Tomorrow is the feast day of the Blessed Charles, Emperor of Austria, which is kept on the day of his marriage in 1911 to the Princess Zita of Bourbon-Parma. He was beatified on Oct. 3, 2004, by Pope St John Paul II; Zita’s cause for canonization is also in process, and she was declared a Servant of God by Pope Benedict XVI. Our good friend Fr Jordan Hainsey, who works with the Emperor Charles League of Prayer for Peace (Gebetsliga), wrote in to remind us that there are several events in honor of the Blessed going on tomorrow. Details are also available from the calendar of the Gebetsliga website.
In Gainesville Virginia, His Excellency Athanasius Schneider will celebrate a Pontifical High Mass at the church of the Most Holy Trinity, starting at 6:30 pm. The Mass will be followed by the veneration of a 1st class relic of Blessed Charles, and a reception in the parish hall. The church is located at 8213 Linton Hall Road; one of the Bl Charles’ grand-daughters, Princess Maria-Anna Galitzine, Archduchess of Austria, will be present as guest of honor.
In Washington, D.C., a solemn Mass will be celebrated at the church of Mary, Mother of God, starting at 7:00 pm. The Mass will be followed by the veneration of a 1st class relic of Blessed Charles, and a reception in the lower level of the parish building (south of the church), with a presentation by the guest of honor, His Excellency Eduard Habsburg-Lothringen, Ambassador of Hungary to the Holy See and to the Sovereign Military Order of Malta. The church is located at 5th and H Streets NW (727 5th St), metro exit at Gallery Place/Chinatown or Judiciary Square.
In Charlotte, North Carolina, a High Mass of the Blessed Charles will be celebrated at the church of St Thomas Aquinas, starting at 7:00 p.m. The church is located at 1400 Suther Road.
In Scranton, Pennsylvania, a Low Mass of the Blessed Charles will be celebrated at the church of St Michael Archangel, which is in the charge of the Fraternity of St Peter, starting at 7:45 a.m. The church is located at 703 Jackson Street.
In Funchal, Portugal, on the island of Madeira, His Excellency Nuno Brás, Bishop of Funchal, will celebrate and preach at a Mass for the Blessed Charles at the Santuário de Nossa Senhora do Monte, where his body rests, beginning at 6:00 p.m.
