Würzburg / Oberzell. What is it actually like to live in a monastery? Sophie Schimmerohn can answer this question, which is interesting for many outsiders, because the 31-year-old is currently spending a voluntary year in the monastery of Oberzell.
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Get out of the everyday hamster wheel of work and consumption: That was Sophie Schimmerohn’s goal. Since April 2020 she has lived in the Magdala convent in Oberzell monastery and works 25 hours a week as a care assistant in the Antoniushaus nursing home in Würzburg.
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Schimmerohn is not Catholic, but Protestant, and was also “not overly concerned” with the Church, as she herself puts it. “Why didn’t you just fly to the beach in Thailand?” They have asked many.
Desire for “deeper topics”
Schimmerohn chose the Voluntary Order of the Year (FOJ) because she wanted to deal with deeper issues: “I wanted to get to know something that had to do with faith,” she says. “The motto of the year of the order ‘Take time for yourself’ appealed to me very much,” says Schimmerohn. She was in a phase of life in which she wanted just that.
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The 31-year-old came across the FOJ while researching the internet for various time-out options and ended up in the Oberzell monastery. The contact person and coordinator of the FOJ is Sister Maria Stadler from the Order of the Missionaries of Christ in Munich. “After the first contact, I visited Sister Maria in Munich. We talked and got to know each other, ”says Schimmerohn.
Stadler, who herself visited all the monasteries that participate in the FOJ, suggested the Oberzell monastery to her. A total of almost 50 monasteries can be found on the FOJ website that are participating in the project. The Oberzell monastery is the only one in the diocese of Würzburg. “Sophie is the first to do the FOJ with us,” explains Sister Beatrix Barth, general councilor of the religious order. In general, the community is always open to letting guests and interested parties live with it. “We particularly support the FOJ because it allows you to find yourself,” explains Barth. It also encourages the sisters. “There are many older sisters and only a few younger ones. It is a sign of hope when younger people live with us too, ”she explains.
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The FOJ can last anywhere from three months to a year and has a flexible starting point. “Depending on how it fits into your individual situation and, of course, also with us,” says Barth.
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Schimmerohn initially planned to stay in the monastery for six months, but extended her time to a full year. Barth was impressed by how naturally and quickly Schimmerohn got involved with life in the monastery.
A success-story”
For her too, her time in the monastery was a “success story”. “The best thing about life here in the convent is everyday being together. The exuberance is especially nice. I laughed a lot here, ”says Schimmerohn. She experiences Oberzell Abbey as connected to the world and very committed.
“I am involved here and also work. So over time it becomes such a thing. I have gained more time somewhere and more time is needed somewhere. Nevertheless, the clocks tick differently here and it is a completely different way of turning to others and to yourself, ”says Schimmerohn, describing her experience.
The corona crisis also affects everyday life in the monastery. The festivities take place in a scaled-down form and contact with the individual convents is weaker. Nevertheless, Schimmerohn experienced a lot: She was present at a perpetual profession, witnessed Christmas and Easter, celebrated the 50th birthday of the Superior General and her own name day. “That touched me a lot, because I had never celebrated my name day before,” says Schimmerohn.
Lots of interesting conversations
To what extent the time in Schimmerohn’s monastery will influence further life, she cannot conclusively say yet. “There were many interesting conversations about faith and I got new insights. I hope that I can take all of that with me. “
Schimmerohn would definitely recommend the FOJ. “Of course, what you expect is different, but the medals you can choose from are very diverse,” she explains. The Oberzell monastery would also like to continue this offer. There is no concrete candidate yet.
A total of 26 women and men have already taken part in the FOJ, reports coordinator Stadler. Two of them started in February. So far, every age is represented from 18 to 70 years. So far, however, there have only been three men. What they all have in common is that they want to take a break and focus on the essentials. pow
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