Heiligenkreuz Abbey now has over 100 monks. Some might think success has attracted a visitation.

Solemn profession of three young monks on the Solemnity of the Assumption of Mary - Four candidates have begun their novitiate

On the Solemnity of the Assumption of Mary, three young monks made their solemn profession at Heiligenkreuz Abbey. The Cistercian abbey near Vienna now has over 100 monks, the abbey announced on Sunday. Abbot Maximilian Heim presided over the profession, which binds a monk to the monastic community for life. Over 70 monks participated in the ceremony, the oldest among them being Abbot Gerhard Hradil OCist (96 years old).

In Austrian monasteries, those making solemn profession are called "Pater," according to the Rule of St. Benedict. The three new priests are Father Wilhelm Mauser (26 years old), Father Melchisedeck Langhammer (24 years old), and Father Clemens Maria Spranger (24 years old). Another candidate, Brother Christoph Seemann (24 years old), will make his solemn profession on August 22nd at the Heiligenkreuz monastery in Neuzelle, Brandenburg. These young religious have been living, studying, working, and praying at Heiligenkreuz Abbey for over five years. The community of Heiligenkreuz Abbey now comprises a total of 101 monks.

On Thursday, the eve of the Assumption of Mary, four candidates (two Austrians, one German, and one American) received their religious habit and religious name. This marked the beginning of their one-year novitiate in Heiligenkreuz.

Visitation for spiritual centre

Heiligenkreuz Abbey recently made headlines because the Vatican announced an Apostolic Visitation in June. The monastery recently confirmed to Kathpress that these discussions are already underway, although the two appointed visitors, the Abbot Primate of the Benedictines, Jeremias Schröder, and the Austrian nun Sister Christine Rod of the Missionaries of Christ, have not yet visited the monastery in person.

Heiligenkreuz Abbey was founded in 1133 by Margrave Leopold III and his wife Agnes as a Cistercian abbey, making it one of the oldest surviving monasteries of the order. It is known for its uninterrupted monastic tradition, its cultivation of Gregorian chant, and its theological college, which was elevated to a university of pontifical right by Pope Benedict XVI (2005-2013) in 2007. Benedict XVI also visited the abbey during his visit to Austria in 2007.

The monastery is responsible for pastoral care in 21 parishes and the Säben Monastery in South Tyrol, and operates priories in Neukloster (Wiener Neustadt) and in the German towns of Neuzelle, Bochum-Stiepel, and Maria Friedenshort. For several years now, the monastery has had around 100 monks in its convent, a record high in its nearly 900-year history. In addition, there are approximately 300 students at the Heiligenkreuz University of Applied Sciences and around 40 seminarians at the Leopoldinum Seminary.

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