Conference on Bl. Karl of Austria, & Premiere of Mass by Paul Jernberg - Washington DC, October 18 - 20

Here is a reminder and more information on what promises to be a fantastic occasion in DC later this month.

Paul Jernberg, who founded the Magnificat Institute, is the composer of the music for the Mass for Blessed Karl that will premiere at this conference. He told me: 

The idea for this new composition, and for this conference, began with my “coincidental” meeting with the great-grandson of Blessed Karl (aka Charles 1 of Austria - the last emperor of the Austro-Hungarian Empire) a couple of years ago. The more I read about him and his wife, Zita, the more I was inspired by their radiant model of great leadership - characterized not by the desire for power but by the pursuit of wisdom and a faithful, self-sacrificial love for his people.

For lots more information and registration, visit magnificatinstitute.org/dc-conference.

Conference and Music Premiere in Honor of Bl. Karl of Austria, October 18-20, in Washington, DC

We are very glad to share this message from Catholic composer Paul Jernberg, regarding a conference and musical premiere which he will host in Washington, D.C. in October in honor of Blessed Karl of Austria. (Click images to enlarge and to use the QR codes.) 

It is a joy for me to let you know about, and invite you to, a great conference which I have been helping to organize. It will be held October 18-20 in Washington, DC, on the theme of “Blessed Karl of Austria - A Light for Our Times". The conference will feature many inspirational speakers, and beautiful choral and orchestral music in honor of this saint, including the premiere of my Mass in Honor of Blessed Karl.

For lots more information and registration, visit magnificatinstitute.org/dc-conference.

The idea for this new composition, and for this conference, began with my “coincidental” meeting with the great-grandson of Blessed Karl a couple of years ago. The more I read about him and his wife Zita, the more I was inspired by their radiant model of great leadership - characterized not by the desire for power, but by the pursuit of wisdom and a faithful, self-sacrificial love for his people.

It would be wonderful if you could join us in DC in October! But whether or not you are able to be there in person, please pray for us as we seek to share the light of Blessed Karl’s life and legacy with a broad audience from throughout the US and abroad!

Conference and Premiere of Mass in Honor of Blessed Karl of Austria, Washington DC, October 18-20

Thank you to composer Paul Jernberg of the Magnificat Institute for bringing this to my attention: his newly composed Mass will be premiered this weekend, with himself conducting the choir. For further information about the event, contact Suzanne Pearson at sdpearson@verizon.net.

Blessed Karl of Austria was the last Emperor of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, ascending to the throne in 1916. He died in 1922, and his cause for canonization was opened in 1949. 

Here is the poster:

Votive Mass of Bl. Karl of Austria in Brooklyn Next Tuesday

The church of the Holy Name of Jesus Church in Brooklyn, New York, will have a sung Votive Mass of Blessed Karl, Emperor of Austria, on Tuesday, September 20th, starting at 7p.m. The church is located at 245 Prospect Park West; ample parking is available in the church parking lot. There will be comprehensive programs with full translations and cues available for those new and not so new to the Traditional Latin Mass

This Mass is offered under the auspices of the Emperor Karl League of Prayer, the organization officially chosen by the Church to promote the cause of his canonization of Emperor Karl. Following the Mass, there will be a short lecture by Suzanne Pearson, the delegate of the Emperor Karl League of Prayer in the US. Join the Holy Name of Jesus Community in paying homage to this humble servant of God, who ascended the throne as the last emperor of Austria-Hungary during the tumult of the First World War in 1916. He saw his office as a commission from God, and a duty to follow and imitate Christ, the one true King. While he died in exile just six years later at the age of 35, Karl led a heroic and saintly life, praying at his death, “Thy Holy Will be done. Jesus, Jesus, come! Yes—yes. My Jesus as Thou willst it—Jesus.”

Events for the Feast of Bl. Charles of Austria

Tomorrow is the feast day of the Blessed Charles, Emperor of Austria, which is kept on the day of his marriage in 1911 to the Princess Zita of Bourbon-Parma. He was beatified on Oct. 3, 2004, by Pope St John Paul II; Zita’s cause for canonization is also in process, and she was declared a Servant of God by Pope Benedict XVI. Our good friend Fr Jordan Hainsey, who works with the Emperor Charles League of Prayer for Peace (Gebetsliga), wrote in to remind us that there are several events in honor of the Blessed going on tomorrow. Details are also available from the calendar of the Gebetsliga website.

In Gainesville Virginia, His Excellency Athanasius Schneider will celebrate a Pontifical High Mass at the church of the Most Holy Trinity, starting at 6:30 pm. The Mass will be followed by the veneration of a 1st class relic of Blessed Charles, and a reception in the parish hall. The church is located at 8213 Linton Hall Road; one of the Bl Charles’ grand-daughters, Princess Maria-Anna Galitzine, Archduchess of Austria, will be present as guest of honor.

In Washington, D.C., a solemn Mass will be celebrated at the church of Mary, Mother of God, starting at 7:00 pm. The Mass will be followed by the veneration of a 1st class relic of Blessed Charles, and a reception in the lower level of the parish building (south of the church), with a presentation by the guest of honor, His Excellency Eduard Habsburg-Lothringen, Ambassador of Hungary to the Holy See and to the Sovereign Military Order of Malta. The church is located at 5th and H Streets NW (727 5th St), metro exit at Gallery Place/Chinatown or Judiciary Square.

In Charlotte, North Carolina, a High Mass of the Blessed Charles will be celebrated at the church of St Thomas Aquinas, starting at 7:00 p.m. The church is located at 1400 Suther Road.

In Scranton, Pennsylvania, a Low Mass of the Blessed Charles will be celebrated at the church of St Michael Archangel, which is in the charge of the Fraternity of St Peter, starting at 7:45 a.m. The church is located at 703 Jackson Street.

In Funchal, Portugal, on the island of Madeira, His Excellency Nuno Brás, Bishop of Funchal, will celebrate and preach at a Mass for the Blessed Charles at the Santuário de Nossa Senhora do Monte, where his body rests, beginning at 6:00 p.m.

Pontifical Mass of Bl. Karl of Austria in California, Oct. 21

On October 21st, His Excellency Salvatore Cordileone, Archbishop of San Francisco, will celebrate a Pontifical Mass in the traditional rite for the feast of Blessed Karl, Emperor of Austria, at the church of St Mary in Vacaville, California. The Mass will begin at 6pm, followed by a reception; the church is located at 350 Stinson Avenue. (Courtesy of Rorate Caeli.)

A New Book on Bl. Karl of Austria for Marriage Preparation

The Emperor Karl League of Prayer in the United States and Canada is pleased to announce the publication of a new book entitled Bold Union: Preparing for Marriage with Karl and Zita. Edited by Suzanne Pearson, Cathy Pearson, Dcn. Jordan Hainsey, and Fr. Britton Hennessey, Bold Union utilizes vignettes from the life of the last-ruling imperial family of Austria-Hungary as a witness to the bond of marriage, helping to supplement the preparation a couple receives in their own diocese. Couples are invited to spend half an hour each day, for six weeks leading up to their wedding, growing in prayer and openness to each other. The structure for each day is the same: a vignette from the life or marriage of Karl and Zita, a reflection on the sacramental bond, questions for conversation, and short Catholic prayers.

Eight illustrations were commissioned by the League of Prayer U.S.A. and Canada from John Ritter, an American Post-Pop artist and illustrator whose vibrant figural and cultural depictions have consistently defined the pages of The New Yorker, Time, GQ, The New York Times, and Harper’s. Ritter began his career in northern California in the early-1990’s, where his unique style and deployment of color landed him a slot on the design team that created and marketed Adobe© Photoshop©. Utilizing photographs from the Gebetsliga Archive, this is Ritter’s first collection of religious-themed illustrations which contextualize sanctity in the 21st century and boldly reinterpret the familiar images of Karl and Zita.

Bold Union: Preparing for Marriage with Karl and Zita is the perfect companion for engaged couples beginning their journey together or married couples who wish to deepen their marital bond and explore the vows they made on their wedding day. Printed and bound in the U.S.A., this book carries the Imprimatur of Bishop Roger J. Foys, D.D., of the Diocese of Covington, and an accompanying Nihil Obstat. To order, click this link.

A New Shrine to Bl. Karl of Austria in Taylors, South Carolina

This past Sunday, Prince of Peace Church in Taylors, South Carolina, inaugurated a new shrine to Blessed Karl of Austria, the 13th such shrine in North America, and the first in South Carolina. Fr Boniface Hicks, O.S.B., a monk of St Vincent Archab­bey in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, and delegate for the Emperor Karl League of Prayer in the U.S.A. and Canada, celebrated Mass and preached, then solemnly blessed the shrine on behalf of the Gebetsliga. Our thanks to the pastor, Fr Christopher Smith, and to Dcn Jordan Hainsey, who is very active with the Gebetsliga, for this report and the accompanying photos.

Blessing of the Shrine

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A New Prayerbook for the Emperor Karl League of Prayer

The Emperor Karl League of Prayer USA and Canada is pleased to announce the newly published official Gebetsliga Prayer Book. Edited by USA and Canadian Delegates Fr. Boniface Hicks, OSB, and Suzanne Pearson, this prayer book contains devotional resources related to Blessed Karl of Austria, including: a history of The Emperor Karl League of Prayer; a novena; devotional prayers; a short biography; important dates and quotes from his life; and liturgical texts for the celebration of Holy Mass and The Liturgy of the Hours on his October 21 Memorial.

The book was designed and typeset by Mr. Jordan Hainsey, who serves as webmaster and designer for the USA and Canadian League. Constructed to last a lifetime of prayerful use, it features a rich, felted-cotton cover, foil-embossed with the Gebestliga coat of arms.

Six illustrations were commissioned from our own Matthew Alderman, whose work as a liturgical illustrator and designer has been featured in several publications, including Sacred Architecture, First Things, Antiphon, and The Living Church. In 2010, he completed 15 full-page illustrations for Liturgy Training Publications’ landmark altar edition of the Revised Roman Missal, and in 2011, he produced over 50 illustrations for HarperCollins UK’s Sunday and Weekday Missals.

The Gebetsliga Prayer Book illustrations are executed in black and red ink and compliment the text, serving as a catalyst for meditation and prayer. It is perfect companion for all members of The League of Prayer or those just learning about Blessed Karl for the first time. Printed and bound in the U.S.A., the prayer book carries the Imprimatur of Bishop Roger J. Foys, D.D., of the Diocese of Covington, and an accompanying Nihil Obstat.

Icon of Blessed Karl of Austria Presented to the Pope

On October 14, the Emperor Karl League of Prayer recently presented to the Holy Father an icon of the Blessed, the work of Bulgarian iconographer Alexander Schelekow; this was done during a private audience in commemoration of the centenary of the initiative of Pope Benedict XV to end the First World War. Thanks to our friend Jordan Hainsey, who is very active in the League and consulted the iconographer, for sharing this with us.

Part of the description of the icon, from the League’s website: “Blessed Karl is shown in arrested movement. He is portrayed in stillness because he is becalmed by God. His eyes are shown in an open gaze because they are keenly and prayerfully aware of our world. His lips are closed, expressing true contemplation which requires total silence. Karl is surrounded by a halo of radiating light and is standing against a sheet of gold, showing that he is living in the light of God.

In one hand Karl bears a budded Cross. The four arms with four buds symbolize the four Evangelists and invite discipleship in Christ's ministry. The softness of the buds evoke peace and recall Karl's tireless work for peace during WWI. His left hand is open, inviting contemplation of Christ's salvific work through the Cross.

Above Karl, angels present two crowns. The angel on the left clothed in red, the color of royalty, presents the Crown of Saint Stephen, worn by Karl for his Coronation as King of Hungry on December 30, 1916. The angel on the right clothed in blue and green, the colors of life and heaven, bears a crown of thorns, recalling the suffering that Karl bore working for peace for his country and peoples. Together, both crowns recall Karl's view of his Kingship as Divine Right and the sufferings and sacrifice he was called to make throughout his office and life.”

The Pope’s address to the members of League: “With affection I greet you and all the members of the Emperor Karl League for Prayers for Peace Among Nations. I thank the president, Msgr. Fernand Franck, for his words.

Your annual assembly in Rome takes place in the context of the centenary of the initiative for peace undertaken by Pope Benedict XV and, among political leaders, supported only by Blessed Emperor Karl, with the strong desire to bring an end to the slaughter of the First World War. The three aims of the League for Prayers underlined by your president – to seek and observe God’s will, to be committed to promoting peace and justice, to atone for the injustice of history – were, so to say, the recurrent motif of the life of Blessed Karl as a statesman, as a husband and father, and as a son of the Church. Delivering himself to God’s will, he accepted suffering and offered his own life as a sacrifice for peace, always sustained by the love and faithfulness of his wife, Servant of God Zita.

The challenges of our time require the collaboration of all men of good will and, in particular, prayer and sacrifice. I invite you, therefore, to keep your promise to take part, with prayer and personal commitment, in the many efforts of the Pope in favour of peace. Without the support of the prayer of the faithful, Peter’s Successor cannot fulfil his mission in the world. I count on you too. I entrust you to the maternal protection of Mary Most Holy and to the intercession of Blessed Emperor Karl, and heartily impart my apostolic blessing to you and your loved ones.”

EF Pontifical Mass with Bishop Schneider in Charlotte NC, October 26th

Next Thursday, October 26th, the church of St Ann in Charlotte, North Carolina, and the Charlotte Latin Mass community, will welcome Bishop Athanasius Schneider for the celebration of a Solemn Pontifical Mass in honor of Blessed Karl of Austria. The Mass will begin at 7pm; the church is located at 3635 Park Road.

A Tour of the Bernardikapelle in Vienna

In my recent visit to Vienna for a liturgical study day sponsored by Una Voce Austria, I spent a morning walking around the center of the city with an old friend, Pater Edmund Waldstein, O.Cist., whose name will be known to some from his blog Sancrucensis. At a certain point, Pater Edmund mentioned that Heiligenkreuz Abbey owns a large building in the center of Vienna that it now rents out as a series of apartments to support the monastery. He said it housed a beautiful little chapel in honor of St. Bernard and asked if I'd like to see it. Naturally, my curiosity was piqued, and we made our way to it: the Bernardikapelle in the Heiligenkreuzerhof. The chapel is in the care of a monk who celebrates Mass there from time to time.

Although I am not generally a huge fan of southern German and Austrian Baroque, I found this intimate Baroque chapel quite a lovely, harmonious space, with a number of interesting features. The high altar has been preserved and is still used for both forms of the Roman Rite (always in Latin):

The ceiling is decorated with typical Baroque exuberance:

There is a little balcony at the back of the chapel that opens on to the abbot's private Viennese apartment. Business or politics would bring the abbot to Vienna, and he needed a place to stay. What could be better than to be able to pray his office looking upon the Blessed Sacrament in the chapel below?

The main altar was draped for Passiontide. Over the altar is a painting of the famous scene where St. Bernard mystically received milk from the Virgin Mary. Pater Edmund told me that a later generation found the literal representation too distracting and painted over the stream of milk and the uncovered breast:

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October 21, the Feast of Blessed Karl of Austria

October 21st is the feast day of Blessed Karl I, the last Emperor of Austria-Hungary; this year marks the centenary of his accession to the throne on November 21st. He was beatified by Pope St John Paul II in 2004; a second miracle has been attributed to his intercession, a miraculous healing which led to the conversion of the person healed. His feast day is kept not on the day of his death, April 1st, but rather, on the day of his marriage to Princess Zita of Bourbon-Parma, which took place in 1911; her cause for canonization was introduced in December of 2009. It is well-known story about the Bl. Karl that he said to his wife on the day after their wedding, “Now, we must help each other to get to Heaven.”

A website has been created by the Emperor Karl League of Prayer (screen capture below), which has a great deal of useful information about the Blessed, his life and the cause for his canonization. It also has a section listing a number of Masses for his feast, including a Pontifical Mass which Bishop Athanasius Schneider will celebrate in Washington D.C., at church of St Mary Mother of God. The particular mission of the League is to pray for peace throughout the world, a mission of the greatest importance in these troubling times.
http://www.emperorcharles.org/

Solemn High Mass of Bl. Karl of Austria, Oct. 21 in Washington, D.C.

A Solemn Mass will be celebrated in honor of Blessed Karl, Emperor of Austria-Hungary (1916-19; died 1922, beatified 2004), at Old St Mary’s Church in Washington, D.C. (Chinatown), on Wednesday, October 21, at 7 p.m. (Click here for the facebook event page.)

This promises to be a very interesting musical event. Before Mass, the St. Benet’s Schola will sing the Latin verses of the hymn Tu, Christe, Nostrum Gaudium. For the Mass itself, the ensemble Musikanten will sing Philippe de Monte’s Missa Tertia Inclina cor meum for five voices, (SATTB); de Monte (1521-1603) was a Flemish composer who spent the most prolific part of his career working as music director and composer at the Habsburg court. They will also sing William Byrd’s Ave Verum and two other of his motets. The St. Mary’s Schola will sing the propers of the Mass for a Confessor not a Bishop Os justi, and the chants Sub tuum praesidium at the Offertory and Anima Christi at Communion. After the Mass, a first-class relic of Blessed Karl will be venerated, during which, the St. Mary’s and St. Benet’s Scholas will sing a variety of chants, including Vexilla Regis, Ave Maria and Ave Maris Stella.

A reception will follow the Mass at the Market-to-Market café across the street, at no cost for attendees. The hosts of this event are pleased to announce that the Princess Maria-Anna Galitzine is to attend the Mass and reception. Parking is available in a parking lot and on the street. St. Mary’s is equidistant between the Judiciary Square and Chinatown Metrorail stations off the Red Line. (below: photos from last year’s Mass, and the veneration of the relic.)

Mass in Honor of Blessed Karl of Austria, Washington DC, October 21