German event recognizes Sattler’s historic roles

An event remember early Anabaptist leader Michael Sattler was held Oct. 8 at the Abbey of St. Peter in the Black Forest in St. Peter, Germany. — Flominator/Wikimedia Commons An event remember early Anabaptist leader Michael Sattler was held Oct. 8 at the Abbey of St. Peter in the Black Forest in St. Peter, Germany. — Flominator/Wikimedia Commons

Mennonites and Catholics gathered Nov. 8 to remember early Anabaptist leader ­Michael Sattler in the German church where he served as a Benedictine monk.

“Michael Sattler: from Benedictine in St. Peter to co-founder of the Anabaptist Movement” was the theme of the event at the Abbey of St. Peter in the Black Forest.

Activities included a church service followed by presentations by Mennonite pastor and historian Wolfgang Krauss about Sattler’s role in the Anabaptist movement and by retired University of Augsburg political science professor Hans-Ott Mühleisen about Sattler’s reasons for leaving the monastery.

A monk who left the Catholic church to become a leader in the Anabaptist movement, Sattler played a key role in writing the Schleitheim Confession, a statement of Anabaptist principles produced in 1527, the year of Sattler’s execution.

The commemoration was intended to build interest in the 500th anniversary of the Anabaptism in 2025.

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