Atrium - Holy Vessels - Chalice

The friars in Austria referred to the Cincinnati-based province as their “Tochter Provinz” – Daughter Province.

On May 30, 1951, the Very Reverend Eligius Weir, OFM, the Very Reverend Romuald Mollaun, OFM, and Fr. Bernardin Schneider, OFM visited the Schwaz Friary of the St. Leopold Province on their way home from Rome after a General Chapter. They were astounded by the craftsmanship of a friar living at the monastery, Fr. Fabian Barcata, OFM and made arrangements for the designing and finishing of the chalice – a symbol of the close bonds between the Province of St. Leopold and the Province of St. John the Baptist.

The elaborate decorations on the chalice consists of a grapevine, rich in grapes. The vine, which has strong roots that fasten to the foot of the cup, rises from a world on which Innsbruck, Austria and Cincinnati are designated with small stones. The substantial roots clinging to the base, join and form the stem of the chalice and then divide into leafy branches which hold the cup. A crucifix marks the front of the chalice.

The intricate tracery of the veins of the leaves, the exquisite shading of the grapes, and the delicate lines of the corpus were all handcrafted by Fr. Fabian in the 84th year of his life and the 61st of his priesthood.

Father Provincial Vincent Kroger, OFM of St. John the Baptist Province, first used the chalice in 1952. An invocation for the occasion was as follows:
“May the Holy Sacrifices at which Father Provincial use the chalice from Tyrol bring down God’s choicest blessings not only on the Tochter Provinz [Daughter Province] which is our own Alma Provincia [Beloved Province] but also on the Mutter Provinz [Mother Province] which gave us our start.”