In September 1985, on the centenary celebration of the birth of Father Joseph Kentenich, St. John Paul II said to representatives of the Schoenstatt Family:
“You have been called to be sharers in the grace which your founder received and to place it at the disposal of the whole Church. For the charism of the founders is revealed as an experience of the Spirit which is transmitted to the disciples themselves so that they may constantly live it, protect it, intensify it and develop it in communion and for the good of the whole Church; a Church which lives and grows in virtue of the ever-renewed fidelity to its Divine Founder”.
We live in times in which society finds itself without direction or meaning. It has turned its back on God and there has been an absence of the father and mother figure. There is a lack of leadership as well as a lack of healthy and orderly guidance of human nature in all spheres, starting with the family. It is urgent to serve our Church and society with and through leaders formed and educated according to God’s will, and with the charisms and originalities that the different communities and religious movements provide.
In this context and as a product of the 2014 Jubilee, the seminar “Leading to Love” emerged in the Schoenstatt Family Movement. The objective of this seminar is to make a vital contribution to the formation of leaders in and for the Family Work of our movement, who can be of service wherever God leads them to live.
Leadership in Covenant
The leadership to which we are called when we seal our Covenant of Love is unique to Schoenstatt’s charism. This is where the words of St. John Paul II resound anew. The seminar “Leading to Love” is an invitation to all the members of the Family Work to discover and receive the experience of the Holy Spirit that our Father and Founder had: that experience which we are called to live, protect and intensify in order to serve the Church.
One of the novel aspects is the methodology that is used, which combines conceptual aspects with real life experiences, links to historical moments and places, moments of profound spiritual renewal, as well as the implementation of individual, couple, and community dynamics. In other words, it is not a matter of listening to a list of interesting topics, but of assimilating in the best possible way the life, spirituality and pedagogy of the man who is our Founding Father.
What we receive in this seminar helps us to develop leadership skills according to the Founder’s model and spirituality. Our aim is to strengthen the commitment of couples’ leaders in the international Family Movement, to be of service to those around us, starting with our children and other members of our nuclear family, as well as in our work and our daily life, while providing effective tools that will allow Schoenstatt to better serve the Church and society.
A vital proposal
During the seminar, one experiences the founding place, with the Original Shrine in the center and Mount Nazareth on the opposite hill, from where the Blessed Mother pours out her graces for the Family Work throughout the world. Between 2016 and 2019, 58 couples participated. Then came a long pause due to the Coronavirus pandemic.
One way to determine whether these seminars have effectively responded to the need stated at the beginning of this article is to look at the results that have been obtained from previous editions of “Leading to Love”. In this regard, it is very gratifying to see that all the effort of the participants and the preparations to carry out these seminars have resulted in a greater awareness of the leadership method used by the Founder, a deeper understanding of the charism that he gives to the Family Work and to the Church, renewed apostolic impulses at the service of many families, the Church and society, and a creative evolution of the manner in which they lead. There are many examples of couples who occupy leadership positions in the Movement and in society, thus being able to apply everything they have acquired.
If you want to participate in this enriching experience, we invite you to learn more about the seminars that will be held this year 2023 in Spanish, Portuguese and English at:
The deadline to apply has been extended until May 15.
Patricio and Nina Lagos-Moraga
Schoenstatt Institute of Families
Concepción – Chile, April 20, 2023