by TogetherforEurope | Apr 5, 2022 | 2022 Europe Day, Austria, News
Together for Europe – culture of reciprocity
Since 1999 has grown Together for Europe, an initiative of already more than 300 Christian communities of different Churches. It is a network which is engaged in shared goals where the charism of each community comes into play. It´s „culture of reciprocity“ contains that individuals and peoples get to know and appreciate each other, become reconciled and support each other.
Saturday, 7 May 2022, 9 a.m. – 4.30 p.m.
Minoritensaal, Mariahilferplatz 3, 8020 Graz, Austria
Free parking: Access via Volksgartenstraße-Afritschgasse
Admission: voluntary donation (approx. € 25 for food and conference fee)
The event will be held in German, translations will be provided.
Programme:
| 9:00 am |
Arrival |
| 9:30 am |
Welcome and spiritual impulse |
| 10:15 am |
Ways out of divisiveness
Exchange of experiences with participants from Slovakia, Hungary, Slovenia, Croatia, Italy, Austria, … |
| 12:00 |
Lunch break |
| 13:30 |
Small city tour (optional) |
| 15.00 |
Attunement to the prayer for peace |
| 15:30 to 16:30 |
Prayer for Peace in the Cloister of Minorite Monastery |
Registration for the event
anm.gramfe@gmx.at until Monday, 2. 5. 2022
with surname, first name, language/s, place of residence, country
Overnight reservation (if required)
office@bhs-exerzitienhaus.at, Ms Anna Gigl
Exerzitienhaus der Barmherzigen Schwestern, Mariengasse 6a, 8020 Graz
(Near the main station, 15 minutes walk to the Minorite Monastery)
COVID-19 measures according to the current regulations, in any case negative PCR test not older than 72 hours or daily negative antigen test.
Organiser: Together for Europe – Austria together4europe.org/Österreich
With the kind support of the Diocese of Graz-Seckau
by TogetherforEurope | Jun 12, 2021 | 2021 Europe Day, Austria, Experiences, reflections and interviews, News
Europe turns 71. What can we conclude when we see that the European States, and the entire world, are struggling due to the consequences of the Pandemic?
This was the introductory question with which the Austrian professor, Dr. Petra Steinmair-Pösel, started her contribution during the Zoom conference. The conference was based in Graz and was held to mark Europe Day 2021. She quoted the Schumann Declaration (May 9, 1950): “World peace cannot be preserved without creative efforts that are as great as the threat”. According to the Professor, these words are still valid today and thus the question is: what creative efforts ought to be done by our generation?
Dr Steinmair- Pösel proposed the three steps: seeing – judging – acting. “Seeing” today’s great challenges: the pandemic, the fear of the others and therefore the building of defence walls. “Judging”: what does Europe need today? Here the Professor spoke about the need of dialogue, which is able to change life. And lastly, “Acting”, which means: to dialogue while keeping an interior silence, respecting the others and being open to learn from them.
According to Dr Steimair-Pösel, dialogue is the personal and cultural bases that allows us to seek together new solutions in a creative way; this entails nurturing mutual trust and working together. In this way we will create the conditions for “a discussion that unites us all”.
Here the transcription of her talk (translation from German) 2021 05 08 TfE Austria -Steinmair-Poesel – A conversation that brings us togehter
Photo: https://petrasteinmairpoesel.wordpress.com
by TogetherforEurope | Apr 12, 2021 | 2021 Europe Day, Austria
Once again, Covid-19 is preventing the holding of the ‘Meeting in Graz’ on the occasion of the 2021 Europe Day. Nevertheless, a Zoom meeting will cater for the manifold friendships:
Saturday, May 8, 2021, from 9 till 11 a.m. from Graz
With participants and contributions from Austria, Croatia, Hungary, Italy, Slovakia and Slovenia
(with simultaneous translations in the national languages and English)
Topic: “A conversation that brings us all together” (Laudato si‘ 14). DIALOGUE
Guest speaker: Dr. Petra Steinmair-Pösel
Ecumenical prayer with Bishop Dr. Wilhelm Krautwaschl, the superintendent Mag. Wolfgang Rehner, and Pastor Bruno Gasper
This is being organised by the Styria Team of Together for Europe
Bookings at Elfriede Palt: elfi.palt@gmx.net stating name and surname, language and respective Community/Movement
You can download the invitation and the programme:
Programme Zoom Meeting from Graz 2021 05 08
by TogetherforEurope | May 12, 2020 | 2020 Europe Day, Austria, News
“Welcome to you all gathered here in the Graz Town Hall for our meeting on Europe Day!” This was the way we planned to welcome the participants on Saturday, May 9, 2020. However, Covid-19 disrupted all our plans.
Therefore, toward the end of March, our regional team of Together for Europe decided to postpone the meeting for next year, and to offer a simple substitute program via Skype.
The video conference call of Together for Europe, Saturday May 9, 2020
Nevertheless, the ‘makeshift solution’ resulted in an hour-long online meeting with about 100 participants from Austria and five other neighbouring Countries. The participants included Christians belonging to the Roman Catholic Church, the Evangelical Church, the Romanian Orthodox Church and Communities of the Free Churches.
Brief inputs from Slovakia, Hungary, Slovenia, Croatia, Italy and Carinthia provided an updated and authentic insight regarding daily life during the Covid-19 crisis. All the participants were grateful that they could mutually share their experiences and thus become aware of how others are living in their respective Countries. Thus means that, now, they can pray even better for each other.
The diocesan Bishop Wilhelm Krautwaschl, too, took part in this online meeting. He thanked for this experience of communion that goes beyond borders, and concluded by saying “In spite of our differences and separations, through the Cross we are all united one to the other”.
Plans for May 8, 2021…
Naturally, a video conference call cannot take the place of a Day Meeting. Yet, in the present circumstances, by the way this Europe Day 2020 was lived out, Together was strengthened. It was, indeed, a successful preparation for the Day Meeting scheduled for May 8, 2021, when we could, hopefully, truly say: “Grüß Gott hier im Rathaus Graz …!” – “Welcome to Graz Town Hall!”.
The Together for Europe Team, Austria.
by TogetherforEurope | Apr 3, 2020 | 2020 Europe Day, Austria, News
On February 27, we updated you about the intensive preparations being carried out by the local team of Together for Europe to mark the Europe Day with an international event in Graz (Austria). Although, due to the pandemic a Plan B is now needed, this did not prevent those persons to keep going ‘together’ to start preparing for 2021. And they will do so with a Skype Conference call on May 9.
This is what Theresia Fürpass, of the organizing team wrote to us:
“The idea behind the event to mark the Europe Day on May 9, 2020 – “Together for Europe – Meeting in Graz” – was to promote the encounter of Austrians, Italians, Slovenians, Croatians and Hungarians. Read more>>
We were planning to have an in-depth approach to the theme of dialogue; to exchange experiences resulting for the ‘7 Yeses’ of Together for Europe; to offer a guided tour of Graz, and to conclude the day with an ecumenical prayer meeting. The COVID-19 pandemic, however, has made all this impossible. Nonetheless, we still want to keep on journeying together seeing that a lot has been already done. Therefore, we are planning to hold this meeting in 2021.
An yet, it would be a great pity if we were to allow the Europe Day to pass without any sign of celebration! Thus, we invite all those who were planning to participate at “Together for Europe – Meeting in Graz” to join us for a Skype Conference all on May 9, from 10 to 11 a.m. Many have already confirmed their participation. Some of us will give an update regarding the present situation in their Country and we shall conclude by praying together the ‘Our Father’.
We are more than convinced that God will show us the way forward. So far, he has guided us in an impressive way, and has made it possible for us to achieve much more than we could have ever imagined”.
The Team of TfE in Austria
Contact: f.theresia@gmx.at
0043 3842 27 513
0043 664 73577 163
by TogetherforEurope | Feb 27, 2020 | 2020 Europe Day, Austria
“Visiting one another, talk to each other, being a gift one for the other and praying together”. The preparations for the Feast of Europe (May 9, 2020) in the Austrian city of Graz have been going on for months. The team of Together for Europe in Styria extends its invitation for an open and international Meeting.
On the occasion of the Feast of Europe (May 9, 2020) the Friends of Together for Europe from Austria, Italy, Slovenia, Croatia and Hungary will come together in the Town Hall of Graz. The meeting will give persons coming from Eastern and Western Europe the opportunity to meet and know each other. With the aim of facilitating the sharing between the participants, there will be a keynote speech about dialogue.
Several Movements and Communities of Together for Europe will share how they live out marriage and family life, the economy, the safeguarding of life and creation, civic responsibilities, etc, as Christians. They would indicate pathways for an ever more liveable Europe.
The guided tours of the city will enhance the participants’ encounter with Austria and among themselves. During the concluding ecumenical prayer meeting in the Landhaushof the pressing issues that Europe is facing will be entrusted to God through thanksgivings and prayers. The program will be enriched with musical performances.
The detailed program:
- 8.30 a.m. Arrivals, coffee and cakes
- 9.00 a.m. Greetings by the mayor Dr. Siegfried Nagl, Dr Anna Hollwäger, Superintendent Wolfgang Rehner and others
- 9.30 a.m. Prof. Dr Petra Seinmair-Pösel: “A conversation that unites us all“. The importance of dialogue for Europe
- 10.30 a.m. Break
- 11.00 a.m. Life experiences regarding the following realities:
– Marriage and family life
– Solidarity with the poor
– Civic responsibilities
– Safeguarding life
– Safeguarding creation
– A commitment for peace
– Economy at the service of the human person
- 12.00 noon. Lunch offered by the city of Graz
- 1.30 p.m. Guided tours of the city in these languages: German, Italian, Croatian, Slovenian and Hungarian.
- 3.30 – 4.00 p.m. Concluding ecumenical prayer meeting in the courtyard of the palace “Landhaushof”.
Bookings are to be made not later than Sunday April 26, 2020.
f.theresia@gmx.at
0043 3842 27 513
0043 664 73577 163
The team of Together for Europe in Styria
Download the invitation (in German): 2020 05 09 MfE Oesterreich Einladung Graz
Photo: Pixabay, Map: by Tschubby – Eigenes Werk, CC BY-SA 3.0
