Habsburg Royalty in DC: “Guten abend, Ihre Hohheit”

Last evening to celebrate and continue the legacy of Blessed Karl of Austria, at the Eagles Club of Alexandria, the young men and women of the Chorus of Wyoming Catholic College stunned with traditional and contemporary gems of Catholic choral repertory, also accompanied on some hymns by the Washington Chamber Orchestra. 

I met for the first time and sat with Charles Coloumbe, lately of Austria and currently affiliated with the ITI there.

I had the privilege of meeting Her Highness Maria Anna Galitzine, granddaughter of Blessed Charles, using some of my now vestigial German in the process. She spoke compellingly of his Catholic witness, impossible of course except together with that of his wife, Zita.

I also had the pleasure to meet Paul Habsburg, son of Eduard, ambassador of Hungary to the Holy See. Paul is a recent graduate of the Massachusetts campus of Thomas Aquinas College.

A third young member of the extended Habsburg family, descended from the children of Karl & Zita, raised in Hungary, also spoke to the gathering of Blessed Karl’s message of peace so needed today with Europe once again torn apart by mutually destructive killing in Russia and Ukraine.

It was over all a restorative and invigorating evening, reminding all of us of the power and beauty of our Catholic Faith and culture, mutually life-giving and enriching for our witness and salvation. Also together with that of all the saints who courageously paved the way before us, with, we pray, soon to be canonized Blessed Karl.