On the Solemnity of the Assumption of Mary into Heaven, November 15, the international Schoenstatt pilgrimage site welcomed new leaders. Sister M. Anika Lämmle of the Community of the Sisters of Mary and Father Stefan Strecker ISch, a Schoenstatt Father, share responsibility for pilgrimages to the international Schoenstatt place of grace. Father Stefan will serve as “Rector ecclesiae” of the Original Shrine, while Sister M. Anika Lämmle will assume responsibility for international pilgrimages.
During the solemn Mass celebrating the Solemnity of the Assumption of Mary into Heaven, Sister M. Anika Lämmle and Father Stefan Strecker were introduced as the new leaders of the Schoenstatt pilgrimages. Father Ignacio Camacho, ISch, presented the certificates of appointment and conveyed greetings and blessings on behalf of the General Presidium of the International Schoenstatt Movement.
Fr. Ignacio Camacho presided over the Eucharistic celebration, and the director of the Movement in Germany, Fr. Felix Geyer ISch, delivered the homily. “There are three points that seem especially important to me as we reflect on today’s solemnity and what it means for us as believers,” he said. The first is the insatiable longing for salvation that exists within every human being, even though “we know that we are saved through Jesus Christ.” Fr. Felix related people’s personal testimonies from recent months at the Original Shrine and noted that people were making confessions about their lives because they longed “for something within them to feel freer.”
Fr. Felix went on to speak about “everyday unbelief.” By this, the director of the Movement means that we all too easily allow ourselves to be overwhelmed by the concerns of daily life—such as health, family, finances, and more—and live our faith only on Sundays. In contrast, Mary lived out her everyday sanctity. “She brought Jesus to her cousin Elizabeth, and she also offers Him to us,” so that we may entrust all our concerns to Him and to her.
Faith and salvation also need concrete faces, added Fr. Felix, as he let his gaze sweep across the rows. “You and I—all of us—represent the salvation of Jesus Christ with our faces, which has become a reality in Mary,” he said, adding that he hoped everyone would become people who inspire others to sing a Magnificat, “just as Mary did before Elizabeth.”
Procession to the Original Shrine and Handing Over of the Keys
After the festive Mass, the faithful were invited to join a procession to the Original Shrine. At the Original Shrine, which could not accommodate all the faithful, the Sister M. Anika and Fr. Stefan repeatedly thanked everyone for their support and prayers. Special thanks were also extended to Fr. Ignacio Camacho, who had served as rector of the Original Shrine since 2023. The sacristan couple, Bernadette and Norbert Weweler, symbolically handed over the Shrine’s keys to the new leaders.
International Focus of the Shrine Team
With the new leaders of the Original Shrine, the Schoenstatt Movement is committed to continuity and an international perspective. Through these two ministries, the universal Church dimension is strengthened alongside other Fathers and Sisters from different countries. In this way, the pilgrimage site’s international orientation is ensured and structurally developed.
Personal Profiles: Fr. Stefan Strecker and Sr. M. Anika Lämmle
Fr. Stefan Strecker has been a member of the Schoenstatt Fathers since 1986. After studying theology and philosophy in Münster (Westphalia) and Vienna, he was ordained a priest on November 25, 1995, by the Bishop of Münster, Reinhard Lettmann, at the Church of the Holy Trinity on Mount Schoenstatt. Originally from Freiburg, this Schoenstatt Father served for many years as a chaplain for youth and students, a TZI group leader, a guide for trips to the Holy Land, and a marriage and family chaplain. In his community, he served as spiritual director and rector of the student center in Munich, and as a member of the provincial leadership.
Sister M. Anika Lämmle has been a Schoenstatt Sister of Mary since 1980. After completing her studies at the Seminary for Religious Education and Parish Ministry in Koblenz-Metternich, she worked for about 30 years with the Schoenstatt Women’s Branches in the Diocese of Rottenburg-Stuttgart, focusing on strengthening individual character, team development, and motivation and training for local missionary engagement. Since March 8, 2024, the 66-year-old sister, born in Upper Swabia, has served as the main person responsible for the Schoenstatt Pilgrimage Center in Vallendar.
Read also:
General Presidency: New leadership for the International Schoenstatt Shrine starting in August 2026
Photos: Bruno Mucha / Matthias Chrobok
