Gaming: Week One

A blog post by Brandon Otto, Spring 2011

Grüß Gott!

The first week of Austria has ended, and the first full week of classes has started. It’s been interesting adjusting to life in Austria. Obviously, it’s not America, and there are some notable differences, such as about seven different trash cans (each for different types of trash) and weekly room checks that require keeping the room sparklingly clean. Plus there’s all the new people (or at least people I’ve never really gotten to know before) and the global feel. Having a Chinese roommate, a Slovakian priest concelebrating Mass, and Colombian and Scottish professors teaching classes makes the campus feel very international (as it is).

One of the biggest aspects of life in Austria is travelling. Our first or second day here, we already experienced that, with a trip to Maria Taferl (the second most important Marian pilgrimage site in Austria) and Melk Abbey (which was built in 1089), two very beautiful Baroque churches. Tours of Gaming and the Kartause were in the middle of the week, and Saturday was an all-day trip to Vienna.

Vienna is a city full of history. When you celebrate Mass above a crypt containing 143 of the Hapsburgs and then walk past a cathedral embedded with cannonballs from a Turkish invasion, you know history is close. After our guided tour of the city and lunch, we had free time. The group I was with started off visiting the National Treasures Museum (where we ran into many other FUS students). If you have free time in Vienna, I highly recommend this museum: its rambling room after room of historical artifacts, including, but not limited to, a narwhal horn (and who doesn’t want to see one of those in real life?). Did I forget to mention the countless reliquaries, including many pieces of the True Cross and a nail from the Crucifixion? All in all, it was well worth the price of admission. Following the visit to the museum, my friends and I spent a couple hours just walking around Vienna, admiring its beauty and finding small stores to check in, including a tea shop that had hijacked the last name of one of the people in our group. Eventually, after our feet were wearied from all the walking, we relaxed in a café recommended by some of our tour guides, full of handmade pastries. Sitting in a café with a hot drink and a pastry while conversing pleasantly with friends is a common European custom, and it was highly suggested by many people as something to do in Vienna. Normally, one gets coffee at a café, but I’m not a fan of coffee, so I ordered a hot chocolate with a kick: a shot of rum mixed in. It went very well with the Sachertorte I ordered, a famous chocolate cake invented in Vienna in 1832. Following the meal in the café, we returned to the bus, where we had a relaxing trip back to the Kartause. Sunday was a day of relaxing, and today has been all about learning the essences of being and the human person (aren’t philosophy classes great?).

Those have been the main highlights of my Austria experience so far. Hopefully I’ll have many more during our trip to Salzburg and Munich this weekend. Until next time, God bless! Auf wiedersehen!

Vienna's Fusion

A blog post by Maria Rocha, Spring 2011

It seems that fusion pleases me: Latin-soul fusion in my music, Tex-Mex fusion in my culture, and strawberry-banana fusion in my smoothies. Vienna is its own strange fusion between the old world and the new. Half the city is covered in ancient architecture that is nothing short of magnificent. Greek gods lounge across the roofs of many buildings, while down the street, angels and saints watch over the city from the spires of the city’s many churches. The other half of the city, which I have yet to explore, looks much like America. The buildings are practical and border on boring. Efficiency is the goal.

The old city too is a lovely mixture or church and state. In the Hofburg near the treasury museum, there is a simple chapel that was built for royal use. Now tourists visit and marvel. The other buildings in the old city are stately and packed with history rather than economic work sites filled with cubicles. The churches, like every church I have seen here so far, inspire wonder, awe, and the inevitable clicking of cameras. Sadly, pictures cannot even come close to capturing the beauty of such ornately decorated churches and spiritually inspiring Cathedrals. Accordingly, after viewing the first two churches through the lens of my camera, I threw my camera to the bottom of my bag and wandered around the next church with my mouth and eyes wide open. Yes, I gaped. I goggled. I stared at every swirl in the ceiling, every statue of the Virgin, every bone in the decaying corpse underneath St. Raphael, and at every depiction of the crucified Christ. I lost track of time. For once, I wasn’t keeping up with an agenda. I lost myself in the beauty and I recommend it to anyone….

The funny thing about the part of Vienna we saw is that on one corner there may be a lovely church but on the next H&M, Gucci, and Lacoste beckon to the avid consumer inside of every American. (When I say every American, I mean this American.) It would be a lie if I did not say that the sight of a seemingly endless row of sought after designer wares did not cause me to let out a small gasp. It seemed to me that Vienna could not hold anything else that pleased so many. Oh, how wrong I was: Outside of the aforementioned shops stood a middle-aged man playing classical music on the clarinet. With exquisite songs in German on the one corner and melodic accordion in the middle of the next street, the street was sensory overload in the most beautiful way possible. Music and languages I couldn’t name filled my ears, as my eyes took in my surroundings, my nose smelled the pastries and cigarettes, and my entire body shivered in the wind. So the day progressed. Moments of awe layered with fun and a bit of wine. Days like this don’t just come around every day…or ever, in Texas.

After a long day of exploring Vienna, I never thought I would find myself climbing a mountain in the middle of the night. The group I was with laughed all the way up the snowy hill and the occasional snowball flew. I could only focus on keeping my balance…. As a Texan, snow is still a novelty to me. However, as we reached our destination, which was only about 3/4 of the way up, a hush fell over almost everyone present. We stood together and quieted the few in our group who had missed the moment. As soon as everyone standing on the edge of the overlook found the silence and just stared down at a sleeping Gaming, one of our friends began to play the harmonica. His soul sang through his music and the sound floated around all of us and down to the peaceful city. I began to weep. I wasn’t wailing and my shoulders weren’t shaking. Rather, silent tears of pure happiness slid down my face and into my smile. At the end of the song, everyone let out a collective sigh and we made our way back down the mountain. Thus ends the first week!

The First Week: Spring 2011

Spring student, Dan Mcnally captures the first week in Gaming, Spring 2011:

Folks, it's official. We are here in Austria. Our first full week has just concluded, and what a full week it has been! Just days ago we were on a flight into Vienna and already we are studying Wojtila’s “Love and Responsibility”, discovering the best meals and deals in Gaming, brushing up on language vocabulary and grammar, and are on our way to being travel veterans….

The week began with an escape to the beautiful Maria Taferl church just off of the Danube river. Theview was stunning, but what was inside was, of course, of infinitely greater worth. After praying in the Church, we all had a sensational meal at the Hotel Rose in town. We soon embarked for Melk Abbey, a nearby monastery. As we have been told, Melk is one of the greatest examples of Baroque architectural style in all of Europe, and right here in lower Austria!

Among our most recent travels was the day visit to the capital city of Vienna! We arrived and Father Brad LePage celebrated Mass for us in a Capuchin Franciscan which was followed by a walking tour of the city. There is so much history there, and so much beauty it is hard to process it all in just a day. We ate at the Augustinerkeller, which was the first experience I had ever had eating the famed Wienerschnitzel or breaded and fried veal cutlet. If you would like an idea of what it is, imagine you have an elephant ear from the county fair. Now take off the powdered sugar and stick some meat (veal, pork, or chicken) inside. It was delicious! What a great taste for such a funny name!

Afterwards, we were given free time to travel about the city. Many chose to visit palaces and the treasury where many wonderful relics are kept, such as one of the nails from the true cross. Street performers abounded as we continued our independent journeys through the heart of the city. My particular group followed Father Brad to a lovely little cafe, where we had some Viennese coffee and torte. Though the travels have taken a physical toll on many, people here are clearly in the highest of spirits, and ready for more!

The classes on campus, at least in my experience, are going to be hard to beat! From the excitement and passion of Professor Maria Wolter in “Philosophy of the Human Person”, to the quiet wisdom of Dr. Asci in “Christian Spirituality”, our faculty is overflowing with knowledge and enthusiasm. We are in very capable hands. A visiting professor, Dr. Javier Carreño,is teaching “Foundations of Ethics” and “Metaphysics”, and his calm, wise demeanor draws his students right into the beauty and truth that can be found in his courses. I was surprised in my Spanish class withProfessor Hornackova-Klapicova that we would speak almost exclusively in the language we were studying. It was a new concept to me, and though intimidating at first, I think it will serve to expand our abilities to a much greater degree that we have heretofore seen.

The faculty live around campus, and many have large families with young children who love the attention from the students. It is refreshing to see young boys and girls running around, throwing snow, laughing, getting piggy-back rides from students, and just enjoying life. In all fairness, the students love the children just as much as the children love the students.

The spiritual life here in Gaming is very much alive, as much as on campus in Steubenville. We plan to have our first Festival of Praise this Thursday. Perpetual adoration of the Blessed Sacrament has begun in our chapel Maria Thron. Mass is said everyday, with nearly universal attendance. Confession is also available to us. Gaming also provides some unique ways to see God's glory and love in ways we can't in Steubenville. First of all, the natural beauty of the landscape here is breathtaking. The size of the mountains on every side will humble you and make you realize just how small human beings are. It certainly did for me. Another great sign of God's grace is the love that the townspeople have for the students. Yes, we certainly stimulate their economy in a big way, but the way they treat us, regardless of our communication barrier, is that of respect and kindness. The simplicity of the life here is calming and provides a deep but satisfying joy. We have a solitude here from the outside world that I have not experienced before. We have been taken out of the fast-paced American rapids, and placed into the calm stream of the Austrian countryside.

It is truly good that we are here. This is a semester that will change many lives for the better. God has called each soul here individually for His purpose, and everyone here is where they belong. I would simply ask for your prayers for each of us as we embark on this journey. Of course, we are not alone, but our dear Lord holds our hand the whole way, bringing us closer to Him than we have ever been before. With so much more to come, and only one week having passed, it is difficult to know what to expect, but I can say without a doubt that we can expect good things to come: very good things indeed.

On Pilgrimage to Austria

Perhaps the symbol that best represents our experience of Austria is the magnificent cathedral or towing church spire that jets up into the blue aurora of heaven. Coming from modern America, these vestiges of civilization are not only places of divine worship, but also centers of culture and learning.

With the close of the Platonic Academy in Greece, the fall of Rome, the chaos around the continent, and the dawn of St. Benedict and his balanced vision of work and prayer, Ora et Labora, the monastery became a privileged place in European societyy and for Western Civilization in general. The monasteries preserved the ancient manuscripts, fostered intellectual growth and development, and nurtured Christianity in an otherwise dark age.

Certainly the apogee of the monastic life culminated in the Middle Ages. In the late 1700’s, it took an extreme decline after the Hapsburg Emperor Joseph II closed many contemplative monastic orders in Austria. Nevertheless, there are a host of beautiful and extremely active monasteries crisscrossing the country. For the average American whose history is no more than a few hundred years old, the monasteries are stunningly incredulous, spanning over a millennium with all their architectural grandeur and sublime atmosphere. For example, the glorious cathedral in Melk stands in all its grandiloquence off the main interstate that connects Vienna and Salzburg and dates back to 1089 when Leopold II gave the castle to Benedictine monks from Lambach. Today, they run an active school for over 300 boys and girls, and offer tours to literally thousands of visitors. Its modern museum, stunning library and magnificent Baroque church offer a pictorial history of former times as well as its work and prayer in the modern world.

Another fabulous monastery in Austria is Klosterneuburg, on the outskirts of Vienna. For nearly 900 years the Augustinian canons of the Monastery have performed pastoral, economic, social and cultural functions. Their wine production is especially exquisite as their vineyards are distributed across four famous wine towns and villages: Klosterneuburg, Vienna, Gumpoldskirchen and Tattendorf, boasting prize-winning wines in nearly all categories. In addition, numerous artistic treasures and the impressive architectural heritage can be viewed via the thematic tours through the monastery or by visiting the monastery museum. Even more impressive, the area is bedewed in faith as it serves the modern world through its dedication to faith and culture.

Another specifically European tradition associated with these monasteries is the idea of a pilgrimage. In America we walk literally everywhere, even just down the road. But in Austria as with other places in Europe, the age old custom of going on a pilgrimage is still alive. Pilgrims travel sometimes hundreds of miles on foot to visit a locale of faith, seeking union with God or a special favor.

Just one hour from our Austrian Campus in Gaming, there is small town of a few thousand people named Mariazell. Yet, despite its remote location, it hosts over 1 million pilgrims a year who come on foot, bus, and van to visit the Basilica dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary. Many miracles including healings have happened here, and consequently many of the sick person’s belongings such as crutches have been left in thanksgiving—quite the site to see. These tokens of affection including many gifts and cards are preserved above the church in the museum. Ironically, pulling off the side of the road last week, we stopped for a few minutes at the monastery of Heiligenkreuz. As we toured the grounds, I noticed a sign for a pilgrimage path to Mariazell, over 100 kilometers away! It was evident that many make the pilgrimage starting at austere but charming Cistercian abbey and ending at the other end in a gorgeous rococo cathedral.

Indeed, on the outside and from afar, a grand basilica or cathedral often looks dark and dreary.One can hastily inquire: why stop and go in? But once inside, with the sun shining through the stain glass windows, its transcendent beauty pervades and triumphs over former prejudices.

Our experience of Austria has been apt. We didn’t know what to expect from a small tiny country which was a center of Nazism and used to be the center of the Holy Roman Empire. Yet, after living here five years, its magnificent landscapes, the friendliness of its people, the purity of its water, mountains, and air, its preeminence in music, skiing, and culture, and its often idiosyncratic but understanding way of looking at the world has captivated our hearts and won us over. Austria shines with all the glory of a stained-glass basilica or cathedral.

The question is: are you willing to make the pilgrimage, to make the sacrifices and come and see for yourself. In former times, they had it right: they knew that good things often take a journey with much sacrifice on the way.

This has been our experience. We left home on pilgrimage to Austria. We gave up our car, house, and many of the comforts of American life. I’m still an American patriot at heart, with all my passion for red, white, and blue. But in leaving America we discovered Austria in all its beauty.Come see it from the inside! Come and brave small town Austria.