Jesuits give up Hostein pilgrimage site – What does that mean for the pilgrims?

Jesuits give up Hostein pilgrimage site – What does that mean for the pilgrims?

The Jesuits are giving up their traditional pilgrimage site of Svaty Hostyn (Hostein) in northeast Moravia in order to concentrate their resources more on the university cities of Prague, Brno and Olomouc. This step follows an instruction from the global Superior General Arturo Sosa, who recommended a withdrawal from one of the two managed pilgrimage sites during his visit last year. Jesuit Provincial Petr Pradka confirmed that in the spring of this year the decision was finally made to give up Hostein in order to strengthen pilgrimage pastoral care in Velehrad, an internationally known center of Cyril and Methodius veneration. In Hostein, seven Jesuits are currently holding church services and retreats, which will be taken over by a team from the Archdiocese of Olomouc in the coming pilgrimage season from 2025, as announced by the archdiocese.

Review of the history of the Jesuits in the Czech Republic

The Jesuits have a 450-year history in the Czech Republic, which is linked to their arrival in 1556. Originally started in Bohemia at the invitation of the emperor and the Catholic nobility, they worked to re-Catholicize the country after the Hussite Wars. Historian Ivana Cornejová emphasizes that the interest in this anniversary is also due to the fact that the year marks the 450th anniversary of the death of the order's founder Ignatius of Loyola and the 500th birthday of his confidant Francis Xavier. In honor of these events, numerous events took place, such as a large exhibition in Prague's Clementinum and the international conference Bohemia Jesuitica, which highlighted the importance and legacy of the order. This return to Jesuit history is particularly important since the perception of the order in the communist era was often negative.

Despite the challenges they have faced throughout their history in Bohemia, such as rejection and even violence from the population, the Jesuits have played a significant role in the educational landscape and cultural development of the Czech Republic. Their influence extended not only to religious education, but also to social services and integration into Bohemian society. The decision to abandon Hostein marks the end of another chapter in its long and complex history as the Jesuits focus on new challenges in urban centers.