Wigratzbad
Encyclopedia
Wigratzbad is a hamlet
in the Lindau
district of Bavaria
, Germany
. The village is 1 mile (1 precision=1) north of the town of Opfenbach
, and 0.4 mile (0.643736 km) south of Hergatz
. It is situated on the ancient frontier of Bavaria
and Swabia
, a short distance from Germany's borders with Austria
and Switzerland
.
; furthermore, she refused to substitute the Bavarian greeting of Grüß Gott with the mandated Heil Hitler. As a result of her noncompliance, she endured several attempts on her life.
In gratitude for their daughter's survival, Rädler's parents erected a Lourdes grotto
in their garden in October 1936; a month later, Rädler reported that the statue "smiled" at her. On December 15, 1936, Rädler had another apparition of angelic choirs singing: "O Mary Immaculate, conceived without sin, beloved Lady of Victory, pray for us". The apparitions were not restricted to Rädler; on February 22, 1936, Cecilia Geyer likewise received an apparition, who told her: "Build a chapel for me here ... I shall crush the head of the infernal serpent with my feet ... People will come to this place in large numbers, and I will pour a flowing of graces over them. Saint Joseph
, Saint Anthony
and the souls in Purgatory
will assist Antonie".
This apparition became known as "Our Beloved Lady, Mother of Victory" and a chapel was constructed in Wigratzbad, dedicated to her patronage. The inauguration of the chapel was planned for December 8, 1938, but Antonie Rädler had been arrested by the Gestapo on November 21. Rädler was freed from prison on December 18, the feast of the Expectation of the Virgin. The chapel was consecrated on March 25, 1940.
Today, approximately 500,000 pilgrims visit the shrine each year, and spiritual conferences are held weekly at a pilgrimage center. Antonie Rädler died in 1991.
The Fraternity was founded in response to the Society of St. Pius X
's illicit 1988 Ecône consecrations
; several priests and seminarians of that Society wished to remain a traditional Catholic society and offer the Mass
and other sacraments according to the Roman Rite
as it existed before the liturgical reforms that followed the Second Vatican Council
, but nonetheless remain in communion with the Pope
.
Bishop Josef Stimpfle of Augsburg announced that he would accept a canonical establishment for the F.S.S.P. in Wigratzbad as early as August 1988, and on November 31 of that year, seminarians began their studies there. The seminary was previously housed in the Wigratzbad's pilgrimage center, but a shortage of space necessitated a new building. The new structure was opened in the Fall of 2000, with a formal blessing by Cardinal Castrillón Hoyos in December 2000.
The current rector of the seminary is Father Franz Karl Banauch; the seminary is located at Kirchstraße, 16 in Wigratzbad.
Hamlet (place)
A hamlet is usually a rural settlement which is too small to be considered a village, though sometimes the word is used for a different sort of community. Historically, when a hamlet became large enough to justify building a church, it was then classified as a village...
in the Lindau
Lindau (district)
Lindau is a Landkreis or rural district in Bavaria, Germany; its capital is the city of Lindau. It is bounded by the district of Oberallgäu, Austria , Lake Constance and the state of Baden-Württemberg .-History:The city of Lindau became a Free Imperial City in the 13th century; it was...
district of Bavaria
Bavaria
Bavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. The village is 1 mile (1 precision=1) north of the town of Opfenbach
Opfenbach
Opfenbach is a municipality in the district of Lindau in Bavaria in Germany.-Geography:Opfenbach is located in the Allgäu region, more precisely in the Westallgäu, about 15 km from Lindau. One of the districts of Opfenbach is Wigratzbad...
, and 0.4 mile (0.643736 km) south of Hergatz
Hergatz
Hergatz is a municipality in the district of Lindau in Bavaria in Germany. The contemporary town was formed from the former municipals of Wohmbrechts and Maria-Thann in the course of the municipal reform at the end of the 70s.-Geografie:...
. It is situated on the ancient frontier of Bavaria
Bavaria
Bavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...
and Swabia
Swabia
Swabia is a cultural, historic and linguistic region in southwestern Germany.-Geography:Like many cultural regions of Europe, Swabia's borders are not clearly defined...
, a short distance from Germany's borders with Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
and Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
.
Marian apparitions
The village of Wigratzbad was home to a series of notable Marian apparitions in the early 20th century. The primary visionary was Antonie Rädler, who, while sick during the 1918 flu pandemic, reported a healing apparition of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Later, following the rise of National Socialism, Rädler defied authorities by refusing to replace an image of the Virgin in her father's butcher shop with one of Adolf HitlerAdolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
; furthermore, she refused to substitute the Bavarian greeting of Grüß Gott with the mandated Heil Hitler. As a result of her noncompliance, she endured several attempts on her life.
In gratitude for their daughter's survival, Rädler's parents erected a Lourdes grotto
Lourdes grotto
A Lourdes grotto is a term used to describe a replica of the original grotto at Lourdes or a grotto honouring Our Lady of Lourdes unassociated with the Lourdes site...
in their garden in October 1936; a month later, Rädler reported that the statue "smiled" at her. On December 15, 1936, Rädler had another apparition of angelic choirs singing: "O Mary Immaculate, conceived without sin, beloved Lady of Victory, pray for us". The apparitions were not restricted to Rädler; on February 22, 1936, Cecilia Geyer likewise received an apparition, who told her: "Build a chapel for me here ... I shall crush the head of the infernal serpent with my feet ... People will come to this place in large numbers, and I will pour a flowing of graces over them. Saint Joseph
Saint Joseph
Saint Joseph is a figure in the Gospels, the husband of the Virgin Mary and the earthly father of Jesus Christ ....
, Saint Anthony
Anthony of Padua
Anthony of Padua or Anthony of Lisbon, O.F.M., was a Portuguese Catholic priest and friar of the Franciscan Order. Though he died in Padua, Italy, he was born to a wealthy family in Lisbon, Portugal, which is where he was raised...
and the souls in Purgatory
Purgatory
Purgatory is the condition or process of purification or temporary punishment in which, it is believed, the souls of those who die in a state of grace are made ready for Heaven...
will assist Antonie".
This apparition became known as "Our Beloved Lady, Mother of Victory" and a chapel was constructed in Wigratzbad, dedicated to her patronage. The inauguration of the chapel was planned for December 8, 1938, but Antonie Rädler had been arrested by the Gestapo on November 21. Rädler was freed from prison on December 18, the feast of the Expectation of the Virgin. The chapel was consecrated on March 25, 1940.
Today, approximately 500,000 pilgrims visit the shrine each year, and spiritual conferences are held weekly at a pilgrimage center. Antonie Rädler died in 1991.
International Seminary of St. Peter
Since 1988, Wigratzbad has also hosted the International Seminary of St. Peter, the first seminary of the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter.The Fraternity was founded in response to the Society of St. Pius X
Society of St. Pius X
The Society of Saint Pius X is an international Traditionalist Catholic organisation, founded in 1970 by the French archbishop Marcel Lefebvre...
's illicit 1988 Ecône consecrations
Ecône consecrations
The Écône consecrations were a set of episcopal consecrations that took place in Écône, Switzerland, on 30 June 1988. They were performed by Roman Catholic Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre and Bishop Antonio de Castro Meyer, and the priests raised to the episcopacy were four members of Lefebvre's Society...
; several priests and seminarians of that Society wished to remain a traditional Catholic society and offer the Mass
Mass (liturgy)
"Mass" is one of the names by which the sacrament of the Eucharist is called in the Roman Catholic Church: others are "Eucharist", the "Lord's Supper", the "Breaking of Bread", the "Eucharistic assembly ", the "memorial of the Lord's Passion and Resurrection", the "Holy Sacrifice", the "Holy and...
and other sacraments according to the Roman Rite
Roman Rite
The Roman Rite is the liturgical rite used in the Diocese of Rome in the Catholic Church. It is by far the most widespread of the Latin liturgical rites used within the Western or Latin autonomous particular Church, the particular Church that itself is also called the Latin Rite, and that is one of...
as it existed before the liturgical reforms that followed the Second Vatican Council
Second Vatican Council
The Second Vatican Council addressed relations between the Roman Catholic Church and the modern world. It was the twenty-first Ecumenical Council of the Catholic Church and the second to be held at St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican. It opened under Pope John XXIII on 11 October 1962 and closed...
, but nonetheless remain in communion with the Pope
Pope
The Pope is the Bishop of Rome, a position that makes him the leader of the worldwide Catholic Church . In the Catholic Church, the Pope is regarded as the successor of Saint Peter, the Apostle...
.
Bishop Josef Stimpfle of Augsburg announced that he would accept a canonical establishment for the F.S.S.P. in Wigratzbad as early as August 1988, and on November 31 of that year, seminarians began their studies there. The seminary was previously housed in the Wigratzbad's pilgrimage center, but a shortage of space necessitated a new building. The new structure was opened in the Fall of 2000, with a formal blessing by Cardinal Castrillón Hoyos in December 2000.
The current rector of the seminary is Father Franz Karl Banauch; the seminary is located at Kirchstraße, 16 in Wigratzbad.
External links
- Opfenbach municipal website
- Gebetsstätte Wigratzbad – Shrine at Wigratzbad
- Seminarium Internationale Sancti Petri – International Seminary of Saint Peter