Salzburg! (And Munich!)

For the third major trip of the semester, students went to Salzburg, a city in Austria which is famous in America for being the setting of "The Sound of Music", and Munich, one of the biggest cities in Germany.

Salzburg is a gorgeous city, with many lovely examples of architecture. Here's one of the many examples of that.



One of the more unusual finds: a giant chessboard in one of the squares of Salzburg. I wish I could've stayed around and played, but we had places to be and things to do. It was interesting to watch, though.



This is the Munich Frauenkirche, which was where a bishop by the name of Joseph Ratzinger held Mass. We now know him as Pope Benedict XVI. This church was gigantic; you can hardly start to grasp the massiveness of it from this picture. Standing there, and looking up at the cross, suspended from the high ceiling, was probably one of the most incredible experiences of my life. When Mass began, every single word echoed throughout the Church, reverberating and resounding in an amazing way.


This weekend's trip was very blessed! Stay tuned for more accounts of the following weekends! Grüß Gott!

BENEDICT XVI BECOMES HONORARY CITIZEN OF MARIAZELL

Later in the semester, we will hopefully make a pilgrimage on foot to the famous Marian pilgrimage shrine of Mariazell. The hike is approximately 26 kilometers through the backwoods of Austria's pristine woodlands. It is a beautiful and exhilirating hike which is usually a highlight of the semester for all who participate.

In fall of 2007, Pope Benedict made a pilgrimage to Mariazell where he preached and said Mass to a crown of over 25,000. In recent Austrian -Vatican news, the Pope was just named an honorary citizen of Mariazell:

VATICAN CITY, 22 JAN 2009 (VIS) - At midday yesterday, during a brief ceremony held in a room of the Paul VI Hall, the Pope was made an honorary citizen of the Austrian town of Mariazell, home to one of the most important Marian shrines in Europe.

Among those present at the ceremony, which was held following the Pope's weekly general audience, were Helmut Pertl, town mayor; Bishop Egon Kapellari of Graz-Seckau, and Fr. Karl Schauer O.S.B., rector of the Shrine of Mariazell.

In his remarks, the Holy Father expressed his joy "at being a citizen of Mariazell and at being able to live so close to the Mother of God". The Pope visited the town in September 2007.

"Mariazell is much more than just a 'place'", he said. It also represents "the living history of a pilgrimage of faith and prayer down the centuries", in which "a real answer is also present: ... that God exists and that, through His mother, He wishes to remain close to us. ... For this reason I am happy to be at home in my heart and now, so to say, also by law, in Mariazell".

After highlighting how Our Lady of Mariazell "has such impressive names as: 'Magna Mater Austriae', 'Domina Magna Hungarorum', 'Magna Mater gentium slavorum'", Benedict XVI explained that the Virgin "is above all 'Magna Mater' yet", he said, "her greatness is evident precisely in the fact that she addresses herself to the smallest, that she is present for them, that we can turn to her at any moment ... just with our hearts".

Hit the Road: Vienna

As we ease the students into travel naturally we made our first major excursion to Vienna this Saturday.

We began our trip with mass at the Italian Parish Church; at this beautiful gothic church, the students we also able to see a 16th century painting of St. Francis done by an unknown master, as well as a copy of Leonardo Da Vinici's The Last Supper painting which Napolean commisioned so he could steal the original in Milan. Not to mention the season Christmas creche which was erected on the right hand side of the church.

By the end of mass in this non-heated but lovely church, everybody's toes were freezing and lunch sounded more than good--more like mouth-watering. Yet, lunch wasn't until another hour so the group broke up into 7 tour groups and we took to the city.

Here in Vienna, we explored the parks, the churches, and the historically significant historical buildings and landmarks. Of course we couldn't forget the gem in the crown of Vienna: St. Stephan's Cathedral.

After lunch and the second half of the tour; the students scattered to coffee shops, museums, parks, and of course, a few to buy Cuban cigars.

All in all, it was a great day and I don't believe anybody was left behind :) We are all looking forward to Salzburg and Munich this weekend....

1st trip of the semester: Admont

A day after all the students arrived here in Gaming to blue skies and cold crisp air, all 170 of us boarded the big red Austrian busses and headed south to the monastery of Admont.

Admont is in the province of Styria or Steiermark and is a beautiful scenic region and a center for mountaineering and other outdoor sports such as canyoning and rafting. This area is also called the "Green March" because half of the area is covered with forests and one-quarter with meadows, grasslands, vineyards and orchards.

During the school trip, the students visited the famous library with secret passageway doors, the natural history musuem, and of course celebrated mass in the neo-Gothic church which still had their local Christmas creche open for viewing.

The trip wasn't without Austrian goodies either: a four course lunch which included, garlic cream soup, salad, cordon blue, and ending with a local Austrian cake for dessert.

Travels aren't about to slow up either. Tomorrow we are off to Vienna, next weekend to Salzburg and Munich, and then off on a ski trip.

The Ultimate Austrian Sport

For all those coming to Gaming who love skiing and snowboarding, you have come to the right place!

It is hard to overemphasive how much Austrians love their sking. If I had to make an anology, the passion is similar to Americans and our love of freedom, kids and their love for sugar, or grandparents and their love of naps, or perhaps bees and their love forflours, or saints and their love of God.

Fortunately, for all of us (and you too) avid skiers, Gaming is situated close to numerous ski resorts which are all relatively affordable and offer beautiful views and nice pistes.

Some of the closer and more famous resorts include:

Lackenhof: About 20 minute bus ride from Gaming.

Hochkar: About 45 minute drive from Gaming.

St. Sebastian: About 45 min - 1 hour bus ride from Gaming.

Muhlbach am Hochkonig: Several hundred kilometers of ski runs; ideal for intermediate skiers, this fantastic resort is just outside of Salzburg, about 3 1/2 hours from Gaming.

Ischgl: From this unique resort, one can ski in both Austria and Switzerland as it is on the border. Ischgl is considered one of the best (more famous) ski resorts in all of Austria. It is about 100 km from Innsbruck so it is quite a trek but would be perfect for a weekend trip. Reservations here are definitely needed as I tried to go several time and couldn't even find a place to sleep!

That supreme relic of Austrian Culture

On this first day of the year and feast day of our Lady, Mother of God, I believe it is fitting to point out to all who will be coming to Gaming the supreme relic of Austrian Catholic Culture: The CROSS.

I love it. There are literally crosses everywhere here in Austria...

There are crosses on the sides of roads, in little chapels and magnificent basilicas. They are in schools, restaurants, huts, city halls, on bridges, and placed in blessings over the doorways of homes.

One place in particular -- my favorite place (other than in a church) -- to find these crosses are on the tops of mountains. From there noble and lofty perch, they loom over the ridge with all their inherent glory and contradiction. After hiking miles and sometimes hours, the sight of that cross on the summit cannot be overestimated. Often famished, sweating, jubilant, triumphant, heart palpitating, and smiling, the cross is there to welcome you as if you were in paradise itself awaiting the crucified and risen savior. It is truly a sign of victory -- the victory of having conquered the mountain -- but also of the greatest victory there ever was and ever will be.

Nor can the sacrifice of the brave men who raised the cross be forgotten. I think of the men, who in erecting the cross, worked hours carrying, climbing, and building to give glory to their God and to celebrate the fact that he came into this world through a women like us, Mary--the mother of God. In other words, the cross is a reminder for me of our call to keep Christ as the focus of everything we do, be in work, leisure, or prayer.

As an avid hiker, I eagerly await the cross when I hike. It is usually a midpoint and an "high-point" in the trip as it signals the destination and the turnaround point. For all those who will be arriving in two weeks, I hope you too will enjoy these beautiful and meaningful crosses here on the roads, in the churches, and on the tips of mountains.

To end, I recount the fitting words from the eastern Liturgy:

O Virgin Mother and True Theotokos

without seed thou hast borne Christ our God

who was lifted in the flesh upon the cross

We and all the faithful, as is right,

magnify thee with thy Son.