|
Lent 2005 |
What's New at Klosterneuburg
Death of Dom Laurenz Zaiser
|
|
X
Requiescat in Pace
Rev. Dom Laurenz Josef Zaiser
Solemn Profession on August 28, 1955. Ordained a Priest of Jesus Christ on April 27, 1957. The parishes of the Stift encompassed Laurenz's entire priestly life and ministry. He was associate pastor in Floridsdorf, Korneuburg, and then Maria Lourdes in Vienna. He was eventually made pastor of Maria Lourdes in 1973 and gave himself wholeheartedly to his parish, serving with zeal and sacrifice until his death of cancer in the parish rectory. His illness had been a long and painful one, but even while in hospice care, Laurenz would say Masses at Maria Lourdes. On March 5, 2005 Dom Laurenz passed away at the age of 78, after almost fifty years of priestly service. Please remember him in your prayers.
|
It is the custom of the priests of Klosterneuburg to offer 7 Masses for the repose of the soul of a canon, and his name is inscribed in our Book of the Dead, to be read aloud and prayed for every year at the anniversary of his death.
In January...
Doms Daniel and Markus traveled to the US to visit candidates and to "fly the flag". Their visit was successful, apart from an unfortunate problem that arose with the Mass which had been arranged in Maryland. We regret any inconvenience this caused members of the Society of St. Leopold. We aren't entirely certain what happened.
Juniorate Week
February 13-17 was the annual gathering of the juniors of the Austrian Congregation of Canons Regular at Stift St. Florian. A magnificent example of Austrian baroque, the abbey rivals the more famous Melk on the Danube. St. Florian is a very ancient community of canons. While the building is splendid and the hospitality very warm indeed, the incredibly long, ice-cold corridors of the abbey kept the juniors on their toes.
Below, a couple of pictures from our tours of St. Florian with other juniors from the congregation. The canon in the vest is Dean Ferdinand Reisinger of St. Florian. Now we know why he is dean -he is smart enough to wear a winter vest in that house!
|
|
|
New Provosts in the Austrian Congregation of Canons Regular
On February 10th, 2005 Rev. Dom Johann Baptist Holzinger was elected 57th provost and 19th Lateran abbot of Stift St. Florian near Linz. Provost Wilhelm Neuwirth, his predecessor, had governed the community since 1977.
On February 16th, 2005 Rev. Dom Werner A. Thanecker was elected 73rd provost and 15th Lateran abbot of Stift Reichersberg. Provost Eberhard Vollnhofer, his predecessor, had governed the community since 1980.
We pray these new provosts will have every success as they continue the work of their predecessors and guide their communities into a bright future.
Note: Provosts of the Austrian Congregation are also titled Lateran abbots because of the union created between the Austrian houses and the Lateran Congregation of Canons Regular in the 18th Century. This union never actually achieved the primary goal which it had hoped: the freedom of the Austrian houses from episcopal (the local bishop's) power of visitation. This would only finally be achieved with the creation of the Austrian Congregation of Augustinian Canons in 1907.
Students visit Klosterneuburg from DeMatha Catholic High School in Hyattsville, MD
It was a pleasant surprise when we were told there would be a group visiting from DeMatha, a private Catholic prep school for boys run by the Trinitarian friars in suburban Maryland. Doms Daniel and Clemens gave them a quick but thorough tour, and were impressed by the young men. Apparently a group comes every year from DeMatha to visit the local "Gymnasium" or high school, so we hope to see more students in the future and maintain a ties.
 |
 |
|
|
Checking out the renovations |
A group shot before the tour. |
Daniel being ecumenical |
Renovation of the Stift's church
Right after Christmas the abbey church of Klosterneuburg was closed to excavate and restore the floor of the nave. This involved digging down and revealing the 12th Century foundations of the abbey. In a church as old as ours, there are always a few surprises, and this time is no exception. Three graves were uncovered, one of which was that of Provost Christoph Matthäi (1638-1707). The gravestone marker below is not the original. The original was removed in a later renovation and preserved in the wall of the choir.
Photo of the gravestone, with an unknown grave behind
Portrait of Christoph Matthäi
The other two graves are not yet identified, but they are clearly from the gothic/medieval period, and are probably other provosts.
Dom Daniel takes a tour of the excavations...
...with Dom Elias, home for a visit from Bergen
The church is scheduled to be reopened August 26, 2005 in time for the Feast of St. Augustine and the clothing of new novices. Please remember to pray for vocations to our community!
Coming up...
The ordination to the priesthood of Dom Hugo Slaatelid on May 8th. Please keep him in your prayers as he continues his preparation. Following his ordination, Hugo will celebrate Masses in our parishes here and his native Norway. This is an old custom in Austria.
A blessed Holy Week to all, and a glorious Easter!
If you would like to be added to our email list and be notified when we update the website, please email us at:
