Helmut Schlegel

Helmut Schlegel
OFM

Schlegel in 2015
Born (1943-05-15) 15 May 1943
Riedlingen
Occupation
  • Catholic priest
  • meditation instructor
  • author
  • librettist
  • song writer
Organization Centre for Christian Meditation and Spirituality
Website www.helmut-schlegel.de/home.html

Helmut Schlegel OFM (born 15 May 1943) is a German Franciscan, Catholic priest, meditation instructor, author, librettist and songwriter. He is known for new spiritual songs (Neues Geistliches Lied), set by various composers.

Career

Born Helmut Alfons Schlegel in Riedlingen, he joined the Franciscan order in 1963 and studied philosophy and theology in Sigmaringen, Fulda and Munich. He was ordained as a priest in 1969 in Fulda. He extended his studies by courses in meditation and holding spiritiual retreats (Exerzitien), also in psychology and logotherapy.[1]

Schlegel worked for ten years in Wiesbaden as chaplain and as minister for young people (Jugendpfarrer). From 1988 he directed the Franziskanisches Zentrums für Stille und Begegnung (Franciscan centre for silence and meeting) in Hofheim am Taunus. In 1998 he was elected the provincial superior of Thuringian Franciscan province. In this function, he was also for six years the president of the German Franciscan missionaries, organized as Missionszentrale der Franziskaner in Bonn. From 2007, he has directed a centre for Christian meditation and spirituality of the Diocese of Limburg (Centre for Christian Meditation and Spirituality (Zentrum für christliche Meditation und Spiritualität)) at the church Heilig Kreuz in Frankfurt-Bornheim.[1]

Schlegel worked also in the diocese's Arbeitskreis Kirchenmusik und Jugendseelsorge im Bistum Limburg, dedicated to new church music for young people. Schlegel wrote the texts for new spiritual songs (Neues Geistliches Lied, NGL), first in collaboration with the composer and church musician Winfried Heurich. Their song "Der Herr wird dich mit seiner Güte segnen" (The Lord will bless you with his goodness), with music by Thomas Gabriel, was acknowledgeded in a worldwide competition in 1983 as the best entry in German. It was included in the Catholic hymnal Gotteslob as GL 452.[2] Schlegel wrote around 180 NGL, with melodies also by Stephan Sahm, Joachim Raabe, Rudolf Schäfer and Sieglinde Weigt, among others.[3]

Schlegel was from 1998 to 2013 the editor of the Franciscan magazines Wege mit Franziskus and Franziskaner. From 2013 he has edited, together with Mirjam Schambeck sf the book series Franziskanische Akzente in the Echter Verlag in Würzburg.[3][4]

Premiere of Laudato si' on 6 November 2016 at the Limburg Cathedral, conducted by the composer Peter Reulein

On a commission by the Diocese of Limburg, he wrote the text for an oratorio with music by Peter Reulein, Laudato si' – Ein franziskanisches Magnificat, published by the Dehm-Verlag in 2016.[5] He structured the work, based on the Magnificat in Latin, in a prologue and five scenes; he included texts by Francis of Assisi who began the praises of his Canticle of the Sun with "Laudato si'", Clare of Assisi and Pope Francis who wrote the encyclical Laudato si'.[5][6]

Selected books

Songs, song books, oratorio

Texts for sacred musical plays

Schlegel wrote the texts for sacred plays with music about the lives of Clare of Assisi and St. Elizabeth.[8]

References

  1. 1 2 Hirt, Beate. "Katholische Kirche im HR – Helmut Schlegel" (in German). Diocese of Limburg. Retrieved 12 September 2015.
  2. "Nr. 452: Der Herr wird dich segnen" (in German). Sonntagsblatt. 26 July 2015. Retrieved 21 October 2016.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Madaus, André (2015). "Ein Arzt und ein Franziskaner – Kunst als Verkündigung". Franziskaner – Magazin für Franziskanische Kultur und Lebensart (in German). Idstein: Provinzialat der Deutschen Franziskanerprovinz (Winter): 26–27.
  4. 1 2 3 "Franziskanische Akzente / Für ein gottverbundenes und engagiertes Leben" (in German). Freiburg University. 2016. Retrieved 21 October 2016.
  5. 1 2 3 "Oratorium Laudato si' / Ein franziskanisches Magnificat in 5 Bildern – Für Soli, Chor und Orchester" (in German). Dehm-Verlag. 2016. Retrieved 19 October 2016.
  6. Bohnhorst-Vollmer, Anken. "Bewegende Uraufführung / Chöre, Solisten und Orchester musizieren zum Jubiläum des Referats für Kirchenmusik". Nassauische Neue Presse (in German).
  7. "Festkonzert zum Jubiläum des Referates Kirchenmusik / Laudato si' — Oratorium von Peter Reulein (Uraufführung)" (in German). Liebfrauen Frankfurt. 2016. Retrieved 19 October 2016.
  8. "Members 2013 / Stephan Sahm" (PDF). academiavita.org. 2016. p. 10. Retrieved 21 October 2016.

External links

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