Pilgrimage Church and Pauline Fathers’ Monastery MARIAHILF ob PASSAU (Germany)
URL: http://www.mariahilf-passau.de/en/orden.php
The Pauline Fathers –
Order of St. Paul the First Hermit (OSPPE)
The Pauline Order was founded in Hungary by St. Eusebius, a canon of Esztergom, in 1250. As their patron saint and model the monks chose St. Paul of Thebes, the first hermit (Saint’s Day: 15. January). The first Paulines were recognised by Rome as a monastic order in 1270. They were hermits who concentrated on prayer, solitary contemplation and a strict way of life. The Pauline Order is closely associated with the spread of the devotion to the Blessed Virgin. In this context the pilgrimage centre of Jasna Góra (Bright Mountain) in Czestochowa plays an outstanding role, as it is the largest centre of the veneration of the Virgin in Central and East Europe.
The Paulines are active mainly in Poland, but also in the USA, South Africa, Italy, Belgium, Hungary, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and the Ukraine. Since 1981 they have also been active in Germany.
