Vienna is in mourning: a sea of ​​candles for Graz victims lights up in St. Stephen's Cathedral

Vienna is in mourning: a sea of ​​candles for Graz victims lights up in St. Stephen's Cathedral

In Vienna, on June 11, 2025, Stephansplatz shone in a sea of ​​light and hope, while numerous citizens lit candles for the victims of the tragic shooting spree in Graz. The terrible act cost eleven people their lives and led to three days of national mourning in Austria. Hundreds of people followed the call from Caritas and the “füreinand” initiative to light candles from 4 p.m. to express their condolences. Across the entire city, numerous people took part in this sign of solidarity to show sadness and cohesion together, as Heute reports.

The memorial service took place at 5 p.m. in St. Stephen's Cathedral and was attended by well-known politicians, including off-duty Vice Chancellor Werner Kogler and former Justice Minister Alma Zadić. These signs of sympathy are not only proof of solidarity in times of crisis, but also an important step in coming to terms with grief. Caritas director Klaus Schwertner emphasized that love and solidarity are stronger than hate and violence. Dominik Farthofer, leader of the Young Church, also explained that it is important to create a space for individual feelings of grief.

Shared mourning everywhere in Austria

The whole of Austria was gripped by the tragedy. The day after the shooting, people in several cities came together to express their grief and anger. There were no regular lessons in front of schools in Carinthia; Instead, students and teachers began the day with a minute's silence. Psychologists and educators worked intensively to provide psychological support to students associated with the victims and one of the seriously injured. The HTL Lastenstrasse in Klagenfurt, where the 14-year-old victim went to school, was particularly affected. Black flags flew in front of schools as a sign of mourning and solidarity, while police patrols provided security.

In Villach, the police presence was also massively increased, as many students were preoccupied with thoughts of the crime and the injustice associated with it. A team of school psychologists was immediately mobilized to support the students during this difficult time. What is particularly unfortunate is that in some cases the anger born of grief turned into xenophobia, posing major challenges for teachers and psychologists. Your job is to de-escalate and counteract conflicts.

A light of hope

At 8 p.m., a memorial service by Missio's Young Mission Praise was held, specifically geared toward young people. Father Karl Wallner led the youth prayer evening to give the young people a sense of community and hope. This initiative also shows that the light of hope does not have to go out in difficult times.

The official national mourning ends on June 12th at 7 p.m. with the ringing of the Pummerin bell in St. Stephen's Cathedral. From 5:30 p.m., ORF will broadcast a “ZIB Spezial” in which the focus is on the events surrounding the memorial service and the mourning ceremonies. This shows once again how important it is to grieve together and show strength.

In a time of uncertainty, such events are a ray of hope and a sign that the community is sticking together. Together we will walk through these dark times.