Schoenstatt Institute of Diocesan Priests
Being priests out of passion with a special mission
Our community
Brother in priesthood and in mission
Priests are not lone fighters. That is why they commit themselves to the community and can therefore be sure of its care and loyalty.
15+
Countries
Argentina, Austria, Brazil, Burundi, Chile, Czech Republic, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Germany, Italy, Kenya, Mexico, Peru, Poland, Puerto Rico, Spain
1945
FOUNDING
It was founded on 18 October 1945 by Father Joseph Kentenich in the concentration camp at Dachau in Germany
The vocation of life
Schoenstatt’s gift to the Church
The Secular Institute of Schoenstatt Priests is made up of diocesan priests who live Schoenstatt’s spirituality and pedagogy.
First and foremost, however, they are at the service of their dioceses. In obedience to the bishops and in solidarity with their own presbytery, they are available for the pastoral tasks of their diocese.
They also strive to live in loyalty to the founder of Schoenstatt, Father Kentenich, and to shape the Church and the world according to his concept. Together with the other five Schoenstatt Secular Institutes, they consider it their task to build and inspire the Movement.
In the Family
Prayer, friendship, joy and service
The members of the Schoenstatt Institute of Diocesan Priests present themselves as a worldwide, family-like community that thrives on committed relationships. Fraternal exchange, strong friendships, common spiritual activity and shared recreational activities are very important to them.
It was founded on 18 October 1945 by Father Joseph Kentenich in the concentration camp at Dachau in Germany with the goal of being a “sound community of diocesan priests who would serve as the basis for a great movement of apostolic renewal”. It was “re-founded” in 1964 and established by the Holy See as a community of pontifical right on 18 October 1995.
Center
The covenant of love
At the center of the spirituality is the covenant of love with God and Mary, which is a source of strength for the clergy and inspiration for the priestly ministry – practical and oriented towards concrete life.
Organisation
From small to large groups
So that community can be lived in a committed and concrete way, every member of the Schoenstatt Priests’ Institute belongs to a region, a group and a course. The path into the Priests’ Institute begins with the candidacy in the course . It remains for life and forms the core family of the Institute. In the groups, on the other hand, the regional principle applies. Here the priests of a diocese or region come together for regular meetings, which serve the exchange of life and further education.
Places
Special points of connection
This community becomes concrete also in their Father-House on Mount Moriah or in the new, international Schoenstatt Center Belmonte in Rome. They gather for retreats and encounters at the place of origin of the movement in Schoenstatt, in Rome or decentralised in the countries.
In the world
Several continents, one mission
The Schoenstatt Institute of Diocesan Priests is an international community. The members of the Priests’ Institute are united in fraternity across national and continental borders. They work for the same mission in all parts of the world.
The community is divided into six regions:
Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Ecuador, Peru
Dominican Republic, Mexico, Puerto Rico
Germany (Bavaria), Austria, Czech Republic
Germany (North and Center), Kenya, Poland, Spain
Burundi
Germany (Baden-Württemberg), Italy
Contact
Our contacts in the world
Need more information?
Our contacts in the world
Generalrektor Dr. Christian Löhr
generalrektor@bergmoriah.de
