From December 28, 2025, to January 29, 2026, the International Leadership School of the Schoenstatt Boys’ Youth took place in Germany, where 26 young university students from six Latin American countries (Argentina, Costa Rica, Chile, Mexico, Paraguay, and the Dominican Republic), accompanied by two Schoenstatt Fathers, shared a month living in the shadow of the Original Shrine in Schoenstatt.
The ILS (International Leadership School), as we colloquially call it, was a wonderful community experience of being immersed in the world of Schoenstatt, getting to know the “holy places” that gave rise to our charism, and making vital contact with the communities and people who make it present in their lives today.
Getting to know Schoenstatt is not only about visiting the Original Shrine and the tomb of the Founder; there are many places around which the origin and history of the Movement are relived. From this, one can better understand the richness of the charism and its fundamental strengths. To name one example: we had the gift of living the entire month in the “Bundesheim” (Covenant House), where, in the 1920s and 1930s, Fr. Joseph Kentenich preached numerous retreats and conferences for laypeople and priests of the movement. We had our daily formation meetings in the “Artusrunde,” that is, the Arthur’s Table room, which evokes the mystique of the Knights of the Round Table, where Father Kentenich met with his first collaborators in the formation of the nascent Schoenstatt Movement.
Not as tourists, but as pilgrims
But it is not a matter of visiting places as “tourists,” but of making a vital and spiritual pilgrimage to form ourselves as leaders and to bond together as an international fraternal community that vibrates with the same ideals and dreams of a great apostolic horizon. That is why the ILS has a program for the entire month where we share a common life of prayer, formation with different special guests, visits to many places that speak to us about the development of the charism (Gymnich, Dachau, Ingolstadt, Munich, or Koblenz), and encounters with different communities and ways of living the Covenant of Love (Brothers of Mary, Ladies of Schoenstatt, Sisters of Mary, Diocesan Priests, Schoenstatt Fathers, Institute of Families, Women’s Federation).
A fundamental aspect of the ILS was living the fraternal spirit of the international Boys youth. We were able to share our life stories, those of our places of origin and branches, learning about the different ways of living the Covenant in the apostolates, songs, rites, and prayers. We enjoyed sports and, of course, the typical foods of each country, as each country served the School’s participants dishes from their place of origin. We united spiritually in community prayer, in special celebrations, and in the contributions to the Capital of Grace that we offered together to the Blessed Mother. Each moment became an anecdote that evokes smiles, a bond that unites us, an experience that impacts us, and that is sealed with deeply meaningful experiences, such as the Holy Masses and blessings in the evening in the Original Shrine, or the pilgrimage to Koblenz or the Shrine of Sion, or the visit to Fr. Agustín Álvarez, who is a hermit monk, or the experience of the Dachau Concentration Camp, to mention just a few.
A time of profound spiritual and community experience
It becomes clear how this experience of community, which immerses us in the charism, bears much fruit in each of us and is expressed in many ways. Just to mention the experience of sealing the Covenant of Love in the Original Shrine, the Blank Check and Childlike Covenant at Fr. Kentenich’s tomb, or the discovery of the Personal Ideal and the development of a School Ideal, shows how the charism becomes an inspiration for each person’s life.
Perhaps the best way to express all that has been said is the testimonies of those who have been the protagonists of this time of grace. Here is a selection of some young people who share their experiences:
Agustin Arenas, Chile – “The visit to Dachau”
“In one of the three full days we had in Munich, we visited Dachau, the concentration camp where Father Kentenich was imprisoned between 1942 and 1945. This was an impressive visit, where, in the company of Frau Isle Kessler, we were able to learn not only about the first labor camp of the Nazi regime, but also about what Father and the Founder experienced there and the influence of this period on the Schoenstatt Family. Some of the ideas/concepts, milestones, and people that resonate in this regard include: inner freedom; the Covenant of Love as a “spiritual refuge”; loyalty and trust in providence; the founding of the Family and Brothers of Mary Institutes; Karl Leisner, among others.
It was also an incredible and moving experience, as we were able to see how, even in a place of such inhumanity and extreme cruelty, Father Kentenich continued his pastoral, pedagogical, and prayerful work—with the prayer book “Heavenwards”, for example—which has borne so much fruit for Schoenstatt.
Agustin Arenas, Chile
Manrique Lizano, Costa Rica – “The visit to the hermit priest”
“Our visit to Father Agustín was an experience that deeply touched my heart and that of the entire Schoenstatt International Leadership School. It was not simply an encounter, but a true inner pilgrimage.
Arriving at the place where Father Agustín lives, surrounded by nature, silence, and solitude, was like leaving the world’s noise behind and entering a space where God speaks softly yet clearly. His life as a hermit is not one of escape or ignorance, but of total surrender: a contemplative existence that testifies that God is enough, and that when He occupies the center, everything else finds its place. He also made us realize that the silence that surrounds him is not empty; it is full of presence. Nature is not a landscape; it is a companion in prayer. Solitude is not abandonment, but deep communion with God. In that environment, we understood that the leadership does not come from activism or protagonism, but from a solid, faithful, and covenanted inner life.
Father Agustín, with few words and much serenity, taught us that before guiding others, we must allow ourselves to be guided by God; that before speaking, we must learn to listen; and that before doing, we must be. His testimony challenged us and, at the same time, gave us peace.
As a School of Leaders, this experience reminded us that our mission is sustained not only by plans, structures, and activities, but also by a deep spiritual life, contemplation, and daily loyalty to the Covenant of Love. We returned changed: more aware, simpler, and with a renewed desire to live from the essential.
Manrique Lizano, Costa Rica
Daniel Woltman, Mexico – “What does the Ingolstadt-Schoenstatt parallel mean?”
“During the International Leaders’ School, we had the opportunity to answer one of Schoenstatt’s biggest questions: What does the Ingolstadt-Schoenstatt parallel mean? After a short trip, we finally arrived in the city of Ingolstadt, where we found the original picture of the Mother Thrice Admirable of Ingolstadt. There, we learned about the Virgin’s title as Mater Ter Admirabilis.
It was not only an experience full of learning, but also very beautiful to learn why we call her MTA. Knowing the history is a way to connect even more with our Admirable Mother and then be able to call her, as she has shown us, she likes to be recognized.”
Daniel Woltman, Mexico
Tomás Bosco, Argentina – “Meeting with the Sisters of Mary”
“As part of our trip to Schoenstatt, we had the opportunity to visit the Mother House of the Sisters of Mary. We were able to share the Holy Mass with the sisters and then have a snack, during which they told us about their mission, their areas of pastoral action, and the countries where they are present. We were surprised by the variety of ways the sisters live out their vocation: some work for the Movement, others are dedicated to adoration (the Adoration Sisters), and one sister even told us she is a judge!
We also had the privilege of visiting the sisters during their Jubilee year, celebrating 100 years since their foundation. It was a very enriching experience in which we learned a lot about the first Schoenstatt Institute and the particular vocations of many sisters.
It was a very good experience that helped us learn more about this Institute, which was largely unknown to us as Boys Youth. It helps a lot to understand the meaning of the Schoenstatt Family, as many people live the Movement’s Spirituality in different ways.
Tomás Bosco, Argentina
Marcos Dellavedova, Argentina – “Pilgrimage to the police station”
“On January 24th, we had the grace to make a pilgrimage to the police station where Father Kentenich voluntarily surrendered himself to the Gestapo (Nazi police) after preaching a retreat at the Covenant House. This was the first step towards what would become Schoenstatt’s second milestone.
We began the pilgrimage with half an hour of silence to block out the outside noise and connect with the Lord on the journey our father and founder had undertaken many years ago. Then we prayed the four mysteries of the rosary, offering them for the Young Man participating in the Crusade of Mary through the Andes Mountains.
Personally, it was a great opportunity to enter into the spirit of divine confidence, of January 20th, and of inner freedom.
The pilgrimage was short; we walked about 10 kilometers, but it was one of the ILS activities in which I was most able to tune in to God and be with the MTA who truly accompanied us on the way.”
Marcos Dellavedova, Argentina
