Solothurn Memorial Service: Farewell with Grace

Abbot Reding, from the Nigredo Monastery, accompanies families and friends through the tender hour of farewell — with words that unite silence, light, and meaning. Every life tells a story, and every farewell deserves to be held in reverence and truth. In Solothurn — the city of eleven, with its baroque charm and quiet dignity — farewells take on a special tone of peace.
Here, between the Jura hills and the gentle River Aare, life and transience meet in still harmony. Whether in a chapel, at the cemetery, or in nature — each funeral ceremony is created personally, with care and mindfulness.

Abbot Reding listens deeply, helping to shape the service in a way that reflects the soul of the departed. Together, with prayer, poetry, and silence, a sacred space of remembrance is opened — a space where grief turns toward gratitude, and farewell becomes transformation.

Prayer and Meditation – Funeral in Solothurn

Already to the land of pyramids
the storks have fled across the sea.
The swallows’ flight has long been gone,
and even the lark sings no more.
With sighs of secret lament,
the wind touches the last green –
and the sweet days of summer,
ah, they are gone, they are gone!

The mist has swallowed the forest
that once beheld your quiet joy.
Wrapped in fragrance and in dusk,
the lovely world fades softly away.

Once more the sun breaks through the veil,
unyielding, golden in its power,
and one last beam of ancient joy
drifts gently over vale and bower.
The woods and meadows shine anew,
and one could almost surely know:
beyond all grief of winter’s hue
there lies a spring that still will grow.

Lord, it is time. The summer was immense.
Lay your shadow on the sundials,
and let the winds loose on the fields.

Command the last fruits to ripen full;
grant them a few more southern days,
press them to perfection, and
drive the final sweetness into heavy wine.

Whoever has no house will build no more.
Whoever is alone will long remain alone,
will wake and read and write long letters,
and will wander the avenues to and fro
restlessly, while the leaves are blowing.

The leaves are falling, falling as from far away,
as though in distant heavens gardens wither.
They fall with gestures of denial.
And through the night the heavy earth is falling
from all the stars into the solitude.

We are all falling. This hand here falls.
And look — it happens in them all.
Yet there is One who holds this falling
infinitely soft in His hands.

Place – Solothurn

Solothurn, the baroque jewel of Switzerland, unites history, spirituality, and natural grace. The Aare River flows gently through the town, mirroring the quiet rhythm of time, while ancient churches, stone bridges, and hidden courtyards whisper of centuries past.

Here, the funeral ceremony can unfold in peaceful intimacy — in the old cemetery by the water, in a chapel’s golden light, or in the open air beneath the Jura hills. Each farewell becomes a meeting of heaven and earth, where words, silence, and the eternal circle of life find their rightful place.

Abbot Reding – Funeral Officiant from Nigredo Monastery

Abbot Reding is a Zen Master and funeral officiant rooted in both Christian and contemplative traditions. His approach bridges East and West — combining prayer and meditation with words of simplicity and truth. In the stillness of the ceremony, faith and compassion become one breath. He invites those present to rest, to remember, and to open themselves to the mystery that continues beyond death.

Final Blessing

Peace be with you on your final journey.
For what passes away remains forever in the light of remembrance.