There is a surprisingly large amount of written material about the four years in which Father Kentenich lived in Engers. Now Sister M. Pia Buesge draws our attention to three main aspects of Father Kentenich’s work in this small town, just 10 km from Schoenstatt, as shown by numerous photos.
Each of us is marked by the place where we were born and grew up. The family, the neighbors, our neighborhood… each element that comprises our childhood days contributes to forge who we are. On Father Joseph Kentenich’s birthday, we take a look at the places that marked the birth and life of Schoenstatt’s Founder. At the same time, we want to invite you to reflect on your origins and to encounter God’s love in your personal history.
The Schoenstatt Movement commemorated the 55th anniversary of Father Joseph Kentenich’s death with two activities on September 14 and 15, 2023. ” Father Kentenich possessed a fatherly heart full of love, and a filial heart before God the Father,” said Father Eduardo Aguirre, postulator of the cause for the canonization of Father Kentenich.
In the world there are 17 Secretariats dedicated to the Cause of Father Kentenich’s Beatification. With their own particularities, they work together with the Central Secretariat, which has its headquarters in Germany.
The Schoenstatt Family of Ecuador participates in a virtual workshop on the charism and life of Father Kentenich and invites the entire International Family to join them.
The women’s group in Australia holds meetings for training and to cultivate bonds
“They choose Father Kentenich as a model for their own lives”, stated Sister M. Adele, at the end of the 30-year cycle in which she was responsible for Father Joseph Kentenich’s Secretariat. Sister Gisela-Maria Mues has now been given this assignment.
Testimony of Father Clemente Maria Hernandez from the Dominican Republic
On June 5, 1948, Father Kentenich missed his flight from Miami to Chicago, but this unplanned detour led to a transformative journey with the MTA, as he visited the Jesuits in Miami and embarked on a three-month exploration filled with stops, visits, and profound writings capturing the MTA’s glorification in both grand and small ways.
Meditations on the value of the cross for a Christian. Father Kentenich said: “We must have the most heartfelt certainty that God has drawn up a plan, not only a plan for the world, but also a plan for my personal life. Who has conceived this plan? Not only God’s wisdom and omnipotence, but also his love.”
Interview with Sister M. Eileen Johannsen, who witnessed Father Kentenich’s time in Milwaukee.
On January 23, 2023, the day of her 86th birthday, Sister M. Eileen arrived at Schoenstatt. Since then, she has traveled to various places in Germany, Austria, Hungary and Switzerland, talking about her encounters and experiences with Father Kentenich. Before returning to the USA on March 18, we asked her a few questions.
Our history in Schoenstatt is also marked by the profound suffering that our founder experienced in the concentration camp. After his courageous acceptance of the cross, Father Joseph Kentenich went through years of difficult trials, trusting fully in Divine Providence and in Mary’s loving protection.
A Place, a Movement, a Way of Life, a Mission
