Salzburg: Franciscans open renovated monastery
With a festive ceremony in their church in Salzburg on Easter Monday, the Franciscan reopened their completely renovated monastery. To celebrate Archbishop Franz Lackner a festival service. In addition to Governor Wilfried Haslauer, Mayor Harald Preuner also congratulated the brothers on the successful conversion, the religious community reported in a broadcast. For Archbishop Lackner, the Salzburg Franciscan monastery is a contemporary “place of resurrection”, like the empty tomb or Emmaus in the Bible: “A lot of blessings emanate from this place,” said Lackner. Many people come here because they long for discussion and absolution.
“When Mary Magdalene and the other women made their way to the tomb of the Lord on Easter morning, they had to assume that a large stone would stand in their way. They went on anyway and lo and behold: the stone was gone.” , Lackner said, adding: “We in the church today would probably first set up a stone-turn-aside commission. And only then move on.” For the archbishop, Franciscan spirituality is “the most human of all fraternal interpretations of spiritual life”. This is due to St. Francis of Assisi, who possibly considers himself a brother to all creatures, those people who he himself is trying to rob.
Also, the Franciscans served a tangible solidarity with the poor and homeless. The archbishop expressly referred to the aid organization of the Austrian Franciscans, “Franz Hilf”, whose employees are currently primarily looking after the people in and from the Ukraine. In addition, the Franciscan monastery in Salzburg is a place of prayer. The monastery complex has been a major construction site since 2020. After completion of the work, in addition to the Provincialate, the seat of the Austrian Franciscan Province, a permanent group of Friars WILL continue to provide pastoral care.
Work of great radiance
Governor Wilfried Haslauer congratulated the Franciscans on the successful construction. The monastery, and above all the Franciscan church, are a special place with an impressive atmosphere. Haslauer referred in particular to the depiction of the Mother of God with the child by Michael Pacher (1435-1498), which conveys “gentleness and kindness” – two virtues that are the “appropriate answer to crises and aggression”. The Franciscans stand for such an attitude of “open perspective”, for which the monastery – a “work of great radiance” – provides the necessary housing.
The Franciscan province in Austria and South Tyrol includes 107 confreres who live and work in 18 branches. Since 2021, the Upper Austrian Fr. Fritz Wenigwieser has presided over her as provincial minister. The Salzburg monastery in the St. Peter district was founded in 1583 in the course of the Counter-Reformation by the Salzburg prince-archbishop Archbishop Johann Jakob von Kuen-Belasy (1560-1586), who called the order to the city for spiritual renewal. It was abolished under National Socialism in 1938 and converted into the headquarters of the Gestapo, then after the war it was the headquarters of the ORF and was returned to the Order in 1974. Since then, Franciscans have been living and working in the convent, which has also been the seat of the provincial government of the Austrian Franciscans since 2007.
Source: catpress