From June 18 to 21, some 20 confreres of the German Province met for their annual “Provinztag” at our retreat house Maria Hilf in Kufstein, Austria.

The days were marked by fraternal gathering, common prayer and worship times, that helped us to listen to each other. On the first day, the individual house communities presented their own reports. After this, the Provincial Director and the Treasurer did the same as well as the deputy for the Brazilian vicariate P. Michael Rohde, who presented the report of the vicariate.

On Tuesday morning Jesuit P. Sperringer from Vienna accompanied us. He prepared for us the statements of Pope Francis to religious life, especially in his letter during the “Year of Consecrated Life”. In his input he named five aspects: 1. The essence and goal of religious life 2. Faithfulness in society in general and faithfulness in religious life 3.  The prophetic testimony of religious life 4. House made crisis and its overcoming: going to the border. 5. Looking into future: hope and joy. Sending us into small groups he invited us to make it concrete for our here and now. In the afternoon, a pilgrimage to Weihenlinden in Bavaria was on the program, where we celebrated the Eucharist in the pilgrimage church, which also houses a relic of the precious blood. Afterwards we went to the “Bräustübl” for dinner.

We used Wednesday morning to discuss the report for the Community Life Symposium and to bring this one into a final version. During the closing celebration of Eucharist we renewed our Definitive Incorporation, and the Provincial invited the confreres to come forward to the altar and he blessed each one with a Gaspar relic, to confirm the renewal.

Article provided by V. Rev. Andreas Hasenburger C.PP.S.

Photos provided by Rev. Richard Pühringer, C.PP.S.