Gaming Tour and Remembering a Special Valentine Today

Twenty years ago today, on Valentine's Day, my grandmother passed away...I can't help but wonder what she would think of her great granddaughter or about this adventure Adam, Charlotte, and I are on this semester.  Would she have wanted to know every single detail?  Would she have wondered what my teaching in a different country would involve?  Would she have shared advice from her own teaching days?  Would there have been any stories of her relatives having once upon a time traveled these parts?  Many of the students went to Ireland just prior to coming here in January.  Grandma's family was from Ireland so I suppose it's not too much of a stretch to wonder about that last question!

So, I'm going to write this one as if she were able to read this!  Grandma was a devout Catholic and very much loved members of the religious so would be tickled to see Charlotte excitedly wave hello and greet each of the fours TOR sisters here or the two friars who also take up residence here at the Kartause.  She would probably beam with pride if she saw Charlotte dressing up as a nun earlier today when she placed a handkerchief on her head as her "veil".  From day one, she has taken a liking to the members of the religious here which has been endearing to see at such events like the local tour we had during the beginning of the semester.

One of the activities during Orientation Week (that was two weeks ago?!)....this semester is just flying on by....we were able to participate in a quick walking tour of Gaming where we are calling home for the spring semester.  However, before meeting up with the rest of the walking group, I had to swing by my faculty office.  Charlotte enjoyed the photo opportunity as she liked looking at her reflection in the glass door!

She has also been enjoying when we eat in the Mensa where the students eat.  Here she is drinking milk out of the "big girl" mug.  Check out the outlets behind her!

I don't think this view will ever get old!

Snoozing during one of the orientation talks.  I was grateful the room right outside the large classroom where the entire student body was gathered had this comfy couch for her to nap on as she began nodding off shortly after the talk started.

And again....

She was more alert during the walking tour in the brisk air.  If you look closely, you'll see the looooong line of students walking by the edge of the trees.

I absolutely cannot get over how clear the water is here!  It has been wonderful being able to drink the water straight from the tap!  This is a river that runs all the way from Vienna to here but it's so clear and clean!!

The walking tour culminated with mass at the Parish Church in town.  So far all the masses we have attended from here to Vienna have been private masses with our beloved friars officiating!

Exterior of the Parish Church

Another view of the Parish Church

As we exited church, snow began falling!

We made it home just in time to host Fr. Jonathan for lunch.  In Austria, the big meal is at lunch time rather than at dinner time so when we host friends for a meal, it is usually during the midday meal!

During the first couple weeks of being here, I read the book, "Stars, Stripes, & Edelweiss:  An American Family Braves Austrian Living" by Mark & Niki Kalpakgian.  A nun who had lived here for a couple semesters had recommended this book last fall when she learned we were going to be in Austria this semester.  Mark, a former Student Life director, and his wife share their views of what it was like to live here.  There were parts of the book I thoroughly enjoyed and other parts that rubbed me the wrong way.  The tone of the book was, to me, at times a bit condescending.  I felt that there some parts in the book that could have been written in a more gentle or loving manner.  However, I did learn a lot about where we're calling home these days through reading this book and it has spurred some good conversation with some of the folks who have been here longer than Adam and me and who also knew the authors.

Here is some of my favorite information from the book out of Chapter 4 that discusses the Kartause which is the name of the monastery where campus is.

Across the street from our townhouse, a mere stone's throw away, stands the Kartause, an artistic, cultural, and religious jewel of lower Austria.  Kartause is the German word for "Charterhouse" or monastery of Carthusian monks.  Today, Kartause refers to both the church and the entire complex where the monks used to live, work, and pray.

The Carthusians are a Roman Catholic religious order of cloistered monastics.  The order was founded by St. Bruno of Cologne in 1084 and includes both monks and nuns.  The name Carthusian is derived from the Chartreuse Mountains of the French Alps where St. Bruno built his first hermitage.  These religious spent most of their day in prayer, contemplation, silence, reading and writing, and some manual trade.  Carthusians are also famous for their Chartreuse liqueur, their joy, and their simple, peaceful way of life.

The Kartause has a rich and marvelous history.  It was constructed in the fourteenth century, in 1330 under the patronage of Hapsburg Albert II and his wife, the duchess Johanna von Pfirt, a descendant of Charlemagne.  At that time many European rulers invited religious groups to construct monasteries attached or close to their royal settings.  These religious would support the sovereign on a variety of levels and offer intercessory prayer for the nation.  The Kartause was one such place, at least at the time of its construction.

For 450 years the Carthusian monks of the Kartause in Gaming spent their lives in prayer, work, silence, and meditation.  Their way of life ended abruptly when the Austrian Emperor Joseph II issued a decree in 1781 announcing the suppression of all the contemplative monasteries in his lands.  He disbanded any "useless" religious community that did not provide a tangible service, such as teaching or a hospital, to the empire.  Thus, throughout the empire, the monks were scattered and the vast lands sold off.  For many years the Kartause remained uninhabited and fell into disrepair.  Many of its artistic treasures were carried off to neighboring parish churches or sold.  Eventually ownership of the land went back to the state and private investors bought off portions of the sprawling monastery.

The church of the Kartause remains a Hapsburg burial place:  the remains of Duke Albert and his wife, Johanna (the two who started the Kartause in 1330), as well as their daughter-in-law, Elisabeth are still buried underneath the church.  There are also numerous Carthusian monks buried in anonymity around the Kartause grounds and in the neighborhood.

Along with monks, emperors, countesses, and dukes, the Kartause was also the residence for occupying Russian troops for ten years during their occupation of Austria beginning in 1945 after World War II.  

As they used the church for a horse stable, they nearly destroyed the magnificent structure if it hadn't been for Divine Providence.  With its checkered history has this ethereal mix of royalty, sanctity, turmoil, and divine appointment.

While this book is not the place to discuss its rich and magnificent history, the Kartause contains architectural, spiritual, cultural, historic, and artistic jewels of both Austria and of Europe.

In addition to its magnificent history, none can doubt the beauty of this place.  There is a peace to it that is beyond understanding and words.  Standing under its famous red roof and dominating Gothic spire, it's as if time stops and you are in a different world.

Today the Kartause has been restored and renovated by the bold vision and determination of Architect Walter Hildebrand who risked his finances, time, and reputation to save and preserve this historic gem.  [We are currently staying in his old trophy room and guest quarters!]  Presently, the Kartause is home to the Austrian study abroad program of Franciscan University of Steubenville and the Language and Catechetical Institute.  It is also the former home of the International Theological Institute.  While the majority of enrolled students are Americans from Franciscan, others come from all over the world to learn English and study Catholicism.  The Kartause is also home to a four-star hotel, restaurant, and microbrewery.  In the summer months it sponsors the famed Chopin Festival and is a destination for weddings, concerts, hikers, and retreats.

The Kartause church is one of our favorite places and is open 24 hours a day for prayer, worship, and adoration.  When we go in to pray, we can still feel the prayers of the monks of old reverberating off the walls and filling us with a deep sense of calm and serenity.

The courtyard outside the church is impeccably groomed and imbued with roses in the summer months. Gothic arches are everywhere and on a starlit, brisk winter evening, you can feel the very heavens reach down and touch you with beauty, vastness, and mystery.

Behind the Kartause is the old prior's house and historical museum that holds many artifacts, documents, and pictures from the centuries that tell of the historical and cultural importance of this renowned but seemingly forgotten place.

Across the church courtyard is a large room that now serves as a classroom for the study abroad program.  Adjacent to the classroom is a library, computer lab, and the former hospital area that is now housing for hotel guests and study abroad students.

In the winter months, the grounds are bedecked with alpine snow in pristine, white beauty.  Walking out our back door at home, one immediately faces the front of the church and its grandiose spire points into the heavens never ceasing to remind of us of how lucky we are to be here.  Needless to say, we feel overwhelmed that this is now our home, my workplace, our church, and the center of our community.

While many say that Austria is a crossroads or main thoroughfare between East and West, it truly seems that the Kartause is in many ways a microcosm of this reality.  Rarely a week goes by without some famous or remarkable visitor traveling through.  It is a place that continues to surprise us as it welcomes guests from all over the world.

Looking back, after all the amazing places we have traveled throughout the world, Gaming and the Kartause are among our very favorite.  The Kartause has a special place in our hearts and we will cherish the central role it has played in shaping us, inspiring how we look at the world, and for all the amazing memories that have occurred here.

Much of what the authors shared in that chapter is echoed by Adam and me.  The church is quite the sight as we walk back from the grocery store and get closer and closer to the majestic building.  I love seeing the snow covered Alps surrounding us on all sides each day!  It has been amazing living and working in the same small community here.  I've really enjoyed spending time with the families and new friends here not to mention how wonderful it is to work with the students and get to know them on an entirely different level.  So far, I've been able to help with small group advising during orientation, have gotten to know students on our day and weekend excursions, served on a panel for Women's Ministry last night, and have begun leading a prayer small group with seven students.  This past week has also been the first week of accompanying the education students to their field placements at local schools which has been amazing (and tiring) to do.  

The final chapter in the book I referenced sums up how I'm feeling pretty well:

Prince Nikolaus of Lichenstein speculated that the prevalence and preeminence of pilgrimages was one of the contributing factors to the European Union.  With the diversity of peoples traveling, praying, and struggling together, they naturally gained mutual respect, understanding, and ultimately, love.  In former times, they had it right:  they knew that good things often take a journey with much sacrifice on the way.  Even today, his words resonate in our hearts.  How true:  to walk together, to talk together, to sing and pray together is to form a union, a bond, and a friendship.  

This has been our experience.  We left corporate America on pilgrimage to Austria.  We gave up our car, house, and many of the comforts of American life.  We left the heart of American consumerism for the foothills of the Austrian Alps.  

We know we're where we are supposed to be for this semester and it's been an honor to pray the intentions many have shared with me in such a beautiful place not to mention on the various pilgrimages we have been blessed to take while here.  One saint I need to research more whom I've been wondering about in prayer is St. Bruno!  Here's a funny story about this new to me saint.  A few days before we left Ohio, my twin, his wife, and their three small boys met up with us to celebrate a belated Christmas.  Since about 3.5 hours separates us, we met somewhere in the middle.  My brother coordinated it all and told us where to meet them.  We would up going to a convent where Christmas displays and model trains were still set up for the children to browse.  It turns out that this very place is where several students from my school go on retreat!  After exploring there, we headed to All Saints Brewing for lunch followed by mass at a nearby church that was named.....you guessed it, St. Bruno!  I remember commenting to both Mark and Adam that I didn't know much about the saint and it's not a common name for a church.  Then, fast forward to our arrival here, and on our first day here, during the tour of campus, I learned of St. Bruno's role within the order of monks who resided here.  Yes, I will need to learn more about this figure who popped up in Pennsylvania and now in Austria for me!  ;) 

St. Bruno and St. Valentine, pray for us!  Love you Grandma!

  We went out for pizza as a spur of the moment Valentine's Day dinner after a looooong week.  The pizza parlor gave us these pretty pink flowers as we exited the restaurant!  What a nice surprise and Charlotte was especially pleased that they were pink (as was I)!

Trying to capture a family photo by the river..

Charlotte was happier and more willing to smile once she broke free from the stroller!  Home Sweet Home (for now) is behind us at the end of the road.  This was also the least amount of snow we have seen on this promenade walkway since our arrival one month ago.