Schoenstatt Apostolic Movement

Sr. M. Cacilda Becker

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Capital of Grace and serious aspiration for holiness

How much is your contribution
to the Capital of Grace worth?

The value of each sacrifice we offer to the Blessed Mother so that her graces may bear fruit from the Shrine

By Sister M. Nilza Silva
July 18, 2021

Our place of grace -the Shrine- supposes a collaboration between God and us, between the Virgin and us. That is why, those of us in the Movement who want to further our participation in it, must never desist. This is the permanent imperative: Cooperation!

 

Have you ever wondered how much a small offering to the Capital of Grace is worth? How about two offerings? How about three? Little by little we can fill a basket and help the MTA in her mission from the Shrine. What follows is Father Kentenich’s reflections on this topic.

MTA - Original Shrine

Nothing without me

 

Father Kentenich’s reflection:

 

Nothing happens in Schoenstatt without me; in other words, the current of grace cannot grow and flow without me. When we talk about the contributions to the Capital of Grace this is exactly what we are talking about. All of us have this task.

 

The more religious we are, the clearer it becomes that things depend on God; and regarding my offerings, not on the actions I take, but on the degree of love I put into them. If I am sick and I have a great love for God, how much will I be able to offer to the Capital of Grace and how much will I get in return? In this way, the individual activity is oriented towards the heavens.

 

This is mentioned in the Founding Document: Schoenstatt ceases to be a place of pilgrimage, and ceases to carry its mission in this world, when there are no new contributions to the Capital of Grace, when the contributions made are spent and there are no new contributions being offered.

 

I still remember well when we said: We don’t want the Blessed Mother to act without us, we want to attract her, make her descend in virtue of intense apostolic activity. We believe that our Founding Document was signed in heaven.

 

When we get to Eternity, we will know who has served the Movement the most, and perhaps we will have a very different picture of reality from what we currently see. This world appreciates more those who are in the forefront. There are always leaders, some who talk constantly but they are not always the most needed. I am convinced that deep down, there is a multitude of simple individuals without whom Schoenstatt could not exist. The most needed and most important are those who constantly and in the greatest measure give offerings to the Capital of Grace, who unite the current of their heart and blood with the current of heart and blood of the Capital of Grace.

Capital of grace
Foto: Pedro Dillinger
Capital of Grace

God expects personal saintliness from us. The Blessed Mother asks of us personally, not in general, a high degree of holiness, a strong aspiration to holiness. In virtue of this aspiration of ours, we will make her descend. A precious stone is worth more than a whole mountain of ordinary stones. If the Family does not generate such persons, what do we expect from Schoenstatt? Schoenstatt depends for its existence on a serious aspiration for holiness. Other places of pilgrimage can do without it. Schoenstatt, on the other hand, depends on people who truly aspire to holiness and connect that aspiration to our Shrine.

 

This is how the mystery of Schoenstatt is presented to us: the Blessed Mother’s universal fruitfulness stems from the forces of divine grace, which act freely. We admire the generosity of divine grace.

 

Do you think that I attribute everything that was done here to personal endeavors? No! I will explain it with an example: a child wants to help his mother carry the laundry basket. The child wants to help her and puts his little hands and his whole body in the basket. He wants to have the honor of helping his mother. And the poor mother must carry not only the basket, but also the child.

 

A powerful current of graces flows from this place, we can collaborate with it, but without thinking that everything has been achieved by virtue of our actions alone.

 

Father Joseph Kentenich, Christmas Day Conference, Schoenstatt December 28, 1933

 

Book: His mission, our mission, Peter Wolf editor

Read more: What mean the jug in Schoenstatt Shrine?

 

Source: www.schoenstatt.org.br

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Fr. Joseph Kentenich: Steps taken toward clarification and revision

Fr. Joseph Kentenich:
Steps taken toward clarification and revision

On July 2020 historian Dr. Alexandra von Teuffenbach raised several accusations against Father Kentenich. In the Vatican Archives, accessible since March 2020, she had found some documents which she interpreted as proof of abuse of power and, in a single case, of sexual abuse by Father Kentenich.

Pressoffice Schoenstatt International
July 10, 2021

Steps taken toward clarification and revision

 

July 2, 2020

A declaration by the General Presidium of the Schoenstatt Movement rejected said accusations. The postulator for Father Kentenich’s beatification process, Father Eduardo Aguirre, did the same after examining the Vatican documents.

 

July 4, 2020

Schoenstatt established a Media Commission of Communication to answer questions from the media on behalf of the General Presidium, coordinate activities on Schoenstatt media, and redact since then articles that highlight the background of the issues being raised and expose the contexts.

 

July 7, 2020

Bishop Ackermann decided to appoint a new commission of historians to re-examine the documents from the Vatican Archives, which had not been accessible before, so that they may become part of the documents being used for the beatification process. The Schoenstatt Movement expressly approves and supports the bishop’s decision.

 

Since September 21, 2020

The postulator for the beatification process, Father Eduardo Aguirre, investigates the Vatican Archives and makes the new documents from this era in Schoenstatt history available for the public to review.

 

October 12, 2020

The Schoenstatt Movement has created an International Investigation Group to complete a new revision of the period covering the visitation and the exile. This group develops a critical edition of various historical texts and an adequate interpretation of Father Kentenich’s principles and practices.

 

March 5, 2021

After several consultations, Bishop Ackermann expanded the planned commission into a group of experts in which representatives of various specialties work together. This group is free to work as they see fit and can deal openly with the results.

Treatment given so far to the issues currently under discussion

 

  • Within some leaders of the Communities and among some members of the Movement, there was news of accusations stemming from the ambiance of the visitations and the exile, but as a general knowledge. Accusations concerning the moral integrity of the founder were also mentioned in various publications. The research work was not yet extensive enough to make a historical publication on the period of the visitations and the exile of the founder.

 

  • It can be assumed that all the accusations raised, placed in the context of the visitations and Father Kentenich’s exile, on the one hand, have been annulled by the end of his exile and his return to Schoenstatt in 1965. On the other hand, such accusations have been treated and evaluated in the beatification process; as for the Roman phase of the process that is ahead, part of the process is, by regulation, completing a new and detailed study of the documents. There was no reason to distrust the work and the results of the process. As corroborated by Father Angel Strada, who was for many years the postulator of the cause, there is no reason to start from the basis of sexual abuse.

 

  • Documents that were kept, until now, exclusively in the archives of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith have been available for a new revision of the history of Schoenstatt and Father Kentenich since March 2020. Therefore, the existing documentary material in the Schoenstatt archives and in the beatification process can now be compared with documents in the archives of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith in order to establish whether there is a need to investigate aspects that have not yet been taken into consideration.

 

  • Immediately after the allegations became known, in July 2020, investigations of the existing archives were intensified. This is a procedure that requires painstaking and time-consuming work. The relevant results will be published gradually.

 

  • An allegation of sexual misconduct that had been filed in the Archdiocese of Milwaukee, and is now being referred to once again, was investigated and rejected by Milwaukee’s diocesan authorities. As before, there was no reason to doubt the assessment made by the North American ecclesiastical authorities and to give the matter wide publicity. It remains to be seen to what extent information can be found today that goes beyond the results of the investigation at that time.

 

Press Office Schoenstatt International

 

related article: Appointment of a New Commission of Historians for the Beatification Process of Father Joseph Kentenich

The articles and documents mentioned above can be found at:

www.schoenstatt.com, Section: Current topics about Father Joseph Kentenich.

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Croatia – becoming a heart in the Father

Croatia – becoming a heart in the Father

Fr. Christoph Horn from Switzerland, Rector of the two Shrines in Croatia, spent 10 weeks last March, May and June with the Croatian Schoenstatt Movement. He re-established contacts that had been lost due to the pandemic. Together they prepared spiritually for the installation of the Father Symbol in the Ivanovici Shrine in September of this year.

Claudia Brehm
July 13, 2021
MTA in Croatia

During his pastoral visits in Croatia, Father Horn always makes it a point to listen to the local people, to make joint decisions in meetings, to celebrate Mass with those responsible for the Movement, and to give them spiritual impulses. This also includes visiting the families of his co-workers.

 

When the earth shook 

 

In Zagreb, where earthquakes killed people and destroyed many buildings in March and December 2020, the significant damage can still be seen. Churches, like the Zagreb Cathedral, cannot be used as places of worship for years to come, and some have been replaced by assembly churches. It is a good thing that the Schoenstatt Family in Zagreb is characterized by great cohesion. Through donations collected together, it was possible to help a family to rebuild their destroyed house. It is also helpful for this region that interested diocesan priests were found there who gladly support the Schoenstatt communities.

 

In Croatia – Landscaping at the shrine in Ivanovici

 

At the shrine in Ivanovici, which was inaugurated in 2018, it was possible to build connecting paths to the shrine last month. At the intersection of these paths, the architect depicted the well-known Schoenstatt symbol in a circle (see photo). The symbols of the Eucharist, chalice and host will also be added in the wider area.

A scepter for Mary

 

Pilgrimages of women and mothers to both Shrines took place in May with very good numbers of participants for pandemic conditions, 70 and 50 mothers respectively. They presented the Blessed Mother with a scepter (see photo) that Mary, with her maternal help, will take over the scepter in the manifold needs of this time, world and Church, will prove effective. Some mothers expressed their great confidence in her by sealing the Covenant of Love.

 

Preparation for the installation of the Father Symbol

 

On September 18th of this year, the Father Symbol will be placed in Ivanovici, an artistically designed eye that wants to point to God’s unconditional love, faithfulness and vigilant concern for all people and His earth. One year later, in August 2022, the Father Symbol will be placed in the Shrine of Mala Subotica.

Many local communities have gladly embraced and spread the “A Heart in the Father” retreat as a guide to life. Father Horn wrote seven reflections on the Father Symbol for the retreat theme, which were sent to a large number of members of the Croatian Schoenstatt Family on seven consecutive Saturdays. The addressees, in turn, copied the reflections for others or forwarded them electronically. In this way, these annual retreats had an amazingly wide distribution. Everyone received a photograph of the Father Symbol and the common preparatory prayer along with the contemplation texts.

 

Now new suggestions for personal conversation with God were added. Especially the group of women and mothers became involved in this preparation and now tries to find the traces of divine providence and guidance in the daily evening prayer and to become grateful for the daily gifts of Father.

Croatia - Shrine
Croatia - Marija Bistrica

Cooperation with the national pilgrimage place Marija Bistrica in Croatia

 

The 15th century black miraculous statue of the Virgin Mary in this shrine, which was declared a national shrine in 1971, attracts many thousands of people every year, some of whom come on pilgrimage on foot from far away.

 

In the forecourt there is a large field altar where masses are celebrated outdoors and confessions are heard. In the midst of this, a devotional space has now been created where adoration takes place on weekends during confession times. On a nearby hill, a large Stations of the Cross have been built with life-size sculptures. There Father Horn was invited to serve for two weeks hearing confessions and celebrating Mass. He writes: “It was an enriching experience for me, especially because in Marija Bistrica the ‘Croatian heart’ really beats and I could absorb many things. There were many contacts also with priests. I was very well received by the five who are constantly serving at the shrine.”

 

Read more: Croatia a family full of passion

Wikipedia

 

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Family love: a vocation and a path to holiness

Family love: a vocation and a path to holiness

It is Pope Francis himself who is presenting the X World Meeting of Families, to be held from June 22-26, 2022. He does so through a video message, released today and available on Vatican News and on the Youtube Channel of the Diocese of Rome. The logo for the event, promoted by the Dicastery for the Laity, Family and Life and organized by the Diocese of Rome is presented along with it as well.

Dicastery for laity, family and life
July 2, 2021
Foto do Papa Francisco en Dublin

The event will take place in an unprecedented and multi-centered format

The Meeting, initially planned for 2021, will be held from June 22 to 26, 2022, in a time of hope and rebirth. The event, as also emphasized by the Holy Father, will take place in an unprecedented and multi-centered format, with local initiatives in dioceses around the world, similar to those that will take place simultaneously in Rome. While Rome will remain the designated venue, each diocese will be able to be the center of a local Meeting for its own families and communities. This is to allow everyone to feel like protagonists at a time when it is still difficult to travel because of the pandemic.

Family love: a vocation and a path to holiness

is the theme of the X World Meeting, which will therefore be carried out in two parallel ways:

  1. Rome will remain the main venue, where the Festival of Families and the Theological-Pastoral Congress will be held, both in the Paul VI Hall; and Holy Mass will be held in St. Peter’s Square. In particular, delegates from Episcopal Conferences and international movements involved in family ministry will participate.
  2. At the same time, in individual dioceses, the bishops will be able to launch similar initiatives at the local level, starting with the theme of the Meeting and using the symbols that the Diocese of Rome is preparing (logo, prayer, hymn and picture).

«Over the years –  underlines Cardinal Kevin Farrell, Prefect of the Dicastery for the Laity, Family and Life – this important ecclesial appointment has observed an ever increasing participation of families. The thousands of people who have participated in the most recent editions, bringing enrichment with their languages, cultures and experiences, have been an eloquent sign of the beauty of the family for the Church and for all humanity. We need to continue on this path, seeking to involve more and more families in this beautiful initiative».

«It has to do with seizing a precious and unique opportunity for relaunching family ministry with renewed missionary drive and creativity, starting from the indications given to us by the Holy Father in the Exhortation Amoris Laetitia, that is, getting spouses, families and pastors involved all together», commented the Cardinal Vicar, Angelo De Donatis.

foto de família
Famlily love

Description of the Official Logo

The logo designed for the X World Meeting of Families recalls the oval shape of Bernini’s colonnade in St. Peter’s Square, the place which defines the Catholic Church par excellence, and it refers back to its original meaning that is the welcoming and inclusive embrace of the Mother Church of Rome and of her Bishop, extending it to every man and woman throughout time.

The human images under the dome, barely visible, and the cross hanging above them, represent husband, wife, children, grandparents and grandchildren. They want to recall the image of the Church as a “family of families” proposed by Amoris Laetitia (n. 87) in which “The experience of love in families is a perennial source of strength for the life of the Church” (n. 88). The cross of Christ that looms up towards the sky and the walls of protection seem almost upheld by the families, who are authentic living stones of the ecclesiastical construction. On the left, along the thin line representing the colonnade, we notice the presence of a family that is in the same position as the statues of the saints placed on the columns of the square. These remind us that the vocation to holiness is a possible goal for everyone. They are meant to emphasize how it is possible to live holiness in the essentiality of ordinary life.

The family on the left, which appears behind the line of the colonnade, also indicates all the non-Catholic families, distant from the faith and outside the Church, who are watching the Church event that is taking place from the outside.  The ecclesial community has always looked to these with attention. One can notice how dynamic the figures that are moving toward the right are. They are moving outwards. They are outgoing families, witnesses of a non-self-referential Church. They go in search of other families in an attempt to bring them closer and share with them the experience of God’s mercy.

The predominant yellow and red are a clear reference to the blazoning colors of the city of Rome, in a graphic design intended to express an intense bond with the community.  

 

Read more:

https://schoenstatt.com/amoris-laetitia-forum-a-place-for-meeting-and-pastoral-exchange-on-family-topics/

http://www.laityfamilylife.va/content/laityfamilylife/en.html

 

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She is the great missionary. She will work miracles

The Pilgrim Mother in Germany visits families held by the hands of thousands of missionaries

Under the motto "She is the great missionary, she will work miracles", the Pilgrim Mother Apostolate expands in Germany, reaching people from various cultures. Its web page is being published in two additional languages.

Hna. Marié
June 5, 2021
Pilgrim Mother Germany

Why is a German website being translated into English and Polish?

Since the month of April, the Pilgrim Mother Apostolate’s webpage in Germany is available in two other languages besides German: Polish and English. There are about 5,650 Pilgrim Mother groups in Germany. About 700 of these include people who speak other languages like English, Croatian, Tagalog, Polish, Portuguese, Slovenian, Spanish, Czech, Vietnamese and others. The largest group comes from the parishes in the Polish Catholic Missions in Germany, where more than 500 Pilgrim Mother images travel through homes and institutions. Most of the people from the other countries who receive her speak English.

 

Everyone provides liveliness and fruitfulness

These two languages were initially added to enable as many people as possible to participate in the life around the Pilgrim Mother in Germany. The fact that they have been added to the German webpage holds a symbolic meaning: here in Germany, everyone belongs to the same and only Pilgrim Mother Apostolate and each person contributes to the liveliness and fruitfulness of this missionary initiative which transmits our faith.

Bonds, friendship and mission  

The Blessed Mother is weaving a web of love and connections in every nation. There are approximately 180,000 pilgrim images travelling around the world in every continent. This worldwide initiative was the brainchild of Brazilian family man and deacon, João Luiz Pozzobon, in Santa Maria, Brazil.

In Germany as well, the Blessed Mother, through her visits as Pilgrim Mother, brings together people who live here but have different languages, cultures and frames of mind.

All of them, regardless of the language they speak or the country they are from, are her children. All of them have a place in her heart.  She is close to all of them. She knows their worries and needs and helps to overcome them. She, our Mother, gathers her children to form part of God’s single grand family. She also wants to conquer everyone to bear witness as co-workers of Christ and of the gift of his salvation.

The pilgrim images that are sent in Germany are blessed on the 18th of every month in Schoenstatt’s Original Shrine in Vallendar.  They are then sent on their mission, forming groups of 10 or 15 families or individuals.

The motto used for each send-off is translated into several languages. This phrase is originally from St. Vincent Palloti and was quoted as often by Father Kentenich, Schoenstatt’s founder, as it was by deacon Pozzobon, the founder of the Pilgrim Mother Apostolate:

“She is the great missionary. She will work miracles!”

“Ona jest wielką Misjonarką. Ona będzie działała cuda!”

“Ella es la gran misionera. Ella obrará milagros”. 

 

The webpage mentioned in this article is available at: www.pilgerheiligtum.de.