19.09.2025
Frater Simon Bailoni
Bregenz
Benedict-Days 2025
This year’s Benedict Days for young men took place at the Thalbach Monastery in Bregenz (Austria) from Thursday, August 28th to Sunday, August 31st. Inspired by the motto of the Holy Year, the theme was “The Driving Force of Hope.” Fourteen participants from five different countries (Austria, Germany, Belgium, Lithuania, and Liechtenstein) joined together with the Brothers and Fathers of the Spiritual Family The Work to read and reflect on passages from Pope Benedict’s encyclical Spe salvi. The days were led by Fr. Hermann Geissler, FSO, who not only knows well Benedict’s theology but also his person.
Alongside the daily reflections on hope and the study of the encyclical, there were many other parts to the program. Each day the group shared in the monastery’s prayer life— Holy Mass, morning and evening prayer, Rosary and Adoration. In the evenings, we enjoyed fellowship with songs, a film about Pope Benedict, and personal testimonies from Sr. Christine Felder, FSO, Fr. Hermann Geissler, FSO, and Fr. Joachim Moernaut, FSO about their encounters with Pope Benedict XVI. These stories became a highlight for many of the participants.
On one of the afternoons, to the great delight of the Sister in charge of the kitchen, all the participants helped to cut about 14 boxes of apples! Another beautiful experience was a hiking tour to the Hirschberg (a mountain close to the Monastery), crowned with Holy Mass at the summit. The days concluded with a meditation on eternal life and the memorial Mass for Mother Julia Verhaeghe, foundress of the Spiritual Family The Work.
