A crisis of faith and rising costs are forcing the Catholic Church in Austria to make radical decisions. Now, a church and former rectory are up for sale in Hirschwang an der Rax, Lower Austria, in yet another case of church authorities disposing of properties they can no longer maintain, writes the Do Rzeczy news portal.
According to the Archdiocese of Vienna, the decision to sell the property was made jointly with the parish of Edlach an der Rax. The building being sold is a branch of the Church where, until recently, Masses were attended by just a few people. In recent years, the rectory building housed a kindergarten and a club.
“For 380 Catholics in the parish, there are as many as five churches within a 10-kilometer radius,” explains Deacon Norbert Manga. Father Heimo Sitter adds that attendance at Sunday services has dropped to four or six faithful. Maintaining the church under such conditions has simply become impossible, he added.
The appraiser reportedly valued the church and former rectory at €240,000, but emphasized that both buildings require extensive renovation. The archdiocese is also considering transferring the property to another Christian community if the need arises.
In recent years, a Baroque church and monastery complex in Korneuburg, near Vienna, was sold to an Italian developer, while a church in Rudolfsheim-Fünfhaus, Vienna, was donated to the Orthodox Church.
Data for 2023 shows that over 85,000 people left the Catholic Church in Austria, with only 4,575 new members joining. This means that the scale of the outflow of faithful continues to grow, and more churches may share the fate of the church in Hirschwang.
In the Czech Republic, the Catholic Church is also experiencing a crisis. In early July, Archbishop Jozef Nuzík of Olomouc issued a temporary dispensation from mandatory Sunday Mass attendance in the Olomouc Archdiocese due to difficulties resulting from a shortage of priests.
The faithful who do not have access to Mass in their parish may participate in services in neighboring parishes, the Liturgy of the Word led by a deacon, or Saturday evening Masses. In exceptional circumstances, Mass may be replaced by personal or family prayer, listening to Mass on radio, television, or online. The dispensation is valid until the end of 2025.
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