General Meeting 2023

The minutes of the general meeting 2023 you can download by clicking

Harmonious general meeting

On Thursday, November 9, District Administrator Dr. Alexander Saftig, Chairman of the Sayn Abbey Support Association, opened this year's general meeting punctually at 7 p.m. in the ballroom of Sayn Castle and welcomed the numerous members in attendance. He extended a special welcome to Peter Moskopp (Member of the State Parliament), former Mayor Hajo Stuhlträger, Herbert Speyerer, Father Norbert Maliekal and Mayor Christoph Mohr. He thanked the princely family for making the premises available.
After adopting the agenda and paying tribute to the dead by reading out the names of the deceased, Managing Director Jürgen Mosen reported on the events and activities of the Förderkreis in the past financial year. He reported on the Advent Café 2022 in Sayn Castle in December 2022 with a fantastic donated cake buffet and musical accompaniment by Harald Becker. He looked back on the public guided tours of the abbey church on every third Sunday of the month from April to October by our member Tom Graef and Jürgen Mosen, the numerous guided tours on Open Monument Day in September, each of which was accompanied by a short organ performance by Mr. Heinzen. Not to forget the stall in the cloister where our books and schnapps were sold. His report mentioned the events organized by Musici di Sayn and the organ summer in the abbey church, which took place in cooperation with the Förderkreis. He particularly emphasized a small concert for 2 clavichords in the castle chapel of outstanding quality. The biblical wine tasting on July 1 in the cloister with Kalle Grundmann with over 60 participants and the benefit concert by the Harvard Krokodiloes at the end of July in the cloister in front of well over 200 enthusiastic visitors were further highlights of the events.
The restoration of the cloister after water damage and the restoration of holy figures from the crossing and choir room were completed in the reporting year, and work began on the design of a new exhibition space in the "Old Sacristy/Sacristy Chamber". The commission to recast the old Stations of the Cross plaques was also awarded. The contract for the production of a memorial plaque for Father Madauß has also been awarded. The work is expected to be completed this year.
The Managing Director's report ended with a report on the large trip to Tuscany organized by the Förderkreis in May of this year.
Treasurer Karin Schneider's report showed a very solid cash balance, which will enable further activities to be carried out around the abbey in the future. This was also confirmed by the auditors, who therefore proposed that the actions of the Executive Board be approved, which was granted unanimously by the members.
The subsequent new elections, which were conducted excellently by Dr. Axel Bolsinger as election chairman, clearly demonstrated the harmony between the members and the board, as all positions were filled unanimously. District Administrator DR. Saftig was confirmed as Chairman, as were his deputies Princess Gabriela zu Sayn-Wittgenstein-Sayn and Tom Moog, the Managing Director Jürgen Mosen, the Treasurer Karin Schneider, the Secretary Günther Bomm and the Assessors Elisabeth Bleidt, Evelyn Bolsinger, Manfred Hendrichs and Hajo Stuhlträger. Dr. Ute Stuhlträger-Fathepour and Dietrich Schabow were co-opted by the board.
For the future, the support group will concentrate on the final implementation of the projects that have already been started and will take up the wishes expressed by the church community as well as the regular cooperation with the Thursday men of the abbey and the tourist partners in the Sayn cultural park.
At the end of the meeting, the first dates were already announced, such as the Advent café on December 5 at 3 p.m. in the castle ballroom, a "Murderous Wine Tasting" on May 10 in the abbey cloister, the concert by the Harvard Krokodiloes at the end of July and the concerts by Musici di Sayn and the organ summer in the abbey church.
The chairman DR. Saftig thanked everyone for their active participation and closed the general meeting after two harmonious hours.