Gerleve Abbey

The monks took over the farm, celebrated church services in a small house chapel and supported the pastors in the area in their work.

The first abbot was Raphael Molitor OSB, under whose leadership, the monastery experienced rapid growth.

When questioned, Gauleiter Meyer said that the monks of Gerleve had been found guilty of "pacifist activity and destructive criticism", and explained that the monastery was to be used to provide housing for bombed-out families and evacuees.

The National Socialists used the Ludgerirast house for the Hitler Youth, and the monastery as a maternity facility.

There is a graveyard in the abbey grounds, where among others, there are buried Russian prisoners of war and deceased patients from the military hospital which occupied the premises.

In addition to the retreat work, the pastoral care of young people became more and more important, for which a modern guest house was built in 1952, which was replaced in 1973 and 1984 by two new buildings.

The Schola of the Benedictine Abbey Gerleve has released a CD of traditional Gregorian Chant.

The Haus Ludgerirast offers room for up to 47 people taking part in different courses, seminars or retreats, of which there is a wide choice.

In the Haus St. Benedikt education centre (Jugendbildungsstätte) there is room for about 80 young people from all kinds of schools, for students or for family-groups with children (there is a playground nearby).

The abbey itself can house about 10 (male) guests making retreats or wishing to take part in the community life of work and prayer.