My name is Ulrike Kirschner and for me Hospitality means to freely nourish, strengthen, protect, accompany, give joy and also to reach out to others believing, as I do, that we are all endowed with the same rights and duties. 

As a volunteer in the department of palliative care in the Fatebenefratelli hospital in Linz, I am aware of Hospitality at almost every moment. For example, caring for a young woman in the last part of her life, I lived the experience of Hospitality in a way that was particularly moving. With her gestures, this young woman made me realize just how important the presence of a stranger was for her. They were small gestures. But a fleeting smile or a single word, even when pronounced with difficulty, can give true expression to the concept of Hospitality in its deepest of meanings.

In moments of silence, when my attention was total, I was able to see just how important my presence was to her because when I was beside her, her breathing was easier. When people are dying, they very often become extremely sensitive to those who are nearby. And since I consider their last wishes and aspirations to be extremely important, I try – to the extent possible – to satisfy them.

My life, in fact, is deeply touched by this give and take of Hospitality. I am very grateful for the gift of these genuine experiences of Hospitality and for the chance to have shared them with the people I have met in this my place of work.