The Fading Shadow of the Habsburgs

This photo of Burggarten
is courtesy of TripAdvisor

A beautiful and melancholy article I ran across from 2011, HT Eve Tushnet

For centuries the Habsburgs cast a gigantic shadow over a large part of Europe. Their empire ended cataclysmically in 1918. The shadow lingered for some decades after that, slowly fading under the blows of later cataclysms. Perhaps the time has now arrived when the shadow will disappear completely. Otto von Habsburg was the eldest son of Charles I, the last emperor of the Austro-Hungarian monarchy. Otto died on July 4, 2011, aged 98, in Poecking, Bavaria. If the monarchy had survived, he would have succeeded to the throne after his father. I read about his death in both The New York Times and The Boston Globe. The latter paper had picked up the news from the Associated Press, and I assume that other American newspaper carried it. I doubt whether many readers in this country, or for that matter in Europe, were moved by it. I was. It seemed to me like the silence that follows the very last note of a powerful piece of music which probably will never be played again. It is a silence that invites reflection.

continue at The American Interest

Abbey-Roads: Tenth anniversary of the beatification of Blessed Charles of Austria

Great reminder from Terry @ Abbey-Roads

The Emperor and Empress kneel on the bare railway tracks.

A friend sent me this photo yesterday. October 3 just happens to be the tenth anniversary of the beatification of Blessed Charles of Austria.

Upon seeing the photo I immediately thought of the following story I had seen on Fr. Z's blog:

I received this text message yesterday (Sunday) from a young man who is a member of “Juventutem” and had to go to Seattle for work. When he went to mass there, this is what happened:

“In the Seattle Cathedral I was just denied communion kneeling and made a scene of. He eventually, after a minute standoff scoffed, said I ought to learn obedience, and then threw the Sacred Host sideways into my mouth.” - Fr. Z

Punished for kneeling. Imagine.

Although the declaration was October 3rd, Andrew Cusack explains in a great article that our Blessed Zita(Charles' wife is declared Servant of God) has more to do with the day chosen to be his feast day:

In many ways Zita’s cause is not a surprise. When Charles of Austria was beatified, October 21 — not his death day but the anniversary of his marriage to Zita — was chosen as his feast day, which suggested the possibility that this married couple might some day be jointly praised on the altars of Christendom.

The saints of true love

In many ways Zita’s cause is not a surprise. When Charles of Austria was beatified, October 21 — not his death day but the anniversary of his marriage to Zita (photo above) — was chosen as his feast day, which suggested the possibility that this married couple might some day be jointly praised on the altars of Christendom. 

details at Andrew Cusack

One of the Last Celebrations of Christendom

You will hear more about World War I beginning soon, as 2014 marks the 100th Anniversary of the beginning of the war that finally killed off the remnants of Christendom. Whether one marks the Protestant revolution, the French Revolution, or some other event as the beginning of the end, the final destruction of the Holy Roman/Austrian-Hungarian Empire was the death certificate moment.

As it happens, today marks the 97th Anniversary of the last coronation of the Hungarian Kingship-- in this case, Emperor Blessed Karl of Austria and Empress Zita were crowned King and Queen of Hungary in Budapest on December 30, 1916. According to long tradition, the Emperor himself could not issue binding law in Hungary until he was crowned there according to the Hungarian custom.

The photo above is from that joyous day. Below is a summary of the ceremony, thanks to Wikipedia (so don't write your research papers based on it). Please note how beautiful the idea and practice of a Catholic Monarchy are indicated by the ceremony itself.

Like everything else Catholic, the concept is reviled today. How fitting that the last Holy Roman Emperor should have been a saintly man, raised to the altars. Blessed Karl of Austria, pray for us scattered orphans of Christendom!

continue at St Louis Catholic

Votive Mass(TLM) for Bl. Karl of Austria in DC

via Rorate.  yes I am a devotee of Bl. Charles

Saint Mary, Mother of God, Church in Washington, D.C. has scheduled its fifth annual Votive Mass of Blessed Karl of Austria.

Blessed Karl, the last ruler of Austria-Hungary, was a model of holiness in his public, family and spiritual life. He was beatified on October 3, 2004. Because his feast day, October 21, falls on a Sunday this year, the Mass will take place during the octave on Saturday, October 27, at 10:00 a.m.

The Solemn High Mass will be celebrated by Monsignor Andrew Wadsworth, with Fr. Gregory Pendergraft and Fr. Rhone Lillard of the FSSP as Deacon and Subdeacon. At the end of Mass there will be an opportunity to venerate the relic of Blessed Karl.

At the reception following the Mass, history professor Dr. Paul Van Wie will share a representative sampling from his vast archive of documents and artifacts about Blessed Karl and his empire.

Saint Mary’s is now honored to house a first-class relic of Blessed Karl in a new shrine dedicated on September 2nd, when HIRH Archduke Imre of Austria presented the relic to Fr. Harris, pastor of St. Mary’s. St. Mary, Mother of God, Church is located at 727 5th Street, N.W., Washington, D.C., 20001, which is the corner of 5th and H Streets, N.W.

I see the same parish is also dedicating an altar to Bl. Karl.

Details at Christendom Restoration

An update and a few photos from the Chicago Habsburg conference

The event was well attended. Approximately 230 people attended the event, and the pastor was very pleased saying it was a large audience for events such as this. The mass was novus ordo Latin, with music from Haydn’s Leopold Mass. It lasted about an hour. The lecture followed, and lasted about 75 minutes. It was accompanied by a PowerPoint presentation that had many family photographs.

Source

UPDATE: These photos are actually from the DC conference, but the same source plans on posting Chicago photos once available.  

Chicago conference on Bl. Charles Habsburg

The conference is sponsored by The Blessed Emperor Karl League of Prayers.  There is also an organization promoting the canonization of Empress Zita.

The Mass will be at 7:00 p.m. with a homily about the holy lives of Blessed Karl and Servant of God Empress Zita of Austria. Afterwards, at 8:15 p.m. Archduke Rudolf of Austria, the eldest grandchild of the imperial couple [and rightful heir to the throne] will give a lecture with PowerPoint on the lives and holiness of his grandparents. He will pay particular attention to their married life and their spiritual relationship of helping each other obtain heaven, and their political lives of service to their people.

Afterwards, there will be a reception where he and several other members of the Habsburg family will be present to answer questions. They will also sign copies of a new graphic biography on Blessed Karl entitled Karl I: The Peace Emperor, which will be available for sale.

If you haven't read A Heart For Europe, you should.  It is a must read for any Catholic or anyone in politics.