Schoenstatt
- A Place
Schoenstatt is a religious center,
a place of pilgrimage, a shrine
dedicated to Mary. The first Shrine-located
in Germany near Colbence on the
Rhine-became Our Lady's place
of grace in 1914. Throughout the
years, many such shrines have
been erected across the world,
each of them an exact replica
of the Mother Shrine. They are
the spiritual centers of the international
Apostolic Movement of Schoenstatt.
Schoenstatt - A Movement
The Schoenstatt Movement is a
special kind of spiritual community,
offering a place and support to
any Catholic searching for spritual
growth and apostolic activity.
It comprises people of all walks
and states of life, of all ages
and cultures. It has expanded
internationally into more than
28 nations. It cannot be compared
to a club, an association or guild,
or to any work-related or special
interest group. It has an image
of its own.
A
Movement of Moral and Religious
Renewal…
It takes up the most important
task facing the people of our
time: the moral and religious
renewal of the whole world,
in the spirit of Christ, according
to the teaching of our Catholic
Church.
A
Movement of Lay Apostolate…
The main body of the movement
is formed by lay people who
work in conjunction with priests.
Together they serve the universal
apostolate of the Church in
the world today. By their striving
to sanctify each day, they hope
to fulfill the challenge of
Vatican II, "to consecrate
the world."
A
Movement of Education…
Education and spiritual formation
of each person are necessary
in order to render the apostolic
endeavors fruitful. Schoenstatt
offers specific methods of education
which help us to reach the final
goal of our catholic living;
self-education should bring
about the inner renewal of each
person, the formation of a new
person in a new society.
A
Modern and Necessary Movement…
Schoenstatt has come into existence
in our time, for our time and
the coming centuries. While
anticipating all that is new
and valuable, it is firmly rooted
in the tradition of the Church
and human life. It is new in
the way it establishes groups
and builds community life. It
is new in its education and
formation, in its customs and
apostolic work. It is new in
its juridical place within the
Church. It is a very necessary
movement in a time of dissolution
when all traditional values
and forms are questioned and
in a time of transition beyond
compare. It is a God-given sign
and means for solving the manifold
tasks of our age.
A
Marian Movement…
Schoenstatt was founded as a
work and instrument of God through
Mary. Mary was chosen to be
the associate of Christ in his
entire work of redemption. As
his mother and the Mother of
all the redeemed, she continues
to fulfill her task of giving
birth to Christ in our time,
of bringing him to all peoples
and helping to establish his
kingdom.
The
Mother Thrice Admirable, Queen
and Victress of Schoenstatt
chose Schoenstatt for an original
task and with a special spirituality
and message for our time.
Schoenstatt
- A Family
Schoenstatt is a family-like
movement which unites individual
persons in a natural-supernatural
family. The spiritual father
of the Schoenstatt family is
the founder of Schoenstatt,
Father Joseph Kentenich, who
cares for his foundation for
all times. The covenant of love
with the Triune God, with the
Mother Thrice Admirable of Schoenstatt
and with each other, secures
family unity. The shrine of
our Lady is the spiritual home
and center of the Schoenstatt
family. Throughout its blessed
and fruitful history, the Schoenstatt
family has experienced God's
guidance and a powerful inbreak
of grace, as well as a heroic
surrender of the people to God
in loving response to his gifts.
Schoenstatt
- A Spirituality and Message
Schoenstatt's spirituality gives
inspiration and direction to
all those who search for inner
renewal:
o
a living and practical faith
in Divine Providence
o a life of everyday sanctity
o instrumentality
o covenant of love with the
Mother Thrice Admirable, Queen
and Victress of Schoenstatt
as a means to realize one's
baptismal covenant with the
Triune God.
Schoenstatt's
message and great gift for our
Church and time is the original
covenant of love which has grown
out of a living, practical faith
in Divine Providence and finds
expression in a deep mission-consciousness
and fruitful apostolate.
Schoenstatt
- A New Way of Life
Schoenstatt offers a way of
life which affects every aspect
of one's life and one's relationship
with others. It does not demand
saying certain prayers, participating
in certain activities, and/or
attending meetings and gatherings.
But, Schoenstatt does want to
stimulate the practice of self-education
and secure each person's striving
for perfection. It offers monthly
discussions on the spirituality
of Schoenstatt and its application
to daily life, to questions
about the Church and problems
of our time. Usually, people
of similar calling join together
in small group units (8-10 people
or 5-6 couples) and receive
spiritual enrichment and ideas
for their practical striving.
Annual retreats, days of recollection,
summer camps, family picnics,
and other activities are also
offered. The saintly lives of
Schoenstatt members, especially
that of the father and founder
of Schoenstatt, prove that Schoenstatt
is a new way of life, leading
to the height of sanctity.
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