• Skip to main content

Schoenstatt Apostolic Movement

Show Search
Hide Search
  • ABOUT US
    • What is Schoenstatt?
    • Founder
    • Spirituality
      • Marian Devotion
      • Shrine
      • Covenant of Love
      • Capital of Grace
      • Everyday Sanctity
      • Practical Faith in Divine Providence
  • FAMILY
    • Our Communities
      • Priest
      • Women
      • Family
      • Men
    • Schoenstatt Near You
  • MISSION
    • Projects
    • Activities
    • Visit the Original Schoenstatt
  • MEDIA
    • News
    • Articles
    • Videos
    • Library
      • Schoenstatt history
    • Resources
  • CONTACT
    • EN
    • ES
    • DE
    • PT

Virgen Peregrina

October 30, 2020 By Sr. M. Cacilda Becker

Message to the Schoenstatt Family

Message to the Schoenstatt Family

We are committed to a thorough historical examination

Written by: Fr. Juan Pablo Catoggio

Dear Schoenstatt Family,

These are difficult times for all of us. In an article on katholisch.de the previous accusations against our founder, Father Joseph Kentenich, are presented and documented in more detail. These include excerpts from a book written by Alexandra von Teuffenbach. This accumulation of accusations is shocking and confusing.

All the testimonies – whether positive or accusatory – were processed in the “Causa Kentenich” (i.e. in the beatification process) and known only to the persons responsible. This means for the present case that the connections were examined and determined for further thorough study by the responsible Vatican authority. They were thus evaluated in their significance and taken seriously. According to the normal practice in beatification proceedings, this process did not take place in public. No one is authorized to bring testimonies from a beatification process into the public eye, as is unfortunately the case here. Many of the documents cited in the book belong to the confidential files of the beatification process.

For this reason, the recent publications are new and shocking for all the communities of the Schoenstatt Movement. All of us are confronted with the question of whether or not the accusations are true. These accusations contradict our very positive experiences with the person and the message of Father Kentenich. They contradict our own experiences, precisely in areas that are so important for Father Kentenich and for Schoenstatt: Freedom, human dignity, especially of women, healthy natural and religious bonds, to name but a few.

The collection of documents presented is not sufficient to determine the truth. To find the truth requires thorough research and includes more than an accumulation of accusations and defenses. It requires time, competence, and diligence.  We are committed to face the challenge of such a thorough and responsible historical examination.

We are not afraid of the truth. We are interested in everything coming to light. This was always Father Kentenich’s fundamental desire. Like him, we are confident that the truth will prevail in spite of everything and that the Blessed Mother will guide us today as she has always done in the past.

 

Schoenstatt, October 30, 2020

Father Juan Pablo Catoggio

General Presidium of the Schoenstatt Movement

Filed Under: News Tagged With: 18 de octubre, Alianza de amor, Peregrinos, Vallendar, Virgen Peregrina

October 23, 2020 By Luciana Loyola

A Day of Hope: Our Covenant 2020

A Day of Hope: Our Covenant 2020

A Warm Celebration from the Original Shrine.

Written by: Luciana Loyola P.
Pilgerkirche - Schoenstatt International.

Days before October 18th, the weather reports had been alerting us of possible rain and winds; already with the distancing measures due to the pandemic, it was feared that it would be a not very warm celebration. The great concern to offer a program full of spirituality was evident, especially in these times of so much adversity.

Against all odds and with the help of our MTA, a day of celebration for the foundation of Schoenstatt was held free of rain with special conferences, commemorative Masses, and the participation of people from different regions of Germany, some who sealed the Covenant of Love in the Original Shrine.

At the beginning of the day, families, youth, children, and members of the different Schoenstatt branches arrived at the Original Shrine to celebrate the 106th anniversary of the foundation. Applying security measures, about 250 people participated in the German-English Mass celebrated by Father Ludwig Güthlein, in which a special dedication was made to the theme of the day, Mary, hope for all. Flags from different countries made a formal entrance into the Pilgrims’ Church representing the internationality of Schoenstatt and giving way to the auxiliary image of the Pilgrim Mother.

Family receiving a blessing from Fr. Antonio Bracht at the Original Shrine - Schoenstatt International.

Simultaneously, in another corner of the valley, 20 members of the Portuguese-speaking community had moments of prayer and reflections on the Covenant of Love, led by their advisor, Sister Isabel of Brazil.  Two young couples plus 11 members of the Schoenstatt Rosary Campaign gave their Yes to the exchange of hearts with the Mother Thrice Admirable in the Covenant of Love. During the warm ceremony, which was celebrated by Father Antonio Bracht, Member of the General Council of the Schoenstatt Fathers, the children also made a special consecration to the Blessed Mother in which each one received a special medal.

“This is a great joy, we are very happy to be able to consecrate our marriage and our Benjamin to Mary” – this is how Mateus Cançado Moura and Anneliese Neumann described it; they are a Brazilian couple who have been living in Germany for 4 years and traveled from Munich with their 5-month-old son to Schoenstatt. 

Soon after, the secretariat of hispanic language, led by Sister Carolina, offered more than 60 people a moment of singing and prayer. With the participation of Father Pablo Pol, Rector of the Original Shrine, 17 people sealed their Covenant of Love, 10 children were consecrated to our Blessed Mother and 4 images of the Pilgrim MTA were blessed and sent out.

“It was a very beautiful experience! We came with a group from the Catholic mission from Hannover to be able to consecrate our children to the Virgin” commented Sharon Jiménez Delgado, from Costa Rica who has been living in Germany for 13 years with her daughter Maria.

At this time of day, a Spanish-Portuguese Mass was celebrated in in the Pilgrims’ Church along with all the families who traveled to Schoenstatt. During the homily, Father Antonio Bracht made a brief reflection referring to the context of the pandemic, about how for some people, hope is the vaccine while for others the vaccine is hope, offering words of comfort and encouragement regarding the circumstances in which we are currently living. He concluded by saying “truly, our hope is Mary!”

Pilgrim signing the Covenant book - Schoenstatt International.

And this is how the afternoon was going. Each minute brought us closer to the exact moment when Father Kentenich, from the small chapel in Vallendar, decided to seal the first Covenant of Love. 

 

With great care for the health and safety of all, more than 430 visitors were able to participate in the ceremony which was translated into 4 languages and transmitted through the internet by official channels. It is good for us to be here, let us build three tents! Without a doubt these words are a symbol of shelter which during this rite of renewal solidified our commitment to the Shrine and our dedication to the Mother Thrice Admirable. The atmosphere was spiritual and full of joy. The celebration concluded with the traditional burning of the offerings to the contributions to the Capital of Grace and several songs to our Mother Thrice Admirable, Queen and Victress of Schoenstatt.

You can access to the video of this event through this link: www.bit.ly/sch106

Covenant of Love Renovation event

Filed Under: News Tagged With: 18 de octubre, Alianza de amor, Peregrinos, Santuario original, Schönstatt, Vallendar, Virgen Peregrina

September 9, 2020 By Luciana Loyola

The Pilgrim Mother Campaign is a missionary sign of a Church on the way

The Pilgrim Mother Campaign is a missionary sign of a Church on the way

"In today's fragmented life, where we risk losing the thread, the mother's embrace is essential”. This advice, which Pope Francis calls "medicine," may seem simple, but it has proven effective in the lives of countless families who welcome Mary into their homes and hearts. On September 10, the Campaign of the Pilgrim Virgin turns 70 years old and seems to respond vitally to the need expressed in the words of Pope Francis.

Written by: Karen Bueno - Schoenstatt Press Office Brazil.

The Campaign began in the southern region of Brazil, in the city of Santa Maria, and today it reaches more than 150 countries. Through lay leadership, the missionaries want to take the Church, in the simple image of the Virgin, in order to visit in a special way the most distant and difficult places, to bring Jesus and Mary to the fragmented homes.

“The Virgin Mary,” says the Pope, “embraces many concrete situations and is present where there is need: she will meet her cousin Elizabeth, help the spouses at Cana, encourage the disciples in the Cenacle… Mary is the remedy for loneliness and disintegration. She is the Mother of consolation, the Mother that “consoles”: she is with whomever feels alone. She knows that words are not enough to comfort; presence is necessary. And Mary is present as mother”. 

Mary is a discreet presence, but one of impact

Peter Jeya Kumar lives in Chennai/Tamilnadu, India, and tells of his experience: “In one of the Campaign groups in India, Our Lady was taken to a family with whom the neighborhood did not relate well. The members of the circle came to pray in front of the Blessed Mother, including the families who had relationship problems. Thus, the Pilgrim Mother unites many families who have problems with each other and also brings together people of other religions, such as the Hindus. 

In the conviction of Pope Francis, “Mary roots us in the Church”. This can be seen in the life of the couple Gislaine Lopes and José Maurício de Souza, Brazilians from the state of Alagoas. They had been living together for ten years, but only married as civil partners.

“We were happy, but we did not live in communion with the Church. We did not have the sacrament of marriage. Mauricio followed the spiritualist doctrine and I, although I was raised in the Catholic faith, did not give importance due to the Church” says Gislaine.

It was in a moment of matrimonial crisis when the presence of Mary made the difference: “In the year 2000 I received the invitation to receive the Pilgrim Virgin in our home, but I refused it. After five years, in 2005, our marriage was in a very big crisis, we almost separated. It was then that one night I found the Pilgrim MTA in my living room, someone left her in our house by mistake. I spent a few days looking for the missionary to return the Pilgrim MTA, and when I found him, I remembered the day I rejected her. But the Mother and Queen did not reject us. I immediately asked the missionary to put us on the list of families to receive our Mother at home. From then on, we had months of renovation in our relationship as a couple and with our children.

Little by little, month by month, I returned to the Mass and Mauricio was away from the spiritualist meetings. In September 2007 we married in the Church, Mauricio made his First Communion and the following year we received Confirmation together. Since then, we are missionaries of the Pilgrim Mother Campaign and agents of the Family Ministry”. 

God chooses the little ones

For the beginning of the Campaign, God chooses a simple man, a peasant and a merchant from the city of Santa Maria: the Servant of God John Louis Pozzobon, whose process of beatification is taking place in Rome. He is pointed out as a model father, husband, deacon and missionary: “The devotion to John is very strong among the group of missionaries who carry the Pilgrim Mother. We see in him the image of a strong man in body and spirit, who gives testimony of his smallness. His testimony awakens in the people a call and a mission consciousness that makes us ask ourselves: Why not me?” comments the young Emanuel Velasco De La Garza, from Querétaro, Mexico.

Silvia Sibay, from Tucumán, expresses: “Don João, for Argentina, is a humble yet great person, who started an extraordinary campaign. He is an example for thousands of missionaries throughout the country who continue to bring the Pilgrim Mother to those in need. His work, his sacrifice, his perseverance, made me understand that this is what I wanted for my life. So I have been a missionary for 30 years.

For the Archbishop of Santa Maria, Monsignor Hélio Adelar Rubert, “it is a joy for the Archdiocese to be the home of this apostolate, the birthplace of this ‘man of God’ who was John Pozzobon. An apostle “with his feet on the ground”, as well as Pope Francis, who goes to meet people in schools, in prisons, in families

70 years illuminating lives

According to Pope Francis, “when Mary arrives, joy overflows and explodes in hearts, because the invisible but real presence of Jesus fills everything with meaning. This explosion of joy is what transforms the lives of so many families through the Pilgrim Mother Campaign, a presence that embraces and illuminates, because “you bring your son Jesus with you, who is life, way, truth and light”.

Filed Under: Exilzeit, News Tagged With: 70 years of Pilgrim Mother, Brasil, Virgen Peregrina

General Questions

Related Sites

Schönstatt News

Annual Report

Imprint | Privacy Policy
Designed by Fuzati
This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Cookie settingsACCEPT
Cookie Settings

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled

Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.

Non-necessary

Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.