Schoenstatt: A Marian Devotion

Yesterday was the celebration of the Memorial of Our Lady of Fatima in the Catholic Church.  I have previously had Thursday Thoughts about Our Lady of Fatima (October 13, 2014).  If you can access that, I invite you to do that, or email me at jkenkel@aol.com, I can send it to you.  Today, though, I am thinking about another devotion connected to our Blessed Mother and that is the Schoenstatt Movement.

There is much to be said about Schoenstatt and this space is way too short.  The Movement was begun in Germany in 1914 by a Pallotine priest by the name of Father Joseph Kentenich.  At the heart of the devotion is the Schoenstatt shrine, a small chapel honoring the Blessed Mother.  The photo below is of one such chapel on the campus of the International Schoenstatt Center in Waukesha, Wisconsin.  In Nebraska, as you may know, one has been built on an 80-acre site called the Cor Mariae Schoenstatt Center near Crete.  Father Kentenich has called attention to the fact that the shrine is a “place of grace” for all who come and pray there.  There are over two hundred of these shrines worldwide, eight in the United States, all built since the original shrine was dedicated in Germany in 1914.

Father Kentenich is known for his unique Catholic spirituality that has been put in place and spread through the Schoenstatt Movement.  Some keywords in this spirituality are:  the Mother Thrice Admirable, the Covenant of Love, and the Contributions to the Capital of Grace (ie., “contributions” being prayer and good deeds, not cash).  Activities at the shrine in Crete include summer camps for youth.  For a complete schedule, visit the Cor Mariae web site, http://cormariae.com/.

One of my daughters is a Schoenstatt Sister, Sister Emily.  She is currently in residence at the Center in Waukesha and is serving as the novice mistress for our province.  Any young woman discerning a religious vocation may contact her for information.  Please leave a comment below or email me at jkenkel@aol.com if you would like contact information.

I have been invited to give an hour-long presentation at the upcoming National Exile Congress, a conference that will be held at the Retreat Center in Waukesha, Wisconsin, July 23-26, 2015.  Here is a web site giving for more information:  http://www.schoenstattwisconsin.org/.  You can click on a link there to view/download a brochure describing the Congress and also for a registration form.  My presentation is the one designated for Saturday morning of the Congress, July 25, beginning at 9:15 am.  The building in which the Congress will take place is in the background in the photo below.

My prayer for today is one written by Father Kentenich:  O Triune God, be eternally praised for all the great things you have done for us:  for giving Schoenstatt a Mother and for immersing us deeply into Christ through her.  Amen.