A farewell with a future: Church of Our Lady Thrice Admirable sold

A farewell with a future: Church of Our Lady Thrice Admirable sold

A significant transition has taken place in Vienna's 10th district: the church “Thrice Wonderful Mother of God” and the adjacent rectory were sold to a private individual. The Archdiocese of Vienna announced today that the rectory will be used for residential and office purposes in the future, while the listed church will serve as a studio. The sale is the result of a decade-long process in which the financing issues and alternative uses for the rectory were intensively discussed, as the number of believers in the parish has drastically decreased, as the Divine Mercy parish, to which the church belongs, explained. The previous congregation's services will now take place in the nearby Queen of Peace Church, which the archdiocese sees as a necessary step.

Last Saturday, the “Thrice Admirable Mother” was said farewell to with a festive service, during which Episcopal Vicar Dariusz Schutzki pointed out the challenges of change. “Now something new, possibly unknown, begins,” said the episcopal vicar, adding that the move to the “Queen of Peace” should be viewed as an important transition. The congregation solemnly accepted this step after the Blessed Sacrament, the crucifix and an icon of the Virgin Mary were carried out of the church. The ceremonial move into the new church took place on the following Sunday, which further strengthened the existing community there.

Historical background of the church

The parish church “Mother of God Thrice Admirable” has an eventful history that dates back to before the First World War. Originally, the area in Vienna's 10th district was under the direction of just two parishes, serving around 160,000 Catholics. Due to growing demand, the chapel was expanded at its current location in 1932, but this was quickly deemed inadequate. However, the construction of a complete church could not be realized due to financial circumstances, which ultimately led to the church being built in stages. The church was made a parish church in 1942, but has no longer played a relevant role since the parish was closed in 2015 as a branch church of the new Divine Mercy parish, as its use by the community declined.

As in the reports from kathpress.at and austriasites.com documented, the Church of Our Lady Thrice Admirable remains not profaned for the time being, as this requires a decree from the archbishop, which has not yet been issued.