Dr. Norbert Weidinger , born in 1948, lived for five years as a monk at the Münsterschwarzach Abbey while studying Catholic theology and educational sciences; during this time he was taught Zen Buddhism. He later became a lecturer at the University of Munich and director of the Religious Education Center in Bavaria, focusing on "dialogue between religions," teacher health, and forms of meditation and prayer.

Gertrud and Norbert Weidinger have published numerous, often joint, books on liturgical education and the use of signs, symbols and rituals in everyday life and teaching.