Ecumenism practiced daily in unusual German monastery

Brother Klaus Gohde admits that his life can be somewhat "unbelievable."

A Roman Catholic monk, he lives at Priory Sankt Wigberti in Werningshausen, Germany, a Lutheran monastery that was the first to be established in Germany since the Reformation. Its members include Lutheran, Catholic and Orthodox monks.

Although the monks are from different denominations, they pray and work together.

Stopping by

Brother Gohde; Rev. Franz Maria Schwarz, the founder and abbot of the community; and Marion Netz, president of the Lutheran church in Werningshausen and a supporter of the monastery, are on a three-week tour through the United States.

One of their stops was at St. Paul's Evangelical Lutheran Church in Albany. It has its own ecumenical ties to Catholics: sharing space, ideas and a website with nearby Holy Family parish.

"Where the Church was broken, now it has begun to heal," said Father Schwarz. "We are part of the way the Lutheran Church and the Catholic Church are getting together again. We are a place of encounter where we can work out theological issues. We are a place where all of these good forces collect to turn towards the unity that the Lord wants us to have."

Closer and closer

An official Roman Catholic-Lutheran agreement in 1999 declared a "consensus in basic truths" between the two denominations, brought them closer and garnered a relieved reaction of "finally" from the monks at St. Wigbert's.

In 1987, the Lutheran Church gave its blessing to the community, but the brothers live under the Catholic Rule of St. Benedict.

Currently, four Catholic brothers, five Lutherans and one member of the Romanian Orthodox Church live in the community with permission from their superiors.

Glimpse into future

Father Schwarz hopes that the arrangement represents an ecumenical future when unity can be explored while keeping traditions strong.

"We are already unified in our hearts," he said.

As church membership and attendance in Germany is declining, he continued, Christians no longer have the "luxury of fighting with each other. We have to find ways to be together."

Added Brother Klaus: "Those of us who are looking for the unity can wait, have patience and compromise."

Like marriage

Life at St. Wigbert's is "like a good marriage," said Father Schwarz; "you're always finding out things you never knew before.

"It's a vocation to bring to the church what the church is lacking. We want to share the joy of what could happen if you concentrate on similarities and the middle of the road, instead of concentrating on differences.

"Our hope is that we will come together under one umbrella, under the pope and under Peter's seat, while keeping [our own] characteristics."

(Father Schwarz's comments have been translated from German. Ecumenism has been a part of his life since his youth when he played the organ for both Lutheran and Catholic churches. He was entranced by the Catholic liturgy and still has a "love for liturgy" today.)

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