Social commitment
Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me. (Mt. 25, 40)
Leprosy Relief Karachi e. V. Maria Laach
Originating from a small group of people from Engers/Neuwied, who set out in 1968 to collect donations for the needy and destitute, the Leprosy Relief Karachi e. V. association was founded in Maria Laach to support the work of German leprosy doctor Dr. Ruth Pfau († 2017) in Pakistan.
Prudently and with great energy, Fr. Rabanus began to look for further supporters for the aid organization. Over the years, the number of campaigns, initiatives, communities, monasteries and private individuals who support this important work with donations has grown. At present, Fr. Franziskus Bendorf from our monastery heads the association and helps to ensure that all funds “reach Pakistan in full”.
All donations benefit the leprosy clinic in Karachi, which is also the national training institute for leprosy control, as well as the more than 130 leprosy wards in the country that care for the sick and the workshops where leprosy patients can contribute to their own livelihood. In addition to freeing people from leprosy, the association’s work aims to give the sick people new courage to face life and create opportunities for them to take control of their own lives. The staff of Leprosy Relief in Karachi take care of leprosy patients, but have also been fighting against blindness and tuberculosis for years.
“The last word will be love. Despite everything and in everything, Christians owe the world this testimony of hope.”
(Ruth Pfau)
Kellerladen e.V.
The history of the “Kellerladen” began when Brother Lukas Ruegenberg OSB from Maria Laach founded the youth club “Lucky’s Haus” in Cologne-Bilderstöckchen in 1972 in response to the difficult labor market situation and the associated social problems in the district.
In 1984, the association “Kellerladen – Initiative für gemeinsame Arbeit” (“Cellar Shop – Initiative for Joint Work”) emerged from youth work and is committed to the needs of socially disadvantaged families, young people and older people. With the motto “Helping people to help themselves”, the aim is to open up new prospects through advice, low-cost services and concrete projects.
There are several small “shops” in the empty basements of the apartment blocks, hence the name “Kellerladen”, such as a bicycle workshop, a children’s hairdresser or a laundry. Today, 17 full-time employees and around 50 volunteers work in this initiative. A disused railroad carriage on the meadow in the middle of the residential area in Bilderstöckchen forms the meeting place of the Kellerladen.
In 1992, a small chapel was even built on the site – the “Edith Stein Chapel of Peace”. “In gratitude to the benevolent God, we built this chapel with our own hands for enduring friendship in good and difficult days,” reads a plaque on the church.
“The needy have become people who help others with great personal commitment,” says Brother Lukas, who is still very involved in this work himself despite his advanced age. Affected by the need of the people, the cellar store, together with Maria Laach Abbey, has been transporting relief supplies to needy regions in Eastern Europe since the 1980s, initially to Poland, Croatia and the Ukraine. In the meantime, support has been given to the “Habeš” Roma camp in Sečovce in eastern Slovakia. This includes projects such as the construction of wells for the Roma settlement’s own water supply, the creation of a communication center for the work of social workers, a kitchen for the daily feeding of around 180 children and the construction of a chapel.
Aid transports for Roma in eastern Slovakia
“The needy have become people who help others with great personal commitment,” says Brother Lukas, who is still very involved in this work himself despite his advanced age. Affected by the need of the people, the cellar store, together with Maria Laach Abbey, has been transporting relief supplies to needy regions in Eastern Europe since the 1980s, initially to Poland, Croatia and the Ukraine. In the meantime, support has been given to the “Habeš” Roma camp in Sečovce in eastern Slovakia. This includes projects such as the construction of wells for the Roma settlement’s own water supply, the creation of a communication center for the work of social workers, a kitchen for the daily feeding of around 180 children and the construction of a chapel.
Peace bell for Syria
The peace bell was cast in the Maria Laach bell foundry and decorated with angels by children. At the 2013 Advent market, 41 children drew angels, which were transferred to wax with the help of the bell foundry staff and then attached to the bell model. These angels now form the bell decoration for the bronze bell, which has since been cast and installed in the abbey church and weighs around 260 kg.
The bell was consecrated during Advent vespers at the 2014 Advent market and now rings out when people pray for peace in the church. In future, it is to be taken to the crisis area in Syria as a sign of peace and donated to a rebuilt church there. Due to the ongoing difficult political situation in Syria, an exact destination for the bell cannot be specified at present.
