Over the last few centuries, the faithful have conducted the great pilgrimage from Würzburg to Kloster Kreuzberg in Bischofsheim an der Rhön, Germany, on foot, more than 370 times.
Every August, several hundred faithful set out on the 180-kilometer [112-mile] route. The pilgrimage is organized by the Confraternity of the Holy Cross and its approximately two thousand members. During the turmoil of the Thirty Years’ War (1618-1648) they sought to ensure divine assistance for themselves, but also to promise mutual aid to one another: hence the pilgrimage.
In keeping with a long tradition, the President of the Confraternity has been a Conventual Franciscan. In 1995, Friar Maximilian M. BAUER took over this role and held it for thirty years. During this time he held various positions at the friary in Würzburg, but he always managed to faithfully fulfill his role as a pilgrimage escort. When the Würzburg diocesan newspaper asked him for a story, he replied: “I will never forget how long the journey was for me during the first pilgrimage in 1995. I did not know the route and I was anxious to reach each stop along the way. I couldn’t have made it on my own. There were moments when I felt like crying. It was then that I learned how important community is on the journey and how supportive the Rosary can be. The most emotional moment for me was when we finally returned to the cathedral in Würzburg. We felt happy we had made it and experienced the joy of being welcomed by family members at the entrance to the cathedral.” At the end of this year’s pilgrimage, the Most Reverend Franz JUNG, Bishop of Würzburg, thanked Friar Maximilian for his decades of service. During the last Provincial Chapter, Friar Maximilian was appointed the Guardian of the friary in Lage, located in the Diocese of Osnabrück, Germany. Because of this, he will no longer be able to perform this service for the pilgrims of Würzburg. He will be succeeded by a diocesan priest.
Friar Andreas MURK
