Our friary in Vienna has introduced a new expression of Franciscan spirituality in the Austrian capital.
On June 13, 2026, the Conventual Franciscan friary in Vienna organized the first-ever St. Anthony procession, which solemnly made its way through the streets of the city center. More than two hundred faithful took part in the procession honoring St. Anthony of Padua. The event took place during the jubilee year marking the 800th anniversary of the transitus of St. Francis of Assisi.
The participants gathered in the early morning at St. Anthony’s Church in Vienna’s 10th District. After greetings from the church chaplain, Korbinian PARZINGER, and from our confrere Friar Dariusz ZAJĄC, the Pastor [at the Church of the Most Holy Trinity] in Vienna’s Alservorstadt neighborhood, the procession began with a brief prayer. A statue of St. Anthony of Padua, and a relic of the beloved saint, were carried at the head of the procession. The procession passed through several neighborhoods of the city, accompanied by police to ensure security along the route.
The first stop was St. John the Evangelist Parish Church at Keplerplatz [a public square in the city center]. There, the faithful gathered in prayer before continuing to St. Elizabeth’s Church in Vienna’s 4th District. St. Elizabeth of Thuringia, born into a Hungarian royal family, is the patroness of the Secular Franciscan Order (OFS) and therefore holds a special place in the Franciscan tradition.
Another significant stop was Karlskirche [St. Charles’s Church, near the city center]. Its patron, St. Charles BORROMEO, served as one of the cardinal protectors of the Order and remains closely connected to the history of the Franciscan family.
Many passersby noticed the unusual procession along the route. Some stopped to watch, others made the Sign of the Cross, and several joined the prayers for a short time. Many were struck by the large number of participants and the visible testimony of faith in the heart of Vienna.
The St. Anthony procession culminated at the Conventual Franciscan Church of the Most Holy Trinity in the Alservorstadt neighborhood of Vienna’s 8th District. There, the Custos of the Provincial Custody of St. Leopold and St. Nicolas of Flüe in Austria-Switzerland, Friar Bernhard LANG, presided over Mass, which was followed by a period of devotion to St. Anthony. At the end, the faithful received an individual blessing with the relic of the saint.
For many participants, the event was a particularly meaningful experience of faith. The combination of prayer, fraternity, and public witness made the St. Anthony procession a special event in the ecclesial life of the city.
The Conventual Franciscans of Vienna plan to hold the procession annually, not only to promote devotion to St. Anthony, but also to prepare for an important anniversary in 2031: the 800th anniversary of the death of St. Anthony of Padua. This first St. Anthony procession may therefore have marked the beginning of a new tradition in the heart of Vienna.
Friar Bernhard LANG
