Meditation by Pilar Huerta

Words of our founder, Fr. Joseph Kentenich 

“What is the significance of St. Michael in our Family history?  We do see him in all our shrines in a prominent place.  How did he get there?  Firstly, we took into account in old tradition, yes, actually an historical fact.  From the very beginning, the small chapel had been dedicated to St. Michael.  That is why he came to be in the chapel, in our shrine.  But right at the start of our Family history, from that moment on, when we gave him a place there, we interpreted his mission thus:  He should be the guardian of the Blessed Sacrament.  That was the first conscious motive.  Later this motive was expanded.

Allow me to remind you that in the belief of the Church, St. Michael was always regarded as the opponent of Lucifer.  Therefore, when we think of St. Michael, we must also consciously think of the opponent and the mission which Lucifer has had within the framework of our Family, and we should remind ourselves that we once made the resolution to pray the “Exorcism” every morning and evening in order to conquer the diabolical powers in the Family but also in the lives of each individual.  How does St. Michael stand before us? He stands as the divinely elected, especially chosen instrument in the service of our Thrice Admirable Mother and Queen of Schoenstatt.”

Our father and founder continues… “Consider the following thought:  on entering our little shrine and all our shrines, should we not give a little more attention to St. Michael?  I briefly indicated to you why St. Michael maintains such a position in our shrines, and I now repeat the reasons: 

From an historical point of view the chapel was a Chapel of St. Michael; furthermore we regard him as the Guardian of the Blessed Sacrament, and as an instrument—now I must be more explicit—not only in the hands of Our Lady, but of our Mother Thrice Admirable, Queen and Victress of Schoenstatt.”

[Partial excerpt Meditations on the Schoenstatt Shrine, 1981]

As contribution to the capital of grace:

Prayer of Exorcism, HW p. 176

Prayer to St. Michael the Archangel

History of the Statue of St. Michael 

In 1914, Michael Kolb, Provincial Superior, donated the statue of St. Michael for the little Sodality Chapel.  In 1934, when the new altar was installed, the statue of St. Michael was erected to the left of the altar.  On March 25, 1934, when the Original Shrine was solemnly dedicated to the MTA, St. Michael was declared its second patron.  Today, the statue of St. Michael is found in every daughter shrine throughout the world.

In the Cor Unum in Patre Shrine, the St. Michael statue was erected on the left side of the altar on October 18, 2008, the day of dedication of the shrine.  The St. Michael statue is a gift of the Schoenstatt family of the Brownsville Diocese.   The statue was sculpted by Mr. Nivardo Rodriguez, artist and sculptor from Apaseo el Alto, Guanajuato, Mexico.