The nine days prayer from Ascension to Pentecost in Austria

In October 2002, the Austrian National Service Committee of the Charismatic Renewal in the Catholic Church invited Kim Kollins to a leadership conference to speak about the roots of the Charismatic Renewal and “Burning Bush” Initiative. She explained that Blessed Elena Guerra, influenced Pope Leo XIII to write an encyclical about the Holy Spirit, had the vision that the church should pray a novena (a nine days prayer) to ask the Holy Spirit for the Unity of Christianity. Blessed Elena’s focus was unity and renewal of the church and the society and evangelization. It took hundred years to discover that God still wants us to attend the Upper Room to seek the Lord and ask Him for a New Pentecost.

This fell on the hearts of nearly all leaders. So we started three projects:

1. The diocesan leaders asked the prayer groups to join them in a prayer of nine days including night prayer. Everybody was asked to take over one or two hours per day or night to pray. The diocesan team gave them bible verses concerning the Holy Spirit to contemplate them.

2.The second project was led by the National Service Committee. We invited a small group of about six people, which stayed together with us for nine days in a retreat house. We chose Salzburg because it lies in the middle of Austria. Intercessors or leaders were allowed to join the group but they had to decide to stay for at least a whole day.

In the morning we started with bible study and Eucharist
In the afternoon: intercession – praying in tongues in the subjects: unity, renewal and evangelization. 
In the evening we shared what we had experienced in a feedback and asked the Lord for guidance for the next day.

3. The third project started in Vienna, 9 times per year. A group met in the afternoon for bible study and intercession. This will be extended 9 times per year for a whole day including Eucharist and adoration. Because we have 9 dioceses we chose every capital of our dioceses as a venue. A group of the diocese leaders and two persons of the national service committee are responsible to organize this day.

In the first year of our nine days prayer (2001) Kim Kollins joined for two days and encouraged us to pray that Salzburg will be a door for evangelization as it was in the beginning of Christianity in our country.

2003 we spent the nine days prayer in Upper Austria from 30th of May till 8th of June.

Verena Lang
(NSC Austria)