Loretto community
The Loretto Community is a Catholic movement in Austria in the legal form of a private association according to cc. 321 ff. CIC .
General
In 1987 Georg Mayr-Melnhof from Salzburg founded the first prayer group in Vienna . Over the years, more prayer circles have sprung up across Austria. There are already Loretto prayer circles in Switzerland, Italy, Germany and Hungary. The so-called “spiritual centers” are located in Vienna, Salzburg, Linz and Graz. There are weeks of worship, large prayer groups and regular events. The official seat of the Loretto Community is in Vienna.
Since the spring plenary meeting of the Austrian Bishops' Conference in 2017, the statutes of the community have been recognized for an indefinite period as "statutes of a private church association" (according to Can. 321 ff. CIC).
The name Loretto is the German spelling of the Italian pilgrimage site Loreto , where, according to tradition, the house of Mary is located.
The community has two main goals: On the one hand, it serves the individual's personal search for God and mutual strengthening and sanctification in a community. On the other hand, it initiates and carries out various “apostolates” and thereby tries to create precisely those “spaces” in which God can be experienced by people.
spirituality
The community describes itself and its spirituality as:
- charismatic
- eucharistic
- marian
- ecumenical
"At home in the heart of the Catholic Church, the Loretto Community sees itself as a" movement "(" Movimento ") that prays, works and lives for a renewal of the Church; [...]. As a Catholic community, it draws on the word of God and the sacraments and is committed to tradition and the teaching office. "
The angel of the Lord (Angelus), a centuries-old prayer about the incarnation of Jesus Christ, is formative for the spirituality of the "Lorettos". You want to live “Marian”, i. That is, how Mary received the Holy Spirit and sees herself as the “handmaid of the Lord”, in whose life God can become “flesh”.
Focus
- Celebration of Holy Mass
- Prayer circles - praise, spiritual impulse and Eucharistic adoration
- 24/7 Prayer - Weeks of Prayer with Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration
- Evenings of Mercy - spiritual impulse, Eucharistic adoration and confessional opportunity
- Alpha courses - Faith introductory seminars for those who are distant from the faith, newly baptized and those interested
- Duc in altum - Theological study program for lay people
- Family groups - prayer groups for young families
- Family Sundays - with children's services and lunch together
- Festival of youth in Salzburg
- Prayer group conference - annually in Upper Austria
- Autumn days - annually in Vienna
- X-Fest - evenings with concert, prayer and party
HOME Mission Base
In Salzburg, the Loretto community has a house called "HOME Mission Base" directly on the Salzach. With this house you want to offer everyone a home. Above all, people in need are invited: in the La Cantina restaurant, as much is paid as can be given. Managers and homeless people sit there together at the table. There is also a House of Prayer, where people pray and sing almost continuously, a Byzantine prayer center and a lot of events: e.g. B. Healing prayer, prayer for Syria, retreats, workshops ...
management
The community is led by a community council, consisting of several people, and by a community leader. Both elections take place every five years.
- Community leader
- since 2004 Maximilian Oettingen
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ http://loretto.at/impressum/
- ^ Statutes of the Loretto Community (2013), p. 3.
- ↑ a b About us - Loretto Community ( Memento of the original from June 1, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ^ Maximilian Oettingen, Archdiocese of Vienna, June 3, 2013
