On Tuesday, November 5th, we had the opportunity to visit the HTL Mödling Technical School for Construction, which has been sending student groups to Oradea for over ten years to work on the renovation of the Saint Joseph Social Center, the headquarters of Caritas.
This impressive Austrian vocational school spans 3.8 hectares and serves 3,500 students. It even has its own forestry area that produces raw wood materials, not just for the school itself but also for numerous other vocational institutions across the country. The school campus, rivaling the size of major universities, is currently building a new dormitory with 800 beds. HTL Mödling has 17 specialized departments and is the only school in Austria to teach fine mechanics and optical mechanics. It is the largest vocational school in Europe and the eighth largest secondary education institution on the continent.
Our old friend, Dipl. Ing. Erhard Halmer, gave us a guided tour, and we also met several teachers, like Erwin Häring and Markus Wöhrer, who have led groups to renovate the Saint Joseph Center over the years. We were also joined by Deacon Mag. Peter Zidar, the coordinator and supporter of volunteer activities. Together, we visited the carpentry workshop, where Austrian students who previously volunteered in Oradea were building miniature roof structures, the masonry workshop where walls were being constructed using various brick types and techniques, and the Concrete Laboratory. The lab not only trains students but also provides quality control services for external companies, generating significant income for the school. We learned that they have unique equipment capable of testing the load-bearing capacity and internal properties of reinforced concrete. They are even consulted in case of accidents to analyze defective concrete components. This is crucial, as there are 4,000 different types of concrete used in Austria alone.
Beyond the volunteer work they do to support Caritas in Oradea, the school has carried out over 60 social projects in developing countries across Africa, South America, and other continents over the past 35 years. These projects often involve building orphanages and other social structures within a matter of weeks. Seeing the enormous scale of their institution makes us even more grateful for their fruitful collaboration and their support of the Diocese of Oradea.
As part of our Austrian tour, on Wednesday, November 6, we began our day in the town of Purgstall. There, we attended a meeting led by Peter Leichtfried, a church councilor at the local parish. The gathering was joined by deacon delegations from Texing and Kirnberg parishes, who have, for years, organized weekly collections at their churches—gathering hygiene items and non-perishable food—and sending the donations to Eastern European aid organizations, particularly Caritas Catolica in Oradea, through the efforts of Mr. Peter Zidar. During the meeting, we renewed our partnership and outlined new plans for collaboration.
In the afternoon, we visited Werner Scholz, the former director of Caritas St. Pölten and a permanent deacon who is now over ninety years old and lives at Haus St. Elisabeth elderly home. Mr. Scholz, who met us from his sickbed, had been our supporter and partner for 17 years, standing by us since the early days of Caritas Oradea. He integrated our young organization into the international Caritas network, organized aid shipments, and helped establish our home care services and St. Martin Home. He was especially committed to the Christmas shoebox campaigns, which continue to bring joy to children in the Oradea diocese after 34 years. We expressed our gratitude for the solid foundations he laid for our international relationships. The meeting brought joy to both sides, and we shared a blessing, hoping that our shared work will continue with God’s grace.
By evening, we arrived in Tulln and met with Pius Obioma Nwagwu, a Nigerian priest and the leader of St. Severin Parish, as well as his church councilors. Their community has been a dedicated supporter of our home care center in Fugyivásárhely. This rare in-person meeting was a wonderful opportunity to personally express our heartfelt thanks for their ongoing assistance.
On November 6th, we enjoyed a memorable dinner together in the town of Maria Anzbach with the Pfarrcaritas-Kleidersammlung Maria Anzbach team, organized by permanent deacon Mag. Peter Zidar. Thanks to their efforts, we can regularly replenish Caritas second-hand shops with high-quality goods. It was great to personally meet the cheerful team, which brings together many remarkable individuals from the local community for this important charitable activity. We appreciated the opportunity to have meaningful conversations and, most importantly, to answer their questions about our social work. This experience has strengthened us all in our mission.
On the third and final morning of our Austrian tour, on Thursday, November 7th, we were welcomed at the convent of the Franciscan Sisters in Amstetten. Sister Cornelia shared how they support Mr. Peter Zidar's projects in Oradea through the collection of non-perishable food and medical-hygiene supplies. This year, they also launched a new initiative to gather gently used school bags and supplies, which Mr. Zidar transported to Oradea and distributed to local children in need through Caritas Catolica volunteers.
In another project, volunteers from Amstetten collect bakery donations every Tuesday and Friday, chop them, dry them in an oven, and deliver them to the sisters, who package them as croutons or breadcrumbs to send with Mr. Zidar to support a soup kitchen. It was heartening to see the enthusiasm with which they prepare everything to aid in our shared mission.
In the afternoon, our journey took us through the scenic serpentine roads of the Waldviertel region, where we met the cheerful parish community of the mountain village of Arbesbach. Led by parish priest Andreas Bühringer and chaplain Peter Neugschwandtner, the locals collect a large quantity of canned goods for the Oradea soup kitchen, as well as clothing and other items for Caritas charity shops. The sales proceeds are crucial for funding our social work.
We ended the evening in the town of Loosdorf, Lower Austria. Situated on the banks of the Pielach River, the town was severely affected by the autumn floods, leaving the Roman Catholic parish community with challenges to overcome. Nevertheless, they managed to gather a substantial amount of non-perishable food donations, which Mr. Zidar delivered to Oradea. Father Pajak Zenon, the local parish priest, warmly welcomed the Oradea Caritas delegation and had extensive discussions with Director József Rajna about expanding their collaboration.
On Friday, we began our journey home, strengthened by the personal encounters, ready to continue our work in the Diocese of Oradea.
