Very Long Night of the Churches

Churches send invitation to the "Long Night of the Churches" again on 2 June

Around 700 churches throughout Austria will offer 3,000 individual events - Bishop Glettler: "This night is above all also about refuelling courage for the future" - After Corona break again in Styria - Rock music, fairy tales and ecumenical bus in Salzburg

From Lake Constance to Lake Neusiedl, churches in Austria will once again open their doors for the "Long Night of the Churches" on Friday, 2 June. Around 700 churches and church institutions will offer up to 3,000 individual events, as the organisers announced at a press conference in Vienna on Monday. From 5.50 p.m. the participating churches will ring in the "Long Night". The programme, which in some churches will last until well after midnight, begins at 6 pm. Visitors can enjoy music of various styles, discussions and talks about God and the world as well as meditations and prayers.

"This night is above all also about refuelling courage for the future," said Innsbruck Bishop Hermann Glettler. He was present at the press conference on Monday via video statement. In the crisis-ridden present, people are looking for orientation and confidence, said Glettler about one of the most important tasks of the "Long Night".

On behalf of the World Council of Churches (WCC), Ingrid Bachler, member of the Protestant Church Council, emphasised the importance of the "Long Night". Everywhere new borders were being opened, but in the churches the doors were being opened, said Bachler. She also referred to the inner connection of the upcoming Pentecost (28 May) and the "Long Night" a few days later.

The ecumenical dimension of the "Long Night" was also emphasised by the Serbian Orthodox Bishop Andrej (Cilerdzic). "No church can claim to possess the whole truth." The representative of the Serbian Orthodox Church of Austria-Switzerland-Italy made it clear that it was important to approach each other in humility and to learn from each other. The "Long Night of the Churches" was therefore "an excellent opportunity to take further steps in ecumenism".

The Bishop Vicar of Vienna, Dariusz Schutzki, also spoke of an ecumenical success story. The foundation for the success of the "Long Night" was the many personal relationships. He expressed his gratitude primarily to the countless employees in the parishes and church institutions who made this major church event possible in the first place.

The founder of "Vinzirast", Cecily Corti, pointed out in her statement that there were many people who wanted to change the world for the better. In this endeavour, of course, community is particularly important, Corti said of her experiences. One question also guided her commitment: "How can I bring more humanity into the world? Corti will talk about her commitment during the "Long Night" in the Parish of Hinterbrühl.

18th Long Night in Vienna

In Vienna, the Long Night of the Churches will take place for the eighteenth time in 2023, with a forced break in 2020 due to corona for 19 years. Here, visitors can expect almost 1,000 programme items in the 190 participating churches.

One of the content highlights of the Vienna churches is the lecture on the topic "Climate catastrophe: Bucking and blocking as the last chance?", at which the German Jesuit Jörg Alt will speak about his protest in the Jesuit Church at 7:30 pm. Alt has been making headlines as a "climate father" for months, as he supports the street blockades of the "Last Generation", risking fines and prison sentences himself. "These actions are perhaps the last wake-up call if limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees is to have any chance at all," said Alt, who was live at Monday's press conference in Vienna.

In the Deutschordenskirche in the first district, the whole evening revolved around burning topical issues such as "Are journalism and the media still credible?", "Fear and fear-mongering. For an economic policy that gives hope", "Climate crisis: Do we still have a chance?" or "Science: Who/What can we still believe?". Participants include medical ethicist Mathias Beck, Fr Franz Helm from "Religions for Future" and journalist Christian Schüller. The Long Night will end with an ecumenical prayer in the Deutschordenskirche at midnight. The organiser is the Ecumenical Council of Churches in Austria.

Back in Styria after Corona break

After a three-year break from Corona, the "Long Night of the Churches" will take place again this year in the diocese of Graz-Seckau. "From 6 p.m. to midnight, around 100 churches, monasteries and institutions in Styria will be open and will present more in than 350 programme items, how varied, surprising and unexpected church can be", the organisers announced at a press conference in Graz on Monday. In addition to the Catholic Church, the Protestant, Coptic Orthodox and Old Catholic Churches as well as the Baptist congregation in Graz will participate in the ecumenical event on 2 June.

The programme under the motto "For day is followed by night, but no wickedness triumphs over wisdom" is diverse, says Constanze Grininger-Ofner, programme coordinator for the "Long Night" in Styria. The programme includes concerts ranging from classical music to beatboxing, a blessing of stuffed animals, readings, tower tours, lectures, workshops, hikes and bike tours. "Many churches and places will be accessible that are normally closed off," says Grininger-Ofner.

The "Long Night of the Churches" is the largest ecumenically supported programme in Austria, emphasised Christian Leibnitz, Graz city parish priest and chairman of the ecumenical forum in Styria. The event is a great opportunity to experience the diversity of the church, which goes far beyond the church services, said the provost.

From light to rock in Salzburg

The Archdiocese of Salzburg also presented a rich programme for the "Long Night of the Churches" on 2 June. The broad palette ranges from light installations in churches to a storyteller in the catacombs of St. Peter's and music by Nino aus Wien in the church of St. Andrä as well as "word acrobats" in the Kollegienkirche and summer night theatre in the Mirabellgarten, informed Anna Tiefenthaler, coordinator of the major church event in Salzburg together with Sebastian Riedel. "The 'Long Night' with its innovative programme makes church tasty again," the programme managers emphasised in a press release. The motto "Nightlight. Courageously into Tomorrow!" should also be understood as a message of hope.

Christopher Woschitz will perform this motto in the Kollegienkirche in a "symphony of urban art and modern technology", Riedel announced. Visitors could express their own creative potential in literature, theatre and art workshops. The added value of the programme is a "both/and" of tradition and innovation. In addition to the Nino from Vienna, the Austrian soul and pop singer Maddy Rose, the Salzburg duo Loveboat and the band Coperniquo will "rock the church" in the Parish church of St. Andrä, according to the organisers. "To be able to play in a place of silence as a rock band that usually tends to go for it is exciting," Michael Mörthe, lead singer of Coperniquo, was pleased to say.

Salzburg carriages and the historic trolley bus 123 will be on the road as usual for those interested, Anna Tiefenthaler informed. New in the programme this year is the ecumenical bus, which makes it possible to get to know the locations of the different Christian churches.

Ecumenical focus in Upper Austria

In Upper Austria, on 2 June, for the 17th time, around 100 churches, chapels and ecclesiastical institutions will open their doors and invite visitors to participate, enjoy and pause with almost 300 events. The event is "a powerful sign of an open, ecumenical and diverse church", the Diocese of Linz announced at a press conference in the provincial capital on Monday. Those interested can expect a programme from 7pm to midnight with. among other things, special church tours and tower ascents, church cabaret and cinema, escape room and scavenger hunt as well as magic arts.

"As an ecumenical project, the Long Night of the Churches highlights the colourfulness of the various Christian churches in Upper Austria," said Gudrun Becker, ecumenism officer of the Diocese of Linz. Thus, 10 Christian churches are participating in the large-scale event. The "Long Night" invites people to discover the special features and treasures of Christian communities and to celebrate what all Christians have in common and what unites them.

In keeping with the ecumenical orientation of the "Long Night", an ecumenical vesper in Linz's Mariendom at 7 p.m. traditionally marks the start of the "Long Night of the Churches". The choir of the Old Catholic Community of Linz and the Linz Cathedral Music will provide the musical accompaniment. Questions about the different denominations can be answered in conversation with representatives of the Christian churches in the "ecumenical meeting zone" on Martin-Luther-Platz in Linz.

South Tyrol, Czech Republic and Switzerland

The "Long Night of the Churches" will not only take place in Austria, but also on the same day in South Tyrol, the Czech Republic and in some cantons of Switzerland. In South Tyrol 47 churches (103 events), in the Czech Republic almost 1,700 churches (almost 5,500 events) and in Switzerland about 750 churches (about 2,350 events) will take part. 

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