Probably the first “Messwein filling station” in the world opened in Austria
Cool sacramental wine from the machine: in front of the baroque basilica of Frauenkirchen in Burgenland, Austria, pilgrims can now drink one to quench their thirst. For one euro, a vending machine dispenses one sixteenth of a sacramental wine cooled to six degrees, as reported by the newspaper “Kurier” (online Monday evening).
The yellow box is equipped with a touchscreen, bank card reader and two small cooling compartments with taps. Payment and age verification are carried out using the pilgrims’ ATM cards. The technology-savvy Franciscan Father Thomas Lackner had the idea for the “Messwein-Gasstation”. According to the manufacturer, it is the first of its kind in the world, he told the newspaper.
Certainly not consecrated
The four wines in the machine come from regional winegrowers who meet the criteria for altar wine: naturalness without additives and approval by the diocese for church use. The altar wine is of course not consecrated, i.e. converted to the blood of Christ in the celebration of the Eucharist according to the Catholic view. The tastings from the service wine filling station are good Burgenland wine, as it is only used in the celebration of the service.
According to his own statement, the priest does not only want to earn money for the basilica with the gas station. He sees the vending machine as part of a strategy to get more people into church. Lackner: “In this way, an attraction can motivate people to visit this place. That can be the first step in overcoming the threshold of faith.” The pilgrimage church in Frauenkirchen is not only a popular pilgrimage destination, but also a stop for cyclists, sometimes hundreds a day. (KNA)