Life offers us many opportunities. Which paths do I actually want to take, what goals do I want to pursue – and how? We realise (each for ourselves and in discussion) what the most important principles in life are for us, what values we (want to) have and how we pursue them. Please bring a pen and a diary!

Laurens Hornemann, 1982, priest for 17, married for 20, father for 15 years (now for the 4th time). This conference is also part of my impulse: Ensuring alertness in relation to our life tasks!

Languages: German, English, Russian

I am at peace with the world; this peace with the world can also be with you, because I give it to you. Communion is introduced with these words of Christ in the Act of Consecration of Man. Outwardly, we receive bread and wine at the altar, but we actually take Christ’s essence, vitality and peace with us. We carry all of this with us into the world in which we live, learn and work. How can we do this in order to become truly effective in life?

Milan Michael Horák, born on the day of the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia, studied mathematics, fought in the Velvet Revolution and finally became a priest in the Christian Community and a Waldorf teacher. Active in many places, living in Prague, at home in eternity.

Language: English

 In this ever changing and rapidly moving world we are looking for friends and partners to connect with and to build a healthy relationship. There is a deep longing within to be seen, heard, understood and truly loved. In this workshop we will explore ourselves, how to create a bridge to the other and how to nourish the peace and love in between human hearts.

Nataliia is Ukrainian. She studied Linguistik and Project Management at the National Aviation University in Kyiv. Since 2021 she works as a priest in the Christian Community, currently in Forest Row, England. She speaks Ukrainian, English and German and loves travelling, history and art. 

Cristian has a background in engineering and worked as a project manager. Besides his technical expertise, he studied Counselling and Consultancy. He is passionate about sustainability, climate change, coaching and the wonders of human connections. He is currently a freelance entrepreneur providing digital concierge and public relations services.

Language: English

Eline van den Muijsenberg was born in the Netherlands in 1992. After graduating from high school, she trained in Biodynamic agriculture and then studied theology. She began her studies at the seminary in Stuttgart in 2019. She has been working as a priest in the Congregation of Saarbrücken since 2023.

Languages: German, Dutch

A workshop with up to 20 participants who are prepared to take a short journey in time and space, to question themselves and their judgements and to learn from one of the many explosive situations in our turbulent world how to remain healthy in all of this…

Ilse Wellershoff-Schuur – born in northern Germany, travelled a lot: Germany, USA, Denmark, married early, now 3 grown-up children, 6 grandchildren. Lawyer, Waldorf teacher since 2000, priest in Hanover, Überlingen, Oldenburg, several trips to Israel every year since 1993, ten German-Israeli youth camps, study trip leader, co-founder of the Sha’ar laAdam – Bab l’il Insan meeting centre in Kibbutz Harduf, Galilee.

Languages: English, German

Love your neighbour – is that (still) possible today?

We cope with current questions of life. How do we deal with love and hate today? What kind of relationships do we have with nature? Using passages from the Gospels, we will discuss how we can try to understand today what was said back then and how we can put it into practice and incorporate it into our lives, even in our own words. Discussion, text work and perhaps even writing our own piece of gospel.

Anna Hofer, born 29 August 1973, priest in the East Cologne Congregation since 2019. After 12 years of Rudolf Steiner School in Switzerland, a short time in the USA and France, a short apprenticeship in the office sector, worked in various jobs from delivering newspapers, to waitressing, to unskilled labour in floor laying, sun protection, accounting, import/export and purchasing.

Languages: German, little English, little French

What can an economy look like that does not see people as a resource and does not exploit nature? Are there alternatives to the capitalist system that do not restrict our freedom? In this workshop we want to collect ideas for a healthy economy and look at a few basic ways in which the economy works.

Nathanael Becker, 31 years old, grew up in Germany, Namibia and France. Engineer in renewable energies and priest in Stuttgart North for 2 years. Married and father of two little children.

Languages: German, English, French

Discussion group on the actuality of religious life.

Mariano Kasanetz: Born in 1971 in Buenos Aires. Graduated in Physics from the University of Buenos Aires.  He also studied music, singing and Chinese medicine.  Lover of the mountains and camping. After studying at the seminaries in Stuttgart and Hamburg, he was ordained a priest of the Christian Community in 2004. Since then he has worked in the Congregation in Buenos Aires. Since September 2019, he has been working in the management of the seminary in Stuttgart. From August 2025 he will work in the Congregation in Madrid, Spain.

Languages: German, Spanish

This workshop gives you the opportunity to familiarise yourself with the ancient technique of painting on glass and to become enthusiastic about the quiet, meditative way of painting. We will show you how people painted in the Ukrainian Carpathians, far away from art schools and monasteries. This workshop is open to everyone, even if you have never painted before. The essential thing is to have fun and enjoy yourself. We bring everything else for you. Of course, you will take the finished paintings home with you as a souvenir of the workshop and your artistry.

Maryna Yandolenko is a Ukrainian painter. She grew up in Odesa and studied painting at the art academy there. Later she also graduated from the Kharkiv Art Academy. Her works have been exhibited at home and abroad. They can be found in museums and private collections worldwide.

Olya Shatna was born and grew up in Horodenka, in the foothills of the Carpathians. She studied philosophy and religious studies at the Mohyla Academy in Kyiv. She later studied Waldorf education in Stuttgart and Mannheim. She works as a handwork teacher at the Waldorf School in Cologne and gives courses for children and adults.

Languages: German, English, Ukrainian

We will play volleyball together. For everyone who enjoys the game.

Xenia Medvedeva, born in the Ukraine. Priest in the Christian Community since 2008. Seminar leader at the seminary in Stuttgart since 2019.

Languages: All

Improvisation theatre thrives on our spontaneity and imagination. Can I accept what my counterpart offers me, or am I too caught up in my own ideas? This workshop is all about playfully dealing with this, practising, having fun and perhaps learning something for life in the process.

Miriam Röger, grew up in the Ruhr area, after an excursion into curative education, studied at the Hamburg seminary and has been a pastor of the Christian Community since 2013, currently in Bochum. I got to know and love improv theatre during my studies and it has been with me ever since.

Languages: German

‘Man is the bow, thought is the arrow and righteousness is the target.’ (Chinese proverb) We will practise the art of archery, which has a lot to do with how we want to place ourselves in life. How do I handle the bow and arrow? How do I set myself up and find a good stance? How do I manage to concentrate on a goal? The path of the bow has always been understood as a path of inner training.

Steffen Barth. The fact that I did my civil service in a nature conservation after leaving school was very decisive for my path. This made me realise that I no longer just wanted to work with my head, but also with my hands on the earth. I worked on various Demeter farms for over seven years. This work gave me a foundation and a love of the earth that made it possible for me to take up the profession of priest. I live in Stuttgart-Mitte with my wife and our two children. To keep my strength up despite all the demands that come my way, I like to go hiking or practise Japanese archery (Kyudo).

Languages: German, English

Traditional European dances with accordion accompaniment for beginners and advanced dancers.

Both workshop leaders are Waldorf teachers. Tetiana Paustovska is also a qualified dance teacher and has completed training as a curative education teacher. Oleh Paustovskyi works as a class teacher and also teaches music.

Languages: All

The extraordinary sound of Ukrainian polyphonic songs fascinates sensitive listeners all over the world. Ukrainians love to sing and enjoy sharing the songs of their ancestors. From now on, anyone interested will have the opportunity not only to listen, but also to sing old songs from different regions of Ukraine together.

The course leaders, the married couple Ivanna and Severyn Danyleiko, have been involved in traditional singing for many years. They were co-founders or members of many Kiev music projects such as Chorea Kozacky, Huliajhorod, Perehük and the family ensemble NoveMore.

Ivanna Danyleiko. Graduate of the Kiev State Academy of Music. Choir director, singing teacher and producer of vocal-instrumental projects such as Perehük and NoveMore. Conductor and director of the amateur choir Prostir from Kiev. After her arrival in Poland, she was actively involved in music projects organised in the Ukrainian House, including as a consultant for the Kraječka Children’s Choir and Singing Circle.

Severyn Danyleiko. Studied ethnomusicology at the KNUKiM. At the same time, he worked as a laboratory assistant at the NMAU Tchaikovsky, where he digitised old field research recordings. He himself took part in numerous ethnographic expeditions and adopted folk music directly from the original performers. Co-founder and member of the ensemble for old Ukrainian music Chorea Kozacky, the ethno-electro project Huliajhorod GG, the band of Serhij Ochrimtschuk and the family group NoveMore. He has worked with ethnic music groups such as Huliajhorod, Tschornomortsi, Hurtoprawzi, Buttja, Balamuty and the Perehük workshop.

Languages: English, Ukrainian, Polish

We can deal with all the questions surrounding meditation together. What does it mean to meditate nowadays? How do we get to a quiet space where we have room to meditate? For each person, the act of meditation can mean something different or look different. Here we can try to find out what the first steps might be.

My name is Alexandra DiVecchio. I am currently a student at the priest seminary in Stuttgart. Previously I have worked with animals, with the land and as an artist. I was born and raised in the USA and have only been in Germany since 2023. I look forward to finding out together what the new and individual images of meditation are.

Languages: English, German

Give old things a new, beautiful life. Create beauty the size of a painting or a brooch.

Tatiana Nechytailo, born in 1969, has been a priest in the Christian Community since 2016 and is now working in her native city of Kiev during the difficult time of war there. Her paintings can be experienced as the expression of a colourful conversation between darkness and light, between heaviness and lightness, between tenderness and strength, between earth and sky. Often in surprising ways, a balance, an equalisation, a penetration, a heightening that touches the viewer at heart and sets them in motion.

An exhibition of Tatiana Nechytailo’s paintings is currently on display in the Stuttgart-Nord Congregation. The pictures can be viewed before and after every church service and event. More details can be found in the Stuttgart-Nord programme section. By looking at the pictures, good and strengthening thoughts will also go to Kiev and everywhere where people are now having to live through the difficult events of the war.

Languages: German, Ukrainian

Create a notebook. From a pile of paper to a masterpiece.

Languages: German, Ukrainian

We want to make music together. We have drums, electric guitar and bass. Bring another instrument and let’s play good old, well-known songs of all genres together. Do you prefer to improvise? Why not? We can do that too. All instruments are welcome, with or without amplification. Of course we also need singers! Requirements: none. Just a desire for music and fun making music.

Guido Rosell: Born 1988 in Buenos Aires. Priest in Berlin-Prenzlauer Berg.

Mariano Kasanetz: Born in 1971 in Buenos Aires. Graduated in Physics from the University of Buenos Aires.  He also studied music, singing and Chinese medicine.  Lover of the mountains and camping. After studying at the seminaries in Stuttgart and Hamburg, he was ordained a priest of the Christian Community in 2004. Since then he has worked in the Congregation in Buenos Aires. Since September 2019, he has been working in the management of the seminary in Stuttgart. From August 2025 he will work in the Congregation in Madrid, Spain.

Languages: German, English, Spanish, Portuguese

In the age of artificial intelligence, humans seem increasingly unnecessary. This also applies to medicine. Algorithms and guidelines dominate everyday life and increasingly alienate the relationship between patient and doctor/therapist.

In this workshop, we will take a look at the history of medicine. We will explore how healing was practiced in the past and what options exist today. We want to explore how interpersonal relationships can succeed today in an increasingly materialistic world. Questions and contributions are expressly welcome!

Jakob Kraul: High school diploma in 2006, followed by a voluntary social year in Israel/Palestine. Studied theology at the seminary in Stuttgart. Trained as a paramedic and worked in the emergency services. Studied human medicine in Witten/Herdecke. Works at Helios Hospital Überlingen in the department of internal medicine/emergency room. Married, three children.

Languages: German, English

In this self-defense workshop, you’ll learn basic techniques to protect yourself in dangerous situations and to act confidently.

Markus von Wehren: I’m a sports and music enthusiast with a strong passion for healthcare. After graduating from high school, I trained as an emergency paramedic. I’ve had a black belt in Taekwondo since 2018 and have been part of the national team for some time.

Languages: German, English

We’ll explore the lake together by kayak. Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced paddler, everyone is welcome!

Markus von Wehren: I’m a sports and music enthusiast with a strong passion for healthcare. After graduating from high school, I trained as an emergency paramedic. I’ve had a black belt in Taekwondo since 2018 and have been part of the national team for some time.

Languages: German, English