Postcards from Austria
Students studying abroad in Austria send in their submissions of photos and a note for friends back on main campus.
Adventures in Austria: The Kartause; on beauty
By Peter Baugher Austria Correspondent “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things” (Philippines 4:8). In my year and a half at Franciscan University, almost every student I’ve met […]
Austria Column: The adventure goes on
By Eleanor O’Hagan Columnist The snow has come to Austria, Advent Markets are popping up in every little town throughout the hills, the sense of the familiar Christmas spirit is swirling in the air. So is the familiar sense of stress as students prepare for finals. The foothills of the Austrian alps have become something […]
Austrian Adventures: Turning on the Light
By Eleanor O’Hagan Columnist Okay, as I’m sure everyone has already heard, the ten-day break for Austria students was a little scary. I was in France when the news broke out that Israel was declaring war, and the Franciscan students on pilgrimage were still in the Holy Land. Thankfully, everyone’s prayers were answered and all […]
Peace in times of trouble
By Eleanor O’Hagan Columnist The sites of St. Maximillian Kolbe, Pope St. John Paul II and Auschwitz move students to enter into prayerful pilgrimage on the Poland trip. We spent a large portion of time in the camps Auschwitz and Birkenau, sites of the most horrendous crimes against humanity. Humanity was lost in these places, […]
Austrian Adventures: joy in falling
By Eleanor O’Hagan Columnist Since arriving in Austria, I’ve climbed quite a bit, and not just to reach my dorm room. From church steps, to wandering towns, from hikes to train platforms, I have climbed a lot! And in each place, at least two to three times a day, I will trip, slip or simply […]
Austrian Adventures: Poland Pilgrimage — Beautiful Wounds
By Maria Brounstein Austria Correspondent Nothing clears the mind at 6 a.m. quite like trumpet blasts, Polish singing and a hard marble floor. I was one of 200-odd students packed into the very front of the Black Madonna’s chapel at Jasna Góra, Częstochowa, last week. We had arrived on coach buses at around 5 a.m., […]
Austria imposes new lockdown procedure as COVID-19 cases rise
Theresa Balick Austria Correspondent All vaccinated and unvaccinated students in the Franciscan University of Steubenville Austria Program are restricted to the Kartause as a complete lockdown due to COVID-19 began Nov. 15 in Austria. The stricter lockdown followed a decision by the government a week earlier to impose a lockdown for only the unvaccinated as […]
Austrian Adventures: Reflections under lockdown
Theresa Balick Austria Correspondent It finally happened: the unvaccinated in Austria have gone into lockdown as COVID-19 cases skyrocket throughout the country. For the unvaccinated, like myself, this means that we can no longer take public transportation or go into any stores that are not considered “essential.” We are restricted to the Kartause property primarily, […]
Austrian Adventures: Speculations about the machinery table
Theresa Balick Austria Correspondent At the back of the main area in the Mensa is one of the most intriguing features in the entire Kartause. It’s a table that immediately commands your attention as you walk into the Mensa. It’s totally different from the ones around it. The other tables are rectangular with booths around […]
Austrian Adventures: Paying for the bathroom
Theresa Balick Austria Correspondent It’s the worst part of the Austrian experience in my opinion: the lack of free, public restrooms in Europe’s cities. I’ve heard students here say that the thing they are most excited for upon the return to the United States is the phenomena of a free bathroom. Europe has not caught […]