Upcoming events for girls & young women:
June 1 - 4, 2023: Retreat for young adult women ages 18 - 35
June 7 - 10, 2023: Summer came for girls ages 14 - 17 (high school)
June 12 - 15, 2023: Summer camp for girls ages 10 - 14
Mount Schoenstatt News
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75 years ago Father Kentenich visited the US for the first time. Then from 1952-1965 he lived in Milwaukee. Join us in exploring the history of this time, especially our founder's encounters with families and the birth of the home shrine.
June 4 - 7, 2023
We will lodge at the International Schoenstatt Center in Waukesha, WI and make trips to the first Schoenstatt Shrine on US soil in Madison as well as to the exile shrine in Milwaukee. We will also meet people who have encountered Father Kentenich during his time in Milwaukee.
Transportation to Waukesha is on your own. Childcare cannot be provided; but if you bring along a friend or relative they are welcome to make their own program.
More information will be available soon! To make reservations, please contact Sr. M. Danielle at 361-55-3146
The Legacy of Schoenstatt’s Founder
Father Joseph Kentenich
Milwaukee, Wisconsin 1952-1965
By Pilar Huerta
We praise God for our grace-filled history.
Graces and blessings of the Milwaukee years as basis for our Exile Legacy
The three-fold Exile Legacy:
- The new image of the Father, Child and Community
- Love of the Church
- The Home Shrine
The New Image of the Father, Child and Community
- Father Kentenich proclaimed that merciful love is the very essence of our God who, as we know from Jesus, is our Father! His own faith-filled experience of the merciful Father God, urged him to proclaim this image again and again.
- He refers to the experience of smallness. The Mother Thrice Admirable used this to lead the Schoenstatt family more deeply to God, as the merciful Father.
Love of the Church
- Behind the lived 31st of May (Third Milestone in our history) was a deep, animated love for the Church. This showed itself in Fr. Kentenich’s clear understanding of his role as “prophet” for the Church, and his obedience.
- Kentenich’s love for the Church stands as a constant call to Schoenstatt that it must always love the Church.
- Father’s charism was a strong Dilexit Ecclesiam which placed the well-being of the Church before his own well-being. It was marked by a firm desire to only do what was best for the Church. It was also a love deeply fused with his love of Mary.
Are we capable of loving the Church in such a manner?
Dilexit Ecclesiam: to love the Church – how does it work?
- Love is always very concrete. It shows in the here and now, in daily life! Love makes contact, love is obliging; it is energetic and effective. Each engagement to the honor of God and to the benefit of my neighbor is a dilexit ecclesiam. Love is able to recognize my neighbor in each person, including those who think differently, including the stranger and even the enemy. Every little gesture strengthens the heart of the Church.
[General Presidium, Milwaukee, 2004]
The Home Shrine
- An answer for a world in need.
- One of the most important fruits of Father Kentenich’s years of exile in Milwaukee was the home shrine.
- “The central problem of daily life is marriage and the family. What are we doing to create holy marriages and families? ” J. K.
- “What do we mean by ‘home shrine’? Many of us have not only dedicated their house to the Blessed Mother in general but also offered it to her as a Living Shrine. Everything which holds true for the Original Shrine and for the daughter shrines also holds true for the home shrines.” K.
- Vatican Council II restored the ancient concept of “domestic church” as it declared: “The family is, so to speak, the domestic church.”
[Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, Lumen Gentium #11]
- Kentenich was one of those few who knew that through the home shrine our Blessed Mother could have a tremendous effect on the life of the family as domestic church. In 1950, Fr. Kentenich was already speaking about the family as a domestic church, nearly 15 years before Vatican II unfolded this reality more fully for the entire Church.
- She has worked miracles of grace witnessed by many families in their home shrines. This home shrine stream has swept through the entire Schoenstatt world across oceans, continents and cultures creating a living net of attachments in our one, holy, Catholic and apostolic Church. What a great hope for the Church of the future! What a great legacy to own, to live! [Partial excerpt: Talk-Fr. G. Langsch; Niehaus, Jonathan. Birth of the Home Shrine]
Dear Schoenstatt Family,
Heartfelt greetings from the exile land of our dear father and founder, Father Joseph Kentenich.
Years ago, when I first heard about John Pozzobon and his work of carrying our Blessed Mother of Schoenstatt, the Pilgrim Mother, to families and schools, I was impressed and enthused. I wanted to know more about this apostolate. In 1987, the time had come. As a Texas Schoenstatt family, we chartered a bus to go on pilgrimage to our founder’s exile places in Wisconsin. This pilgrimage was the open door. Father Kentenich’s gift for Texas in return was a Pilgrim Mother image offered to us by Sister M. Thomasine. The couples, mothers, and girls who took part in the pilgrimage were very open for this pilgrim shrine apostolate. With gratitude and joy in our hearts, we were proud to take this image of our Mother and Queen to the Lone Star State.
It seemed to me, that this particular apostolate was to begin a truly great visitation of our Schoenstatt Mother for the education of the new person in the new community. I recall a talk at a Pilgrim Mother Workshop in Lamar when Father Patricio Rodriguez explained the pilgrim shrine in all its simplicity. It’s a small, wooden shrine in the shape of a little church, but how powerful are the graces the Blessed Mother gives us from this shrine. She works miracles of transformation, of being at home in her mother heart, and in this way she and we become apostolically fruitful in countless ways.
In Father Esteban Uriburu’s book, A Hero Today, Not Tomorrow, we read John Pozzobon’s words: “I am small, but I want to do big things. I was big when I felt small.” [p 14] He continues, “But then came my part; She [the Blessed Mother] entrusted this picture to me. I felt responsible and made up my mind to pray the rosary every night.” [p 15]
We are familiar with John’s wonderful work with the Pilgrim Mother and how it expanded throughout Brazil and Latin America from the Tabor Shrine. When he heard about this endeavor, our father and founder remarked that this work was the new pastoral outreach for the future.
We look back on seventy fruitful years of this apostolate, the Schoenstatt Rosary Campaign with our Pilgrim Mother. However, this wouldn’t have been possible without the instruments chosen by her.
After receiving the image in Wisconsin and traveling back to Texas with it, in August of that same year, 1987, many pilgrims from various dioceses came to the Confidentia Shrine in Lamar to be commissioned as missionaries with a Pilgrim Mother for the first time. Since then, we count over 3000 pilgrim shrines sent throughout the state and from there beyond to other states.
We give thanks for a loyal state team of leaders, who with the help and training of Father Esteban Uriburu and our good Father Hector Vega along with other Schoenstatt Fathers and Sisters, who lead us in our founding initiatives for many years. Today, there are seven auxiliary shrines where our Blessed Mother is crowned in the intentions of each of the Texan dioceses. The first auxiliary shrine was brought by plane from Brazil for the Diocese of Corpus Christi by Don Blan. He also crafted the first crown for this shrine. A precious statue of John Pozzobon carrying the pilgrim shrine was wood carved by Victor Alegria.
In 2012, our very first pilgrim mother was crowned again in gratitude at the twenty-fifth anniversary of the Schoenstatt Rosary Campaign in Texas. For that occasion, a huge pilgrim shrine was made by Tony Scamardo for the celebrations at the Confidentia Shrine in Lamar. I remember so well the sight of the little car rolling towards the Confidentia Shrine with Tony and Joann, and between them the huge pilgrim shrine of about five foot in length, reaching from the backseat to the steering wheel. When I saw them driving in, I ran outside to greet them and was so sorry that I had forgotten the camera. For major celebrations, this large pilgrim shrine received a place of honor on the left side, outside of the Confidentia Shrine on the red carpet; it was always decorated with beautiful flowers by the mothers.
Gratitude, much gratitude also fills our hearts for those who built pilgrim shrines throughout the years: Joe Rodriguez, Victor Alegria, Ignacio Cruz, Bonifacio Rodriguez, Zeke Garza, and Tony Scamardo. To assist the missionaries, and greatly appreciated by them, a Schoenstatt Rosary Campaign guidebook was composed by the state team.
As we read John’s words, may we never tire in this apostolic outreach, but grow ever deeper with love for our Mother and Queen and her work.
Sister M. Corelia Bechold
John recalled:
I often got wet in those days but I wore a cape so the Pilgrim Mother didn’t get wet because I protected her under my cape.
A hero now. I have only to say this word and I lose all fear. My Mother Thrice Admirable and Queen, I want to always remain attached to your shrine. I believe and feel as I never have before. For me, everything is a shrine: praying, working, travelling. Yes, everything. I bear this word hero till the end of my days. It’s a weapon I use in times of temptation. Under the protection of the MTA of Schoenstatt, and together with her, I will overcome my difficulties….
In the Holy Year of 1950, John Pozzobon, a member of the Schoenstatt Movement in Santa Maria, Brazil, received a picture of the Mother Thrice Admirable. It was suggested to him that he take this MTA picture into the homes of many people. He accepted this idea as a holy task and special mission.
For 35 years Pozzobon took the MTA on pilgrimage in Southern Brazil. He walked a total of more than 87,000 miles and brought the picture of our Lady of Schoenstatt to a different family each day. He carried the picture in a shrine-shaped frame weighing over 25 pounds. He went from home to home, into schools, prisons, and hospitals. Pozzobon would gather people together and pray the rosary with them; together they begged for the renewal of families and individuals, for the special pilgrimage graces from the shrine and the picture of grace, and for Mary’s intercession for all their needs. Pozzobon’s pilgrimage began each day with a visit to the Schoenstatt Shrine in Santa Maria and holy Mass. Each day he renewed his covenant of love and received the necessary strength to carry out his mission with zeal.
On September 10, 2020, we will celebrate the 70th anniversary of the birth of the Rosary Campaign During the remainder weeks up to that date, we want to unite in prayer and renew ourselves in our commitment with this apostolate.
The missionaries in San Antonio have prepared a beautiful pin in commemoration of this event. If someone would like to purchase it the contact information is: Edna Salas This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
On Thursday, July 16 we will unite in praying the novena inspired in the life of John Pozzobon: A Hero Today Not Tomorrow. We will pray for nine weeks. The last day will be September 10, 2020.
On September 10, 2020, the International Center in Waukesha, WI will offer the following program: 9 AM Pacific Time = Holy Mass; 3 PM Pacific Time = Documentary about John Pozzobon's life; 6 PM Pacific Time = Lighted Rosary by the Schoenstatt Shrine in Waukesha, Wisconsin. (THE LINKS AND PRAYERS WILL BE SENT LATER ON.)
During this pandemic, and as long as we need to, we want to use caution while at the same time encourage one another in building community in different ways from what we have done in the past.
Since Texas is still not rotating the pilgrim MTA, we should consider establishing times with missionaries to pray the Rosary together via phone or online (google meet, etc.) Recommendation: Every 18th of the month & renew Covenant of Love.
12:30 PM: Registration & Fellowship
1:00 PM: Welcome & Opening Prayer
First Talk (Sister Danielle)
1:30 PM: Reflection on First Talk
Visit Lenten Resource Table
2:00 PM: Break/Snacks
2:15 PM: Second Talk (Sister Danielle)
2:45 PM: Opportunity for:
Sacrament of Reconciliation (Father Vega)
Adoration in Shrine
Rosary in Rosary Garden
Stations of the Cross in Garden
3:45 PM: Prepare for Mass
4:00 PM: Mass of Third Sunday of Lent
Registration: A $10.00 donation is requested.
The Schoenstatt Rosary Campaign’s monthly First Friday Rosary and Holy Hour was held on Friday, November 1. Photos of deceased loved ones were placed on the communion rail as prayers were offered for their souls.
A shrine guardian of the Cor Unum in Patre Shrine, Roseanne Warner, recited a prayer-poem she had composed for the special commemorative service on the Solemnity of All Saints and All Souls Day. The Schoenstatt Family shares Roseanne’s poem below:
In Memory of those I love –
Composed by Roseanne Blount Warner
The Day dawns quietly
My heart feels heavy
I will carry you with me
Down to the Shrine
You live in my heart
I whisper your names
Your faces I see
Through the echoes of time
I gently share stories
Place intentions in prayer
The little framed pictures
In this place so Divine
I miss you, I love you
Your presence is felt
As I pray so softly
On this Rosary of mine
Candles flicker so gently
Your faces look at me
Your spirit I feel
The beauty sublime
The sun is rising
My heart feels your peace
I will carry you home
From my sweet little Shrine
By Pilar Huerta
The day after the dedication of the Cor Unum in Patre Shrine, the Guardian Circle was in place with guardians both in the morning and afternoon to welcome visitors. A sacristan, from the liturgical ministries, served our Lord and the priests for the very first Sunday Mass celebrated in the Cor Unum in Patre Shrine. Several members from the Dallas Diocese sealed the Covenant of Love on this day.
Part Nine – Blessings for the shrine’s mission
Life in and from the shrine has brought God’s abundant blessings for the shrine’s mission. The guardians welcome many pilgrims from Texas, the U. S., Mexico, Puerto Rico, the Philippines, Central, and South America. In their encounters with the pilgrims, the guardians strive to make God’s love tangible by their words and service. The mission of the shrine, cor unum in Patre (being one heart in the Father) expresses the spirit of unity. In the shrine, Mary shows herself, to all who come here to pray, as the Mother of unity who unites all hearts in the love of her Son. One of the graces we receive is the grace of being at home in the heart of God. We, the Schoenstatt Family, and the pilgrims become anchored in the deep unity with God that comes through faith.
Improvements on the grounds of Mount Schoenstatt were special projects of the Schoenstatt Family in the first two years. United with one another, we worked on prayer and meditation areas: the Rosary Garden, Stations of the Cross to the top of the hill, the St. Joseph Circle and pilgrim rest areas with tables and benches. In later years, additional meditation areas were developed. Today, Mount Schoenstatt is a beautiful tranquil Marian place of pilgrimage.
Soon after the shrine was dedicated, the facilities at Mount Schoenstatt were made available, in service to the archdiocese, for day retreats of parish ministries, other movements and youth organizations. The Schoenstatt youth from San Antonio, Austin and Corpus Christi and the Austin university men and women were welcomed for weekend retreats and overnight campouts. God bestowed a great blessing to our San Antonio Schoenstatt Family. From the Schoenstatt University Men, there are two vocations, young men from San Antonio, to the Institute of the Schoenstatt Fathers!
The scheduled Masses, Eucharistic adoration, weekly rosaries, day retreats, formation conferences and group meetings brought many participants. Our Mother’s activity from the shrine inspired new life for the Schoenstatt branches, federation communities and the Schoenstatt Rosary Campaign. She drew many to herself – new children from the nearby parish of Our Lady of Guadalupe and the Helotes community.
Through the Pilgrim MTA Shrine of the Rosary Campaign, two thousand families from metropolitan San Antonio and surrounding cities, in the Archdiocese of San Antonio, have come to know and love the Mother Thrice Admirable, Queen and Victress of Schoenstatt. For three days every month they welcome her in their homes with the special graces she brings from the shrine. As Mother and Educator, she forms holy families.
Working together – “unity” -- was the main ingredient for having successful fundraisers. Through fundraising efforts and generous donations, two new developments were possible, Hope Religious Store and the Sacristy with a studio.
We are grateful for the call and blessing to be used as small instruments in the hand of our Mother and Queen for the realization of our shrine’s mission of “cor unum in Patre.” It is a rich legacy and holy task of great significance to offer to Church and world from our shrine.
Our holy history of five decades, 50 years of great blessings, brings us to November 2019 – a Golden Jubilee celebration and a scroll that was signed by the members of the New Founding Generation (second 50 years).
Click for photos - www.mountschoenstatt.org/event-gallery
© 2019 Pilar Huerta, some rights reserved for entire document, request permission to make copies.
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