Bishop Shane Mackinlay, Fr Stephen Bolling (Parish Priest of St Liborius, Eaglehawk), and Fr Nathan Verallo were among international guests welcomed in Paderborn, Germany, last week for the LiboriFest (Libori Festival) – a centuries-old celebration of faith, fraternity and long-standing diocesan friendship.

 The story of the Libori Festival goes back to the year 836, when the Bishop of Le Mans in France gifted the relics of St Liborius to the young Diocese of Paderborn. It was an act of spiritual solidarity, aimed at strengthening unity between the two dioceses. What followed was a formal "covenant of eternal brotherhood" – a bond that has endured for nearly 1,200 years and is still celebrated today through prayer, pilgrimage, and festival.

St Liborius is the Patron Saint of the Archdiocese of Paderborn and the City of Paderborn.

This year’s Libori Festival began with the solemn raising of the relics of St Liborius during Vespers in Paderborn Cathedral. Presided over by Archbishop Udo Markus Bentz, the liturgy marked the start of the Libori Triduum and set the tone for a week filled with worship, music, and public celebration. The theme of this year’s festival – Trust in Tomorrow – called people to hope in uncertain times. “Who, if not Christians, have good reason for this trust?” the Archbishop asked the packed cathedral.

Archbishop Bentz preached that it is important to believe that “a loving God holds his hand over us,” but this does not mean we take no action ourselves. "This trust that God is making a pilgrimage with us through this history does not release us from our responsibility for the here and now; it rather strengthens the trust and the drive to build a good future in an uncertain time – not only for us, but above all for the tomorrow of the young generation, of our children and grandchildren!".

Archbishop Bentz continued, "Since the 9th century, when the bones of Liborius came from Le Mans to Paderborn, bridges have been built that create and deepen relationships. This is still the case today: diocese and city, church and society, Paderborn residents and guests from all over the world."

The Liborifest is a festival celebrated also by the secular City of Paderborn reflected in the congregation, which included guests from the Protestant Church, the Mayor of Paderborn, and Members of Parliament. It’s a week-long festival that brings together city and Church, past and future, prayer and joy.

This story was written with information from the Diocese of Paderborn. Photographs courtesy of the Diocese of Paderborn.