Welcome to the Friends of St. Joseph!
The prayer community of the JOSEFSFREUNDE is a strong bond between our monastery and all our collaborators, supporters and those who are spiritually entrusted to us.
St. Joseph is our “Minister of Finance” and the constructor of the new monastery building: we trust in the foster father of Jesus as our intercessor in all economic and administrative challenges.
The JOSEFSFREUNDE are in spiritual continuity with the Brotherhood of St. Joseph founded in Neuzelle in 1663.
Abbot Alberich Burghoff, abbot of Neuzelle from 1660 to 1685, brought the idea of a Brotherhood of St. Joseph from his professed monastery, the Lower Austrian Lilienfeld Abbey, which had been founded by the Cistercian Abbey of Heiligenkreuz in 1202.
With the abolition of Neuzelle Abbey in 1817, the Brotherhood of St. Joseph lost its importance, even if it continued to exist formally. The JOSEFSFREUNDE continue this tradition and see themselves as a contemporary renewal and continuation of the brotherhood in connection with the refoundation of the Cistercian monastery (2018).
The baroque St. Joseph’s Chapel was added to the Collegiate Church of Neuzelle as a brotherhood chapel in the 18th century. Since the founding of the JOSEFSFREUNDE on May 1, 2019, the past, present and future of a living tradition of faith have come together here.
As an ecclesiastical association, the JOSEFSFREUNDE have ordinary and extraordinary members. Honorary members can also be appointed. The first honorary member of the JOSEFSFREUNDE was + Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI.
Membership is free of charge.
Ordinary members are men and women who have been baptized, confirmed and are full members of the Catholic Church. They are prepared to pray the prayer of the JOSEFSFREUNDE daily.
The daily prayer of the JOSEFSFREUNDE
Saint Joseph,
to your protection and care
were entrusted to Jesus and Mary.
I would like to place the Church,
the Cistercian monks in Neuzelle
and also myself
under your special protection.
Help us to make come alive the message of Jesus
increasingly in our lives.
Be our helper and intercessor
on our path to Jesus Christ.
Amen.
St. Joseph, pray for us!
As an ecclesiastical association, the JOSEFSFREUNDE have ordinary and extraordinary members. Honorary members can also be appointed. The first honorary member of the JOSEFSFREUNDE was + Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI.
Membership is free of charge.
Ordinary members are men and women who have been baptized, confirmed and are full members of the Catholic Church. They are prepared to pray the prayer of the JOSEFSFREUNDE daily.
Extraordinary members are women and men of other Christian denominations who are prepared to include the intentions of the prayer community in their daily prayers of intercession.
The spiritual offerings of JOSEFSFREUNDE include
a Holy Mass for the living and deceased members on the first of every month as well as the patronal feast with a retreat on May 1st.
St. Joseph – intercessor and helper
St. Joseph is the patron saint of the entire Catholic Church (since 1870), numerous countries and dioceses, of families, children, young people and orphans, educators, virginity, of labor: especially of carpenters, joiners, woodcutters, gravediggers and engineers, travelers and exiles
St. Joseph is the patron saint
of those in need of shelter, in temptations, in desperate situations, for a good death and a peaceful death.
The commemoration day of St. Joseph the Worker on May 1st is the founding and patronal feast of the JOSEFSFREUNDE. Every year on this day, we celebrate Holy Mass together in Neuzelle for all living and deceased members of the prayer community.
More Information
Do you want to become a Member?
If you would like to become a member, please fill out the printed membership application form, sign it and send it toJOSEFSFREUNDE
c/o Zisterzienserpriorat Neuzelle e.V.
Stiftsplatz 5
15898 Neuzelle
or as a scanned, signed document by e-mail to:: josefsfreunde@zisterzienserkloster-neuzelle.de