A festive divine service followed by a ceremony was the culmination of Bernried's celebrations for the 900th anniversary of the monastery.
Around 300 visitors watched the ceremony in the monastery courtyard.
Bernried
- Shortly before ten o'clock on Sunday there was a lot of bustle in the Bernried monastery courtyard. The children's choir “Village Swallows” (translated: “The Village Swallows”), conducted by local councilor Doris Kremser, was already singing itself in, the club's flag delegations took up the position as did the brass music and the church choir was formed on the stage, which was converted into an altar. And because “celebrating only works with guests”, as Mayor Georg Malterer stated with a smile, the rows of chairs in the cloister's courtyard gradually filled up. The guests of honor also arrived, including District Administrator Andrea Jochner-Weiß, District Assembly President Josef Mederer, District President Maria Els and Ilse Aigner. The President of the State Parliament even decided not to open the Wagner Festival in Bayreuth for her visit to Bernried.A point of honor for Aigner. She was born in Feldkirchen-Westerham, a neighboring municipality to Valley. The noble family of the same name, who founded the Bernried monastery in 1120, had a seat there: "How can you set a different priority than to be there at the cloister jubilee in Bernried," emphasized Aigner in her greeting.
The main theme at the ceremony: the future of the monastery
The preacher was also able to demonstrate a "monastery connection".
Father Stefan Kling is the prior of the Roggenburg Monastery.
The Premonstratensian friar characterized the Bernried monastery as "fantastically beautiful".
It has given Bernried a “permanent stamp” over the centuries.
The community must always take a stand on the spiritual and spiritual heritage.
“The spirit of the monastery does not give way.
It always stays there, ”assured Kling.
Bernried found “good answers” for the continued existence of the monastery.
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Ruth Schönenberger, Ilse Aigner and Georg Malterer were also present at the festive service.
© Bernhard Jepsen
The future of the monastery was the main theme of the speeches. “The birthday boy was sick. It needed treatment, ”explained Sister Ruth Schönenberger, the Prioress of the Missionary Benedictine Sisters. The order had turned the monastery from a stately castle into a pastoral and spiritual center in 1949. But last year the future hung by a thread - until the municipality of Bernried announced its intention to buy in the summer. Now, according to Schönenberger, there is again a “great perspective” for the monastery and the educational center: “The monastery used to get the community going. Now the circle closes in the other direction. ”Ilse Aigner also approved of the monastery purchase:“ I welcome the decision of the community. It was right and important for Bernried. "The educational center, which registered 24,000 overnight stays in 2019,give people orientation in fast-moving times.
Benedictine nuns turned the village and monastery into a "great community"
A short look back at the history of the monastery could of course not be missing at the ceremony. Georg Malterer humorously referred to two dates: The annals in 1560 would report on bad fights and carousing in the monastery. “So we see that there has always been a party in Bernried,” joked the mayor. In 1620, however, a control visit would have certified that "education and morals would improve" in Bernried. Former Mayor and Festival Patron Josef Steigenberger praised the commitment of the Missionary Benedictine Sisters. The village and monastery have grown together to form a “great community” because the order has always opened its doors. “It is thanks to the sisters that the village is so attached to the monastery,” explained Steigenberger: “The decision to buy the monastery was only logical.The whole village community is behind it. "