Dr. Eduard Hapsburg Speaks on Church Crisis in Austria

On the afternoon of October 27th, Dr. Eduard Hapsburg spoke with Franciscan University students about the crisis of faith in the church of Austria.

With his perfect English, engaging personality, and personal experience working for the Austrian Catholic church, he electrified the room of students with some astonishing facts:

- that many confirmation candidates in Austria are unable to recite the Our Father
- in this historic bastion of Catholicism, adoration and confession are in many places taboo
- that priests are lonely, hopeless, overburdened, overworked, and under-appreciated
- that the contemporary situation in Austria is similar to the 7th century when the first Benedictines came to Christianize the land.  Austria is back to ground zero and is in need of missionaries again.
- that an overwhelming majority of Catholics are unable to explain the basic tenets of their faith, even those which work for the church.
- that there is an extraordinary church bureaucracy of over 60,000 employees, many which are without faith and working only to enjoy the salary and social benefits of a comfortable job.

He spoke of the need to pray, do penance, and encouraged lay missionaries to give their witness and talent to the German speaking lands.  He also spoke of Church wealth, the Church-Tax, and monolithic church bureaucracy which has become too comfortable and complacent.

But, even so, the current church structure is crumbling, he asserted.  Furthermore, he spoke of a new church organization which was beginning and would evolve over the coming years.

In the end, while the situation is dire, there is still hope, he professed.  Going back to the Reformation, he reminded the students that practically the whole land converted to Protestantism, before returning back to its Catholic roots. It has been worse.  In the past, it was easy to "go with the flow" of religion.  But, in today's climate, it is different.  Going with the flow means getting swept away in secular culture, not in the current of the church.  As such, tepid and lukewarm Christians will slowly trickle out of the church.  Nevertheless, pruned, it will grow again, it will grow anew.

As a final call to action, Hapsburg challenged all students, "If you don't speak of Christ, who will? Each one of you must be missionaries and speak about your Christian faith."  

God's Angels

Welcome back to our readers.  Students and many of the faculty and staff have been away on the 10-day break which is why there have been few posts the past few days.  But, the students literally scattered to the winds, going to Turkey, Morocco, the Holy Land and all over the European continent.


Student Chelsea Graham, discusses some of her travels in the post below:

Hello again! I just got back from my 10 day break, and I fell in love with Europe all over again. I love America, but there is something about Europe that just draws me in everywhere I go. I went to Paris, Lourdes, Venice and Capri for my 10 day. I traveled with three others, and we had a great time. In the words of one of the girls I traveled with, Lourdes is “Disneyland for Catholics.” It was just such a blessing to go there and go in the baths, be a part of the candlelight procession, and just explore an amazing town. And while Lourdes is such a spiritually uplifting and inspiring place, Capri too was remarkable in beauty and in grandeur. Indeed, God’s creation is incredible. Capri is the most beautiful place I’ve ever been to. I could go into detail of what I did in each of those places, but instead I want to tell you about a different part of my trip.

Coming over to Europe, I was told that everyone hates Americans, the French people are rude, and good luck traveling because nobody likes tourists. Well, I’d have to disagree with all of that! Over my trip, I encountered several of “God’s Angels” (what my group and I decided to call them after we realized how big of a role they played in our trip). “God’s Angels” are the people who came out of nowhere in our times of need and helped us tremendously. Not only did we encounter several of “God’s Angels” but I also cannot remember one person that was rude to us.

I’d like to share some of “God’s Angels” experiences with you, but first I have to tell you that my group, overall, did not have a lot of travel experience. For myself and one other this is our first time in Europe, and for the other two it had been awhile since they were here, so when it came to train systems, getting from one place to another, etc. we weren’t too good at it.  It was a good dose of humble pie.

Our first night was in Paris, but our hostel wasn’t exactly in Paris (that’s what happens when you look for the cheapest places instead of researching the location as well!  By the time we got to the town where our hostel was, it was close to midnight, almost nobody was around, and we had no idea how to get from where we were to our hostel. We started walking around, hoping to just stumble upon our hostel, but then we saw a girl about our age and with my very little French skills, I asked her if she knew where our hostel was. She didn’t know, but without even wasting a second, she pulled out her cell phone, called a friend and got directions for us, and we got to our hostel within the next 5 minutes. She could have just told us she didn’t know where the hostel was and went on her own way, but instead, went out of her way to call and get us directions, without which we would have been lost for hours!

Again, while looking for our hostel (this time in Lourdes) we met a man who seemed to be in his late twenties who appeared to be traveling with his mom, get off a bus, asked us where we needed to go (his first language is French, but he also spoke decent English). Then he spoke to the bus driver and arranged to have us dropped off closer to our hostel. Once we got to the bus stop, he and his mom got off with us to make sure we made it all the way to our hostel safely. We didn’t even ask for help! He just got off his bus and offered…and he was French! That’s two French people that not only didn’t hate us, but were incredibly helpful! And I’m only telling you of a few! We encountered about five others just as helpful as those two, just in France alone!

And Capri! I wasn’t kidding when I said everyone was nice! We stayed in a small hotel in and getting there wasn’t easy (I know, I know we should have found hostels that weren’t hidden!) Whenever we stopped and asked for help, everyone was incredibly friendly and happy to give us directions. When we got to the hostel, the receptionist was really kind and extremely helpful. She told us all kinds of things to do on the island, when we told her we were going to watch the sunset, she told us a better place to go so we could see it better.  Furthermore, she made phone calls for us to see if/when things were open, etc. And I know that was her job to do all of that, but she went above and beyond what she needed to do for us.

As Christians, we are called to look for Christ in everyone we encounter.  On my recent 10-day break, that was not hard to do! The four of us would have been so lost without the help all of “God’s Angels”, and it just reminded us to trust God in every situation and each hour of the day.

What’s with all the dead guys?

A blog post by Maria Rocha, Spring 2011

“What’s with all the dead guys?”

I’ve thought those very words about a hundred times this semester. It started in Vienna and Salzburg and continued to plague me all the way to Rome and Assisi.

You’d think that out of ten days of pure splendor I would dwell on anything but dead guys. However, how can I sum up ten days of glorious art, pasta, and prayer into a single blog post? I dwell on this grave subject (pun totally intended) because the calories from the pasta will leave me and the facts I stored up about the art will pass from my recollection. However, the impact of these so-called “dead guys” upon my life will not.

Such a close proximity to the dead, especially the very long dead made me really uncomfortable. I couldn’t figure out why they would want to celebrate the Eucharist so close to a dead, though holy, person.

I’ll never forget praying at the Infant Jesus of Prague Shrine. There I knelt, hands clasped, eyes shut, praying earnestly. I crossed myself when I was done and peacefully opened my eyes. I immediately noticed the corpse I had previously overlooked. The black skeleton covered in jewels looked, quite frankly, like something out of the Pirates of the Caribbean. Naturally, I gasped and stood up quickly.

This was my mistake. I didn’t take time to think about or even wonder whose skeleton it was or why they were given eternal rest in a shrine. I didn’t question. I only dismissed.

Months later, as we church hopped in Rome like Americans at closing sales in a mall, the presence of the “dead guys” did not leave me. There were dead guys in every single church. However, the more I reflected on just who these dead were to our faith, I realized that their continuing presence enriched the Church.

At the Papal audience, I was overjoyed to be in such close proximity to the Pope as he spoke to each of us in our own language. Later, at the tomb of John Paul II it dawned on me. I can’t just be excited about the living. Things like martyrdom, holiness, self-sacrifice and love do not become any less significant with death. These extraordinary people are kept so that common people like me will one day continue to believe and strive for that same holiness. These dead are concrete examples of the transforming power of Christ, who is the ultimate “dead guy” because He’s not dead anymore.

Though it seemed that we were running from one basilica to another in search of the next holy spectacle, it became clear to me that we weren’t just hunting relics or racing from place to place aimlessly. We were chasing the opportunity to be closer to the tangible, the closest remains of the reason we call ourselves Catholic and Franciscan. We were searching for bits of ourselves.

However, in the midst of a whirlwind of activity, I felt overwhelmed. By the end of Rome, I was on overload and could not process anymore.

When we arrived in Assisi, I lost myself and wandered aimlessly alone for hours. I withdrew. Now my frantic search was not in the streets of a city but within myself. I sat on a wall overlooking Assisi and wrote for hours. I wrote searching for the reason that such incredible experiences hollowed me out. I was not in ecstasy after climbing the same steps Jesus climbed to Pilate. I didn’t think I was any different after being in the same places that so many saints walked. It all seemed so complicated. The art in St. Peters and the mountains of marble sculpture seemed too complex to really reach me.

Then, as I sat alone in quaint Assisi, a city that could be defined by its simplicity and is remembered by a simple man, I came to understand what all the dead guys, marble, elaborate art, and overall ruckus we make over our faith. So, I continued to write:

“It seems that the sun itself gets joy from looking at Assisi. It’s not like the Texas sun that is so intense you boil in seconds or like the Steubenville sun that is non-existent at this time of year. No, it’s a soft warmth that kisses you hello and holds you as long as you’ll stay. It holds you without smothering you but never leaves you, never loses touch. I’ve found Him and I don’t want to move. I want to sit here, rooted until the sun goes down. But I won’t wither in this sun like grapes. No, I will bask.”

God is as simple as the sun. It’s really not that complicated. It shouldn’t be, for us. It wasn’t for all the “dead guys” and it certainly wasn’t for Christ. They had one goal, one focus, and it had nothing to do with where they would be laid post mortem. They lived. They focused on life and how to really be alive. They focused on the only person who does not pass. They lived simply and they lived for love.

"Rome strengthened my faith"

I was very excited to join Franciscan University on the trip to Rome. I tried to not have too many preconceived notions or expectations about this place, and any expectations I did have were blown out of the water.

It was a mildly difficult for me to be just as excited as many other students about visiting and touring Rome. I had never been there, and still knew very little about the city. While I had a decent appreciation for the Church here on Earth, I had no idea what I was in for!

The days in Rome were filled to the brim of activity, sights to see and things to do. We were blessed with beautiful, warm weather and lots of sunshine. A four-hour walking tour had many of us physically and mentally exhausted! Some of my favorite places to see were the Capuchin Bone Chapel (A chapel decorated with bones of capuchin monks), St. Monica’s tomb (Tour guide: “Oh, by the way, Saint Monica’s tomb is over there.” “Wait, what!?”), the top of the cupola at the Vatican, the Trevi fountain (I made sure to throw in coins), the Roman forums that are still being excavated, and the countless churches. I enjoyed hearing so many stories of the saints and of the historical events that happened in Rome. Above all, the highlight was the Scavi tour that took us beneath the basilica which is under the Vatican (!). There, we saw first century mausoleums that had been preserved with dirt that had filled this city of the dead. The mausoleums had only been discovered in 1939 and were excavated during the night in secret during World War II. Being in a place like this made 2,000 years seem like a short amount of time. Our tour guide did a fantastic job telling us a story about the bones of St. Peter, where they had been and where they are now. A specially designed NASA case keeps St. Peter’s bones safe close to where they were originally laid. It was a profound experience for me to be so close to bones that had walked on water and touched Christ. Suddenly, all the stories I had heard and read about became much more personal. They were no longer distant thoughts or ideas- they were real. Seeing the bones of St. Peter, and hearing how the centuries-old tales were confirmed through finding these bones, strengthened my faith.

I also enjoyed walking around the Roman ruins. It fascinated me to be walking down a fairly narrow street, turn a corner, and be surprised by a two-thousand year old structure in the midst of the hustle and bustle of everyday activity. These structures were built such a long time ago! I still have a hard time wrapping my head around the amount of time that these ruins have been standing.

I left Rome liking the city (and the city under the city…. under the city) much more than when I arrived. I highly recommend spending as much time as you can exploring there! Even though I toured the city for three straight days, I still feel as if I barely saw the place. There is so much to experience. I hope to go back one day!

A blog post by Monica Rust, Spring 2010