, the alternative energy generation. Under his direction the turbine and generator of the plant, which had already been commissioned in 1956, were modernized. A photovoltaic system was installed on the roof of the turbine house and a thermal solar system on the roof of the school library as additional energy sources .
At the order level, he earned merits through his engagement in various services with the general chapters , the collaboration on documents of the order (e.g. declaration of the general chapter of the Cistercian order on the essential elements of today's Cistercian life ) and his longstanding membership in the synod of the order. He also campaigned for the disadvantaged, such as financially weak monasteries. He supported the Commissio pro Monialibus , a body for the equality of abbesses with the abbesses of the Cistercian order, which achieved its goal in 2000 when the abbesses were allowed to participate equally in the General Chapter in Rome for the first time.
From 1971 to 1975 Denter was a member of the Würzburg Synod , the joint synod of the dioceses in the Federal Republic of Germany.
On reaching the age limit of 70 years, he resigned on February 6, 2006 according to the statutes of the Mehrerau Congregation , but remained in office until the election of his successor Andreas Range on February 25, 2006. Even after his resignation, he is still active as a company donor in the Diocese of Limburg , as well as voluntarily as a judge for the ecclesiastical marriage court and in other services.
From October 10, 2011 to March 2013, Thomas Denter was the (abbot) administrator responsible for the management and renovation of the Himmerod Abbey in the Eifel.
Awards
Web links
- Entry to Thomas Denter on medal online
- Thomas Denter in the Biographia Cisterciensis
- Cistercian Lexicon
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Denter, Thomas |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Denter, Gregor (baptismal name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | German Roman Catholic religious chaplain; Cistercians; emeritus abbot of the Marienstatt monastery |
| DATE OF BIRTH | February 6, 1936 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Hatters |