Father Beda Hornung OSB

†

Father Beda (Lorenz Rudolf) Hornung OSB

Missionary Benedictine of Sankt Ottilien

12 June 1937 – 29 July 2024

Unexpectedly, but well prepared, Fr. Beda Hornung died in his cell the night of 28 July. His cardiac insufficiency had probably led to his sudden heart failure. Fr. Beda had celebrated his 87th birthday a few weeks earlier and was in the 66th year of his monastic profession.

Fr. Beda came into the world on 12 June 1937 in the town of Weßling, Diocese of Augsburg, district of Starnberg, only about 20 kilometers from St. Ottilien. He was baptized with his father’s name Lorenz, preferring his middle name Rudolf. His mother Margarethe Ho pping came from Thuringia and had come to Bavaria as a cook, where she met and eventually married the farmer Lorenz Hornung from the secluded Winklhof while attending church. The two had found each other due to a shared heartfelt faith, as well as the Hornung family being strongly influenced by religion and several family members having joined various religious orders. After his father was killed as a soldier in June 1944, the half-orphan and his three younger siblings grew up with their mother on their grandfather’s farm. The lively and talented boy attended primary school for five years until a chance visit to St. Ottilien awakened in him the desire to become a missionary.

This acquaintance with St. Ottilien came about on his confirmation day, 4 June 1948: his godfather suggested the Munich Zoo and the pious mother St. Ottilien as a destination for an outing. The ten-year-old boy was asked to decide for himself and wanted to go to St. Ottilien. During the tour of the monastery, he was told that he could prepare for the priesthood at the monastery school. A month later, the resolute mother enrolled her son in the minor seminary at St. Ottilien. After graduating, he entered the novitiate of the archabbey on 19 September 1957, where he was given the name of the English Benedictine scholar Beda Venerabilis. His temporary profession took place on 20 September 1958. He then studied philosophy at the monastery and from 1960 to 1964 studied theology in Sant’ Anselmo, Rome, graduating in 1964 with a licentiate. He had already been ordained a priest on 1 September 1963 by Benedictine Bishop Aurelian Bilgeri of Eshowe. Among the three priests who were assigned to the missionary bishop for service in Zululand was the new priest, Father Beda.

The official missioning to South Africa took place in March 1965. Thanks to his talent for languages, Fr. Beda quickly learned English and soon picked up Zulu. He initially served as an assistant in the parish of Nongoma, which, with its many outstations and aid organizations, offered a rich field of work. In 1968, he took over St. Patrick Parish in Empageni as parish priest. However, his critical comments and preaching on the apartheid policy increasingly brought him into conflict with Bishop Bilgeri, who had forbidden the missionaries from “involvement in government policy.” The “modern ideas” of the new priest also did not appeal to the old missionaries, even if they found a very positive response in the parish. In 1970, Bishop Aurelian removed him from his position as parish priest and sent him back to St. Ottilien.

The sudden recall affected the highly motivated priest to such an extent that he initially had thoughts of leaving, but then decided to make a fresh start in the South American mission. In the spring of 1971, he was sent to San Jose del Avila Abbey in Caracas, Venezuela. He soon managed to change from English to Spanish, which can be seen in his spiritual journal that he always kept in the local language. Initially, he taught English and religion at the monastery school in Caracas. The spirit of optimism in the South American Church appealed to him greatly, especially the practice of basic ecclesial communities, so that he felt theologically at home here, as he wrote. In 1983, he acquired Venezuelan citizenship (while retaining his German citizenship), since in his view it opened up more scope for his work. In the following years, the Caracas community made serious preparations for the move from the hectic city of Caracas to the quiet hinterland of Gu igu e, which was realized in 1990. In the rural surroundings, Fr. Beda was highly involved in the contemplative reorientation which turned the new abbey into a spiritual center for Venezuela. He offered numerous retreats and courses in contemplation, served as a spiritual director for communities of sisters and in novitiate formation. One of his main tasks was the development of a nationwide network of prayer groups that practiced Centering Prayer according to the guidelines of Trappist Abbot Thomas Keating. Numerous prayer groups came to Gu igu e to be trained by Fr. Beda in this form of prayer. Thanks to his kind and cheerful charisma, Fr. Beda was able to reach many people and became a popular spiritual guide. In addition to these spirituality related tasks, he also served at times as cellarer and manager of the monastery farm, although these activities were less suited to him. When his heart problems increased, treatment was initially attempted locally, but this proved more and more difficult due to the general situation in the country.

Therefore, in 2017 Fr. Beda returned to Germany. Here, despite being 80 years old, he looked for new areas of work. These included translating numerous monastery newsletters into Spanish, so that the four Spanish-speaking monasteries of the congregation could better follow internal developments. He also continued his Spanish-language blog on spiritual experiences and contemplative prayer, creating the imaginative and attractive design himself.

In addition, Fr. Beda agreed to move to Jakobsberg Priory in 2018 to support the personnel of the weakened community. However, heart problems became increasingly noticeable there, so a rollator became a constant companion. Father Beda also offered courses at Jakobsberg and in particular a weekly “Prayerful Reading of Scripture” that was open to everyone. In 2022, his health had deteriorated to such an extent that Fr. Beda returned to the motherhouse at the age of 85. Here he began drafting his memoirs, which, however, remain fragments after his sudden death. But it is clear from these reviews of his own life that Fr. Beda practiced what he taught in his courses: in all events, he carefully asked about the presence and guidance of God and how the love of God he experienced could be passed on in an attitude of gratitude.

Fr. Beda had an exceptionally cheerful and even temperament. He took an interest in his fellow human beings, but also withdrew when necessary, especially to continue his written work. In everything he showed himself to be a full-blooded pastor. We are grateful for the years we spent together and for Father Beda’s work and hope to see him again!