Foreword by Franz Pichler, Director of Business & Financial Affairs

The office of the person responsible for economic matters can already be found in the Rule of St. Benedict of Nursia. In the Rule this person is known as the cellerar. So, although it was written 1500 years ago, the Rule still provides us with important impulses for entrepreneurial management culture today. In the jubilee year 2024, the groundbreaking importance of this rule for the value-oriented management of our company will become even more apparent. The Benedictine Abbey of Admont has been a spiritual, cultural and economic centre for 950 years now. This cannot be taken for granted! There have been good times and bad, even times close to ruin. And we are grateful to be able to say today: Admont Abbey is in good shape. It looks to the future with confidence - even in periods of upheaval and crisis-related challenges.

What is Admont Abbey about today from an economic perspective? Admont Abbey has to operate and maintain a wide variety of activities. Ora, labora et lege. Pray, work, and read. In addition to glorifying God in prayer, pastoral care is the fundamental mission of the Benedictines of Admont Abbey. At its core is traditional pastoral care, which includes the care of the 26 parishes by the monks. Other important tasks are found in traditional social responsibilities. These include social services, culture and education, which are closely linked to the museum and the grammar school. And finally, there is social care important to modern society. This dimension of social care finds its expression in the numerous commercial enterprises (Admonter AG, ENVESTA, STIA Immo, forestry, the nursery, tourism related businesses, the DVERI PAX winery, etc.).