Blessing of new altar in St Stephen?s parish church

St Stephen’s parish church in Mindelheim was reopened on Sunday, 25th November. The church was completely refurbished and a new altar was installed and blessed. The Parish priest, Fr Andreas Straub, decided to place relics of saints with whom there is a local connection alongside the relics of St Stephen, patron of the parish. The Marist Brothers have been in Mindelheim since 1926 and, as a result, the Parish Priest asked if we could insert relics of St Marcellin along with the other saints.

The Provincial Council was able to be present at this celebration along with members of the community. Bishop Konrad Zdarsa, bishop of Augsburg, presided at the mass and blessed the new altar. The choir sang Mozart’s Missa Solemnis and various local dignitaries were present including Dr. Winter, the Mayor of Mindelheim, and Franz Josef Pschierer, the Financial Secretary for Bavaria, who is a former student of the Brothers.  The inclusion of the relics of our founder is a significant honour for the Brothers and indicates the high esteem in which they are held in Mindelheim.