Today is the second-to-last day of our pilgrimage—that is, the second leg of the entire relay pilgrimage from Vienna to Rome. It was a great joy for us that a large group of parishioners from Altheim prayed with us during the morning Mass and adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. The parish priest also met with our community, and we are very grateful to him for welcoming us into the parish building. In each parish, we generally sleep in parish halls (with the small exception of one day, when we stayed in a school).
Fortified by a breakfast we prepared together, we set off for Kirchdorf am Inn-Ritzing. Today was the day we concluded our pilgrimage through Austria 🇦🇹 and entered Germany. 🇩🇪 We covered most of the route along the Inn River. It was a very beautiful and peaceful journey, though a bit longer than we had originally planned (25 km instead of 22).
Upon reaching our destination, the parish priest of Kirchdorf, János Kovács (a native of Hungary), treated us like royalty. With dedication and ingenuity, he also made sure we had a place to bathe. 😁 We’re spending the night in the parish building named after St. Brother Konrad, a Capuchin associated with the shrine in Altötting, which is our destination. St. Brother Konrad is one of the patron saints of this region.
We end the day holding fast to the promise we heard today in the first reading, when God speaks through Isaiah: “I have heard your prayer”… (Isaiah 38:5). We believe that He also hears our prayer, which we offer to Him for vocations. As is our tradition, we also remember you and ask for your prayers in return. 🙏🏻
