Zen Meister Reding

Zen Meister Reding, who also signs as Vater or Abt (abbot) Reding, is a wedding celebrant with an unusual background: he describes himself as a Catholic Zen master and monk, founder of the Orden Nigredo and abbot of Kloster Nigredo in Reichenburg. His site, "Freie Trauung – Hochzeitsredner", offers freie Trauungen that combine, in his words, the clarity of Zen with the wisdom of Christian values and monastic tradition. The ceremony is described as non-denominational, and he travels across Switzerland and abroad. The site is mainly in German, with an "English" link in the menu.

Background

The site gives a compact biography. After ten years of intensive monastic training in Japan and Korea, he founded the Orden Nigredo in Switzerland in 2014, supported, the page says, by mutual trust between lay people and clergy. In thanks for that training, he walked 3000 miles across Japan as a pilgrim in the traditional alms round. Today he leads the rustic, Christian-influenced Kloster Nigredo in Reichenburg as founder and abbot. The order understands God as religious experience and mysticism, "der lebendige Kern jeder Religion" (the living core of every religion), and stresses practice and direct encounter over dogma.

His opening line to couples: "Als katholischer Zen-Meister und Mönch begleite ich Sie mit Achtsamkeit, Herz und spiritueller Tiefe" (as a Catholic Zen master and monk, I accompany you with mindfulness, heart and spiritual depth).

The ceremony

Because there are no mandatory or complex rituals for a freie Trauung, the site says, the running order is decided together with the couple. He is happy to discuss in person the length of the ceremony, the sequence, rituals, additional texts, songs for everyone to sing, and speeches by others. As celebrant he asks for a blessing on the marriage, to strengthen the public and private bond of the new family.

The site describes several rituals he offers:

• Ring blessing. "Segne diese Eheringe und verbinde die beiden, die sie tragen, in Liebe und Treue." (Bless these wedding rings and join the two who wear them in love and faithfulness.)
• Family ritual. "Der Tanz der Ehe und Familie" (the dance of marriage and family) begins back to back, so that the couple learn to trust each other and protect each other's blind spot.
• Phoenix ritual. At the end, the couple and the guests each burn a pinch of incense and sandalwood to mark the change of life, celebrating the phoenix reborn into the new responsibility of family.
• Candle ritual. It seals the marriage and celebrates the founding of the family; the light stands for the goodness and wisdom that will guide it.

The ceremony is "konfessionslos (-frei)" (non-denominational): people of every faith are welcome, and he discusses the couple's own ideas, wishes and prayers for the ceremony. The place is up to the couple: "Ob in der Kirche, Schloss, in der Scheune, auf dem Berg oder im Freien" (in a church, a castle, a barn, on a mountain or outdoors), "Schweizweit & International" (throughout Switzerland and internationally). A menu item for Ehejubiläum shows he also marks wedding anniversaries.

The site explains why symbols matter to him. "SYMBOLISCH und mystisch bedeutet zusammenbringend oder Einswerden" (symbolic and mystical mean bringing together, becoming one), and the ceremony is the ritual of that union as a family begins; the rings are the symbols of the bond. Without symbols, the page argues, there is no story and so no meaning, which is why the ceremony leans so heavily on ritual rather than on a long speech.

The tone of the site

It is worth reading the site before booking, because it is far more outspoken than most celebrant pages. Long passages set out a view of marriage as "ein heiliger Bund" (a sacred covenant) and a sacrament, built on distinct roles for husband and father, wife and mother; one passage ends: "Denn Mütter geben das Leben und Väter zeigen das Sterben" (for mothers give life and fathers show death). The page criticizes a zeitgeist that, it says, has watered down church, culture and religion, and one section even asks couples whether they have considered abstinence until the wedding night. The text frames the union of "Mann und Frau" (man and woman) throughout and does not mention same-sex couples.

Couples who share this view of family will find a celebrant who takes it seriously. Couples with a more secular or liberal outlook should read the site closely and discuss expectations openly before booking, even though the ceremony itself is described as non-denominational and shaped with the couple.

Cost

The costs section is headed "Kosten - Spenden für den Mönch" (costs, donations for the monk). Couples can help decide the donation, and the site gives a guideline:

• Ceremony: CHF 1500
• plus expenses: the round trip Reichenburg to the wedding location and back, in kilometers, at CHF 0.85 per km
• plus an optional voluntary donation

The site does not say how many meetings the ceremony fee covers.

What couples say

2 testimonials appear. The Bolay family write that shortly after their first meeting it felt right, that his visit to the bride before the ceremony worked wonders, that his "tiefen Ruhe" (deep calm) took away some of her nerves, and that his peaceful presence connected all their guests. The Steiger family thank him for a ceremony that, as he put it, symbolized the beginning of their own family.

What the site does not settle

• Language. There is an English link in the menu, but the German pages do not say whether he leads ceremonies in English. Couples should ask.
• Process and lead time. The number of meetings, video options and booking lead time are not stated.
• Same-sex couples. The pages speak only of man and woman.

Contact: +41 (0)78 408 10 89, info@hochzeitsredner-schweiz.ch, Ussbergstrasse 26, 8864 Reichenburg.

Who it suits

Meister Reding suits couples who want a deeply spiritual ceremony, rich in ritual, with Christian and Zen elements and a strong emphasis on founding a family, and who value a celebrant with a monastic life behind him. The donation guideline is published and clear. Couples looking for a light, humorous or strictly secular ceremony, or same-sex couples, should talk to him directly about fit before booking.