Aid organization looks at “A century of solidarity and charity”
Graz (OTS) – “A good life for everyone” – this is the motto under which Caritas Steiermark started its centenary in 2024. “We look back on a century of help, charity and solidarity
“, said director Nora Tödtling-Musenbichler at a press conference on Monday in Graz. “We would like to carry these values into the future and also develop new offerings.
As a “lighthouse project” in this sense, the board of directors opened a “pop-up station mission” in Graz, which will operate for 100 days. “In doing so, we are building on a historical model and creating a place to stay and a contact point for people who need help to meet today’s needs
“, explained deputy director Erich Hohl. Throughout the year, Caritas wants to “come into contact with as many people as possible” through events in the regions and existing contact points, said deputy director Petra Prattes: “Just as Caritas fulfills its mission in its daily activities, we will also celebrate the anniversary in our actions.
“
Station mission for 100 days
The temporary station mission is intended to address people who are around the station, explained its head Jakob Url: “Here in a practical laboratory we have the opportunity to try out which people come to us with which questions and problems. It is a low-threshold offer that comes close to the people we want to reach.” Guests should find a place there every day from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. to hang out and rest, make contacts and have a little something to eat and drink. A team of professional staff and volunteers also offers discussions about people’s situations to clarify what support they need. “The train station mission is intended to serve as a hub and information point for the existing Caritas offerings
“, said Url. With this offer, Caritas is drawing on a historical model, explained Vice Director Hohl: The train station mission, which was founded in Graz in the interwar period, has played an important role in the city’s social network for decades. “From here, essential emergency aid services were developed, from the Marienstüberl as a place for eating and staying, to the Aloisianum, a therapeutic residential community for alcoholic people, to the emergency sleeping places.
“In the anniversary year, the PopUp station mission represents a central hub of encounters and help for 100 days, both symbolically and as a tangible offer.
100 places of charity in the anniversary year
Throughout the year, Caritas is setting “strong accents in a hundred places of charity throughout Styria,” said Deputy Director Prattes, giving an outlook on the coming months. In addition to the train station mission, she mentioned a benefit concert from Markus Schirmer’s master class entitled “Piano Virtuoso” in Judenburg as further highlights, the proceeds of which will go to people in need in the region. The facilities in the Marianum social center in Graz, from the advice centers for securing livelihoods to the Marie outpatient clinic and the Marienstüberl to the learning cafés, open their doors to guests and show their daily work. In September, an innovation congress entitled “Future Forum” will be dedicated to the question “how we can shape a good future together,” said Prattes. Encounters and exchanges are at the forefront of many other activities, such as summer festivals in nursing homes.
„Looking back on a century of charity, we see that need is always there
“, emphasized director Nora Tödtling-Musenbichler. Needs and worries have changed, as has society: “Crises have brought us closer together, but cracks have also emerged.
“Caritas’ belief in fair, unbiased and peaceful coexistence has remained the same. “Caritas Steiermark has been helping wherever it is needed for 100 years
Tödtling-Musenbichler stated. This help would not be possible without the people behind it, said the director with thanks to employees and volunteers, partners and sponsors “And our vision of ‘A good life for everyone’ drives us to continue to help in the future, wherever it is needed.
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Questions & Contact:
Caritas Diocese of Graz-Seckau
Irmgard Rieger
Communication/Press
0676 88015 173
irmgard.rieger@caritas-steiermark.at