After more than 150 years of uninterrupted presence, the Franciscans will leave the monastery of Marienthal, a historic Marian shrine located in Geisenheim, in the German state of Hesse.
The seven religious who still remain in the community are around 80 years old, and their advanced age has made it impossible to maintain the Order’s presence, according to the Diocese of Limburg.
The farewell will take place this Saturday, August 15, with a Mass and the participation of a trombone quintet.
The departure of the friars ends a presence that began in 1873 and leaves the pastoral continuity of a pilgrimage site whose origins date back to the Middle Ages in other hands.
Seven Franciscans, all around 80 years old
The reason for the closure of the community is not due to a one-time reorganization, but to the age of its members.
The seven Franciscans who still live in Marienthal are around 80 years old, according to information released by the Diocese of Limburg.
For more than a century and a half, one of the main tasks of the religious has been to attend to the pilgrims who come to the shrine.
The Franciscans have accompanied pilgrimage groups, celebrated Mass, and collaborated in the pastoral care of the surrounding parishes.
The Franciscan presence began in 1873 and from the very beginning was closely linked to the care of those who came to venerate the Virgin of Marienthal.
A Marian devotion dating back to the 14th century
The religious history of Marienthal, however, is much older than the arrival of the Franciscans. The shrine is known for a miraculous image of the Virgin that has been venerated for centuries.
According to tradition, in 1309 a hunter who had lost his sight prayed before the image of Mary and later regained his vision.
From that event, the pilgrimage to the site began to develop, and for centuries the faithful have come to ask for the Virgin’s intercession.
The departure of the Franciscans thus marks the end of a chapter in a pilgrimage history that spans well over seven centuries.
The shrine will remain open
The departure of the community will not, at least for the time being, mean the end of Marienthal’s religious activity.
In response to the withdrawal of the Franciscans, an association has been established to support the preservation and continuity of the shrine.
In addition, two Vincentian priests who live a few kilometers away will assume pastoral care starting on the first Sunday of Advent.
Marienthal thus faces a new stage: it will continue to receive pilgrims and maintain worship around its historic Marian devotion, but it will do so for the first time in more than 150 years without the Franciscan community that has guarded and cared for the shrine since 1873.