It takes some getting used to, that believers are no longer allowed to come to the usual Sunday mass - but they are easy to implement. It is a little more difficult to adhere to the new rules in dealing with one another in the large monastery community. Life in the monastery has changed significantly in Corona times.
St. Ottilien– “Moving into the dark, empty nave is very unusual,” reports Brother Elias König. Where on Sundays, compared to the monks, there are several church visitors crowded in the pews, there has been an empty silence for almost three weeks. The church doors are locked of all times of worship. Unlike normal Catholics, the monks do not have to do without the regular masses and prayer times, but it is still strange.
The Benedictines fulfill their missionary mission differently these days. "We are doing justice to this through the Internet and the new media," says brother Simon Brockmann. This is not necessarily new for the cosmopolitan monks from St. Ottilien. For years, every morning prayer (lauds), midday shore and evening prayer (complete) from the monastery village around the world can be heard, prayed and singed online.
Livestream: Celebrating the service at home on the computer.
"What is new, however, is that we have installed a webcam above the choir stalls with a view of the ambo and the altar, and you can now see everything," explains Brother Markus Weiß, who takes care of the monastery IT and website together with Brother Elias. With the words "and God bless you at home", the monks take the Christians into the service. "It is important to us to keep in touch with the people with the livestream," says Erzabt Wolfgang Öxler, who also writes an impulse for the homepage every day - and receives a lot of feedback on it. "The access figures are in three digits and increase every day," says Brother Markus happily, "even monastery sisters from Vienna are there live every day thanks to their projector."
"It is a very mindful mood here in the monastery, despite the distance I feel more alive," reports Wolfgang Öxler. The Arch Abbot attributes this to the fact that the monks have a lot more time for each other because many of the tasks that the Benedictines perform in normal life have been lost. The school, monastery shop, retreat house, inn, mission and sewing machine museum are closed due to the corona. After all, the farm shop is still open as usual. Communication is more lively, the arch Abbot says, because many things have to be readjusted every day.
Incidentally, beggars also have to adjust: instead of a warm meal, they can only be supplied with a packed lunch.
Instead of studying with the ninth graders, they do the dishes and clean
"I miss the children and the people," Brother Thomas Brüch admits frankly. Because with the closure of the school and the monastery shop, two major tasks of the Benedictine were suddenly eliminated. In the mornings he usually advises customers in the monastery shop and in the afternoons you can usually find him in the middle of a bustling crowd of children. As an educator of a 9th grade in the day care center of the Rhabanus-Maurus-Gymnasium, Brother Thomas is a sought-after footballer and homework advisor during his studies. What does he do with all the free time? "There is always something to do with us," says the monk.
He helps out in the scullery or takes part in joint cleaning campaigns that were intensified in times of increased hygiene requirements. "Last but not least, our fixed structure of prayer times ensures that we do not get bored," said Brother Thomas. Because many of his almost 90 brothers' outside activities have also ceased, the monastery is much fuller. In the refectory (dining room) there are only three instead of six monks per table due to the relaxed seating arrangement. And anyway, people only speak on special festive days. "We have the tremendous advantage that we live in a large community and are allowed to maintain contacts at a reasonable distance," said the Benedictine. He is still excited about how Easter will be this year. “Unlike many events, Easter is definitely not canceled. The message of Christ's resurrection also applies in Corona times. "