A new edition of the “Engling Info” was published on December 8th. In it, Dr. Alicja Kostka, vice-postulator of the process of Joseph Englings’s beatification, writes about the current state of affairs in Prosity, the birthplace of the young man who belonged to the co-founding generation of the Schoenstatt Movement. “We look back with gratitude on the year that is ending after having many good encounters and experiences of growth in Joseph Engling’s family home and in the building of his former school, which the local Schoenstatt Family was able to acquire in 2021 with a lot of support from the Schoenstatt Family worldwide,” says Kostka.
Rustic nature offers itself as a place of retreat
Immediately after the purchase agreement, the school building was able to temporarily accommodate three Ukrainian families. After these families returned home, several visitors, families and individuals, spent their vacations at the Engling family home and at the former school during the summer months. Prosity, with its unspoiled natural landscape, proved to be a place of retreat and renewal for the body and soul.
A place to get to know a true Schoenstatt original more closely
The couple Eva and Erich Berger, from Austria, were on their way to Lithuania, accompanying families as part of the Schoenstatt Movement’s Family Academy in Kahlenberg, Austria.
On their way to Lithuania, they stopped in Prosity, in the family house, prompted to visit this city by a Lithuanian family who wanted to know more about Joseph Engling, as an original Schoenstatt rock.
The “uplifting bonds”, a source of inspiration
The concept of the “Father-Daughter Days” in Prosity led Klemens Ramolla, of the Family Federation, along with his young daughter, to spend a few days at the home of Joseph Engling’s parents. The encounter with Joseph and the stories of the “uplifting bond” that the young Schoenstatt boy had experienced through his mentor, Father Joseph Kentenich, were a rich source of inspiration for the family man.
The Blessed Mother visits Joseph’s family home
An important event that took place around this past August 15 was the transfer of the “Schoenstatt altar” from the Prosity parish church to Joseph Engling’s home. “The Blessed Mother visited Joseph in his home,” Kostka said. It was a “historic event and probably the fulfillment of Joseph’s dream”. Thus, a peculiar home shrine with a very special “extra-large dimension” is now located in the former barn of Joseph’s family home, a “shrine in the house with a seating area where one can feel completely at home,” according to the newsletter.
Renovation work and need for support
In the school area, renovation work has already been carried out in one of the two large classrooms and in the entrance area. This has already made it possible to hold the first meetings in the rooms in a cozy atmosphere. But further renovation work would require considerably more effort, as this part of the building is in poor condition. To carry out the large-scale project of thermal insulation of the old school building as well as Joseph Engling’s family home, the association responsible for this project needs additional support. To this end, the collaboration of donors and non-profit sponsors must be obtained. Supporting this project could be a wonderful Christmas present for Joseph, said Alicja Kostka.