Pilgrimage Centre Werl

For 170 years, the Franciscan Order took care of the pilgrimage in Werl. On September 1, 2019, the Franciscans bade farewell to the Marian pilgrimage site. The former Franciscan monastery, which is directly adjacent to the Werl pilgrimage basilica, was acquired by the Archdiocese of Paderborn and work began on converting it into a pilgrimage centre. In the same year, the monastery building in the town centre was listed in the monument register in the town of Werl. It was also in 2019, that a di­ocesan pilgrimage team was introduced by the Archbishop of ­Paderborn, to provide pastoral care for pilgrims. This team also includes ­pilgrimage chaplain Markus Ende, who has been working as a parish priest for 14 years. He remembers the first time he saw the inside of the building at the beginning of the renovation work: “I was overwhelmed when I first saw just how large the building is. At its peak, around 70 monks lived here. As a comparison: We are now a team of five.”

Work began shortly after the Franciscans left. The neighbouring printing house was demolished and an annex was built in its place. The exterior façade of the monastery was renovated and the roof renovated. In the process, the appearance was hardly changed in order to preserve the character of the listed building. On the west side, dormers that had existed in the past and had been removed over time, were rebuilt on the roof. The result is impressive: From the outside, the historic substance has been preserved, while on the inside, the building has been skillfully renovated. This not only delights Markus Ende, but also the visitors. The modern furnishings have been discreetly integrated into the interior, which has been kept in muted colours. The contractor Menne laid 90 kilometres of cable, installed fire protection alarm systems and WLAN is available throughout the building. Nothing of all this is visible – nothing flashes – the technology blends in almost invisibly. And that’s important, not only in the state-of-the-art, rentable meeting room. “The pilgrims can still be on the road living quite simply and with few possessions. They all carry a smart phone with them. That’s why every bed has a light console with a power socket, explains Markus Ende, who studied religious education.

A pilgrims’ hall for a good 160 people has been built in this former monastery building. The entrance area has been designed to be barrier-free. There are now 80 sleeping places for pilgrims. In the four-bed room with a shared bathroom, you can stay overnight for a donation. Markus Ende explains: “ We are using a freely interpreted version of the Franciscans’ motto: He who has something, can give something, but who has nothing does not need to give anything.” Since motorized people also arrive here, on a motorcycle pilgrimage, for example, 29 parking spaces have been created as well as charging stations for e-cars and e-bikes. The complete conversion area of the former monastery is about 3,600 m² of living and usable space, including about 1,800 m² for the Marian pilgrimage Werl with administration and pilgrim accommodation. On another 350 m² there are two apartments for clergy. Overnight accommodation with 40 m² was created for two homeless people. By the way, another part of the old Franciscan monastery has remained in religious use as a convent. Ursuline sisters moved in because their previous convent had become too large for them. The living space for their convent covers 880 m². In addition, the office of the Dean for the Hellweg deanery is still housed in the building. The pilgrim convent is a self-catering house: “ We want the groups to use the gastronomy offered around us as much as possible, we don’t want to compete with that.”

In Werl, town and church exist in an evolved symbiosis that is fruitful for both parties. The town is happy about the many pilgrim guests and has, not without reason, added the words “pilgrimage town” to its town entrance signs. For the inhabitants, the former monastery is a natural part of their living environment. Consequently, they showed great interest in the reconstruction and actively participated in guided tours, especially since the building with its idyllic garden had not been accessible until then. The city advertises this oasis of peace and tranquillity in the middle of the town. It offers a unique atmosphere with tiles and original door frames from the beginning of the 20th century, an almost unchanged room layout and the old dinner bell the Fathers used that was not only rung for meals in the refectory. Each monk had his own ringing code, for example short-long-short. If the bell rang like this, the corresponding monk knew to come in when he was in the garden, for example. “Details like this are what make the place so charming, the combination of what’s new with what is already there,” Markus Ende enthuses.