Maria Bild plans new events to attract pilgrims

Maria Bild aims to draw more pilgrims through future events with local associations, ORF reported after a pilgrimage for clubs was held there on Sunday. The Diocese of Eisenstadt says pilgrimages are gaining popularity; Burgenland has 14 Catholic pilgrimage destinations.

Marksmen’s groups, the comradeship association, music clubs and other organisations attended the gathering in Maria Bild, the only Catholic pilgrimage destination in the Jennersdorf district. Jennersdorf parish priest Franz Brei said bringing the district’s associations together mattered because meeting and praying can benefit both the clubs and the parish.

The pilgrimage is not intended to be a one-off event. Brei said the faithful wanted the destination to be made more active, and further festivals with regional associations are planned.

Maria Bild is part of the municipality of Weichselbaum. Its parish church was founded in 1787 and consecrated six years later. It houses a copy of the revered image of Mary from Máriapócs in Hungary. According to legend, a Cistercian monk brought the image to Weichselbaum and hung it on a tree. A woodcutter is said to have carried it down to the valley several times, but it repeatedly returned to the tree. A chapel was eventually built to protect it from the weather.