“Schoenstatt” is named after its place of origin: the little Schoenstatt Valley in the Rhine region of west-central Germany. It is just east of Vallendar on the Rhine, a small city about 6 km (4 miles) north of Koblenz. Schoenstatt is some 90 km (60 miles) south of Cologne and about the same distance west of Frankfurt.

The word “Schoenstatt” comes from German for “beautiful” (schoen) and “place” (statt). The earliest known reference to this valley is found in a historical document from year 1143, where it is called “eyne schoene statt”, that is, a beautiful place.

A movement is a broad current in society inspired by common cause or charism, usually motivated by the desire to reform, renew or defend some aspect of life. It can be inspired by a political or secular cause, such as the labor movement, feminist or civil rights movement. Or it can be inspired by spiritual or religious cause, such a liturgical movement or a biblical movement of the 20th Century Catholic Church or the revival movement of 19th Century Protestant America.

The last 100 years have been outstanding in their development of ecclesial movements.

These include; Schoenstatt (Germany, 1914), Taizé (France, 1940),  Focolare (Italy, 1943), Cursillo (Spain 1949), Communion and Liberation (Italy, 1954), Catholic Charismatic Renewal (USA, 1967), St. Egidio (Italy, 1968), Marriage Encounter (USA, 1968), and any more.

They have especially proliferated since Vatican Council II (1962-1965), reflecting new initiatives on the part of the Holy Spirit to engage the whole Church in its work of renewing the world.

Schoenstatt began on October 18, 1914. Although not formally constituted as the “Apostolic Movement of Schoenstatt” until 1919 and 1920, the essential character of the covenant of love and the Shrine makes October 18, 1914 the founding day of the movement.

Fr. Kentenich’s importance to his work was something that grew gradually. In the early years, he deliberately remained in the background, advocating the leadership of many co-workers. Still, his personal contact was extensive: he personally knew thousands of members, and he specially knew the leaders.

His arrest by the Nazis in 1941 and his decision of January 20, 1942 (convinced that God called him to go to the concentration camp), thrust him and his importance as founder much more into the awareness of his work. This role was tested and clarified in the years of his exile in Milwaukee, making it clear that authentic Schoenstatt cannot exist without a genuine attachment to the founder.

In the time since his death in 1968, Schoenstatt members have rediscovered Fr. Kentenich in his ongoing importance for the movement. His guidance is sought in many questions – through prayer, study of his writings, return to witness from his life.

In Schoenstatt, one speaks of three contact points, or main relationships, which are needed to fully grasp and grow into the life of the movement. They are sometimes called the “three H’s”.

• Head – Father Kentenich
• Heart – the Mother Thrice Admirable, and
• Home – the Shrine.

Mary, the Mother of God, is venerated in Schoenstatt under the title Mother, Thrice Admirable, Queen and Victress of Schoenstatt.  This is often shortened to “Mother Thrice Admirable” or even “MTA”

The Title developed in three phases:

1. The founding generation gave Mary the title “Mother Thrice Admirable of Schoenstatt” in 1915
2. With the solemn crowing of the Mother Thrice Admirable in the Original Shrine in 1939, the title was expanded to “Mother Thrice Admirable and Queen   of Schoenstatt”
3. In the final years of his life, Fr. Kentenich saw growing importance of acknowledging Mary’s many victories, including the resolution of the difficulties with Church during his exile. Hence the addition of the title “Victress”, which the founder solemnly presented to the MTA in a special act on June 2, 1966.

The title “Mother Thrice Admirable” originated with a Jesuit priest, Fr. Jacob Rem (1546-1618). Fr. Rem worked with the Marian Sodality in the renowned Jesuit school in Ingolstadt, Germany, where formed so-called “Marian Colloquium” in 1595 to inspire the most motivated students to the highest aims of sanctity. In 1604, he had the illumination that the favorite title of Mary in the litany of Loreto was Mater Admirabilis (“Mother Most Admirable”). This was confirmed in a vision he had while the students sang the litany, during which he signed the choir to sing this three times. With began the local tradition of praying this invocation in the litany not once but three times, and the students named their Marian image the Mater ter Admirabilis or Mother thrice Admirable.

In 1915, Fr. Kentenich came across a book by Fr. Franz Hattler, S.J. about Fr. Rem and the Marian Colloquium. The students in Schoenstatt felt this captured their spirit and longing perfectly: they wanted to develop a strong fervor that showed itself in both self-education and apostolate, and just as Ingolstadt had proved the motor of Catholic renewal of an earlier era, they wanted to be the instruments for another great Catholic renewal. In this spirit they chose Mater ter Admirabilis as the title for their image of Mary, too – adding “of Schoenstatt” to distinguish it from the “Mother Thrice Admirable of Ingolstadt” – and soon affectionately called her the “MTA”.

Fr. Kentenich further interpreted the title on many occasions to highlight important features of Mary and her mission:

1. Admirable as Mother of God, Mother of the Redeemer and Mother of the redeemed;
2. Admirable in her power, in her kindness and in her faithfulness
3. Admirable as daughter of the Father, Mother and bride of the Eternal Word, and vessel and shrine of the Holy Spirit;
4. Admirable in her faith, love and hope, etc.