"Long Night of the Churches": From "Tattoo Service" to Prison

Around 700 churches throughout Austria will offer 3,000 individual events - programme highlights lead from the church tower to the crypt - culture, art, dance, food and music in church rooms

From the prison chapel to the "Tattoo service for colourful people" to abseiling from the church tower: On Friday (2 June) Austria's churches and church institutions invite visitors to a colourful programme at the "Long Night of the Churches". Visitors can experience music of various styles, discussions and talks about God and the world as well as meditations and prayers. There are also unusual offers, such as "reverse graffiti" for children and young people, DJs in churches or a "bicycle blessing to go". The programme, which in some churches will last until well after midnight, starts at 6 pm.

In the Parish Church of Reichenau im Mühlkreis, you can abseil down from the church tower and visit the crypt. In Linz, the tower of the City Parish Church can be climbed from 7 p.m. onwards (please note that tickets are required). The highest church tower in Carinthia, the tower of the Villach-St. Jakob parish church, is also open and can be climbed free of charge.

Football enthusiasts can celebrate in the chapel of the Lustenau stadium from 9 p.m. - the hoped-for class victory there - with music and a glass of wine after the match between SC Austria Lustenau and TSV Hartberg. Another extraordinary chapel, that of the Vienna-Josefstadt Prison, will open its doors on 2 June from 5.30 pm to 8.30 pm. Prison chaplaincy workers will give an insight behind the walls and into the lives of people in prison (registration required).

There is a bike tour "On the trail of the church blackout lighthouses" in Graz, visiting five churches and the Augustinum as communication centres and contact point for the crisis team. Bicycles are also at the centre of the "Bicycle Blessing to go" at St. Anna Church in Thuringia (Vorarlberg), where from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. bicycles can be blessed virtually as they pass by.

"Man is colourful. Man is diversity. We want to celebrate this together at the start of the Long Night in the Kollegienkirche," reads the announcement of the "Tattoo service for colourful people" in the Kollegienkirche in Salzburg from 6.30 pm to 7 pm. Afterwards there will be a "Free Tattoo Walk-In".

Those interested in mathematics can take a walk to four churches in the Diocese of Klagenfurt in Launsdorf, where each stop focuses on a different number symbolism from the Bible.

Children, young people and families

In the Diocese of Eisenstadt, where 31 churches offer a total of 138 events, children and young people can try out the street art of "reverse graffiti" (4 p.m. to 6 p.m.) at the Stadtpfarrkirche zu den St. Petrus und Paulus in Pinkafeld.

In the west of Austria, the Parish Church of St. Sebastian, Hard (Vorarlberg) offers a children's and family church from 4 pm, during which the story of Noah's Ark is told and cuddly toys are sent on a journey. Afterwards, children from the age of 6 are invited to explore the church and ask "checker questions".

In Klagenfurt Cathedral, the theme of the evening is "Secrets on the trail". In addition to two guided tours of the organ for children at 4.30 and 5.30 p.m., during which a church mouse will explain the organ while singing, dancing and telling stories, there will also be a discovery tour for children through the cathedral. Meanwhile, the Church in Damtschach (Carinthia) invites couples to embark on a relationship journey with family pastor Benno Karnel, with the church in Sternberg as the destination.

Music for the little ones is offered by the Spitalskirche Innsbruck: under the motto "NullProblemos", music with a lot of verve and joie de vivre is announced.

In the Cathedral Church of St.Pölten, restorers will give children an insight into their profession by means of a workshop from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.: they will learn how paintings age and what steps one can take oneself to care for them. The Parish Church of  the Sacred Heart in Amstetten entertains children and young people with a puzzle rally and a bouncy castle under the title "Jump and Search" from 4 pm. In the Diocese of St. Pölten, young people can solve puzzles in so-called "Escape Rooms" on 2 June; these will be offered, among others, in the parish church of Stephanshart as well as in St. Pölten in the church room "Sankt.Junge", in each case by appointment.

Talks and debates

Under the title "What kind of church do people need today?", personalities from business, education and public offices will discuss in the cathedral and city parish church of St. Martin in Eisenstadt from 7 pm.

In the Parish dedicated to the Divine Word in Vienna-Favoriten, from 9 p.m., everything revolves around In the parish "Zum Göttlichen Wort" in Vienna-Favoriten, everything revolves around the question "Have we gone too far?" from 9 pm: At a Long Night Talk, author and presenter Philipp Blom will be in conversation with ORF journalist Hubert Arnim-Ellissen.

Music

In Innsbruck, the Akathistos Hymn can be heard from 7 p.m. to 7.30 p.m. in the Serbian Orthodox Church. In addition, Innsbruck's Servitenkirche will offer a music meditation with light installation from 8.45 pm. Meanwhile, the Protestant Community Centre in Schwaz is offering a "song-poetic showcase with offensive wing play" from 7 pm.

Timna Brauer invites you to a concert about the Jewish day of rest, Shabbat, at St. Johann Nepomuk in Vienna: from 8 p.m. to 8.45 p.m., the artist offers an immersion in ancient musical traditions from Europe and the Orient.

In Linz, the "Anabarb Schachinger Trio" entertains from 9 pm in the Bischofshof; to be heard is "a fresh pop and blues selection with a rocky barrique note", according to a release. Afterwards, music enthusiasts can head to the Jugendkirche Linz, where DJ Nicodemus meets DJ Kärcher (10 p.m. to 2 a.m.).

Art & Culture

Small, large, old and colourful shoes are on display in Helmut Loder's art project in the Parish of Gleisdorf in the Diocese of Graz-Seckau. The shoes are lined up in rows in and around the church. Visitors are also invited to bring their own shoes and add them to the art installation.

The Innsbruck Bishop's House will be offering a cinema from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m.: the snowboard film "The Invisible Ground" and the series "The Chosen" about the life of Jesus will be shown. In the Spitalskirche you can listen to poetry slammers from 7.30 pm to 7.50 pm and then marvel at the Kunstkammer of the Servitenkloster from 9 pm to 9.30 pm.

A "Margaret photo shoot" is organised by the parish of Seewalchen am Attersee from 6.45 p.m. to 7 p.m. on the occasion of the church patron saint for all Margaretas, Gretas, Margits etc. with the Gothic statue of the new church patron saint of Seewalchen.

In Salzburg, the broad spectrum ranges from light installations in churches to a storyteller in the catacombs of St. Peter's and music by Nino from Vienna in the Church of St. Andrä (9.30 pm to 11 pm). In addition, literature, art and theatre workshops will be offered in the Kollegienkirche from 9.15 pm to 10.45 pm. The event will conclude in the Kollegienkirche with a "Multimedia Mapping Dance Show" from 10.50 pm to 11 pm.

Details, registration information or information on counting cards can be found at www.langenachtderkirchen.at. In addition, the church app "Glauben.Leben" (Faith.Life) offers a clear presentation of all around 3,000 events at the more than 700 locations in Austria and South Tyrol, including detailed information on the respective churches. The latest version of the app can be downloaded free of charge from the usual app stores as well as from the website www.glaubenleben.at.

Source

Cathcon:  Some are worthwhile activities but much of it is the Church amusing itself to death.