Matthias Vereno (5 October 1922 – 30 May 2009) was a German-Austrian theologian, priest, and swami.
Early life, marriage, academic career His parents were Eugen and Maria (née Kavcic) from Vienna, but Vereno was born in Düsseldorf. The name given him at birth was Karl Feldl. He attended high school in Vienna-Döbling and Berlin-Steglitz, graduated in 1940, entered military service in 1941, served in North Africa, and was incarcerated until 1946.Samipata A. Azhakathu, "Aus dem Leben von Swami Matthias," in: Das Wort in den Worten (Munderfing 2016), pp. 239–45. He then studied philosophy, history, art history, theater, religious studies and theology at the universities of Vienna, Freiburg, and Tübingen, where he received his Ph.D. in 1953; his doctoral advisor was Helmuth von Glasenapp.
He was a speak at the Salzburg Hochschulwochen in 1955 and remained in the city. He worked as a freelance writer and served as a Catholic religious instructor at a training school for young women in Salzburg in the school year 1955/56. Additionally, he was editor of the journal Kairos, devoted to religious studies, from 1959 to 1968. The journal was published by Otto Müller Verlag from 1959 to 1995.Kairos: Zeitschrift für Religionswissenschaft und Theologie. ISSN 0022-7757. The editorial offices were in the Salzburg Edmundsburg. It published articles by Titus Burckhardt and Adolf Holl, among others.See Kairos, vol. 6, 1964.
Vereno received the Habilitation at the University of Salzburg in 1968 and taught there from 1969 to 1977; he was also a visiting professor at the University of California, Santa BarbaraUC Santa Barbara Yearbook 1969, p. 275 and 1970, p. 119. and the University of Madras (India) from 1968 to 1971. In addition, Vereno had lectureships at in theology and Christian culture at the Salzburg branch of the University of Portland in Oregon (run by the Holy Cross Fathers); from 1975 to 1977.
Entry at St. Peter's Archabbey, Salzburg Vereno raised three sons together with his wife Gertrud. After her death in 1975, he decided to become a Benedictine. He was clothed a few days after his ordination to the priesthood (the ordination was on 29 June 1977) in the Archabbey of St. Peter and then took vows as a regular oblate.Archives of St. Peter's Archabbey (Salzburg), "Professbuch der Erzabtei, dritter Teilband, ab 1901," entry no. 625.
Vereno made a pilgrimage to Nigeria from September 1982 to Easter 1983. He left the monastery the following September and was incardinated in the Archdiocese of Salzburg.
Swami Vereno traveled to India with an Indian Sister of the Good Shepherd in October 1986 to discover new ways of spirituality. This was followed by attempts to found religious communities in Italy and various other places. His last place of residence was in Aspach, Upper Austria, where he died on 5 June 2009. During this period of his life he called himself Swami, according to Indian tradition. He was a vegetarian and didn't smoke or drink alcohol. His former disciple and longtime companion was Swami Samipata."Salzburger Priester-Philosoph Matthias Vereno gestorben", Kathpress 4 June 2009.
Selected publications
Die Lebensweiheit Ostasiens. [The Life Wisdom of East Asia]. 1960. Worte der Ferne: Gedichte. [Words of the Far East: Poems]. 1948. Einweihung und spirituelle Nachfolge. [Initiation and Spiritual Discipleship]. 1965. Religionen des Ostens: Weisheit und Glauben alter Kulturvölker. [Religions of the East: Wisdom and Beliefs of Ancient Cultures].Reviewed in the Journal Anthropos and referenced as "stimulating". Anthropos Vol. 55, No. 3/4 (1960), p. 629. 1960. Mythisches Wissen und Offenbarung. [Mythical knowledge and revelation]. 1958. Zeichen der Zeit: die Herausforderung des christlichen Bewußtseins in der gegenwärtigen Weltsituation. [Signs of the times: the challenge of Christian consciousness in the present world situation]. Das Wort in den Worten: christliche Überlieferung in unserer Weltstunde. [The word in words: Christian tradition in our time]. 2016. Menschheitsüberlieferung und Heilsgeschichte: zum Verständnis der geistigen Begegnung zwischen Asien und dem Abendland [Human tradition and history of salvation: understanding the spiritual encounter between Asia and the Occident]. 1960. Buddhismus; Lehre und Geschichte [Vereno translated with Zita Fränzen]. 1962.
References