Jesuits give up the pilgrimage site of Hostein - what does that mean for the pilgrims?

Jesuits give up the pilgrimage site of Hostein - what does that mean for the pilgrims?

The Jesuits give up their traditional place of pilgrimage Svaty Hostyn (Hostein) in the north -east Moravian area to focus more on their resources on the university cities of Prague, Brno and Olmütz. This step goes back to an instruction from the world's superior Arturo Sosa, who had recommended a retreat from one of the two managed pilgrimage locations when visiting the previous year. Jesuit provincial Petr Pradka confirmed that in the spring of this year it was finally decided to give Hostein's task to strengthen pilgrimage pastoral care in Velehrad, an internationally known center of the Kyrill and method worship. In Hostein, seven Jesuits are currently taking care of services and retreats, which will be taken over by a team from the Archdiocese of Olmütz in the coming pilgrimage season from 2025, as was announced by the archdiocese.

Review of the history of the Jesuits in Czech Republic

The Jesuits have a 450-year history in the Czech Republic, which is connected by their arrival in 1556. Originally started in Bohemia at the invitation of the emperor and the Catholic nobility, they campaigned for the country to recatholize the country after the Hussite Wars. Historian Ivana Cornejová emphasizes that interest in this anniversary is also due to the fact that the year marks the 450th anniversary of the death of the founder Ignatius of Loyola and the 500th birthday of his confidante Franz Xaver. In honor of these events, numerous events, such as a large exhibition in the Prague Klementinum and the International Conference of Bohemia Jesuitica, took place, which highlighted the importance and inheritance of the order. This return to Jesuit history becomes particularly important because the perception of the order in the communist era was often negative.

Despite the challenges they have experienced in Bohemia, for example, rejection and even violence from the population, the Jesuits have played an important role in the educational landscape and the cultural development of the Czech Republic. Her influence stretched not only on religious training, but also on social services and integration into Bohemian society. With the decision to give up Hostein, another chapter of her long and complex history comes to an end, while the Jesuits focus on new challenges in the urban centers.