House Management

Franz Xaver Brandmayr

Since July 1, 2026, the Austrian Hospice in Jerusalem has been under the proven leadership of Franz Xaver Brandmayr. As the Rector of our house, he brings profound theological, legal, and international experience to his service at this historic site in the Holy Land.

Born in 1956 in Wels, Upper Austria, the clergyman initially completed a degree in law in Vienna. Following his judicial clerkship year (Gerichtsjahr) in 1979, he entered the Jesuit Order and subsequently studied philosophy and theology in Munich and Rome. In 1986, he was ordained to the priesthood in Vienna by Cardinal Franz König. After completing a licentiate degree in Canon Law in Rome, he was released from the order at his own request in May 1993. Following this, he served from late 1993 as a pastor in the Archdiocese of Vienna (St. Gertrud/Währing parish) and worked as a judge at the Diocesan and Metropolitan Tribunal. He also earned great merit as the leader and co-organizer of prominent beatification processes, including those for Emperor Karl I, Hildegard Burjan, and Franziska Lechner. In recognition of his multi-faceted engagement and his contributions to the legal and public spheres, he was awarded the title of Hofrat (Court Councillor), among others.

He demonstrated his extensive experience in leading international church institutions from 2008 to 2020, during which he served as Rector of the Pontifical Institute and the Confraternity of Santa Maria dell’Anima in Rome—a distinguished role that was also honored by his appointment as a Papal Chaplain (Monsignore). He subsequently returned to Austria, serving from September 2020 as Provost Priest (Dompropst) in Wiener Neustadt, and from the summer semester of 2022 as a lecturer in Canon Law at the Philosophical-Theological College Benedict XVI in Heiligenkreuz. As a Canonicus (Canon), he has always remained closely connected to ecclesial structures and liturgical life.

In Rector Franz Xaver Brandmayr, the Austrian Hospice in Jerusalem gains a distinguished personality deeply rooted in both Roman and Austrian church life, who will lead the Hospice into the future with great vision.