We did not set out alone. That was the first certainty that accompanied each of our steps. The pilgrimage “With Sister M. Emilie, pilgrims of hope,” experienced by members of the Emilie Project in Chile during the Holy Year of 2025”, was not only a geographical itinerary, but also a profound and shared experience, sustained by the prayers of many and guided by a deep desire: to give thanks for the life of Sister M. Emilie Engel and to ask, as a Church, for her prompt beatification. That is why we want to share it during these days when we celebrate and give thanks for her birth (February 6) and her recognition as a child of God, which marks her life so deeply (baptism, February 8).
As @proyectoemilie, we had the privilege of participating in the first pilgrimage organized around Sr. M. Emilie’s life and witness. We did so knowing that this journey does not end here, but remains open to future pilgrimages, both physical and spiritual, for those who want to get to know her, entrust their intentions to her, and allow themselves to be touched by her witness. As pilgrims of hope, we visited some of the most significant milestones of her life and mission, where her faith came to life through her trusting dedication.
The starting point
Our journey began in Schoenstatt, the home, the land of the Covenant. We started, of course, with a visit to the Original Shrine, the place of the first “yes” that transformed so many lives, including Sr. M. Emilie’s. We visited the tomb of the heroes, Father Kentenich’s house, Marienau, the Adoration Church, and Father’s tomb, among other places… and, in a very special way, Sonneck, where Sister M. Emilie lived during her convalescence after years of illness and operations for tuberculosis. In her small room, adjacent to the chapel, we understood that her fragility was not sterile: from there she became a source of consolation, a silent beacon, and a living school of trust in Divine Providence.
From Schoenstatt, we made a pilgrimage to Husten, the village where she was born and baptized. We were able to visit her family home, as we had seen it in photos in the book “My Yes is Forever,” and share it with her family. We were welcomed by Michael Engel, Emilie’s great-grandnephew, and his mother Helena, widow of Emilie’s grandnephew. Shortly after, we went to the parish where she spent her childhood. There, we discovered the origin of a daily loyalty, learned in the little things. In the Chapel of the Sacred Heart, which has a relic of Sr. M. Emilie, there is an altar frontal given to her and embroidered by her with the inscription “Heart of Jesus, to you eternal loyalty.” We ended this tour at St. Clement’s Parish in Drolshagen, where she was baptized, and there we renewed our baptismal covenant.
The culmination of a life devoted to the Lord
The journey then took us to Metternich, where she spent her last years and where she was called to her final encounter with the Father. There, at her tomb, we placed the intentions that many had entrusted to us. It was a profoundly moving moment. That space, marked by the cross and hope, revealed itself to us as an actual altar of intercession. Even in her illness and immobility, Sr. M. Emilie continues to be an apostle of childlike trust for the Church, a woman who leads children to the Father. In all these places, we rediscovered that her holiness was not born of extraordinary gestures, but of constant and silent dedication.
We gathered with the Sisters of Mary in Schulungheim to celebrate their 100th anniversary, and before leaving, some pilgrims made their Covenant of Love. At the same time, the rest of us renewed ours in the Original Shrine, united with our Father and Founder and guided by Sr. M. Emilie.
In Rome, a look to the future
Following in her footsteps, and as she did on two occasions, we made a pilgrimage to Rome. We did not arrive as tourists, but as children walking towards the visible heart of the Church. We crossed the Holy Doors and prayed, asking for the Church, for the Pope, and in a very special way, for the miracle necessary for the beatification of Sister M. Emilie, as a true gift for our time.
We also visited the Schoenstatt Shrines in Rome, the Cor Ecclesiae and the Matri Ecclesiae, recognizing in them Father Kentenich’s longing and Mary’s place as the heart of the Church. There, we entrusted Sr. M. Emilie with our deep desire: that many more may come to know her, be touched by her story, and experience her intercession.
This account is being written on particularly significant days. As we remember her birthday on February 6 and her baptism on February 8, we entrust ourselves to her special spiritual closeness. We believe that these are not isolated dates, but days of grace. A gift to update and celebrate her testimony. During these days, we share and renew our trust in her intercession and our conviction that Emilie is a light of hope for the Church today.
That is why the Emilie Project exists. Not only to preserve a memory, but to make it known, to invite others to pray, to ask, to give thanks, and to allow themselves to be educated by her practical and confident faith. We invite all who feel close to her to join us: praying for her beatification, sharing her story, entrusting their intentions to her, and walking alongside her as pilgrims of hope… and soon to celebrate her beatification.
This first pilgrimage is not an endpoint. It is a beginning. With Sr. M. Emilie, we move forward.
More information at: instagram.com/proyectoemilie/
