Pope: Sense of community is still alive in Kalksburg alumni

By Tiziana Campisi

“May these days bear spiritual fruit for you, so that you may be joyful witnesses of the Gospel in your own environments.”

This is the wish that Pope Francis addressed to the association of former students of the Kollegium Kalksburg in Vienna, who were received in a brief audience in the Clementine Hall of the Apostolic Palace as part of their pilgrimage to Rome. In all, about seventy former students of the College of the Immaculate Virgin are taking part in the pilgrimage.

Founded by the Jesuits in the 19th century, the school has over time been an important educational centre in Austria and today is a state-of-the-art institute.

Formation at the Kollegium Kalksburg focuses on the transmission of Christian values according to the teachings of St Ignatius of Loyola; promotes sport; aims at a comprehensive education; and encourages international exchanges. It also includes classes for primary and secondary education.

Pope Francis greets former students of the Kollegium Kalksburg

Community experience of Kalksburg alumni

In his greeting to the alumni, Pope Francis called to mind the sense of community they experienced as students at the school, and said that that experience continues today in the meetings of their association.

He emphasized that the visit to the Italian capital is one means to consolidate that experience:

“Your pilgrimage to the Eternal City offers you the opportunity to renew your bonds, in the common gaze towards Peter and His Successor, who has the unity of the universal community of the Church at heart.”

Before taking his leave, Pope Francis extended his blessing to the members of the Austrian Association along with their families.

Pope Francis gives the blessing at the conclusion of the audience