What is new on the website:

• Pictures from Christmas <click here>

• New Saints page with a short biography of each saint <click here>

• Additional articles can now be found on the Distinguished Canons page <click here>

• Juniorat photo
   

  

   

   

  This is the first time we have been able to get the whole novitiate together!

   

  Fr. Elias, Jakob, Pius, Josef, Lukas, Fr. Anton (Assistant Novice Master), Abbot General Bernhard (Provost of Stift Klosterneuburg), Fr. Markus (Novice Master), Rudolf, Hugo, Fr Clemens.

What is new at Klosterneuburg:

• Epiphany Traditions

  • The Sternsinger (star singers)
     

    Austrians celebrate this holiday by remembering the message of the Gospel.  Epiphany is Christmas for the Gentiles.  Our Lord Jesus comes not only as the Christ (Messiah) for the Chosen People, the Jews, but is the Light to the Nations (as St. Simeon says in Luke's Gospel).  Remembering this emphasis, little groups of the three Magi and the star go out throughout the parishes to sing songs and collect money for the missions.  At the Stift, some of the parishioners were our star singers.

    
    
     

  • Epiphany House Blessings
     

    The cover art for the Juniorat's  ordo for the house blessing is the work of Prof. Dr. Gregor R. Doxat-Fistravec Can. Reg..  This new drawing is entitlted "The Adoration of the Kings."

     

    While not common in the many parts of the United States, the Epiphany house blessing is a long standing tradition in much of Central Europe.  Therefore, the Juniors led by Fr. Markus annually visit all the rooms of the Stift to assist in their blessing.  In addition to singing Christmas and Epiphany hymns, there is a brief Liturgy of the Word and the blessing.  Chalk, incense and holy water are used as sacramentals to highlight the meaning of this blessing.  The priest -- this year Fr. Clemens on the right -- inscribes over the doorway 20 C + M + B 03.  The numbers simply refer to the year of the benediction.  As for the significance of the letters, there appears to be two explanations.  The first refers them to the three magi, Caspar, Melchior and Balthasar.  The second refers to a Latin inscription, Christus Mansionen Benedicat, "May Christ bless this house."

    
     

    
    The room or house in incensed as well since incense is one of the biblical signs for prayer and worship.  Every Christian life is spiritual worship of God.  So every home and everything we do there ought to be done in order to give praise and glory to God.

     

    It seems Fr. Markus has noticed something interesting...

    
    Holy water is likewise sprinkled as it generally is in most blessings.  Water is one of the most interesting symbols in the Bible since it often encompasses strongly opposed realities, e.g. life and death.  For Christians it is an sign of consecration, of belonging to Christ.
     

    coming

    and going

    
    After more than two hours and many visits, we finally arrived back home in the Juniorat to conclude our wanderings with the blessing of our our rooms.
     

     

  • Interesting Fact:
    Epiphany is also the anniversary of the canonization of St. Leopold, which occurred on January 6, 1485.