Premonstratensian Abbot Hermann Josef had an important message in Freising: He urged the faithful to be more dynamic.
Church is not a museum.
Freising
- It was a moving evening: On Saturday evening, the parish of Neustift welcomed the abbot of the Premonstratensian Abbey of Windberg near Straubing, Hermann Josef, to the festive service on the occasion of the 900th anniversary of the Premonstratensian order and the former Premonstratensian monastery in Neustift.
To inspire people and to unite in faith even more than before, that was what the main celebrant of the pontifical service called on the parish to do.
Sacred music and wonderful vocal soloists
Sacred music with wonderful vocal soloists was provided by the choir community of St. Peter and Paul, who performed the Missa in G minor by Abbot Nikolaus Betscher. The religious order has been active in the Freising district since 1142. Under Bishop Otto von Freising, the Premonstratensian monastery was built in Neustift at that time and was looked after by the Premonstratensians until the secularization in 1803 (we reported).
The church's doctrine of the faith is “not a museum” that needs to be guarded or protected, emphasized the abbot in his sermon. Rather, it is a "living source" for the church and people of today. According to the religious spirituality of the Premonstratensians, the doctrine of faith stands for dynamism: everyone who contributes their abilities and talents shapes and shapes the community. “You are all,” said the celebrant. As an extension and addition to the traditional Sunday service, he suggested promoting the common prayer of the hours in the parish. The daily celebration of mass is the "ribbon in the congregation". "You stand in the tradition of the monastery, you are called to put your skills in the service of the people," emphasized Hermann Josef. Where a helpful attitude and energetic action complemented each other,then being a Christian gains in credibility and persuasiveness. "The heart must have hands and the hands have a heart," the clergyman quoted a Tibetan proverb.
(By the way: Everything from the region is now also available in our regular Freising newsletter.)
Finally, a joint vespers
With sacred music by Nikolaus Betscher, who was the abbot of the Premonstratensian Red Abbey in Upper Swabia in the 18th century, the choir of St. Peter and Paul, under the direction of Bärbel Matos-Mendoza, musically framed the anniversary service.
Miriam Fußeder (soprano), Angelika Polland (alto), Stefan Hör (tenor) and Gabriel Rupp (baritone) were convincing vocal soloists.
That the parish of Neustift will carry the “legacy of the order into the future”, as Abbot Hermann Josef had wished, became clear on Sunday evening when they met for Vespers in the parish church of St. Peter and Paul at the end of the festival weekend .
Maria Martin