Creek Jumping

Every semester students are enthralled by the little river which sits across the street from the Kartause. It just so happens, or perhaps God purposely designed it so, but there is a spot near a bridge which is idea for creek jumping. The fact that the water is near freezing and direct mountain runoff or fresh spring water only entices the students further. It is such an odd phenomenon to the locals, but not to us Kartause regulars to witness students jumping in at all times of the day. Even for someone like myself, I have to admit I found it odd when after our all day excursion to Vienna, arriving back at 10 PM, students decided to have a go at it.

For those students who haven't jumped yet, perhaps you should. Parents, I don't know why, but no matter how many warnings we give them, they just smile and keep jumping....

Happy Salzburg

The school sponsored excursion to Salzburg and Munich was great hit -- gorgeous weather, beautiful cities, history galore, cafes, restaurants, outdoor markets, churches, beer halls, tours, masses, prayers, shopping, exploring, relaxing, basking in all of God's created glory; Ah, such a trip reminds me of of the Catholic Priest and English Poet's poem, "Pied Beauty" which begins, "Glory Be to God for Dappled things...for skies of coupled colour...."

Kicking off the semester with the Bishop

As in the days of yore when pilgrims would begin their journey , Franciscan University faculty, staff, and students, kicked off the semester with our Bishop in the cathedral of St. Pölten.

After the Mass, we all crowded around the altar for a group picture. After Mass we headed to the Monastery of Göttweig in the Danube valley and then off to the Durnstein, the "pearl of the Wachau" or otherwise referred to as "one of the most romantic spots in Austria."

Below are some pictures, courtesy of our RD, Vince Granado:

Biking on the Danube

For all those looking for a great weekend activity this fall, I highly recommend biking through the famous Wachau valley along the Danube river. During RA training week, we took the RA's on a bike route beginning in Spitz and going all the way to Durnstein and beyond. It was a spectacular day with stops at the local churches, vineyards, and castles.

We even had lunch at a local heuriger where they serve the new wine for the year along with other local Austrian specialties.

Spitz is only about a 1 hour drive from Gaming so the trip is definitely manageable as a day trip. Cost is only 12 Euro to rent a bike for the whole day or if you have a group, it drops to 9 Euro for the day.

Below are some pictures from our trip:

Previous RD enters Dominicans

For all those who knew previous Residence Director here in Gaming, Adam White, you will be happy to know that he has moved on to his new life, new dress, and new name of Brother Sebastian.

His glowing face attests to his deep joy and happiness: