We, the Schoenstatt Sisters of Mary, will celebrate our first 100 years in 2026—a whole century – from our humble beginnings to our vibrant present.
To reach the age of 100 as an international secular institute means to be a witness to countless stories that God has written with us:
– with generations of sisters who dedicated their lives to the service of God and humanity;
– through challenges that he entrusted to us;
– in moments of grace that continually strengthened us: it is God who guides us – in the Holy Spirit, through Mary, through our founder, Father Joseph Kentenich. In solidarity with many people on all continents.
A single anniversary day is not enough to exhaust this richness.
On October 1, 2025, we will open our anniversary year worldwide
It will be a year of remembrance, gratitude, and reorientation to how God wants to lead us in the
coming hundred years.
We are around 1,500 Sisters of Mary from 42 nations.
Looking back: An exciting history full of adventures
When, a few years after the Schoenstatt Movement was founded, more and more women joined this new movement, Father Joseph Kentenich sought full-time female collaborators. His concern was to create “an autonomous and independent women’s movement” in which women would “take the reins into their own hands.” On October 1, 1926, 18 young women made themselves available for this task. Despite the uncer-tainty of the post-war period, they gave up their professions. They started in extreme poverty, but with the enthusiasm and idealism of being the beginning of a new kind of community. In their vocation as a lay movement in Schoenstatt, they sought to lead a life consecrated to God, similar to that of religious orders, yet in the rhythm and spirituality of lay people. There was no room for this type of community in the Church yet, and there is no guarantee that the venture will succeed. Their idealism spreads. Just two weeks after its founding, the first filiation outside Schoenstatt is established. By 1928, the community already has 110 sisters, and a year later, 179 members in 25
filiations. Five years after its founding, in 1931, the Sisters of Mary are already active in about 40 locations in Germany.
The community existed for around 20 years without canonical recognition until 1947, when the form of life of “secular institutes” was recognized by Pope Pius XII. The Schoenstatt Sisters of Mary were the first Ger-man secular institute.
Another adventurous chapter from the early years: in 1933, Hitler came to power in Germany. This poses an acute threat to the existence of the still young Schoenstatt Movement and the community of sisters. Father Kentenich decides to take the bold step of sending Schoenstatt missionaries abroad. The sisters, who were all young, often lacked the necessary qualifications and experience, and the community did not even have statutes yet. But time was pressing. Already in December 1933, the first sisters were sent to South Africa, followed by other groups to Brazil, Argentina, Chile, and Uruguay. The new beginnings in-volved great sacrifices, but they were blessed: the Schoenstatt Movement spread internationally.
Looking back, we see a wealth of such ventures that exceeded human strength. And always anew, the experience that the covenant of love with Mary carries us. This fills us with great gratitude and hope for the future.
Today, our institute is spread across all continents. It has branches in 32 countries and works in other na-tions from these locations.
Being Mary – in as many cultures and areas of life as possible
Through our encounter with Mary, we experience Christianity as a way of life in which people flourish and bonds grow because the love of Christ shines into the smallest everyday moments. As Sisters of the Mother of God – Sisters of Mary – we want to make Christ present in our being and in our work, just as she does. To be present in as many cultures and areas of life as possible, the spectrum of our ways of life is broad: The institute has members who live alone in the world and others who maintain a family life either full-time or part-time; members who wear the sister’s dress and others who work in lay clothes. Sisters of Mary are individually active in a wide variety of professions. Others work as a team in the institute’s institutions, such as schools, hospitals, and social welfare facilities.
Our shared identity gives this diversity its unique character: to be Mary today. Not only as individuals, but also in the profile of our common work.
In the service of Schoenstatt
Our entire commitment as Schoenstatt Sisters of Mary serves the mission of Schoenstatt. The founding impulse – direct work for Schoenstatt – has special significance in this regard. Sisters from our community work in an inspirational way in many of the approximately 200 Schoenstatt shrines; we are responsible for 80 Schoenstatt centers with shrines. These spiritual centers have become an integral part of many local churches. In various countries, approximately 250 Sisters of Mary work full-time for the Schoenstatt Movement, especially for the youth, women, and families, as well as for the Pilgrim Mother Apostolate, through which Christ is brought to the peripheries of society.
God’s leadership style
Like other church communities, we are currently undergoing an exciting process of transition, partly be-cause we are also experiencing a general decline in new vocations. The approximately 1,500 Sisters of Mary who belong to our institute here on earth are joined by around 2,200 members who support our mis-sion from eternity. At the same time, there are hopeful new beginnings in several countries, e.g., Kenya, Vietnam, and Romania. Our Superior General, Sister M. Joanna Buckley, sums it up:
“At the beginning of this new century, we face challenges that demand all our strength and trust. But chal-lenges are part of God’s leadership style. He constantly surprises us with new possibilities that we had not previously considered.”
Sister M. Joanna Buckley
Therefore, we enter this jubilee year with joy and expect as a special grace the closeness and inspiration of the Holy Spirit through the intercession of the Blessed Mother. We summarize the experience of our first 100 years and our confidence for the future in our jubilee motto: “Mary, Light of our Hope.”
We invite you to join us in celebrating our anniversary year…
In union with many who are close to our community in Schoenstatt, we will celebrate the opening of the anniversary year on October 5 in the Masses at 9:00 a.m. in the Adoration Church/Mount Schoenstatt and at 10:30 a.m. in the Pilgrims’ Church in the valley.
Starting October 1, we will launch a series of portraits entitled “Faces of Hope” on our website https://www.s-ms.org/. On the first day of each month, a video portrait of a Sister of Mary will be pub-lished, showcasing individuals from diverse cultures, generations, and professions.
You will also find the anniversary trailer and a calendar of all anniversary events worldwide on our website. The calendar will be updated continuously.
We cordially invite you to our anniversary celebration in Schoenstatt on October 3, 2026. Save the date! – Details about the program will be available on our website in due course.
