The Provincial Chapter, which met in Puchheim from 16 to 19 January, elected a new leadership for the next four years. On 17 January, Fr. Martin Leitgöb was elected as the new Superior of Vienna-Munich Province and Fr. Fritz Vystrcil became Provincial Vicar. On 19 January, the Superior General of the Redemptorists confirmed the election of both confreres. Subsequently, Fr Edmund Hipp, Fr Jens Bartsch and Fr Anton Wölfl were elected members of the Provincial Council.
Fr. Martin Leitgöb (50, born in Eggenburg, Austria) studied theology in Innsbruck, Vienna and Rome. In 2002 he completed his studies with a doctorate in church history and entered the Redemptorist novitiate. In 2003 he made his first profession. In 2007 he was ordained priest by Cardinal Schönborn in St. Stephen’s Cathedral in Vienna. After a pastoral year in Germany, a pastoral assignment followed in Vienna, especially from Maria am Gestade. From 201,2 to 2020, Fr Leitgöb was a pastor for the German community in Prague. In 2019 he was elected Provincial Vicar and, in 2020, took over the duties of a parish priest at Schönenberg/ Ellwangen in Germany. On 17 February, Fr Leitgöb replaced Fr Edmund Hipp in the office of Provincial, who had been in charge since 2019.
The Chapter elected Fr. Fritz Vystrcil (54, born in Guntramsdorf, Austria) as the new Provincial Vicar. After his education at the HTL, the new Vicar worked as a technician before he entered the Redemptorist Congregation in 2006 and made his first profession one year later. Fr Vystrcil completed his studies in Vienna. In 2011 he was ordained priest by Cardinal Schönborn in St. Stephen’s Cathedral in Vienna. Since then, he has been working in the Redemptorist parish in Würzburg (Germany) for several years as parish priest and rector of the community.
The Provincial Chapter for this quadrennium consists of 15 members. Apart from 13 elected ones, there are two ex-officio members: the previous Provincial Superior, Fr Edmund Hipp and the Coordinator of the Conference of Redemptorists of Europe, Fr Johannes Römelt.
The Province of Vienna-Munich covers the territory of Austria and Southern Germany and has 77 members (in the houses of Vienna-Hernals, Vienna-Maria am Gestade, Eggenburg (Lower Austria), Puchheim (Upper Austria); Gars am Inn, Munich, Cham in der Oberpfalz, Würzburg and Schönenberg (Germany). The Province also has two religious houses in Denmark (Odense and Naestved).
(www.redemptoristen.com)
