Matthias Vereno
Matthias Vereno was a German-Austrian theologian, priest, and swami.
Early life, marriage, academic career
His parents were Eugen and Maria 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. 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. The editorial offices were in the Salzburg Edmundsburg. It published articles by Titus Burckhardt and Adolf Holl, among others.
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 Barbara and the University of Madras 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 ; 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 in the Archabbey of St. Peter and then took vows as a regular oblate.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.