Venio

The Latin word “Venio” means “I come” (Psalm 40,8). We interpret its meaning in two ways: it means that God gets closer to us and meets us and at the same time we turn to Him, we meet Him. The core of our life is a lively personal relationship with Jesus Christ which grows through prayer (ora), work (labora) and spiritual reading (lege).

ORA!

Prayer is the foundation of our life. It provides frame for every day and the whole year. In prayer we meet God who has created all the universe and every man and woman. That is why several times a day we stand before God and praise Him for all he has been doing for us out of love, we thank Him for today’s opportunities and the people we meet. We entrust to Him current events of today’s world as well and remember those who ask us for prayer. Regular common prayer sets the rhythm of our day and life.

LABORA!

It is from prayer that an impulse for active co-creation of the world arises. It is an impulse to live the Gospel in a particular job, time, society. Work is the second fundamental element of every day. It is not only necessary duties and service that we carry out for the community but we develop our talents, skills, abilities in any way possible, too. This is enabled by the specific way of life of Venio community: each of us can work in the field where she would work before joining the convent. Thus our work makes a tangible contribution to society as a whole.

LEGE!

Reading (lectio divina) is the third characteristic element of Benedictine life. First of all it concerns reading the Bible and its commentaries, however it includes spiritual literature of all times as well. Reading and meditating the Word of God written into the pages of the Bible as well as into all spheres of our being is thus another way of meeting personal God almost “face to face”. Such reading transforms our perception, thinking and it gives direction to our actions.

FOUNDATION

Foundation of our convent was a great adventure that has been going on until today.

"“For me, Venio is a great adventure in the positive meaning of the word. It is continuous balancing on a narrow path you want to follow and which you in fact follow. This narrow path–to be a nun but at the same time not to be a nun, to be in the world but not to be of the world. It is not easy to walk this narrow path. However, I think it is right here where there is a great chance and opportunity.”
(Prof. Engelbert Neuhäusler)

Munich

“This is how I want to live, too!” These are words that crossed the mind of Marianne Johannes (1900–1993) when she experienced Benedictine Liturgy of the Hours and the rhythm of religious life for the first time in Ettal convent in 1920. Since it was not, for various reasons, possible for her to join the Benedictine convent at that time, she started to pray the Benedictine Liturgy of the Hours with other young women from Munich. Under the guidance of Marrianne Johannes, later called Mother Agnes, a community of sisters comes into existence in 1926 who observe the Rule of St Benedict and at the same time they keep their jobs outside the convent. Mother Agnes remains the Venio community superior till 1973. Mother Agape Gensbaur its prioress for the next 20 years (she was born in Kladno, Czech Republic and she survived the expulsion of Germans from Czechoslovakia after the Second World War). It was under her guidance that this form of religious life was recognized officially by the Church for the first time. From 1993 to 2010 the community was led by Sister Lucia Wagner. She was, as a delegate to the worldwide association of Benedictine nuns „Communio Internationalis Benedictinarum“ (CIB) able to make many important contacts that helped her significantly in foundation of the convent in Prague.

Prague

On 8 December 2007 our convent at Bílá Hora (White Mountain) was blessed by Cardinal Miloslav Vlk. The initiative for its foundation came from the group of Czech sisters living in Przemysl Abbey in Poland (there has not been any Benedictine convent for almost 100 years in the Czech Republic). In 2003 three of the sisters moved from Poland to Venio in Munich. They have adopted its way of religious life because it seemed to be the best one for a convent in a city. The story of our Prague convent could begin thanks to Benedictine monks of Břevnov who offered us Bílá Hora pilgrimage site and thanks to Venio community in Munich that took responsibility for the new convent foundation.

Since 973 when the Přemyslid princess Mlada founded the Benedictine convent of St George at Prague Castle (it was the very first convent in our country) Benedictine nuns have been credited an essential role in both spiritual and cultural development of our country. It was ended by the dissolution of the convent due to the reforms of Joseph II in 1782. In 1889 Benedictine nuns from Nonnberg Abbey in Salzburg, Austria founded the convent of St Gabriel in Praha-Smíchov. This convent, influenced by Beuron Benedictine monks from Prague Emmaus Abbey, has become a flourishing convent of educated and creative women (mainly belonging to Austrian and German high aristocracy). When in 1918 Czechoslovakia came into existence, it became clear that sisters had not been accepted by Czech society. Moreover they were asked by the Czech state to move to Austria.

Abbey

The climax of our story was 11 July 2013 when, on St Benedict’s feast, Venio community was promoted to Venio Abbey of Transfiguration of the Lord. Sr. Carmen Tatschmurat, prioress of Venio since 2010, was blessed abbess by Cardinal Reinhard Marx. Thus the long journey to recognition of our way of Benedictine life came to an end. Today we are one community living at two different places. We meet together regularly, we talk and pray in both languages, some Czech sisters live in Munich and some German sisters in Prague. This union of Prague and Munich in one community is experienced by us as very enriching and fruitful.

VOCATION

Vocation always comes from God. It differs from other choices made by men and women on the basis of their talents and interests. God reaches out to individuals in various ways and often surprises us. Answering vocation and accepting it–it is a lifelong adventure with God.

Nuns

The foundation of the vocation of every sister is her personal relationship with Jesus Christ. This relationship grows in prayer (ora), work (labora) and spiritual reading (lege) and it finds its particular expression in common life of the sisters. We strive to accept one another with open eyes and hearts, to enjoy our various talents and to appreciate our differing approaches and points of view. We learn to be open in our communication when setting our goals, formulating our visions as well as solving tension and conflicts. Our common life is determined most of all by three Benedictine vows which are made by each sister when she commits herself to religious life (so-called solemn vows): lifelong stability (stabilitas), obedience (oboedientia) and monastic life (conversatio morum).

By making a vow of staying in the community for the whole of her life (stabilitas) each sister gains a stable place for the rest of her life. Physically it means a particular place in the community (the order of each sister in the choir is given by the time of her joining the community).
St Benedict derives obedience (oboedientia) from “listening to”, attentive listening to, and gives the one who is supposed to be obedient room for expressing his or her point of view. Obedience means to us a dialogic process. Together we strive to discern what is closest to fulfilling God’s will.
Monastic life (conversatio morum) includes life without marriage, life with common property, willingness to accept the lifestyle of a particular community, and readiness for the lifelong process of learning and transformation with the goal of reaching authentic human as well as spiritual maturity.
The vows of stabilitas and conversatio morum create existential tension: it is this very decision for a particular life in a particular community at a particular place that frees us for permanent conversion, maturation and development; the community itself needs to be transformed as a whole all the time, too, so that it can be kept alive. It means that we need to keep moving both internally and externally as well as we need finding peace so that we can go deeper.

Oblates

Men and women of states of life who are interested in more intensive spiritual life and closer relationship with our convent are offered the possibility of becoming oblates. Oblates, both men and women, commit themselves by a promise to be affiliated with our convent although they live outside. Oblates live the Benedictine spirituality in a way that their state of life and life conditions enable them. We support them in this at our common meetings, common prayers and in personal spiritual guidance. Before the promise is made, there is usually a period of two-year preparation.

Experience a convent

Our Rule urges us for hospitality towards all the people coming to us. We want to offer a possibility of meeting us, knowing us and sharing our spirituality and our way of life to those who are interested in it. Except Monday, our prayer of vespers at 6 p.m. is open to all. We offer a possibility of staying with us for some time in silence (one day or more), taking part in “meditation days” or in a walk in nature with meditation and reading the Bible. We offer spiritual guidance as well. People looking for an active way of calming down can help us with some work in our garden.