The Grail Movement is an organization which originated in Germany in the late 1940s, inspired by the work of the self-proclaimed

Messiah In Abrahamic religions, a messiah or messias (; , ; , ; ) is a saviour or liberator of a group of people. The concepts of ''mashiach'', messianism, and of a Messianic Age originated in Judaism, and in the Hebrew Bible, in which a ''mashiach'' ...

Oskar Ernst Bernhardt (also known by his

pen name A pen name, also called a ''nom de plume'' or a literary double, is a pseudonym (or, in some cases, a variant form of a real name) adopted by an author and printed on the title page or by-line of their works in place of their real name. A pen na ...

Abd-ru-shin), principally '' In the Light of Truth: The Grail Message''. Abd-ru-shin did not establish the organization; the Movement as it exists today was formally organized by followers. The Grail Movement is a new spiritual movement dedicated to the dissemination and spread of the work '' In the Light of Truth: The Grail Message'' by Abd-ru-shin. Most members reside in 16 countries across Europe, primarily Germany and France, with the Grail Movement reporting hundreds of members in Britain and in the USA. It can also be found in

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

, Brazil and currently established in 22

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

n countries such as

Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...

, Zaire (

DR Congo The Democratic Republic of the Congo (french: République démocratique du Congo (RDC), colloquially "La RDC" ), informally Congo-Kinshasa, DR Congo, the DRC, the DROC, or the Congo, and formerly and also colloquially Zaire, is a country in ...

) and

Côte d'Ivoire Ivory Coast, also known as Côte d'Ivoire, officially the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire, is a country on the southern coast of West Africa. Its capital is Yamoussoukro, in the centre of the country, while its largest city and economic centre is ...

, as well as in South Africa, Australia, New Zealand and Ecuador amongst others. Worldwide, there are approximately 10,000 members of the Grail Movement. A declaration of the personal commitment to adhere to the principles of the Grail Message can be made by a request for the "Sealing", a Grail Act (ceremony) that takes place during one of three annual Grail Festivals. This, however, is a personal decision on the part of the individual and leads neither to commitment to an organization nor to formal links with other adherents.

Background

The Grail Movement had its beginnings when Oskar Ernst Bernhardt took up residence in Vomperberg, Tyrol (Austria) in 1928, in order to focus on the writing of his major work "In the Light of Truth" - The Grail Message (as Abd Ru Shin), which was then followed by other works. The establishment of the Grail Settlement on Vomperberg came about when groups of readers of The Grail Message, wishing to live and work in his immediate vicinity, took up residence there. The Settlement developed gradually; adding residences, work and administration buildings and then a small hall with seating for about 300 people. This hall was used by Abd-ru-shin for Sunday Hours of Worship and for the three annual Grail Festivals, Easter Festival etc., to which adherents of the Grail Message also journeyed. This development was interrupted in 1938 when the Nazi regime annexed Austria and expropriated the Grail Settlement. Abd-ru-shin was arrested on the first day of the annexation and taken to Innsbruck prison. All residents were expelled so that the Settlement could be used as a Nazi training camp. Abd-ru-shin was eventually released but kept under house arrest and surveillance until he died in 1941 in Kipsdorf, Germany. It was not until late in 1945 when the Allies returned the Settlement to his widow Maria Bernhardt that, under her direction, new development began. During this time the term "Grail Movement" was in common use, as a group designation for adherents of the Grail Message. Over the years national Grail Movements have formed in many countries, some of which, (e.g.,

, Switzerland, Germany, the

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, Congo (Zaire) and

) have built their own Halls of Worship although Abd-ru-shin had explicitly stated in his writings that he had not come to establish a new religion.

Publications

Grail Movement books

*''In the Light of Truth: The Grail Message'', Vol. 1 (Paperback). Abd-ru-shin, Grail Foundation Press, 1998, * ''The Ten Commandments of God and The Lord's Prayer'', Abd-ru-shin, Grail Foundation Press,1995, * ''Knowledge for the World of Tomorrow'', Herbert Vollmann, Grail Message Foundation, Germany, 1975, * ''What Lies Behind It...?'', Herbert Vollmann, Grail Message Foundation, 1977, * ''Concerning Grail Activities'', Herbert Vollmann, Grail Acres Publishing Co Ltd, 1998, * ''From the Heart of Africa'', Irmingard Bernhardt, Grail Message Foundation, Grail Acres Publishing Co Ltd, 1981,

References

Bibliography

Kurt Hutten Kurt is a male given name of Germanic or Turkish origin. ''Kurt'' or ''Curt'' originated as short forms of the Germanic Conrad, depending on geographical usage, with meanings including counselor or advisor. In Turkish, Kurt means "Wolf" and i ...

: ''Seher - Grübler - Enthusiasten''. 1997, , S. 531–549 * Helmut Obst: ''Apostel und Propheten der Neuzeit – Gründer christlicher Religionsgemeinschaften des 19. und 20. Jahrhunderts''. 4., stark erweiterte und aktualisierte Auflage. Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, Göttingen 2000, * Andreas Plagge: "Bernhardt, Oskar Ernst". In: ''Biographisch-Bibliographisches Kirchenlexikon'' (BBKL). Band 22, Bautz, Nordhausen 2003, , Sp. 120–122

* Georg Schmid (Religionswissenschaftler), Georg Schmid: ''Kirchen, Sekten, Religionen''. 2003, , S. 219–221 *

Lothar Gassmann Lothar is a Danish, Finnish, German, Norwegian, and Swedish masculine given name, while Lotár is a Hungarian masculine given name. Both names are modern forms of the Germanic Chlothar (which is a blended form of ''Hlūdaz'', meaning "fame", and ...

: ''Zukunft, Zeit, Zeichen. Aufruf zur Wachsamkaeit'', Verlag für Reformatorische Erneurung, Kaiserstr.78, D-42329 Wuppertal, 103 Seiten

*

Patrick Diemling Patrick may refer to: *Patrick (given name), list of people and fictional characters with this name *Patrick (surname), list of people with this name People *Saint Patrick (c. 385–c. 461), Christian saint *Gilla Pátraic (died 1084), Patrick or ...

: ''Neuoffenbarungen Religionswissenschaftliche Perspektiven auf Texte und Medien des 19. und 20. Jahrhunderts'', Universitätsverlag Potsdam, 2012

External links

The Grail Foundation

The Grail Message

The International Grail Movement

Westchester Investment Advisor Bilked Fellow Church Members: SEC
{{Authority control 1940s in Austria New religious movements Social movements in Austria Spirituality Christian new religious movements Self-declared messiahs Reincarnation Apocalyptic groups