About

My name is Mauritius Wilde. I am a monk. I am probably not as wild as my last name might indicate. As a monk, I am seeking God. If you are seeking God, too, I hope that we might seek together.

Those who cherish Christ above all.

This phrase is taken from the Rule of St. Benedict (5:2), the founder of the Benedictine Order. We are seeking God by following Jesus Christ. When I was leaving my hometown Hildesheim, Germany, to enter the monastery in 1985, I was strongly drawn to a life in community because I knew I wouldn’t make it living just by myself. It’s much easier to seek God in community. Since then, my community has been a great blessing to me. A monastic community is like a support group for people who suffer from the “God bug”.

My home monastery is located in a beautiful German area called Franconia. From there I was sent to our Priory in Schuyler, Nebraska, USA. It was while living in Nebraska that I started the blog. I loved the life in the prairie from the beginning. Its wideness tells me about the wideness and greatness of God. “Where are you going?”, my friends wanted to know when I was leaving my home Abbey. Nebraska? In the middle of nowhere? Besides the fact, that this is an absolutely ignorant judgment, the middle of nowhere is a good place for a monk. Not many distractions, yet life can still be very challenging. Did I want to be challenged, when I entered the monastery? Yes, I did. The greatest challenge is to let go. The journey of St. Benedict is a journey of detachment. The more we let go, the more we become free. Only if we allow other things to become less important in our life, can Christ grow in us as the one “above all”.

I had to let go again, when I received the call to become Prior at the Abbey of Sant’ Anselmo in Rome, Italy. It was a wild shift. All of a sudden, I found myself in the middle of a vibrant city. I feel blessed to be here, at the heart of the Church who I have always loved. I love to be close to many wonderful men and women Saints who lived and are buried here, including Ignatius, Catherine of Siena, Monica, Paul, and Peter, and certainly St. Benedict, who lived not far from here in Subiaco and Montecassino. Their presence is encouraging to me. In Rome, too, God continues to teach me “wideness”.  Our community counts about 90 monks coming from almost 40 countries. The wideness of the universal church can be seen in the different cultures and mentalities of the monks who gather under the one and same Christ. In this way, God makes true his word for me that he extended through St. Benedict in the Prologue of his Rule: “But as we progress in this way of life and in faith, our heart becomes wide, and in the inexpressible delight of love, we shall run on the path of God’s commandments.” (Prologue 49).

I pray that you may find something for your own journey as you read this blog. I pray that Christ may touch your heart and change your life. Be blessed!

Father Mauritius

Disclaimer: Because I was born in Germany, you might encounter Germenglish on the way…

• If you want to read more of me (in German): Books on Amazon
• If you want to listen to my podcasts on Benedictine Spirituality: Podcasts
• If you want to attend a retreat: Retreats