Pentecost Congress 2022 – “Moved by the Spirit of God”
One hundred thirty-nine delegates from 33 countries will gather in the original birthplace, Schoenstatt, to discover together how God has led us and how it manifested in the Movement’s processes, in the Church, and society. Listening to one another, to the voices of the times, and the inspirations of the Spirit, the delegates will work on a common vision for a Schoenstatt of the future. A Schoenstatt who can contribute to a new face of the Church in these times of change.
In the program for the opening day, June 8th, the following phrase can be read.
We enter the Cenacle
The delegations will gather in the morning in the Original Shrine to open the Congress with a solemn Holy Mass.
The afternoon of this first day will be used for getting to know each other, for exchanging expectations for this Congress and for an introduction to the significance and methodology of the conference. Following Father Kentenich’s method – observe, compare, review, apply – the path of Schoenstatt for the years to come will be formulated during these days.
A “Picnic for Conversation” in small groups offers the opportunity to become acquainted with the Movement in each country through actual faces and stories. The day concludes with a joint visit to the founder’s tomb.
On June 9th, we will focus on the first stage of Father Kentenich’s Method:
Observe
First step is to observe the currents of life within the Schoenstatt Movement.
The morning will be devoted to an assessment of the Kentenich Cause. Experts who have investigated the issues raised in the last two years will give an overview of their work. The postulator, Father Eduardo Aguirre, will also report on the current status of the Kentenich Cause. The group discussions by language give the opportunity to incorporate the participants’ own ideas and questions into the conversation.
In the afternoon, we will take a look at five online workshops on different topics that were held by the continents in the period leading up to the Congress. A presentation of the workshops will be an opportunity to share creative ideas and projects.
An hour of Pentecost prayer in the Adoration Church offers a chance to let the day’s encounters and reflections conclude with time to listen to the Holy Spirit.
The observation stage continues on June 10th and followed by the comparison stage:
We observe and compare
In the morning, the focus will be on current trends in the Church. Prof. Dr. Rodrigo Guerra-López, Rome, Secretary of the Commission for Latin America at the Vatican, will speak on the vision of a Church of tomorrow and the Church’s current path, and the role of the Movements. In small work groups and the plenary, questions will be asked on what is significant, inviting, or challenging for Schoenstatt today.
The afternoon of June 10th takes a broader view of God’s guidance through the voices of the times. Five workshops address five trends that are also considered “signs of the times” or mega-trends as well as trends of social transformation: Power and Participation, Economic and Social Inequality, Education, Spirituality, Ecology and Global Environmental Change. The Inspiration from well-known experts, discussion, and a common pursuit of the Holy Spirit’s call to Schoenstatt will characterize the individual workshops.
This exchange continues in a more relaxed way in the evening through discussions in the BAR “Voices of the Time”. Here the participants will be encouraged to start gathering ideas on what are the core values and basic concepts for the formulation of a memorandum.
On June 11th, the next two stages of Father Kentenich’s method will be discussed:
Reduce to principles and apply
This is a key process of the Pentecost Congress. During the preceding days, a team has been continuously observing and evaluating the results and streams of life. The results are now presented in plenary session as a basis for discussion in language groups: Where is God leading us in the coming years? What is the Holy Spirit saying to us as a global movement? What should be our main contribution?
The groups will compile the core values and concrete ideas, which will be summarized in the plenary session. In the afternoon, the delegations from the different countries will meet to evaluate the results according to the particular circumstances of their country. At the end of the process, the plenary discussion of the entire Congress will decide which core values and options should be included in the 2022 Memorandum.
This intense workday will conclude with a boat trip on the Rhine River.
We are sent
This is the motto for the last day, June 12th. The outline of the memorandum will be presented to the plenary, discussed once more and finally approved. This formulation of a common purpose is essential for Schoenstatt as a federal Movement, so that the Movement, with all the original currents of life in the continents and the different cultural regions, can work in the Church and society according to its charisma.
