New Springtime: Monastery in Berlin Closing -- Interfaith Initiative Attempts to Keep it "Spiritual"

The initiative "Pro-Kloster Gabriel" is intensively committed to continued spiritual use and also has concepts ready.

Berlin (kath.net/mk) In the former monastery of St. Gabriel in Berlin, school lessons will take place instead of worship in the future. The so-called "Rosa Sisters", as the Steyl missionaries were affectionately called in the vernacular because of their delicate pink habit, had to leave the monastery at the beginning of the year due to problems with – kath.net new vocations reported [https://kath.net/news/77401]. It was unclear for a long time what would become of the monastery building, which belongs to the Order and is under monument protection.

Already in October 2021, when the planned closure of the monastery became known, the initiative "Pro-Kloster Gabriel", an association of different denominations and backgrounds, was formed with the aim of continuing the spiritual use of the church and monastery, especially in the sense of a place of prayer including care for the poor and disadvantaged. Religious from Africa are ready to start working in Berlin immediately; because especially in times of great mental and physical distress, people need prayer, fellowship and grace, says the initiative. To this end, a petition was launched to Berlin's governing mayor and the Superior General of the Order and a benevolent open letter was written to an interested party, the private Berlin Schele School, with the request to refrain from buying.

The background is that the Schele School would not use the building for spiritual purposes, but would offer school lessons. This would contradict the founding spirit of the monastery, whose initiator is Blessed Bernhard Lichtenberg, who was killed in action for Jews and other persecuted people and in the resistance against the National Socialists. According to "Pro-Kloster Gabriel", the handover of the buildings to the operator of an old people's home could already be prevented. The initiative continues to rely on the power of prayer and hopes for insight from those responsible, for the benefit of the city of Berlin. 

Petition

Trans: Tancred vekron99@hotmail.com

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