From April 28th to May 1st, the European Congress of Families of the Schoenstatt Movement will take place in Vienna under the motto: “Family – Hope for the future”. During these days right after Easter, those responsible for the Congress have published a preparatory prayer and invite all those interested to say this prayer so that the meeting will be fruitful, and the families may be able to help create from their homes a future world “that knows more about peace, justice, love and human dignity”.
Congress Prayer
The German team, who wrote this Congress prayer and also translated it into all the Congress languages, hopes that the prayer will be widely spread and that many will join in petitioning that the Congress will be a testimony for the Schoenstatt Family Movement on how they can work successfully with today’s couples and families by following in the footsteps of their founder, Father Joseph Kentenich. “We would like to set up a prayer network over Europe,” stated the German team.
Dear God,
You are triune love. Relationship in itself is you, God, our
Father.
You have called us to be the image of this love as a married couple. As families from many European countries, we
unite, from home shrine to home shrine. We know we are
called by you, to radiate the Christian ideal of the family, in
the context of the current challenges, within our world.
Be in our midst.
Strengthen each individual family and let the “joy of love”
grow. Encourage us, as a family, to build a world for tomorrow from our homes. A world that knows more peace, justice, love and human dignity.
In Fr. Kentenich, you have given us a father of pastoral care
for the family. As the Schoenstatt Family Movement lead us
in his footsteps, and show us the right way to become a
blessing for married couples and families today.
Mary, Queen of the Family,
Intercede the Holy Spirit for this European Family Congress.
Grant that it may be a sign for our common mission within
our Church and society:
“Family – Hope for the Future”.
Congress song
The congress song “On our journey through life” by the German composer and songwriter Wilfried Röhrig expresses the longing that “the family – may be hope for the future”. This hope should spread from the Congress to the entire Europe.
Online participation
The Congress team points out that, in addition to the European Covenant Evening on Saturday, April 29, 2023, other parts of the Congress will also be transmitted over the Internet via Schoenstatt-TV, which will have a team present. The corresponding information will be published soon.
More information
● Website: schoenstatt.at/familienkongress2023
● Everyone is invited to the festive Mass on May 1st, at 12 noon, at St. Stephen’s Cathedral.
You can participate of the Festive Mass online here:
Congress Trailer
