Pilgrimage Church Stiepel
The monastery Stiepel, a Cistercian monastery in Bochum's district Stiepel, is a priory and was founded in 1988. It is under the control of the abbot of the Heiligenkreuz, a Cistercian abbey in Austria. The founding of the monastery was an initiative of the first bishop of the Ruhr diocese Franz Cardinal Hengsbach.
The abbey is also a Saint Mary's place of pilgrimage of the image of the 'painful mother of Stiepel' and as such the only Mary's place of pilgrimage of the diocese. The building's wings are arranged in a u-shape around the pilgrimage yard. The outdoor altar opens up into the western landscape. The monk's cells are situated in the attic; the location to be recognised at the affiliated dormer. A leased out restaurant ('Klosterhof') is attached to the monastery.
The Latin Liturgy of the Hours of the monastery community and the mass in the church is open to the public.
'At the celebration of the holy abbot Bernhard von Clairvaux in the year 1988, four Cistercians from the abbey Heiligenkreuz in Lower Austria, were sent by their abbot Gerhard Hradil, to found a monastery in the diocese Essen, where they started their monastery life under the appointed first prior Pater Beda Zilch at the church B.M.V. Matris Dolorosae in Bochum-Stiepel…'
Thus starts the certificate, written on parchment, which was sunk into the foundation stone of the new Cistercian monastery by Cardinal Hengsbach on the 3rd of May 1989. Since the founding, several entries happened, thus that the founding can be seen as successful after 25 years. An elevation to an abbey has not yet confirmed.
Today, monks take care of the pilgrimage, perform the solemn choral prayers in Cistercian tradition, are responsible for the parish, work as ministers in neighbouring parishes and last but not least, work as spiriutal guides for the students of the nearby Ruhr university.
(The original text of the article stems from the Free Encyclopaedia Wikipedia