Maria-Rickenbach: Klosterkirche

Here are some pictures taken at the Maria-Rickenbach Klosterkirche (Abbey Church). 

The Benedictine Abbey of Schweiklberg

The Mount Marty Choir will visit the Benedictine Abbey of Schweiklberg during their Incantato tour and pilgrimage "Spiritual Routes" 2012. Schweiklberg is set on a hill above Vilshofen. It was founded in 1904 and has an onion-domed church. The bells rang out to celebrate the abbey's centenary in 2004. Schweiklberg Abbey is always a wonderful place to visit. 

Schweiklberg Abbey is an ecological abbey in a rural setting in Vilshofen, a town on three rivers, in the beautiful Danube valley. The environmentally aware monks use an eco-friendly hydropower plant for their electricity supply. Very recently the abbey has become completely self-sufficient with renewables, thanks to a brand new wood-chip heating plant. Fresh vegetables and flowers are grown in the abbey's own garden nursery. Schweiklberg Abbey has also made a name for itself overseas, primarily through missionary work in Asia and Africa. 

Education, the arts, spiritual guidance, administration, the abbey church, the library, the garden nursery, agriculture and various workshops are just some aspects of the monks' enormously varied work. The abbey's art nouveau church is especially interesting: dedicated to the Holy Trinity in 1925, it has a Klais organ and a Black Africa Museum with valuable masks and cult objects. Currently home to 40 fathers and brothers, Schweiklberg Abbey is part of the Missionary Congregation of St. Ottilia.

Groups and individuals seeking tranquillity and wishing to discover the abbey are very welcome. For those interested in experiencing the abbey more deeply, accommodation is available, with the opportunity of participating in choral prayers, in shared meals or in the various working areas. Through spiritual guidance, visitors gain an insight into the life and the Order of Saint Benedict. There is also a wide-ranging programme of classes and spiritual exercises. St. Bede's House offers accommodation in single or double rooms and several meeting rooms for groups.

Concert Venues: Stiftskirche, Benedictine Abbey of Göttweig, Austria

The abbey, situated on the Göttweig Mountain, is - because of its location - sometimes called the Austrian Montecassino. The Monastery, founded in 1083 by Saint Altmann, sits on a hill 449 m above sea level in the Dunkelsteiner Forest south of the city of Krems, on the eastern edge of the world-famous Danube Valley called the Wachau. With the Wachau, Göttweig was in 2001 placed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

At first, Augustines worked here, to be followed in 1094 by Benedictine monks from the Monastery of St. Blasien in the Black Forest. The Benedictines have been living, learning and teaching on Göttweig Mountain for more than 900 years. The goal of their life is to glorify God in prayer and work according to the Rule of their Order’s founder, Saint Benedict, the Patron Saint of Europe. Currently 54 monks belong to the monastic community. More than 30 of them give pastoral care to parishioners and pilgrims in the Dioceses of Vienna and St. Pölten. Forestry and viticulture have been the economic basis of the Monastery since it was founded - today completed by various touristic and economic efforts.

"The Stiftskirche is a perfect Baroque chapel, with lovely acoustics, detailed fresco, and choir loft. The tall stairs make for a great riser, and the locale in the hills of Austria is MAGNIFICENT!"
-Dr. Jonathan Talberg,
Director of Choral, Vocal and Opera Studies
Bob Cole Conservatory of Music, CSULB

Possible Concert Venues: Benedictine Abbey of Engelberg

The Benedictine Abbey of Engelberg, Switzerland rests in a mountain valley at the foot of Mount Titlis. The Abbey rises over the center of the town of Engelberg, which appropriately translates to “the mountain of angels.” The Benedictine Abbey of Engelberg is often associated with the nearby Benedictine Sisters of Maria Rickenbach. Since the Sisters’ convent is only accessible by cable car, perhaps an additional performance at the Abbey’s Collegiate Church would excite the locals.

Founded in 1120 by a nobleman by the name of Konrad von Sellenburen, and ratified by Pope Callistus and Emporer Henry V in 1121, the Abbey offers a colorful history with periods of great flourishing that withstood the tribulations of fire, revolutions, and the plague.

Following the great fire of 1729, many aspects of the church were refurnished in early Baroque style. The main alter is stunningly painted with themes of the Assumption and the Trinity, while the ceiling is adorned with frescoes recounting the life of the Virgin Mary. The simplistic complex, which also includes a working farm, fits admirably into the serene mountain setting. The Abbey’s Collegiate Church houses the largest organ in Switzerland—the ideal locale for a choir performance.

Currently about forty monks reside at the monastery, working in the garden, kitchen, sacristy, library, infirmary, arts and crafts station, administration, development projects, pastoral care, local schools, and the parish. The warm-hearted townspeople of Engelberg thrive on the ministry of the Abbey and welcome visitors with open arms. Any spiritual soul is bound to be gladdened by the peace and serenity exuding from the majestic mountains of Engelberg.

Concert Venues: Benedictine Sisters of Maria Rickenbach

The village of Maria Rickenbach, Switzerland remains a place of Christian pilgrimage since the 1500s, when a wooden statue of the Virgin Mary and Child was miraculously preserved from fire. One of the loveliest sites in Switzerland, Maria Rickenbach rests high atop the green Niederrickenbach plateau, overlooking the valley of Engelberg, the Nidwalden Alps, and Mount Pilatus.

In 1853 two Benedictine Sisters chose Maria Rickenbach as the ideal location for a convent of Perpetual Adoration. The sisters of Maria Rickenbach aim for a life of unceasing prayer. They pray the Divine Office, celebrate Eucharist, have continual adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, and take time for other personal prayer and reading. In keeping with the Benedictine tradition, this work of prayer is balanced by the work of their hands.

The sisters are fully self-sufficient, supporting themselves mainly through the cultivation of herbs and distribution of various teas, tinctures, ointments, and schnapps. The intricate art of drying and preparing herbs has been passed from generation to generation within the convent’s community.

In addition to growing many of their own herbs, the sisters also collect wild herbs growing throughout the vast mountain meadows. They enjoy spending their days harvesting the fields, packing picnic lunches, and praying outside, praising the majesty of God’s creation. Their love for the earth and reliance on its bounty renders them dedicated stewards of the environment.

Although the convent is accessible only by cable car, the sisters welcome many visitors each year, usually pilgrims going to the shrine of Maria Rickenbach or travelers on holiday. All are invited to browse the convent gift shop which carries the sisters' herbal remedies and handicrafts of fine embroidery and weaving, liturgical vestments, altar cloths, and miscellaneous items. The Benedictine Sisters of Perpetual Adoration in the United States are spiritually and affectionately bound with the sisters of Maria Rickenbach. The two congregations continue drawing mutual inspiration and strength from each other in their journey to witness Christ’s presence in the world. 

Photos courtesy of the Benedictine Sisters of Maria Rickenbach website.