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| February 2008 Newsletter |
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EVENTS FOR FEBRUARY |
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Members and students of the German-Maltese Circle with a good command of the language are welcome to attend.
Friday, 8th
February
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Carmelina Grech writes on The Monastery of Chorin |
Wednesday,
6th February starting at 6.30p.m. - Gesprächsrunden:
Wednesday,
20th February starting at 6.30p.m. Gesprächsrunden:
Three summers ago, my
friend Edith invited me to her house in Berlin. We visited the splendid
medieval monastery at Chorin, located between lakes and dense forests,
in former East Germany.
The
former Cistercian monastery is a jewel, a masterpiece of early Gothic
architecture. The region is a nature realm, and walking in the nearby
woods and around the lake adjacent to the monastery conveys something of
the peace that the Benedictines were seeking when they chose this spot.
In the area there are traces of human settlement from the middle Stone
Age onwards. The remains of the foundation of the first monastery can
still be seen. The original plan was probably to build a Romanesque
basilica with a nave and two aisles. A document dated September 8, 1273
confirms the relocation of Lake Mary monastery to Chorin. Work on the
monastery complex began in 1275 and completed in 1334. Three different
phases of construction can be distinguished, each marked by change of
material and of brick size.
It thrived for two centuries, home to more than 400 Benedictine monks.
Historical records show that in 1431 the monastery suffered penury and
was partially destroyed. The number of lay brothers also declined. The
monastery church was left to become dilapidated. It was closed when
northern Europe broke with Rome during the Reformation, and was
plundered several times during the Thirty Years' War from 1618 to 1648.
Efforts to repair the damage have been under way sporadically for more
than 100 years.
The state of affairs depicted in the sketches of Karl Friedrich Shinkel
who in 1810, made detailed drawings of the monastery ruins, specify the
stripping of the roof of the church, its use as a stable and warehouse;
the monastery building used as a quarry; the disappearance of the north
part of the cloister as well as the south aisle of the basilica; the
demolition of the upper storey of the east wing of the enclosure and the
use of the bricks for the construction of a brass furnace in Eberswalde.
The surroundings of the monastery also suffered. The construction of a
glassworks by the official leaseholders in 1747 and the operation of a
tar factory led to the clearing of the land around the monastery!
From the eighteen thirties, efforts were made to improve the monastery
surroundings. Around 1890, all the traceries in the church and on the
west side of the enclosure were restored. In another phase was the
construction of a roof and a ridge turret on the church roof, the
restoration of the gables of the church, of the gatehouse and of the
brewery, the scraping of the floor of the church which uncovered the
original ornamental bricks, the ground level in the monastery courtyard
was lowered, revealing the foundation walls of the south wing of the
cloisters and the well-house. After 1954, conservation measures were
strictly carried out.
After German unification, the monastery was carefully restored to secure
the foundation and the outer walls, including the soaring brick facade.
Most of the walls and a surprising amount of ornamental detail are
intact. The notable magnificence of the architectural arrangements, the
flying buttresses and the richly decorated gable of the nave are visible
from some distance. Guides escort visitors through the chapels, wineries
and dormitories, walking down corridors that once echoed with Gregorian
chant.
The present use of the monastery with many visitors and numerous
concerts, create conservation problems. The importance of Chorin both in
architectural and historical terms and the dignity of the building
underline the importance of careful preservation of the monument and its
environment.
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Chev.
Can. Dr. Joseph M. Debono |
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Joseph Maria Debono was born as an only child in Birkirkara in 1948. He attended Santa Monica Primary School, and St. Aloysius’ College. Whilst his father followed a headmaster’s training course in England, he was a student at Gunnersbury Grammar School in London. In the year of Malta’s Independence 1964 he started at Malta University reading Philosophy, Latin and English for a B.A. in 1968. Two years later his B.D. (Bachelor of Divinity) followed, and in 1972 the Lic.D. (Licentiate in Divinity), being ordained priest in the same year. As a subject of his thesis in “Ecumenical Theology” he had chosen “The Ecclesiology of Karl Barth” a Swiss Calvinist Theologian. He continued for another two years reading for his doctorate in 1974. A year later he became Canon Penitentiary at the Collegiate Basilica of St. Helen in Birkirkara. It was the research in the works of Karl Barth which made this industrious student learn German in earnest, as he wanted to be able to read and quote the text in the original German language. From 1971 on he took lessons in German at the German-Maltese Circle, so to say as a culmination of the fact that as from his days at St. Aloysius’ College he had been nicknamed “The German Boy” – for no other reason than his exceptional interest in German culture and language. Of course, I wanted to know the reason why a Maltese teenager of the time would find Germany interesting. Through his uncle, a Dominican Friar, he had met a German Dominican who consequently invited the family to St. Andreas Parish in Cologne in 1965. “None of us spoke any German”, he told me, “my mother conversed in French, my father in English, and I in Latin”. Some years later Father Eminyan seriously suggested to him to learn German with Mr. Conrad. Father Debono never stopped the learning process. Scholarships offered by the Diocese of Bamberg, by the Goethe Institute in Munich and elsewhere were eagerly accepted by him. This led him finally to pass the “Kleines Sprachdiplom”. He started teaching “Grundstufe” German at the German-Maltese Circle and carried on for about 20 years. He also served on the Committee for a long time, holding the post of Librarian for the German-Maltese Circle’s Library. In 1972, soon after he was ordained priest, he became Vice-Chaplain for the German Catholic Community at St. Barbara, a vocation he still carries out today; and in 1975 he started lecturing Ecumenical Theology at the University of Malta. During the same years he began teaching Religion on a part-time basis at the Minor Seminary School, as well as English Language, English Literature, Italian and Mathematics as a full-time teacher at the Church run Mount Carmel College. In 1981 he started teaching German in state schools. During the year 1985, he was instrumental in setting up the German Resource Centre, originally together with the French Resource Centre, catering for the needs of 6th Formers and B.Ed. students and teachers alike. He also organised and conducted a number of student exchanges with various schools in Germany. The year 1992 brought a number of changes in the life of Father Debono. He became a Civil Servant i.e. he was appointed Education Assistant for German, and in 1995 he became the first Education Officer for German in Malta. His duties included the choice of books, setting of examination standards and papers up to Form 5, interviewing and recommending teachers for German for employment; supporting teachers during the scholastic year, organising and conducting in-service courses for teachers, etc. For his outstanding zeal and efforts for religious and cultural activities in German - Maltese relations Father Debono was awarded the Bundesverdienstkreuz am Bande (Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany) in 1999. In accordance with his convictions he joined the OBSS (Ordo Byzantinus Sancti Sepulchri), a hereditary dynastic Order pursuing cultural, ecumenical and philanthropic aims. The Order was re-organised in 1669 though it exists since the fourth century A.D. At present the seat of the Order is in Malta. Father Debono became a KGC (Knight of the Great Cross) in the rank of Grand Prelate. Seeing he mentioned his retirement from Government services at the end of this year, I asked him about his plans for the future, as I could not imagine him coming to a screeching halt in activities. His answer was ready, with clear conceptions: “I will be moving to Paderborn in Germany where I intend helping a parish priest who so far runs three parishes without any assistance. On the first Sunday in Advent of this year I will be starting my new duties, and I am very much looking forward to the challenge.” In Germany a serious shortage of priests has developed over the last two decades, a fact due to which experienced German-speaking foreign priests are most welcome.
Father Debono
appears to be applying himself around the clock and I hardly dared
to ask whether there was room for hobbies. “Oh, yes, there is
photography, especially landscapes”. In addition he is scanning
laboriously his oldest discoloured slides, treating them to bring
back their original beauty. And of course, he is watching German
television to keep the language alive. Because, so he says and gives
his advice to fellow beings: “Always keep active!” |
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| The Minden Grove - Ta' Qali National Park | |
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The Minden Grove situated within the Ta’ Qali National Park was inaugurated last October and is sponsored by the German Association FEE. It is expected that within five years, no less than 800 trees will be planted under the supervision and control of the Ministry for Rural Affairs and the Environment, which Ministry will also be responsible for its maintenance. With around 83.000 residents, Minden is a cultural focus and also a center of administration and business for the County Minden-Lübbecke in Germany. Surrounded by mountains, forests, meadows and moors, Minden lies by the river Weser and the Midland-Canal. Minden (101 square kilometres) lies in the German State of Nordrhein-Westphalia. |
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President: Frau
Ingrid Kidder, General Secretary: Mr Victor H Sammut, Treasurer: Mr
Carmel Azzopardi. Corporate Members Representative: Mr Bernd
Ritschel (Playmobil). |
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RENEW
YOUR MEMBERSHIP for 2008 NOW For only €11,65 for one whole year! Mail a cheque (payable German-Maltese Circle) or come personally to the office! You will continue receiving the Newsletter, join our activities, use the Library services, and much more! |
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Father
Debono is well known not only as a priest in the German Catholic
Community but also as an educator in the German language and a
number of other subjects. He has a very steep and commendable career
in the educational scene of Malta, which career will unfortunately
come to an end with his retirement this year. 