The weekend of March 25th was a wonderful and blessed weekend for the International Theological Institute (ITI). The Feast of the Annunciation was also the occasion for the consecration of our new Byzantine Chapel. His Beatitude Lubomyr Cardinal Husar came from Ukraine to be the principal celebrant, and Christoph Cardinal Schönborn, who is the Ordinary for Byzantine Catholics in Austria, concelebrated. They were joined by seven more bishops from Romania, Slovakia and Ukraine. Each bishop had sent students to the ITI, or had ITI alumni working for them. Their presence was a tribute to the success of one of the founding principles of the ITI – to be a bridge between East and West so the Church can “breathe with both lungs" (Pope John Paul II).

After the fall of the Iron Curtain, students came from Central and Eastern Europe, Western Europe and the Americas to study theology at the ITI. With them they brought their different expressions of the Catholic Faith - both the Roman Rite and the Byzantine Rite.  As more and more students came, the need grew for a dedicated place for the Byzantine Rite.

Three years ago, permission was obtained to renovate and dedicate a special space for the Byzantine Rite liturgies so they could be experienced in all of their beauty. The project was done entirely by ITI students. Ioan Gotia (Romania) and Father Tomas Labanic (Slovakia) painted all the icons of the Byzantine Chapel according to the liturgical Canon (Ordo) so that the chapel would express the composition of a sacred space according to the ancient tradition of eastern spirituality. The Byzantine Chapel in Gaming is the only one of its kind in Austria. Other chapels in Austria that are used for the Greek Rite were originally built for use by the Roman Rite.

Bishop Irynej Bilyk from Ukraine, who was in the underground Church during Communism, thanked all who had made the ITI community possible. He said that fifteen years ago it was impossible to dream that he could gather with his fellow bishops from different nations to pray publicly together. He begged everyone to treasure this gift and to pray to Our Lady to let the community flourish.

Links to articles on the web about the Consecration (In German)

Brückenschlag zwischen Ost und West in Gaming - www.katholisch.at

Brückenschlag zwischen Ost und West in Gaming - stephanscom.at

http://noe.orf.at/magazin/studio/noeheute/stories/43346/

If you wish to attend an event, please contact us to receive an invitation or to verify the time of the event:

Miss Manuela Atzmüller
International Theological Institute
Kartause Maria Thron
A-3292 Gaming, AUSTRIA
Telephone: +43 2253 218 08
Fax:
e-mail: administration@iti.ac.at