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Pilgrimage of Hope -
Rome and Schoenstatt
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Pilgrimage
of Hope
Rome and Schoenstatt
Schoenstatt Movement, USA
Names, Schedule, Songs,
Prayers, and Reflections
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Pilgrimage Books edited or used: 2010,
2011, 2012, 2014, 2018.
Schoenstatt Movement, USA ©
schoenstatt-movement.us
Schoenstatt Movement- USA
W284 N698 Cherry Lane
Waukesha WI 53188
internationalschoenstattcenter.us
Printed in Italy. 2025.©
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Table of Contents
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Pilgrims(of(Hope(-(2025(...........................................................................(7!
Schedule(........................................................................................................(8!
Addresses(of(places(where(we(will(stay(..........................................(18!
Pilgrim’s(Prayer(......................................................................................(20!
A(Pilgrim’s(Reflection:(...........................................................................(20!
Morning(Prayers(.....................................................................................(22!
Evening(Prayers(......................................................................................(26!
Opening(Meal(Prayer(to(tune(of(Edelweiss(....................................(30!
At(the(Start(of(the(Pilgrimage(.............................................................(31!
Timeline(-(Father(Kentenich’s(Life(....................................................(43!
Renewal(of(our(Baptismal(Vows(........................................................(50!
In(Praise(of(Divine(Providence(...........................................................(53!
Songs(...........................................................................................................(56!
Jubilee(2014(–(We(Are(Your(Family(..................................................(82!
Exploring(Schoenstatt(...........................................................................(84(
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Pilgrims of Hope - 2025
1. Fr. Cristobal
Asenjo
2. Sr. M. Isabel
Bracero
3. Allahi
Banisadr
4. Oliver
Bernardon
5. Augusto
Bernardon
6. Fabio
Bernardon
7. Sonia
Lugo
8. Maria
Chapa
9. Jorge
Chapa
10. Loretta
Charles
11. Julianne
Davis
12. Kim
Davis
13. Dora
Garza Martinez
14. Kent
Jeanneret
15. Erlinda
Jeanneret
16. Thelma
Muñoz
17. Sonia
Mondón
18. Evelyn
Quiñones
19. Hiram
Quiñones
20. Michelle
Chambers
21. Monica
Villareal
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Schedule
Thursday, June 5 - Arrival to Rome
AM/PM
All travelers arrive to Rome (Airport
Fiumicino - FCO)
Three mini vans will be available to pick
us up
from the airport and bring us to the hotel.
AM/PM
Upon arrival to the Hotel pilgrims settle
and rest
7:00
PM
Dinner at Hotel
Welcome to all pilgrims and
announcements for next day
Friday, June 6 – Rome
7:30
AM
Breakfast
8:45
11:45
AM
AM
Transport the Catacombs
Visit the Catacombs of St. Sebastian
Return to the hotel
12:30
PM
Noon meal at the hotel
2:00
5:00
PM
PM
Transport to the Cor Ecclesiae Shrine
Holy Mass, snack, and touring
Return to the hotel
7:00
PM
Dinner at Hotel
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Saturday, June 7 – Rome
6:30
8:10
AM
AM
AM
Grab breakfast bag at Hotel restaurant
Depart for Basilica of St. Mary Major
Holy Mass
12:00
2:00
5:00
AM
AM
PM
PM
PM
Possibility of audio self-guided tour
Visit Pope Francis’ tomb
Lunch
Transfer to join the Schoenstatt
Movement Pilgrimage from Trastevere
to St. Peter’s Square (Three Stations)
Joint entrance at St. Peter’s
6:00
PM
Pre-Vigil in St. Peter's Square
8:00
10:00
PM
PM
Pentecost Vigil presided by the Holy
Father
Return to the hotel
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Sunday June 8th – Rome
6:00
6:30
AM
AM
Grab breakfast
Transport to St. Peters
9:30
2:00
AM
PM
Holy Mass for the Ecclesial Movements,
Associations and New Communities with
the Holy Father
Lunch (on our own)
Cross Holy Door – ID: 383602-
Schoenstatt Movement, USA
5:00
PM
Return to the hotel
7:00
PM
Dinner
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Monday June 9 – Rome
7:00
AM
Breakfast
8:30
9:00
9:30
AM
AM
PM
Leave hotel for Schoenstatt Matri
Ecclessiae Shrine
Confessions begin
Program starts: Welcome,
Presentation of Crowns, Testimonies.
Holy Mass with the Rite of Coronation
1:00
PM
Lunch at the Schoenstatt Center
3:30
4:00
PM
PM
Schoenstatt Workshops in various
languages
First chance to return to hotel
7:00
7:30
8:00
PM
PM
PM
Solemn Vespers and Covenant Renewal
Last chance to return to the hotel
Dinner at hotel
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Tuesday June 10 - Rome to Assisi
7:00
AM
Breakfast
8:00
AM
Leave hotel to Assisi
11:00
4:00
7:00
AM
PM
PM
Arrival at Assisi – Tour and visit of Carlo
Acutis Grave
Mass and Lunch in Assisi
Return to hotel
Dinner
Wednesday, June 11 - Rome to Munich
7:00
9:45
AM
AM
Breakfast
Leave hotel
12:50
2:25
PM
PM
FCO – Fiumicino Airport, Rome to MUC
– Munich Airport, Germany
Lufthansa #1875
Arrival in Munich Airport
18:00
PM
Possibly Mass upon arrival
Supper at monastery
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Thursday June 12 - Munich
8:00
AM
Breakfast
9:30
AM
Leave to Dachau concentration Camp
10:00
AM
Arrival at Dachau
12:00
PM
Lunch time
1:30
PM
Return to Munich Center
4:00
PM
Free time
6:00
PM
Dinner
8:00
PM
Return to the Monastery
Friday, June 13 - Munich
8:00
AM
Breakfast
9:00
AM
Depart for Kösching
11:30
AM
Holy Mass
1:00
PM
Lunch on the way
3:00
PM
Munich – Center of the Schoenstatt
Fathers
6:00
PM
Dinner at the Monastery
7:30
PM
Visit to Munich Center (TBC)
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Saturday, June 14 – Munich
7:00
AM
Morning Prayer & Holy Mass
8:00
AM
Breakfast at monastery
Grab lunch packet for picnic on the way.
12:00
PM
Stop for lunch picnic on the way
2:00
PM
Visit to Ennabeuren
4:00
PM
Continue traveling to Stuttgart
7:30
PM
Dinner in Stuttgart
Sunday, June 15 - Munich to Stuttgart
7:00
AM
Holy Mass
8:00
AM
Breakfast
10:00
AM
Continue traveling to Schoenstatt
11:00
AM
Arrival to the Stuttgart Shrine
12:30
PM
Lunch at the Stuttgart Schoenstatt Center
3:00
6:00
PM
PM
Continue traveling to Schoenstatt
Dinner at Mount Moriah
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Monday, June 16 - Mount Schoenstatt
8:00
AM
Breakfast
9:00
AM
Depart to Mount Schoenstatt
9:30
AM
Holy Mass
10:30
AM
Guided tour in the Adoration Church
11:15
AM
Guided tour in the Schulungsheim
12:30
PM
Lunch
2:00
6:00
PM
PM
Guided tour in the Father Kentenich
House and Marienland Shrine
Dinner in Marienland
Tuesday, June 17 - Visit to Venerable Emilie Engel,
Metternich
8:00
AM
Breakfast
9:30
AM
Leave to Metternich
12:00
PM
Possibly holy Mass in Metternich
Lunch in Metternich
2:00
PM
Shopping and site seeing
5:00
PM
Depart for Schoenstatt
6:00
PM
Dinner in Schoenstatt
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Wednesday, June 18 – Visit Schoenstatt Valley
Silent Retreat
8:00
AM
Breakfast at Moriah
9:00
AM
Walk to the Original Shrine
9:30
AM
Private Holy Mass
10:30
AM
Reflection followed by silence
12:00
PM
Lunch at Pilgerhaus
3:00
PM
Rosary in common - silence continued
6:00
PM
Dinner at Pilgerhaus
7:30
PM
Covenant Renewal Mass – German –
Pilgrim Church
Thursday, June 19 – Schoenstatt
8:00
AM
Breakfast at Moriah
10:30
AM
Visit Schoenstatt Valley
12:00
PM
Lunch in the Pilgerhaus
1:00
PM
Afternoon free to visit places freely
6:00
PM
Visit the Founder Chapel
Free time to pack
Dinner
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Friday, June 20 - Visit Gymnich and Cologne
8:00
AM
Breakfast
9:00
AM
Depart for Gymnich
10:30
AM
Father Kentenich House in Gymnich
12:00
PM
Lunch
1:30
PM
Visit the church of St. Cunibert
Renewal of Baptismal Promises
3:00
PM
Depart for Cologne
4:00
PM
Visit to the Shrine in Cologne
Afternoon and evening in Cologne
8:00
PM
Return to Schoenstatt
Saturday, June 21 - Departure
7:15
AM
Holy Mass – Mount Moriah
8:00
AM
Breakfast – Mount Moriah
Airport trips according to flight schedules
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Addresses of places where we will stay
ROME
Hotel Villa Pamphili, Rome
Via della Nocetta, 105, 00164 ROMA
MUNICH
Premier Inn Stuttgart Bad Cannstatt
Teinacher Str. 20
70372 Stuttgart
SCHOENSTATT
Mount Moriah
56337 Simmern/Westerwald
56179 Vallendar
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Prayers
and
Reflections
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Pilgrim’s Prayer
Dear Mother Thrice Admirable, Queen, and Victress of
Schoenstatt,
You have called me to this holy place, the place where heaven
touches earth. Thank you that you made it possible for me to be
here.
I place into your hands all the sacrifices that were necessary for
me to meet you here.
Please open my heart for the inbreak of the divine from these
holy places. Make me receptive for all you want to give me from
here – especially the graces of transformation, of finding a home,
and of apostolic zeal.
Help me to become deeply rooted in this place of grace, so that I
may lead many to you and to your shrine. Amen.
A Pilgrim’s Reflection:
I left the world behind me.
I left behind my daily life
With its routines, its struggles and concerns.
I left behind me everything,
And I have come to meet my God.
I have come to meet him here
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Where all is holy – holy ground!
I step on holy ground!
A Pilgrim in Schoenstatt
Each move I make leads me to her, to him.
To her: the Blessed among women,
Who took possession of this place
And rules and guides with a mother's care.
To her I open now my heart.
I open it wide for the grace of transformation,
That I may find a home, and be sent as an apostle.
I do not only open it. I render it entirely.
It shall be anchored here forever.
And she leads me to him.
To him, my father and founder,
Who waits for me in his new presence.
His resting place is a place of grace,
And silently I wait and pray
For the inbreak of God's love.
The longing of my soul is great:
May I become a child of this great father.
May I be formed by him in everything!
I ask him to bestow his blessing on all I love,
And for his guidance throughout life.
Everything I see and hear –
The many blossoms, many smiles,
The songs of love and joy,
The sound of bells –
They all tell me throughout the day:
It is good that I am here.
Here I have found my God,
And here I want to live for all eternity.
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Morning Prayers
L In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy
Spirit. Amen.
L In spirit I kneel before your picture,
A Thrice Admirable, strong and gentle Mother, united with all
who have consecrated themselves to you and are ready to die for
your realm. We want to mirror ourselves in your image and seal
our covenant of love anew. Make us, your instruments, like you in
everything and through us build Schoenstatt everywhere.
L Your shrine is our Nazareth where Christ, the Sun, warmly
shines.
A This sun, with its clear and radiant light, forms the history of
the Holy Family and awakens strong and silent everyday sanctity
in blessed family unity.
L Through this Nazareth for homeless times God wants to
prepare salvation for families and mercifully bestow everyday
sanctity on those who dedicate themselves to Schoenstatt.
A Mother, let Christ shine in us more brightly and join us
together in holy community, always ready for the sacrifices our
holy mission may demand of us.
Glory be joyfully given to the Father through Christ with Mary,
highly praised, in the Holy Spirit full of splendor from the
universe now and in all eternity. Amen.
L Father, I may awake with new strength to rekindle my love. Let
me joyfully greet you together with all your Schoenstatt.
A We are united in the shrine where the flames of our hearts beat
for our Mother Thrice Admirable who, through us, wants to build
your kingdom.
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L We kneel in the Holy Spirit and sing jubilant hymns to Christ,
who sends us with her as instruments to change the destiny of
nations.
A We give you thanks for all the gifts which we have received in
such abundance: for choosing Schoenstatt as the place of Christ’s
rebirth.
L and the place where you radiate into the world the glories of
our Mother, so that streams of love may pour forth to warm cold
hearts.
A Use us according to your will. Through Schoenstatt may the
wide halls of the holy Church be filled again and your praise
resound to your throne.
L You may use us for your work and send us crosses, suffering
and hardship; whether we meet with failure or success we want to
proclaim your love.
A May what you have foreseen for us be realized in every moment
of our lives. We have but a single longing: Lead us according to
your wise plans.
L Our ideal shall shine before us and form our entire lives. For
this you have created us in love (P.I.); for this we strive with all
our strength (P.E.).
(Renewal of the personal ideal and particular examination)
L Let us glow like brands of fire…
A and joyfully go forth to the nations, giving witness to
redemption and jubilantly leading all people to the Triune God.
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L When we consider our own strength we lose all hope and
confidence. Mother, we stretch out our hands to you and ask for
your many gifts of love.
A Even in storms and dangers you will always remain faithful to
the covenant you have sealed with us and enriched with countless
graces.
L You will send us vocations who join us in pledging themselves
for your kingdom. You will give us work and richly bless us and
unite your unlimited power to our powerlessness.
A What I bear and endure, what I say and what I dare, what I
think and what I cherish, all the merits that I gain, what I direct
and what I conquer, all my joys and all my sorrows: what I am
and what I have, I give to you as a gift of love. Use it so that the
holy stream of graces flowing richly from the shrine may fill the
souls of those who have given their hearts to Schoenstatt and
gently lead there all those whom you wish to choose in kindness.
Accept everything that our efforts may be fruitful which we
dedicate to the Trinity.
L May God’s blessing come upon all those who have consecrated
themselves entirely to Schoenstatt and bring them happiness and
salvation here and in eternity.
A Amen.
L My Queen, my Mother,
A I give myself entirely to you, and to show my devotion to you I
consecrate to you this day my eyes, my ears, my mouth, my heart,
my entire self without reserve. As I am your own, my good
Mother, guard me and defend me as your property and
possession. Amen.
P May the blessing of Almighty God, the Father, Son, and Holy
Spirit come upon you and remain with you forever,
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A Amen.
L Nos cum prole pia Translation: Mother with your blessed Son,
A Benedicat Virgo Maria. Bless us each and everyone.
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Evening Prayers
L In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
L Silent and tired, the sun now goes to rest and Sion smiles on us
from afar.
A Your dying was an ecstasy of purest longing; your body never
knew corruption. You reign now transfigured in the “Holy City,”
on Sion, which God has opened to you.
L Through the shrine you constantly direct us upwards to the
eternal Schoenstatt where we will one day praise God. You show
us the transitoriness of the earthly world until you have led us to
things eternal.
A Teach me to live each day so that my dying becomes easy, as
befits an heir of heaven. Teach me to judge myself each night in
such a way that after death I may see you and God.
A Glory be joyfully given to the Father through Christ with Mary,
highly praised, in the Holy Spirit full of splendor from the
universe now and in all eternity. Amen.
L Father, after the day’s burden and toil, we come to seek rest in
you, who have guided us and chosen us as instruments.
A Praise and thanks be given to you, who accompanied us today
and accomplished through us deeds which brought you great joy.
L Through us you added stone on stone in building up your
Schoenstatt Work, which you have graciously chosen to bring
salvation to the whole world.
A Our Mother’s hand held us fast in loyalty, never leaving us
alone, for it is to us, as the Lord’s bride that you have entrusted
your work.
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L All the blessings that flowed to us today and were showered
upon us from the altar, carried us majestically and nobly like a
mighty ocean of grace.
A You greeted us lovingly and gladdened our lives, for our Savior
often stood before us in human vesture.
L Through human suffering he often called us, beckoning us to
his side; he often sent us crosses and through them made us more
like himself.
A May the things which gladdened you, Father, flow back to the
fountain of graces which streams forth from our shrine to the
honor of the Trinity.
L Father, may the Savior’s Precious Blood atone for everything
which grieved your fatherly heart because we did not love you
enough.
A Heed the pleas of our Mother and let her be our advocate.
Kindly accept her merits and look on us with a father’s mercy.
L Our hearts were often obstinate when the world enticed us. We
were often inattentive when you expressed your wishes.
A Many hidden reservations made our hearts tired and cold,
while many evil passions diminished the strength of our love.
L Often our deeds angered you and destroyed what our preaching
and words had continually proclaimed.
A Often we misused our time and missed opportunities to do
good. Our omissions weigh heavily upon us for they have
deprived us of your grace.
L Our great ideal was therefore darkened and caused you anguish
(P.I.); the day’s struggle was uninspired (P.E.) because spirit was
lacking and deeds were few.
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(Pause for examination of conscience)
L The depths of our souls are laid bare before the eyes of our
Lord who will one day appear as Judge and assemble us for the
judgment of the world.
A We now freely detach ourselves from the things which still
enslave us. In Christ and in childlike spirit we surrender
ourselves entirely to you.
L We share in Christ’s death on the cross and feel the agony of his
dying, just as we will at the end of our lives in the hour of the last
sacrament.
A Our hands touch each of the senses. We pray that you break the
chains which held them in bondage today and reduced the
strength of our souls.
L We are truly sorry for our sins and immerse our guilty hearts
into the ocean of your love, reconsecrating them entirely to you.
A You gave us love and we caused you sorrow. You brought us
gifts and we forgot to think of you.
L As a result, what we did for souls did not take root as it should
have; what we built with one hand we abruptly destroyed with the
other.
A Because of our failings you look with sadness on us, to whom
you gave your love, and on our shrine, our Mother’s possession.
L In the future it will be different. We will avoid all self-deception
and solely follow the ideal which shines forth to us everywhere.
A Let us rest in your protection. Be our defense and stronghold
against drives and feelings and Satan’s evil play.
L Deeply fill our souls with the love that comes from you, so that
we live solely for the work which lifts the world to you.
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A Tomorrow let us rise at the appointed hour, refreshed and in
good health, and in the spirit of service dedicate our strength and
time to you.
L Mother, inscribe us in your heart and lead us with you
heavenwards. We loyally renew the covenant which we sealed in
that hour of grace.
A May God’s blessing come upon all those who have consecrated
themselves entirely to Schoenstatt and bring them happiness and
Salvation here and in eternity. Amen.
L O Triune God, be eternally praised
A for all the great things you have done for us: for giving
Schoenstatt a Mother and for immersing us, through her, deeply
into Christ.
We praise you because Mary’s life has given us the norm for our
daily living and brought the splendor of Christ the Sun so
humanly near to us.
With jubilation we unite all the praise which burns like flames of
love through all creation. Blessed Trinity, we bring it to you and
to your altar in Jesus and Mary forevermore. Amen.
Priestly Blessing
L Nos cum prole pia
A Benedicat Virgo Maria.
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Prayer Before Meal
(Heavenwards, pp 147-148)
L Come, Mediatrix of all gifts and graces, with your Son accept
the invitation to be our guests, tenderly uniting us with a family
bond — from heart to heart and from land to land.
A We want to selflessly serve your work with steadfast hearts and
joyful bearing. To you we leave the care for health and food on
our pilgrimage through life.
Prayer After Meal
L Mother, teach us through these gifts to ascend to you and to
bow in reverence before the Eternal Love which opens to us daily
more and more the inexhaustible ocean of God’s mercy.
A Implore God’s richest blessing for all those who work and
sacrifice for our well-being. Grant them in the difficult paths of
life a generous measure of your love and grace.
Opening Meal Prayer to tune of Edelweiss
Bless our friends, bless our food.
Come, O Lord and sit with us.
Let our talk glow with love.
Help us give and serve always.
Friendship and peace, may they bloom and grow,
Bloom and grow forever.
Bless our friends, bless our food, bless our fam’ly forever!
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Closing Meal Prayer to tune of Edelweiss
Thank you Lord, for this meal.
Bless all who have prepared it.
Make us one in your love,
Living Bread, you sustain us.
Friendship and peace, see them bloom and grow,
Bloom and grow forever.
As we share, all we have, in your name, Lord, forever!
At the Start of the Pilgrimage
Opening Song
L Heavenly Father, today we come before you as Pilgrims of
Hope from the Schoenstatt Movement of the United States. We
are your children, who come with trust in our hearts, longing to
have a deep experience of our Holy Mother Church, and of our
commitment to her through Schoenstatt and the charism of our
father and founder.
A Open our hearts to the Holy Spirit that he may guide our steps
according to your will. May each door we walk through open a
new source of grace for us. We thank you for this opportunity to
be here in representation of all the members of our Schoenstatt
Family in the US.
L With our father and founder, we want to love the Church and
bring our gifts of love to her–especially our desire to participate
in the mission for the soon-to-be-crowned Queen.
In a moment of silence, we offer the sacrifices of this trip.
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– Pause –
L Queen-Mother of the Church on the New Shore, to you we
entrust the pontificate of Pope Leo XIV as well as the
development of Catholicism in our country, and in the world.
May we participate in your mission for the Church of the future.
Look at our apostolic endeavors in our own families and parishes.
Grant that our visits to the Holy Doors in Rome, as well as the
Jubilee Sites in our Schoenstatt Centers, be moments of grace for
us and those who depend on our prayers.
A May this journey bring us closer to you and your Son. May it
also increase our faith. Most of all, in this Jubilee Year of Hope,
may this pilgrimage increase in us the virtue and the grace of
hope. Work in us miracles of heroic childlike trust.
Deeply inspired by the life of our father and founder and of the
many saints and martyrs, whose places of rest we will visit, we
entrust to you, Mother and Queen, the fruits and safety of our
journey, our many petitions, and our loved ones.
L Through your intercession, we confidently pray that as we set
out into a new experience, you will always guide and protect us.
Spiritually gathered around you, we implore: Send us the Holy
Spirit.
A Come Holy Spirit; increase in us the spirit of trust, of sacrifice,
and of fraternal love, that we may be instruments of encounter
with God for one another. Breathe into our souls as we journey
together from holy door to holy door, that we may truly become
Pilgrims of Hope.
(Moment of silence to implore the Holy Spirit)
L In silence and with deep gratitude for being here, we pray and
sing:
A My Queen, my Mother…. / Priestly Blessing
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Concentration Camp of Dachau
Today, I walk through the streets of Dachau and marvel at the
fact that while this place was hell for so many, it was also a place
where Schoenstatt priests grew in their faith–where they
experienced heaven on earth.
I, too, arrive here, and take in the sober atmosphere of this place.
The sufferings of thousands and thousands of people tortured,
mistreated, and abused without any reason. Day after day, men
and priests, lived separated from their loved ones and from their
dreams. However, they did not have to separate themselves from
their aspirations. This is what Father Kentenich taught the priests
who were under his influence.
Having arrived here on March 13, 1942, Father Kentenich
remained in the entrance block for several months. Constantly
striving to embody the supernatural person, he endeavored to
remain entirely connected to the world beyond. In opposition to
what the bolschevistic mentality was imposing: total de-
personalisation and doing away with the personality, with the
individual, Father Kentenich inspired many of the man and
priests around him to build a community bonded in the love of
God, created by personalities, who are unique, irreplaceable, and
loved deeply by the heavenly Father. He inspired them to
continue life in the concentration camp with their spiritual glance
directed heavenwards. Therefore, among the common efforts to
remain focused on things above, Father Kentenich writes or
dictates most of the prayers that we find in the prayerbook
Heavenwards.
Some priests testified that Dachau turned into a second priestly
seminary. They owed it, to a great extent, to Father Kentenich.
For example, Father Dresbach, who was imprisoned in Dachau at
that time admits: “I stood entirely under Father Kentenich’s
34
influence and I do not know to this day how I would have
managed life in the concentration camp if he had not been there”
(Hermann Gerbert, Heinz Dresbach, Glaubenweg, 1996. 114.).
Through his deep security in the father's heart of God and total
detachment from himself, Father was able to overcome in an
extraordinary way the lack of bread, the lack of a home, and the
lack of justice that prevailed in Dachau. The fact that he helped
other men and priests to do the same is one of the reasons why so
many were able to grow in their faith in his nearness.
Father himself says: “I reduced my measure to the very least; I
wanted my spirit to remain alive and open for the religious, for
the Inscriptio.” Thus, in order to keep himself interiorly free,
Father Kentenich received only the most indispensable for
subsistence. This is one of reasons why he declared the Blessed
Mother as Queen of Bread. She should be concerned with
overcoming the situation of famine among them. Shortly after,
the Gestapo allowed prisoners to receive food from outside.
Father Kentenich was able to distribute much from the care
packages he received.
This opened a new door for Father Kentenich. On March 25,
1943, Father made the decision to begin illegal communication
with the Schoenstatt Family, and he did so uninterruptedly for
two years. The Blessed Mother protected this communication
with special care, since, in spite of all the surveillance in the
camp, he was never caught.
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Prayer
Dear Mother and Queen of the Many Needs of Humanity: Look
upon us, upon our world, upon our priests, and upon our
families. Bring to the Father in heaven the emptiness of our
hearts, the hunger in our souls, and the starvation we find
among those who lack faith.
Confronted with so many challenges, Father Kentenich did not
shy away from reaching out to those who depended on his
inspiration. He did not shy away from accepting the love and
care others expressed through the correspondence he developed,
even at the risk of death.
Mother and Queen of the Camp, intercede for me the daring
spirit I need to communicate my needs to those who love me, to
share with them my life out of a covenant with you, and to
inspire security in God through my person.
Apostolic work in Dachau
At the beginning, Father carried out mostly personal apostolate,
both with the laity and with the priests. Little by little, Father had
a large number of followers, to whom he preached and gave talks.
These organized themselves into groups with leaders and varying
degrees of commitment.
He preached three important talks to the circle of leaders, which
came to be known as the Third Founding Act: September 24,
October 18, and December 8, 1944.
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Foundations in the Concentration Camp
During his stay in Dachau, Father made three foundations:
1. Family Work: on July 16, 1942, with the help of Dr. Fritz Kühr,
a prominent German politician, who became a Schoenstatter.
2. The Institute of the Brothers of Mary; also founded on July 16,
1942, with the help of Dr. Pesendorfer, an Austrian who at the
time of the Visitation believed that Schoenstatt was forbidden by
the Church and lost contact with it.
3. The International, founded on September 24, 1944, with
prisoners of various nationalities who had become
Schoenstatters.
Father's Liberation
On March 25, 1945, the day he wrote the prayer the Scepter
Hymn: “Hold the scepter in your hand, Mother, protect your
Schoenstatt land…”, and after the Nazis had lost the war, the
allies occupied Germany and the decree of Father Kentenich’s
liberation was signed.
On April 6, the Gestapo informed Father that he had been
liberated. That morning Father Kenteich received an inner
certainty of his liberation.
Upon departure, Father Kentenich stressed thanking the parish
priest of Dachau for all he had done, and then he went to Munich
to thank the Vicar General who always helped him. After that, he
went to Ennabeuren, and in the parish he met Sisters of Mary
who at first did not recognize him. He stayed there until May 17
or 18. His longing was to reach Schoenstatt sooner but there was
no possibility. Wanting to expedite the trip amidst very adverse
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circumstances: roads blocked, bridges burned, shortage of gas, he
and the other priests with him, thought of taking horse-drawn
carriage. Setting the 18th as the date of departure, the Blessed
Mother rewarded them when they visited Father Alex
Mennningen in Ulm. Together with his brother and a car, Father
Menningen ensured their arrival in Schoenstatt.
On the evening of May 18 they left for Schoenstatt, and arrived in
Koblenz on the 19th. Father Kentenich finally arrived in
Schoenstatt on May 20, Pentecost Sunday.
Prayer
With gratitude we sing the praises of the Triune God and of our
Heavenly Mother for having given us in the life story of Father
Kentenich a model of inner freedom, of total trust in Divine
Providence, and of sincere openness to human and divine love in
our lives.
Totally abandoned to the motherly care of their covenant partner,
the priests who followed Father Kentenich learned to surrender
themselves in love and loyalty to the MTA. Today, I, too, want to
find myself next to Father Kentenich on my way home to
Schoenstatt and home to eternity. As we continue our journey, I
recognize the many moments in which the divine has intervened
and my glance has been directed heavenwards by the
circumstances and events. God, the Father, continues to
communicate his love for me through Mary, my covenant
partner, my Queen, my Mother. Remaining open to all the graces
in store for me and all my loved ones, I spiritually unite to the
men and priests, who with Father consecrated their hearts and
their hands. Full of trust, I pray for (mention intentions).
My Queen, my Mother, I give myself entirely to you…
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Prayers at the Holy Places in Schoenstatt,
Vallendar
I kneel in the Original Shrine in Schoenstatt, at the place where
over 100 years ago a wonderful event became a reality in time.
This marvelous happening traveled through the years, over land
and ocean, to find my heart, to touch my life, and to draw me into
its grace.
From this tiny chapel, Mary’s power, influence and mission went
forth. Your power was not that of loud, flashing conquest. It was
subtler, gentler, but it was also more enduring, more permanent,
and more encompassing. It was not meant for one spot on earth,
but for all places and all peoples. Dear Mother, your strength
even affected my poor heart, my small life, and it drew me here to
you.
As I enter the shrine, I am aware of coming to a spot where
“heaven has touched the earth.” Such an encounter is not an
everyday experience for me and I am aware of a jumble of
emotions:
Place: There is silence here, a weighty silence, a profound
silence! Is this the way it is when one touches upon a mystery?
Prayer: No one prays aloud, but one can ‘hear’ that hearts and
minds are at home in another world, and an active dialogue is
taking place.
Light: Candles glow on the altar silently indicating that Jesus
is present before us. The tabernacle doors are open and His
presence is evident.
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Beauty: Bright flowers beautifully arranged bring the beauty
of nature and supernature into harmony.
Past and Present: On the wall are the names of the sodalists,
those chosen as instruments in the Founding Time. In the
pews are the chosen instruments of the pre - sent and I am
among them.
Home: Your image, the same as in every shrine I have ever
entered, the crown, the light frame - - “Servus Marie
Nunquam Peribit” - - the statues of Sts. Peter and Paul as well
as that of St. Michael, the altar, and Ver Sacrum light all make
me feel very comfortable.
Mother, I need to kneel here silently, without words, and let your
power work effectively in my heart. Then I, too, will be among
those who have deeply experienced the meeting of heaven and
earth at this spot. I, too, will partake from the stream of our
heritage, common experiences, great and small happenings that
throughout the years have transformed hearts. I, too, shall join
my voice in your great song of praise, the Magnificat:
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My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,
my spirit rejoices in God my Savior
for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant.
From this day all generations will call me blessed:
the Almighty has done great things for me,
and holy is his Name.
He has mercy on those who fear him
in every generation.
He has shown the strength of his arm,
he has scattered the proud in their conceit.
He has cast down the mighty from their thrones,
and has lifted up the lowly.
He has filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich he has sent away empty.
He has come to the help of his servant Israel
for he remembered his promise of mercy,
the promise he made to our fathers,
to Abraham and his children forever.
(Lk 1:46-55)
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42
Adoration Church
Blessed Trinity, this Church is dedicated to you. We come to it
and find you waiting for us here. You guided us on our journey
across land and sea. We have come to proclaim our heritage.
Our way leads homeward to the Father! God has given us many
saints throughout the ages to show us through their words and
example how we are to travel this way homeward. Here we are
reminded in a deep and personal way of the “Head” of
Schoenstatt, our Father and Founder, Fr. Joseph Kentenich.
Meditation (may be read aloud)
Our journey has led us to a very impressive building on Mount
Schoenstatt. We are in the Church of the Trinity - - the Adoration
Church. This Church was the monument promised to you,
Blessed Mother, already at the time of the Second World War and
the Dachau time. It took many years before it could be completed,
and it has a great significance in our Schoenstatt history. It was
dedicated on June 9, 1968. However, at that time no one knew
what Divine Providence had planned in its goodness.
As you, Mother, have done so often in the past you placed our
father and founder once again, so to speak, in the foreground by
giving him a special place of his own. On September 15, 1968
Father said Holy Mass for the first time in the Adoration Church.
He said Holy Mass very reverently and peacefully. After Holy
Mass, he returned to the sacristy and shortly thereafter, he was
called to his heavenly reward. It was all so sudden but this is the
way God planned it. Father Kentenich was to find his last resting
place here in the Church of the Blessed Trinity.
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Timeline - Father Kentenich’s Life
Prayers at each Station in Gymnich
1. The night of the decision—Late summer 1885
L: In the night, Katharina Kentenich is in her room in the
attic of this house. In distress, abandoned, full of fear she looks
into the future. But trust triumphs n the end: You, Father in
Heaven, go with me! As an expression of her trust, she
consecrates her unborn child to the Blessed Mother. And so
we pray:
A: Heavenly Father, be with all those who find it difficult to
live up to the responsibility of caring for new life entrusted to
them. Strengthen their trust in you! God, our Father, through
Mary’s intercession, hear our prayer.
2. Birth—November 16, 1885
L: Very humble conditions – in an unknown corner of the world.
But the Heavenly Father tells his child: “Do not be afraid! I
have called you by your name. You are mine!” And so we pray:
A: Teach us to believe, and strengthen our faith, that lastly it is
you who calls us into this life! God, our Father, through Mary’s
intercession, hear our prayer.
3. Baptism—St. Kunibert Parish Church
L: A simple church, a simple sign: baptism. And yet, the gift of
divine childhood is given to us forever. And so we pray:
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A: Let grow in us the awareness that in the end we belong to you.
God, our Father, through Mary’s intercession, hear our prayer.
4. Consecration to Mary - April 12, 2894, Oberhausen
Orphanage
L: A concerned mother at the hour of saying goodbye – the words
of Jesus resound in her heart: “See your Mother!” She has to
take care of the boy. He should belong to her. And so we pray:
A: Let people ever more grasp the joyful message, that they have
a Mother in heaven. God, our Father, through Mary’s
intercession, hear our prayer.
5. Priestly Ordination - July 8, 1910, Pallottines in
Limburg
L: Finally at the goal – in spite of many obstacles. The promise,
which is still valid: “Do not be afraid! From now one you will
be a fisher of men!” And so we pray:
A: Awaken in young men also today the desire, as a priest to serve
your people. God, our Father, through Mary’s intercession,
hear our prayer.
6. Founding Schoenstatt as a place of pilgrimage -
October 18, 1914,
L: A small, unknown, chapel, small group of pupils. A young
priest, who believes in God’s Providence, and who carries Mary
deeply in his heart. The beginning of World War I. And then
the words of unshakable conviction: “All those who come here
to pray should experience the glories of Mary! Prove first to me
that you love me. Then it will please me to dwell in your midst.
And so we pray:
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A: Let us in awe realize how much you care for us and that you
do! Help us to daily increase our trust in you! God, our Father,
through Mary’s intercession, hear our prayer.
7. In the Prison in Koblenz, the decision to go to the
Dachau Concentration Camp, January 20, 1942
L: Father Kentenich is a prisoner of the Gestapo. Should he use
more human means in order to be freed? God should take care
of his liberation. And others, who are keen to accomplish this,
should help along. He prayed: “Through my Mother’s hand
accept, Oh Lord, the gift of my royal freedom!” And so we pray:
A: Help us to grasp that we will find true freedom only in you,
and to know that we are responsible for one another! God, our
Father, through Mary’s intercession, hear our prayer.
8. Missionary travels, 1947 - 1951
L: Father Kentenich spends a number of years traveling, tireless,
not sparing himself. His motto: “Whoever has a mission has to
fulfill it!” And so we pray:
A: The world is a one great reality; you see all people with one
glance. Help us to live up to our universal responsibility. God,
our Father, through Mary’s intercession, hear our prayer.
9. Time of exile – imposed by Church officials in Rome,
1951 – 1965 Milwaukee, USA
L: His pedagogy is too new. He is too daring. The Church puts
him to the test: he is sent away and cannot be active in his
foundation. Schoenstatt should be able to stand alone without
its founder. He is not understood. He remains peaceful and
calm – the words of the Apostle Paul are in his heart: “Be joyful
in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.” And so we
pray:
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A: Let us not be confused when we experience injustice and
misunderstanding. Help us to believe in the mystery of your
Church on earth! God, our Father, through Mary’s
intercession, hear our prayer.
10. End of the exile – Audience with Pope Paul VI 1965
L: Peaceful and calm he stands before the Holy Father and
accepts the blessing. “He loved the Church” should one day be
engraved on his tombstone. Only in the Church can his
foundation be truly fruitful. And so we pray:
A: Let us be and remain living members of your Church! God,
our Father, through Mary’s intercession, hear our prayer.
11. Homegoing, September 15, 1968, Adoration Church
on Mount Schoenstatt
L: Shortly after the celebration of Holy Mass he is called home – a
Marian feastday. Father Kentenich had once promised his
Family: “The Father (and founder) will make it easy for you to
die. Therefore: Homeward to the Father leads our way.” And so
we pray:
A: Be near to all the dying! Help us to remain united with the
faithful departed! God, our Father, through the intercession of
Mary, hear our prayer.
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Founder Chapel
Song
L: Eternal Father: In our founder’s final place of rest we elevate
our minds and hearts to you.
A: Here heaven touched the earth in a mysterious way, when at a
sacred hour you sent our Mother to take our founder home to the
eternal Schoenstatt. In this place his covenant of love was
crowned with an eternal triumph.
L: We thank you for the intimate union of love and life that you
have given our Schoenstatt Family with our founder. Through
our mutual covenant of love we have become children, and with
him we say: Abba, Father. In your plan of love we are one.
A: Heavenly Father, just as the sunflower turns to the sun which
richly endows it, we turn with heart and mind to you in faith.
We see you silently standing as our Father behind everything that
happens and embrace you with fervent love, going to you joyfully
and in the spirit of sacrifice. Glory and thanks and honor be yours
in the shrine of our souls. We shall never leave you there alone;
we want to be with you always.
(Pause for private prayer)
L: We did not know our father and founder in person, but now
we are in this holy place and we can experience his presence.
Since in your providence you have permitted us to be his
children, lead us to him so that together we may go homeward to
you, our Heavenly Father.
A: For love of the Church, we follow in the footsteps of our father
and founder. We want to give ourselves entirely to Schoenstatt’s
mission and be instruments in the hands of the Blessed Mother
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for the renewal of the Church and world. In spite of the
magnitude of this mission our hearts are filled with peace.
Eternity and heaven are close to us; our souls rest in you, Father.
L: Grant us the grace to be Schoenstatt children who follow in
the footsteps of our founder. Like him, we want to attain a warm
and deep childlike love for our Mother and Queen for you
through our covenant of love.
A: We want to strive for a Marian attitude in our being and
actions. A high degree of sanctity is our goal. The sanctity of lay
people will determine the future of the Church. This is what the
Church needs today: holy men and women. This is what our
founder wants to give to the Church and to the world of today.
L: Heavenly Father, we ask you to grant us the gift of our father
and founder’s canonization, so that his great example may be
more visible in our time and in the Church that needs his
message so much.
A: What the Church will one day say of our founder will be
determined by our lives and how we now respond to
Schoenstatt’s mission.
L: Father, through the intercession of our father and founder we
ask you to grant our petitions:
(Silent pause to make your own petitions and to ask
for Fr. Kentenich’s intercession in your needs)
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L: In silence and in deep gratitude we accept the love of the
Triune God and pray:
A: You who are over me, Father!
You who are with me, Father!
May others see you in me,
that I may prepare the way for your kingdom.
Keep me in your love,
just as you want me to keep others in my love.
That my being may reflect your own for your honor and glory.
Give me pure eyes that I may see you;
a humble spirit, that I may hear you;
kind hands, that I may serve you;
a childlike heart, that I may belong to you
and I may be in you. Amen.
Song
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Renewal of our Baptismal Vows
(We silently gather around the baptismal font)
Sp 1: We gather around this baptismal font which bears the
inscription “1559.” For over 400 years it has been God’s witness
for generation upon generation of Gymnich’s children. Pious
godparents held the tiny heads of these newborn little ones over
this baptismal font and, promising God loyalty, spoke the
baptismal vows in the names of their godchildren.
Sp 2: It was here that our Father and Founder was baptized with
the name Peter Joseph. This was on the feast of St. Elizabeth,
November 19, 1885. Let us think about this. It is here that our
founder became a child of God, here that he received divine life.
Here he became a member of Christ and was received into the
community of the Church. Here he became a temple of the Holy
Spirit, a living shrine. In Father’s baptism we may truly envision
the beginning of a charismatic mission.
Sp 1: On his 73rd birthday, our father and founder himself said:
“God called me into existence. We believe that our good God
spoke like this 73 years ago today. He said: ‘I have called you into
existence out of nothingness.’ 73 years ago he called me by my
name: ‘You are mine!... You are mine with your originality and
your original mission!’”
Sp 2: What wass this mission that our founder received for us
and for many others?
Sp 1: “My mission was and is to proclaim the secret of Mary to
the world.”
(We reflect on this silently for a moment)
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Gratitude for our Baptism
Reader’s text by Fr. Joseph Kentenich: On Monday Evenings
Prayer text by Sr. M. Maripetra Süß: Prayers to God the Father.
For private use only.
L: We thank you, Father in Heaven, that we, too, have been born
anew of water and the Spirit in baptism. Each of us may share in
your divine life.
All: We thank you, Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the Father, for in
your passion, death, and resurrection, we are united to you like
the branches and the grapevine. Through our baptism we have
died to sin and have been consecrated to God.
L: We thank you, Holy Spirit, that your love has been poured into
our hearts. You live in us and wish to lead us to a life that bears
witness to God and serves our brothers and sisters.
Song
L: Eternal Father, united with our father and founder who is so
close to us in this moment, we would like to renew our baptismal
promises. Gratefully we confess: We, too, know that we have been
chosen. Make us ready to live fully out of the reality of our
baptismal covenant. Make us ready for you!
All: We hope to fashion our lives out of love’s covenant with you–
a renewal of our baptism. In our life’s pilgrimage on earth,
Schoenstatt has become an integral part to live out of our
baptismal covenant.
L: Heavenly Father, through the paschal mystery we have been
buried in Christ in baptism, so that we may rise with him to a new
life. Now that we have journeyed to the place where our founder
was baptized - to rejoice in the mission he was given in his birth
and baptism and to share in it ourselves - let us renew the
promises we made in baptism when we rejected Satan and his
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works, and promised to serve God faithfully in his holy Catholic
Church. And so:
Do you reject Satan?
All: I do.
L: And all his works?
All: I do.
L: And all his empty promises?
All: I do.
L: Do you reject sin, so as to live in the freedom of God’s
children?
All: I do.
L: Do you reject the glamour of evil, and refuse to be mastered by
sin?
All: I do.
L: Do you believe in God, the father almighty, creator of heaven
and earth?
All: I do.
L: Do you believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who was
born of the Virgin Mary, was crucified, died, and was buried, rose
from the dead, and is now seated at the right hand of the Father?
All: I do.
L: Do you believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Catholic Church, the
communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of
the body, and life everlasting?
All: I do.
L: God, the all-powerful Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, has
given us anew birth by water and the Holy Spirit, and forgiven all
our sins May he also keep us faithful to our Lord Jesus Christ for
ever and ever.
All: Amen
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L: Dear Mother of God and Queen of our hearts, in baptism we
have also become your children and in the covenant we long to be
your instruments. Now, we would also like to renew our covenant
of love with you, as an expression, protection, and assurance of
our baptismal covenant.
Song: My Queen, My Mother
In Praise of Divine Providence
L: Praised and adored without end...
A: Be Jesus Christ in the Blessed Sacrament.
L: The Lord is my light and my salvation; I will fear no one. The
Lord protects me from all danger; I will not be afraid.
A: I will sing, I will praise the Lord.
L: When evil men attack me and try to kill me, they stumble and
fall. Even if a whole army surrounds me, I will not be afraid; even
if my enemies attack me, I will still trust God.
A: I will sing, I will praise the Lord.
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L: I have asked the Lord for one thing; one thing only do I want:
to live in the Lord’s house all my life, to marvel at his goodness,
and to ask his guidance there.
A: I will sing, I will praise the Lord.
L: In times of trouble he will protect me in his shelter; he will
keep me safe in his temple, and place me securely on a high rock.
A: I will sing, I will praise the Lord.
L: With shouts of joy I will offer sacrifices in his temple; I will
sing, I will praise the Lord.
A: I will sing, I will praise the Lord.
L: Father of Jesus, our risen Lord, be our light and our
salvation, keep us safe in your temple and enable us to praise you,
now and forever.
A: Amen.
Song:
R: Sr. Emilie has invited us to join her in the Providentia
compartment of the express train of childlikeness on the way to
heaven, where the slogan is: “Ita Pater, Ita Mater.” Let us follow
the invitation; then we will become real children of God, and our
holiness will be secured. It should be our goal to place one hand
in the hand of the heavenly Father, and the other hand in the
hand of the Blessed Mother.
L: Father, I believe in you, you, who have planned everything out
of love and carry it out with great love and care.
A: Father, your child only wants what you want. In every
situation help me say: “That is exactly what I wanted.”
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R: Father, I believe in you. Father, I love you and want to be able
to recognize the way you intervene in my life.
A: Father, time and again, let me look at you in prayer, at work,
in suffering, again and again, just look at you. I want to focus on
you in every situation.
L: Jesus encourages me to do this. He tells us that no one can
come to you Father, except through him. Again and again I want
to look at you with the eyes of Our Lord and say over and over
again: Father, my Father.
Song:
L: Father, you are interested in the smallest details of our lives.
You embrace all that happens in the world, and guide all and
everything wisely, according to your plan.
A: There is someone who is not indifferent to the person I am,
what I am and what I have, what I look like and what happens to
me. That person is you, my Father.
Song
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Songs
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City of God
Let us build the city of God. May our tears be turned into
dancing. For the Lord our light and our love has turned the night
into day.
1. Awake from your slumber! Arise from your sleep! A new day is
dawning for all those who weep. The people in darkness have
seen a great light.
The Lord of our longing has conquered the night.
2. We are sons of the morning; we are daughters of day. The One
who has loved us has brightened our way. The Lord of all
kindness has called us to be a light for all people to set their
hearts free.
3. God is light; in God there is no darkness. Let us walk in the
light. God's children one and all. O comfort my people make
gentle your words, proclaim to my city the day of her birth.
Come, Holy Ghost
1. Come, Holy Ghost, Creator blest, and in our hearts take up thy
rest; come with thy grace and heavenly aid to fill the hearts which
thou hast made.
2. O Comforter, to thee we cry, thou heavenly gift of God most
high; thou font of life and fire of love, and sweet anointing from
above.
3. Praise be to thee, Father and Son, and Holy Spirit, with them
one; and may the Son on us bestow the gifts that from the Spirit
flow.
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For the Beauty of the Earth
Lord of all, to Thee we raise, this our hymn of grateful praise.
1. For the beauty of the earth, for the glory of the skies, for the
love which from our birth, over and around us lies.
2. For the beauty of each hour, of the day and of the night, hill
and vale, and tree and flower, sun and moon, and stars of light.
3. For your Church, that evermore, lifts its holy hands above,
offering up on every shore, a pure sacrifice of love.
God We Praise You
1. God, we praise you! God, we bless you! God, we name you
sovereign Lord! Mighty King whom angels worship, Father, by
your Church adored: All Creation shows your glory, heav’n and
earth draw near your throne, singing “Holy, holy, holy,” Lord of
hosts and God alone!
2. True apostles, faithful prophets, Saints who set their world
ablaze, martyrs, once unknown, unheeded, join one growing song
of praise, while your Church on earth confesses one majestic
Trinity: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, God, our hope eternally.
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Sent Forth by God’s Blessing
1. Sent forth by God's blessing, our true faith confessing, the
people of God from this dwelling take leave. The supper is ended.
Oh, now be extended the fruits of this service in all who believe.
2. The fruit of Christ's teaching, receptive souls reaching, shall
blossom in action for God and for all. His grace did invite us, his
love shall unite us to work for God's kingdom and answer his call.
We Gather Together
1.We gather together to ask the Lord’s blessing; He chastens and
hastens His will to make known; The wicked oppressing now
cease from distressing; Sing praises to His Name; He forgets not
His own.
2. Beside us to guide us, our God with us joining, Ordaining,
maintaining His kingdom divine; So from the beginning the fight
we were winning; Thou, Lord, were at our side, all glory be Thine!
3. We all do extol Thee, Thou Leader triumphant, And pray that
Thou still our Defender will be; Let Thy congregation escape
tribulation; Thy Name be ever praised! O Lord, make us free!
Alleluia! Sing to Jesus
By: William C. Dix, 1837-98
1. Alleluia! Sing to Jesus; His the scepter, His the throne; Alleluia!
His the triumph, His the victory alone. Hark! The songs of
peaceful Zion Thunder like a mighty flood: "Jesus out of every
nation Has redeemed us by His blood."
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2. Alleluia! Not as orphans Are we left in sorrow now; Alleluia!
He is near us: Faith believes, nor questions how. Though the
cloud from sight received Him When the forty days were over,
Shall our hearts forget His promise: "I am with you evermore"?
3. Alleluia! Bread of heaven, Here on earth our food, our stay;
Alleluia! Here the sinful Flee to You from day to day. Intercessor,
Friend of sinners, Earth’s Redeemer, hear our plea Where the
songs of all the sinless Sweep across the crystal sea.
Holy God, We Praise thy Name
1. Holy God, we praise thy name; Lord of all, we bow before thee;
all on earth thy rule acclaim, all in heav’n above adore thee;
Infinite, thy vast domain, everlasting is thy reign.
2. Hark! The loud celestial hymn; angel choirs above are raising;
cherubim and seraphim, in unceasing chorus praising; Fill the
heav’ns with sweet accord: Holy, holy, holy Lord!
3. Holy Father, Holy Son, Holy Spirit: three we name thee,
though in essence only one; undivided God we claim thee, and
adoring bend the knee while we own the mystery.
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Praise God from Whom All Blessing Flow
1.Praise God, from whom all blessings flow; Praise Him, all
creatures here below; Praise Him above, ye heav'nly host; Praise
Father, Son, and Holy Ghost!
2. Praise God the Father who's the source; Praise God the Son
who is the course; Praise God the Spirit who's the flow; Praise
God, our portion here below!
Praise to the Lord
Text: Joachim Neander, 1650-1680
1. Praise to the Lord, the Almighty, the king of creation; O my
soul, praise him, for he is your health and salvation. Come all who
hear: Now to his altar draw near, joining in glad adoration.
2. Praise to the Lord, who shall prosper our work and defend us;
surely his goodness and mercy shall daily attend us. Ponder anew
what the Almighty can do, who with his love will befriend us.
3. Praise to the Lord! O let all that is in us adore him! All that has
life and breath come now with praises before him! Let the
“Amen” sound from his people again, now as we worship before
him.
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Prayer of St. Francis
Sebastian Temple
1. Make me a channel of your Peace. Where there is hatred, let me
sow your Love. Where there is injury, thy Pardon, Lord. And
where there’s doubt, true faith in you.
2. Make me a channel of your Peace. Where there’s despair in life,
let me bring Hope. Where there is darkness-only Light. And
where there’s sadness, ever Joy.
3. O Master, grant that I may never seek: So much to be consoled,
as to console, To be understood, as to understand, To be loved, as
to love with all my soul.
4. Make me a channel of thy Peace. It is in pardoning that we are
pardoned, In giving of ourselves that we receive,And in dying that
we’re born to eternal life.
O Triune God
Father Joseph Kentenich
1. O Triune God, receive eternal praises, for all your great and
wondrous gifts of graces; for choosing Schoenstatt as our
Mother’s throne, there to unite us deeply with your Son.
2. Our thanks to you, in Mary you are giving to every man the
pattern for his living. She is of all your creatures barring none,
the only jeweled mirror of your Son.
3. With joy we offer you the jubilation the burning love and praise
of all creation. In Jesus’ name with Mary we adore you Blessed
Trinity forevermore. Amen, Amen.
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We Have Been Told
David Haas
We have been told. We've seen his face and heard his voice alive
in our hearts. “Live in my love with all your heart. As the Father
has loved me, so I have loved you.”
1. I am the vine; you are the branches, and all who live in me will
bear great fruit.
2. You are my friends, if you keep my commands, no longer
slaves; I call you friends.
3. No greater love is there than this: to lay down one's life for a
friend.
Amazing Grace
John Newton
1. Amazing grace! how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like
me! I once was lost but now am found, was blind but now I see.
2. 'Twas grace that taught my heart to fear, and grace my fears
relieved; how precious did that grace appear, the hour I first
believed!
3. When we've been there ten thousand years, bright shining as
the sun, we've no less days to sing God's praise, than when we'd
first begun.
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The Summons
1. Will you come and follow me if I but call your name? Will you
go where you don't know and never be the same? Will you let my
love be shown? Will you let my name be known, Will you let my
life be grown in you and you in me?
2. Will you leave yourself behind if I but call your name? Will you
care for cruel and kind and never be the same? Will you risk the
hostile stare should your life attract or scare? Will you let me
answer prayer in you and you in me?
Faith of our Fathers
Words: Frederick William Faber, 1849 / Music: St. Catherine, Ryburn
Faith of our fathers, holy faith! We will be true to thee till death.
1. Faith of our fathers, living still, in spite of dungeon, fire, and
sword: O how our hearts beat high with joy, whene'er we hear
that glorious word:
2. Faith of our fathers, faith and prayer, shall win all nations unto
thee; and through the truth that comes from God, mankind shall
then indeed be free.
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Gift of Finest Wheat
Robert E. Kreutz
You satisfy the hungry heart, with gift of finest wheat.Come give
to us, O saving Lord, the bread of life to eat.
1. As when the shepherd calls his sheep, they know and heed his
voice; so when you call your family, Lord, we follow and rejoice.
2. With joyful lips we sing to you our praise and gratitude, that
you should count us worthy, Lord, to share this heav’nly food.
3. Is not the cup we bless and share the blood of Christ
outpoured? Do not one cup, one loaf, declare our oneness in the
Lord?
4. The myst’ry of your presence, Lord, no mortal tongue can tell:
Whom all the world cannot contain comes in our hearts to dwell.
Here I am Lord
Here am I, Lord. Is it I, Lord? I have heard you calling in the
night. I will go, Lord, if you lead me. I will hold your people in my
heart
1. I the Lord of sea and sky, I have heard my people cry. All who
dwell in dark and sin, My hand will save.
2. I, who made the stars of night, I will make their darkness
bright. Who will bear my light to them? Whom shall I send?
3. I, the Lord of snow and rain, I have borne my people’s pain. I
have wept for love of them. They turn away.
4. I will break their hearts of stone, Give them hearts for love
alone. I will speak my words to them. Whom shall I send?
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I Know, You are my Father
1. I know, you are my Father. I feel secure in your protection. I do
not ask the way you lead. I blindly follow your di
placed into my hands my life that I myself direct it, I then would
say: O take it back; your trusting child is well protected.
2. I know, you are my Father. You gave your Son for our
salvation, the Sole-Begotten, Light from Light, who by his death
brought us
redemption. Your love, O Father, has no end. How could I doubt
since you go with me? And as you lead through thorn-filled ways,
I trust you, Father, without worry.
Lord Who at Thy First Eucharist
1. Lord, who at thy first Eucharist did pray that all thy Church
might be forever one, grant us at every Eucharist to say with
longing heart and soul, “Thy will be done.” O may we all one
bread, one body be, through this blest Sacrament of Unity.
2. For all thy Church, O Lord, we intercede; make thou our sad
divisions soon to cease; draw us the nearer each, to each we
plead, by drawing all to thee, O Prince of peace; thus may we all
one bread, one body be, through this blest Sacrament of Unity.
3. We pray thee, too, for wanderers from thy fold; O bring them
back, Good Shepherd of the sheep, back to the faith which saints
believed of old, back to the Church which still that faith doth
keep; soon may we all one bread, one body be, through this
blessed Sacrament of Unity
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O Lord, I Am Not Worthy
1. O Lord, I am not worthy that thou should’st come to me; but
speak the word of comfort, my spirit healed shall be.
2. And humbly I’ll receive thee, the Bridegroom of my soul, no
more by sin to grieve thee or fly thy sweet control.
3. Eternal Holy Spirit, unworthy though I be, prepare me to
receive him and trust the Word to me.
4. Increase my faith, dear Jesus, in thy real presence here, and
make me feel most deeply that thou to me art near.
On Eagles' Wings
Michael Joncas - Adaptation of Psalm 91
And he will raise you up on eagle's wings, Bear you on the breath
of dawn, Make you to shine like the sun, And hold you in the
palm of His hand.
1.You who dwell in the shelter of the Lord, Who abide in His
shadow for life, Say to the Lord: "My refuge, My rock in whom I
trust!"
2. The snare of the fowler will never capture you, And famine will
bring you no fear: Under His wings your refuge, His faithfulness
your shield.
3. You need not fear the terror of the night, Nor the arrow that
flies by day; Though thousands fall about you, Near you it shall
not come.
4. For to His angels He's given a command To guard you in all of
your ways; Upon their hands they will bear you up, Lest you dash
your foot against a stone.
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Shepherd Me, O God
Shepherd me, O God beyond my wants, beyond my fears, from
death into life.
1. God is my shepherd, so nothing shall I want, I rest in the
meadows of faithfulness and love, I walk by the quiet waters of
peace.
2. Gently you raise me and heal my weary soul, You lead me by
pathways of righteousness and truth, my spirit shall sing the
music of your Name.
3. You have set me a banquet of love in the face of hatred,
crowning me with love beyond my pow’r to hold.
4. Surely your kindness and mercy follow me all the days of my
life; I will dwell in the house of my God forevermore.
Shepherd of Souls
Stanzas 1-2: Moravian, 1832; stanza 3: James Montgomery, 1825
1. Shepherd of souls, refresh and bless, thy chosen pilgrim flock,
with manna in the wilderness, with water from the rock.
2. We would not live by bread alone, but by thy word of grace, in
strength of which we travel on, to our abiding place.
3. Be known to us in breaking bread, and do not then depart;
Savior, abide with us, and spread thy table in our heart.
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Sing Of The Lord's Goodness
Ernest Sands
Come, then, all you nations, sing of your Lord's goodness,
melodies of praise and thanks to God. Ring out the Lord's glory,
praise him with your music, worship him and bless his name.
1. Sing of the Lord's goodness Father of all wisdom, come to him
and bless his name. Mercy he has shown us, his love is forever,
faithful to the end of days.
2. Power he has wielded, honor is his garment risen from the
snares of death. His word he has spoken, one bread he has
broken, new life he now gives to all.
3. Courage in our darkness, comfort in our sorrow, Spirit of our
God most high; solace for the weary, pardon for the sinner,
splendor of the living God.
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Protéjanos Tu Manto
Protéjanos tu manto en tempestad y lid,
Tres Veces Admirable, oh Torre de David.
Tú, arca de Nueva Alianza invicta en el huracán,
del siglo Gran Vencedora, los tuyos no se hundirán.
Llevamos pues, tu nombre, Madre del Salvador,
Tú, que eres la más pura, del sol el resplandor.
Tú, faro en el mar del mundo, invicta en el huracán,
del siglo Gran Vencedora, los tuyos no se hundirán.
Consúmanos las llamas, del abnegado amor,
y así florezca Schoenstatt, del mundo en derredor.
Nos guíe la fe sencilla, invicta en el huracán,
del siglo Gran Vencedora, los tuyos no se hundirán.
Protéjanos tu manto, Reina del dulce amor,
Tres Veces Admirable, sé escudo protector.
En nuestra misión creemos, también en el huracán,
del siglo Gran Vencedora, los tuyos no se hundirán.
Tiembla de Emoción
Tiembla de emoción, nuestro corazón, si de Schoenstatt las banderas ve
flamear y avanzar, por el mundo mensajeras de alto y nuevo ideal. Oh
bien hayan las banderas,
de mi Reino y de mi hogar.
Yo les consagré mi vida y mi fe, y tras ellas animoso marcharé y
lucharé, les ofrendo mi reposo, mi trabajo y padecer, así como hoy
son mi gozo, lo serán en mi vejez.
En marcha triunfal por el mundo irán, de mi Schoenstatt las banderas,
flamearán cuando ya, nadie en otras primaveras de nosotros viva más,
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pero altivas y señeras, ellas siempre se verán.
Dilexit Ecclesiam!
Dilexit Ecclesiam!
¡Padre, contigo
amaremos a la Iglesia!
Y la llevaremos a las nuevas playas,
que tu mirada de profeta
descubrió, mirando hondo
en el alma y los ojos de María,
con tu mano siempre en el
pulso del tiempo, y tu oído
en el corazón de Dios.
Dilexit Ecclesiam!...
La haremos Familia,
santo hogar de Alianza,
donde María, la Mujer llena de Sol,
con Cristo reine
y en su amor nos acoja
y nos regale, corazones
libres de hijos y hermanos,
portadores alegres de su luz.
Dilexit Ecclesiam!...
Y la haremos alma
de aquel mundo nuevo,
que en un mañana
de la historia surgirá,
que de tu mano,
nos invita María a construirle,
como casa y reino del Padre en la tierra,
como libre patria de su paz.
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Dilexit Ecclesiam!...
Yo quiero una Familia
Yo quiero una familia donde pueda compartir,
la calidez viviente del hogar,
Donde pueda sentarme con los míos y partir sobre la mesa el pan de la
verdad.
Juntos recorramos el camino hacia la luz,
caminemos en la oscuridad.
Hondo en nuestras almas arda viva la confianza en nuestro Padre. El
nos guiará.
Yo quiero una familia donde cada día nuevo
se torne historia hecha de la mano de Dios.
Remadora de mares andadora de tierras, todo el mundo lo eleve hacia
el Padre hecho ofrenda.
Familia es un misterio, es compartir el corazón, alimentar el fuego,
sonreír en comunión. Mirarnos a los ojos y saber que está naciendo el
reino del amor entre nosotros.
Llama del Amor del Padre
Llama del amor del Padre
que desde el Santuario tú nos regalas
Para encender nuestro corazón.
Es como una luz radiante
que brilla y brilla y nunca se apaga
y eleva el alma hacia Dios.
Que no se apague la llama
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que tú encendiste en mi alma Madre.
Que no se apague nunca,
en hora de gracia llegó hasta mí;
y con el mismo ardor
la quiero mantener por siempre en mi corazón.
Llama del amor del Padre.
Luz que en las tinieblas nos das María
para encontrar nuestra gran misión.
Es como una luz del Cielo
que nuestros pasos va dirigiendo
en el camino hacia Dios.
Llama de amor del Padre.
La estrella radiante en que tú María
nos llamas hoy a ser como tú.
Una luz radiante y pura,
Inmaculada, llena de gracia,
reflejo del amor de Dios.
Llama de amor del Padre.
Fuego que consume y nos transforma
para ser luz, llama de su amor.
Es como una luz que toca
lo más profundo de nuestras almas
para entender su llamado de hoy.
Ave María Gratia Plena
Ante ti me rindo, ante ti suplicaré;
tómame, tuya soy, conságrame en tu amor.
Ave María Gratia Plena
Dominus Tecum Benedicta tu.
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Todo lo que tengo, todo yo te lo daré;
Madre de Dios, Madre fiel. Preséntame al Señor.
Ante ti me rindo, Madre de radiante faz;
tómame, tuya soy, conságrame en tu amor.
Madre, en la Alianza
(Schoenstatt)
Madre, en la Alianza
tu serás la Reina de mi corazón
te entrego a ti, mi ser,
a cambio de tu amor.
Gracias por tu inmenso
amor por mí.
Dejaste en mi alma
el eco de tu canción,
y dulcemente sentiré,
que es mi alegría tu voz,
el sol alumbra
en todo su esplendor,
y en la flor es más intenso su color.
En ti encontré valor
y luz para mi andar
desde que tú llegaste a mí,
no hay pena ni oscuridad.
Me estrechas como a un niño
en tu corazón aceptando
mi sencillo amor filial.
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María de la Alianza
Que silencio más delicado
amor del amor más escondido
eres mujer, puerta del cielo
tres colores adornan tu manto.
Bajan las cascadas de los árboles
que caen hasta el suelo
y llegan al santuario.
Quieres dar la mano
y yo pedir la tuya
no puedo estar sin ti,
sin tu mirada pura
tu voz me llena el alma,
María de la alianza,
palabra hecha flor.
He cambiado todo mi canto
sólo para escuchar tu risa
y no soy más que polvo en el camino
aunque no es polvo de tu olvido.
Quiero ser un puente hacia el cielo
hecho de barro y fuego
que nace del santuario.
Te Presentamos el Vino y el Pan
Te presentamos el vino y el pan
bendito seas, por siempre, Señor.
Bendito seas, Señor,
por este pan que nos diste,
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fruto de la tierra y del
trabajo de los hombres...
Bendito seas, Señor,
el vino Tu nos lo diste,
fruto de la vid y del
trabajo de los hombres...
Señor, Mi Dios
(How great Thou art)
Señor, mi Dios
al contemplar los cielos,
el firmamento y las estrellas mil,
al oír tu voz en los potentes
truenos y ver brillar el sol
en su cenit.
Mi corazón entona la canción
cuán grande es Él,
cuán grande es Él.
Mi corazón entona la canción,
cuán grande es Él,
cuán grande es Él.
Al recorrer los montes y los valles
y ver las bellas flores al pasar,
al escuchar los cantos de las aves,
y el murmurar del claro manantial.
Cuando recuerdo del amor divino
que desde el cielo al Salvador envió,
aquel Jesús que por salvarme vino,
y en una Cruz sufrió por mi y murió.
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Cuando el Señor me llame
a su presencia, al dulce
hogar, al cielo de esplendor,
le adoraré cantando la
grandeza de su poder
y su infinito amor.
Tú has Venido a la Orilla
Tú has venido a la orilla,
no has buscado ni a sabios ni a ricos,
tan solo quieres que yo te siga.
Señor, me has mirado a los ojos,
sonriendo has dicho mi nombre.
En la arena he dejado mi barca,
junto a Ti buscaré otro mar.
Tú sabes bien lo que tengo.
En mi barca no hay oro ni espadas.
Tan sólo redes y mi trabajo.
Tú necesitas mis manos,
mi cansancio que a otros descanse,
amor que quiera seguir amando.
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Donde Hay Amor
(Where Charity and Love Prevail)
Donde hay amor y caridad
allí está siempre Dios;
unidos con sinceridad,
vivimos comunión
Con gozo y santo temor
aprendamos su amor;
con mente, alma y corazón
amemos con fervor.
A todos los que hicieron mal,
siempre hay que perdonar;
amémosles con grande amor,
a Cristo hay que imitar.
Que entre nosotros mora Dios,
nunca hemos de olvidar;
vivamos siempre con amor,
Él nunca ha de faltar.
El amor no hace distinción
de razas o color;
de todos se hizo Padre Dios,
y de Él nació el amor.
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Yo soy el Pan de vida
Yo soy el Pan de vida,
el que viene a mí no tendrá hambre,
el que cree en mí no tendrá sed.
Nadie viene a mí
si mi Padre no lo acepta.
Yo le resucitaré, yo lo resucitaré,
yo le resucitaré... en el día de Él.
El pan que yo daré es mi Cuerpo
y vida del mundo.
El que coma de mi carne,
vivirá en mí,
como yo vivo en el Padre.
Yo soy esa bebida, que se prueba
y no se tiene sed.
El que beba de mi sangre,
vivirá en mí y tendrá vida eterna.
Mientras no comas el cuerpo
del Hijo del Hombre
y bebas su sangre, y bebas su sangre,
no tendrá vida Él en ti.
Canto a Dios Padre
Grande es el cariño
para con tus hijos,
tierno eres, Padre,
con quienes te aman.
Tú bien lo sabes,
de qué estamos hechos,
te acuerdas de que somos tierra.
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Dios nos sostiene y nos mira,
nos protege y nos cobija,
con su amor nos regocija
en nuestra terrena andanza.
El Padre nos va cambiando
como alfarero a la arcilla,
somos su voz, su semilla,
la tierra de sus amores.
Y hace que suban al cielo
de la mano de María
hombres llenos de alegría,
de su gracia portadores.
“Vayan e incendien el mundo”
es consigna y profecía;
de la mano de María,
es misión de fundadores.
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Protect us with your mantle,
Protect us with your mantle,
Lady of Victory! Ter Admirabilis Mater,
The tower of ivory.
You ark of the new dispensation,
In storms you remain in view.
The ages will see you conquer.
We shall never fail with you.
¡Llevamos, pues, tu nombre,
Madre del Salvador! Tu que eres la más pura,
Del sol el resplandor. Tu faro en el mar del mundo,
invicta en el huracán, del siglo gran vencedora,
¡los tuyos no se hundirán!
Accept our self-surrender,
Take our hearts as the price
That from the seeds of Schoenstatt
Abundant fruit may rise.
You, sign of a loving Father,
In storms you remain in view.
The ages will see you conquer.
We shall never fail with you.
Breit um uns deinen Mantel,
Königin hehr und mild!
O Dreimal Wunderbare,
sei du uns Wehr und Schild!
Wir glauben an unsere Sendung,
sie bleibt in die Stürmen stehn,
wird über die Zeiten siegen,
wir werden nicht untergehn!
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Jubilee 2014 – We Are Your Family
Se eleva nuestra alabanza filial en un cántico nuevo. Al Padre que
nuestra nada miró y por la Alianza nos eligió. Sus maravillas
queremos cantar y en el Santuario al mundo abrazar.
Vamos contigo, Padre nuestra misión - tu Alianza, tu
Alianza nuestra misión.
O Queen of Schoenstatt, our great MTA, in your love ever faithful,
you dwell among us, you give us a home. In your shirne you reign
from your throne. Take our gift of water and change it to wine
Pour out your graces, renew our time!
We are your fam’ly take us, send us anew.
Your cov’nant our mission, we go with you!
Reina de Schoenstatt en tu corazón, Arca de nueva Alianza, obras
milagros de transformación - una nueva evangelización. Somos
tus manos, tus pies y tu voz, al nuevo tiempo envíanos. Vamos…
God’s plan of love gave our father to us. Where he leads we will
follow. Through restless waves and the strongest of storms, he
Will take us to the new shore. Let us bring his mission, his
message to all, his light we carry into the world. We are…
With childlike hearts we rejoice and give thanks to the Father of
mercy. He drew us into the cov’nant of love, opened springs of
grace from above. With our Queen we lift up a new song of praise,
with her we’ll set the whole world ablaze! We are…
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En el Santuario nos diste un hogar donde reinas, María, con
nuestra agua debemos llenar las tinajas para transformar el
mundo viejo en un nuevo jardín, para gloria de la Trinidad.
Vamos…
Ark of the cov’nant and Queen of our hearts, we have witnessed
your power. You rise victorious, transforming the world, you
work wonders in ev’ry land. Let us be your voice, your hands and
your feet, We’re ready, send us, Mother and Queen! We are…
Padre, profeta elegido por Dios, seguimos tu camino por las
tormentas y sombras de hoy, mar adentro en tu corazón. Padre de
pueblos llevamos tu luz, vida nueva en la Alianza de Amor.
Vamos…
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Exploring
Schoenstatt
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Schoenstatt—the Name
The name Schoenstatt is mentioned for the first time in 1143,
when the Archbishop Albero from Trier erected a convent for
Augustinian nuns and called this place ´eyne schoene Statt´ -
Schoenstatt, a beautiful place.
In 1901 the Pallottine Fathers bought this property and
established there the seminary for their future vocations. Fr.
Kentenich became the spiritual director in the seminary in 1912.
With his living faith in Divine Providence Fr. Kentenich
recognized God’s plan: Together with a group of students on
October 18, 1914, he sealed the covenant of love with Mary, the
Mother Thrice Admirable, in the shrine of grace of Schoenstatt.
Fr. Joseph Kentenich, was born on November 18, 1885 in
Gymnich. We went to school in the Pallottine school in
Ehrenbreitstein, entered the community of the Pallottine Fathers
and was ordained priest in 1910 in Limburg.
At this place, in Schoenstatt, he founded the Schoenstatt
movement which has expanded the world over. Schoenstatt is the
center of this Catholic movement of renewal with its various
groups within the peoples and pilgrims movement, the league,
the federations and the institutes. Schoenstatt is a place of grace
and religious center of the Church.
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The Valley - West of the Shrine
1. The Original Shrine (Urheiligtum)
The Shrine of the Mother Thrice Admirable, Queen and Victress
of Schoenstatt is the center and foundation of Schoenstatt. Its
origin dates back to the 14th century as a cemetery chapel - a St.
Michael chapel -, of a medieval convent in Schoenstatt. It was
destroyed in 1633 during the 30 Year War was rebuilt upon the
original foundation. From 1901 until 1912 it served as house
chapel for the Pallottine Fathers who lived in the “Old House”. In
July 1914 the chapel was entrusted as meeting room to the care of
the Marian Sodality of the minor Pallottine seminary. On October
18, 1914, this chapel became a place of grace and pilgrimage when
Father Kentenich together with the seminarians, sealed a
covenant of love with Mary. In this covenant of love, the Blessed
Mother accepted their promise to strive for the greatest heights
and in return she promised to make this chapel a place of grace,
the center of renewal and to work miracles of grace. The talk that
Father Kentenich gave at this occasion, later became known as
the Founding Document of Schoenstatt. In May of 1915 the
picture of grace was placed in the shrine where the Blessed
Mother is venerated as Mother Thrice Admirable, Queen and
Victress of Schoenstatt. The interior of the shrine developed bit
by bit.
The Original Shrine includes a few items which are not found in
other Schoenstatt shrines: The statue of St. Joseph depicts St.
Joseph as patron of the universal Church and Pope Pius XI who
entrusted the Church to him. The statue of Vincent Pallotti
depicts the interrelationship between Schoenstatt and Vincent
Pallotti. The Ave Maria embroidery above the arch was done by a
Pallottine Brother in 1915. The Memorial Tablet on the right wall
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shows the names of the first Schoenstatt members whose names
were inscribed here in 1919 as a sign of gratitude for the founding
of Schoenstatt and their cooperation with the founding. On the
tablet on the left wall, Schoenstatt soldiers offered their insignias
of special honors for heroism in action during World War I to our
Blessed Mother. These soldiers took their motto: All for our
Queen, very seriously and were ready to die for her.
Behind the shrine there are the heroes´ graves of four
Schoenstatt members who offered their lives for the growth and
fruitfulness of Schoenstatt; in the center is a memorial to Joseph
Engling, the most zealous member of the founding generation.
There are many shrines in Schoenstatt; they are central shrines of
the Schoenstatt communities, the various federations and
institutes, who have their headquarters in Schoenstatt.
2. The Old House (Altes Haus)
The Old House (1652-62) was built on the foundation of the
Augustinian convent from the middle ages. After the Pallottine
Fathers bought this property in 1901, it served as students´
lodging. Fr. Kentenich lived there for a time during World War I.
From 1919 on it served the needs of the growing Schoenstatt
movement. Important founding acts took place in this house, for
example, the foundation of the Schoenstatt Sisters of Mary in
1926. In 1989 the interior of the building was renovated.
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3. College of Philosophy and Theology (Theologische
Hochschule)
The school was built by the Pallottines in 1908-1912 as minor
seminary for their community. Fr. Kentenich was spiritual
director there from 1912 until 1919. Under his leadership the
Marian Sodality was established on April 19, 1914. With its
members he set the founding act of Schoenstatt on October
18,1914. Today the former seminary serves as college of
philosophy and theology.
4. The Pilgrims´ Place
In ancient times these grounds served as the convent cemetery.
Later it was a gathering place for the many pilgrims who visited
the shrine and attended the conventions held by Fr. Kentenich.
5. The Old Tower (Alter Turm)
The Old Tower is the witness of a long history of religious
tradition. It is the last reminder of the Marian basilica built in the
12th century by the Augustinian nuns who settled at this spot in
1143.
6. Water Castle (Haus Wasserburg)
Erected in the 1970s, it is a retreat center of the Pallottines with
particular emphasis on youth groups.
7. St. Vincent Pallotti Church (Pallottikirche)
Built in 1937 as a provisional church to accommodate the
increasing stream of pilgrims, the church served a multiple
purpose, such as pilgrimages, ordinations, reception ceremonies
of the sisters, until more facilities had been established in
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Schoenstatt. Still today the
Pallottines use it as pilgrims´ church and for a variety of liturgical
celebrations.
8. Mary´s Meadow
(Haus Marienau)
Built in 1810 it served various purposes, until it was used as an
academy for the education of teachers from 1887 until 1920, and
then as novitiate of the Divine Word Sisters. (Blessed Blandina
Merten, an Ursuline Sister, went to teachers’ college here from
1902-08) On December 12, 1950 the Schoenstatt diocesan priests
acquired it, enlarged and renovated it. Since 1980, it serves as
headquarters of the Federation of Schoenstatt Diocesan Priests
and as retreat house. From 1966 until 1968 Fr. Kentenich
conducted numerous retreats there, gave talks and spiritual
direction. There he spent the week before his death and left the
Marienau at 9:00 p.m. on September 14, the evening before he
died.
The Shrine of the Federation of Schoenstatt Diocesan Priests in
the courtyard of their house was dedicated in 1992 and bears the
name: Canaan Patris, Canaan - the promised land of the Father.
9. Memorial or “Farewell Corner”
This large stone memorial, erected on May 13, 1982 along the
road across the wall that surrounds the Marienau, at the foot of
the incline leading to house St. Joseph, is the “farewell corner”.
This is the spot where during World War I, the seminarians on
home leave bid farewell from their comrades and Fr. Kentenich.
The bronze relief shows Fr. Kentenich as he blesses Joseph
Engling for his last journey from which he never returned.
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10. House St. Joseph
Erected in 1954, it served the men´s league and federation on a
temporary basis.
11. Old Goldsmith (Alte Goldschmiede)
In this house in 1953, opposite of the entrance of the Marienau,
the Marian Brothers had established their goldsmith shop until
they moved to their new quarters in the 1970s. The house kept its
name although since 1984 it serves as central offices of the
German Schoenstatt Movement.
12. Mario Hiriat House - Goldsmith (Mario Hiriat Haus
Goldschmiede)
Located on the Höhrer Straße, it serves as headquarters of the
Brothers of Mary who erected the structure themselves over the
years, starting in 1973. The structure includes the new goldsmith
and artisan´s workshop. The name Mario Hiriat House
commemorates the first Latin American, a professor of
engineering, who was called to the Institute and gave his life for
Schoenstatt dying at a young age.
13. Marian School (Marienschule)
Built in 1959, the girls´ high school under the direction of the
Sisters was relocated from their old quarters in the Wildburg to
this new site. The large mosaic of the Mother Thrice Admirable
on the face of the school points to the actual protectress of the
school.
14. Haus Sonneck - Corner of the Sun
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It was purchased by the Sisters on December 30, 1929 and
blessed by Fr. Kentenich on March 19, 1930. From 1935 until
1967 it served as the Sisters´ Motherhouse and then temporarily
as the Generalate of the Schoenstatt Fathers.
15. Haus Regina - House Regina
Built in 1949-1952, it is the headquarters of the Institute: Ladies
of Schoenstatt. A youth house for retreats was added in 1967. The
shrine, erected in 1963, bears the name: Patri unita - United in
the Father. After his return from the USA, Fr. Kentenich visited
the shrine several times and celebrated Holy Mass.
16. Patris Publishing House (Patris Verlag)
As a former industrial building it was acquired by the Schoenstatt
Fathers in 1964. It was renovated to serve as publishing house
and as book store.
Notes
92
Mount Nazareth
17. Shrine of the Families (Heiligtum der Familien)
The shrine of the families was built in 1971 as spiritual center of
the entire family movement, the league, the federation and the
institute of families. It was the result of a promise made in 1967
at the 25th anniversary of the foundation of the family movement
in the concentration camp Dachau.
There are three original features in the shrine: a stone from
Dachau at the foot of the altar, a statue of the Holy Family and
the MTA crown with two covenant rings, twelve crystals, lilies
and a barbed wire.
18. House of the Family (Haus der Familie)
This house was dedicated in 1985 as a gift for Fr. Kentenich´s
100th birthday. It was built by the entire family movement and
serves as retreat center and meeting place for families
Notes
93
At the Edge of the Valley
19. House of the Covenant (Bundesheim)
Erected in 1928, it functioned as central headquarters of the
Movement and as retreat house for the branches of the growing
Schoenstatt Movement. Fr. Kentenich lived there with his
immediate collaborators from 1928 until 1951 and conducted the
Schoenstatt Movement from there.
20. Haus Schönfels - Beautiful Rock
In 1927, rented by the sisters and purchased and enlarged in
1928, it is located below the House of the Covenant and is also
called little castle. From 1932 until 1957. It is now at the disposal
of guests.
21. Schönstatt Verlag - Schoenstatt Publishing House
It was founded in 1954 as the sisters´ publishing house, book
store and gift shop. It was renovated in 1994.
Notes
94
The Valley –
East of the Shrine
22. House St. Michael (Haus St. Michael)
Built in 1977, it is the residence of the Pallottine Fathers and
Brothers who take care of their spirituality center.
23. Pilgrims´ Information Center (Pilgerzentrale)
This information center takes care of the registration and
organization of pilgrimages and of individual pilgrims, on a
national and international level.
24. Pilgrims´ House (Pilgerhaus)
Built in 1974, it accommodates pilgrims and guests. It is
distinguished by its special cornerstone, a large MTA relief with
the initials MHC - Mater habebit curam - Mother takes care.
25. Haus Sonnenau - Meadow of the Sun
Built in 1958 with the very personal engagement of the entire
girls´ youth, it is the center of the girls´ movement; it bears the
name: Meadow of the Sun.
26. Pilgrims´ Church (Pilgerkirche)
In 1978 a tent, originally used for a national flower exposition,
was erected in Schoenstatt as a temporary pilgrims´ church, with
the capacity to sit 2000 people. In 1999, a church was built in its
place. The monthly Covenant Day Mass and Covenant Renewal
takes place here on the evenings of the 18 of the month, and
includes a procession to the Original Shrine.
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27. Pilgrims´ Arena (Pilgerplatz)
This large outdoor place was built in 1984-1985 for the
international festivities of Fr. Kentenich´s 100th birthday. On
October 18, 2014, the MTA iof the Original Shrine was brought
here to the 12,000 pilgrims which gathered to celebrate the 100th
anniversary of the founding of Schoenstatt in this arena.
28. Garden of Mary
(Haus Mariengart)
In 1965-1967, the Ladies of the Federation erected their central
headquarters on the slope of the „Marienberg“ - Mount Mary.
The community, founded in 1920 by Fr. Kentenich, is one of the
oldest communities within the Schoenstatt family. Fr. Kentenich
himself presided at the corner stone laying on Pentecost Sunday,
June 14, 1967, and at the dedication of the shrine which took
place on the same day. The house was dedicated on January 1,
1969. A plaque in the hallway depicts historical events which took
place in this house.
The Shrine of the community bears the name: Coenaculum -
Cenacle of the Father for the Father´s Family.
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Berg Schönstatt - Mount Schoenstatt
Mount Schoenstatt is the center and headquarters of the
Schoenstatt Sisters of Mary. The first piece of property, the
“quarry”, was purchased already in 1934. Fr. Kentenich
considered this buy an important step for further expansion. In
the 1950s the major part of the mount was acquired. A wayside
shrine near the Mission center in the wooded area was erected on
this new property which Fr. Kentenich blessed on July 1,1951.
29. Cemetery of the Sisters
The cemetery at the entrance of Mount Schoenstatt, the sisters´
mount, was established in 1958.
30. Mission Center (Missionshaus)
Erected from 1963-1965, it was dedicated by Fr. Kentenich on
June 8, 1966. It serves the needs of the missions abroad which
the sisters established ever since the first sisters were sent out to
the missions starting in 1933. The mission center invites everyone
to visit its large display of native artifacts from the countries
where the sisters work.
31. The Garden of Mary Shrine (Mariengarten Shrine)
The shrine was dedicated on May 5, 1954 as the spiritual center of
the sisters´ community. It was the first branch shrine at the place
of Schoenstatt´s origin. During the founder´s exile many
important historical events took place here including the official
foundation of the community of the Schoenstatt Fathers on July
18,1965. In front of this shrine, Fr. Kentenich held his “Sermons
on the Mount” in the summer of 1966.
32. House of Formation (Schulungsheim)
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This was the first house to be erected on the mount. Fr.
Kentenich himself turned the first spade on August 7, 1951 and in
1954 the construction was completed. It serves the ongoing
education of the sisters, the tertianships, the retreats and other
events. It was also Fr. Kentenich´s home after his return from
exile in 1965 until his death in 1968. During that time this house
truly became a Father-House as many members of Schoenstatt
visited our father and founder and sought his advice. Still today
his apartment has remained intact and is a place of prayer and
spiritual encounter with the founder. His living quarters can be
viewed by previous arrangements.
33. Novitiate (Noviziatshaus)
The novitiate was the second house to be built on Mount
Schoenstatt in 1959 and serves the spiritual formation and
education of the sisters´ vocations, the novices.
34. Motherhouse of the Schoenstatt Sisters of Mary
(Mutterhaus)
Built in 1965-1967, it is the central headquarters of the
international community of the Schoenstatt Sisters of Mary. Fr.
Kentenich presided at the cornerstone laying on July 8, 1966 and
blessed the house chapel on April 14, 1968.
35. Adoration Church (The Founder´s Tomb)
Anbetungskirche (Gründergrab)
This church, also called the Church of the Blessed Trinity, and
“Castle of God”, is a gift in thanksgiving for the safety that
Schoenstatt had experienced during the times of National
Socialism. Already in 1939, Fr. Kentenich had made this promise
to build a memorial, an adoration church, in thanksgiving.
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Finally, this promise could be redeemed in 1965 when the
construction began. Fr. Kentenich presided at the cornerstone
laying on May 20, 1966 and blessed the bells on May 20, 1967. On
June 9, 1968 the church was consecrated as church of the Blessed
Trinity.
The Founder Chapel
The founder of Schoenstatt found his resting place in the sacristy
of this church where he died after he had celebrated his first Holy
Mass there on September 15, 1968. The inscription on the
sarcophagus: Dilexit Ecclesiam - He loved the Church, is a
testimony of his attitude and life´s work. Many people from far
and near flock to his death and resting place, to the founder
chapel, and ask our founder to intercede on their behalf.
Symbols in the Adoration Church
Blessed Trinity
The large cross, designed and made by Sr. Sigrid Theimann in
1985, is a symbol of the Trinity with its golden burning radiance
around the tabernacle. The large cross symbolizes the tree of life.
The beams of the cross are broken with mountain crystals,
symbols of cross and suffering in daily life. The flat square with
four amethysts symbolize the throne of the Triune God with the
eye of God the Father in its center from whom all life proceeds.
The slanted cross with the five amethysts is the sign of Christ and
his wounds, expressing dynamic movements as Christ is the one
sent by the Father to redeem us and to remain with us forever.
The Holy Spirit, symbolized in a dove, proceeds from the Father
and the Son and descends upon us. A wreath of flames surrounds
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the symbol of the Trinity pointing to the inner-trinitarian divine
life into which we are drawn as God´s children. In the lower
section of the cross beams we see the burning thorn bush, the
symbol of Mary as the Christ bearer, with the tabernacle in its
center. The tabernacle depicts the image of the book of revelation
(cf. Rev.4,10), where 24 elders lay down their crowns before the
lamb. The throne of the tabernacle consists of five shrines,
symbolizing the internationality of Schoenstatt.
MTA picture
The MTA picture with its large golden frame is also called the
Victress picture, as the Blessed Mother was crowned by the entire
international Schoenstatt family on October 20, 1974 as Victress
of Schoenstatt. From that time on the title Victress was added to
her title: Mother Thrice Admirable, Queen and Victress of
Schoenstatt.
36. House and Shrine of the Adoration Sisters
This complex is joined to the Adoration Church and consists of
the house, the house chapel and the shrine. It was dedicated on
July 1, 1976. The shrine was dedicated already on 1975. The
adoration sisters live a contemplative life style, pray the liturgy of
the Hours and keep vigil before the Blessed Sacrament day and
night. They devote themselves to works of liturgical art such as
vestments, wall-hangings and items used in liturgy. They are also
promoting the extended adoration circle among the laity, conduct
retreats and keep correspondence with hundreds of people who
are requesting their prayers.
Visitors are welcome to join the adoration sisters for the liturgy of
the Hours.
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37. Father Kentenich House (Pater Kentenich Haus)
Built in 1984-1986, it is a thanksgiving memorial of the sisters for
Fr. Kentenich´s 100th birthday in 1985. It was conceived as place
of encounter and contributes to a deeper understanding of the
personality, life and work of Fr. Kentenich and of his spiritual
legacy. The secretariat for Fr. Kentenich´s beatification is also
located in this structure. Visitors will receive an audio-visual
introduction and a guidebook in their own language to facilitate
their visit of the displays.
38. Retreat Center Land of Mary (Bildungsstätte
Marienland)
The complex structure was completed in 1977 to serve as retreat
center for the Schoenstatt women. It is also the head-quarters of
the sisters who work for the movement on a full time basis. The
shrine, dedicated on April 30, 1977, bears the name: Regnum
Patris - Kingdom of the Father.
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Marienberg - Mount Mary
39. Youth Center Mount Mary (Jugendzentrum
Marienberg)
This is the youth center was built in 1984 under the auspices of
the Marian Brothers. The structure, representing the idea of the
new city, a miniature city, is the center of the Schoenstatt Boys’
and Young Men´s youth and is at the disposal of other youth and
retreat groups.
40. Haus Tabor
The house belongs to the Institute of the Brothers of Mary and is
open for retreats for the Mens’ Branches of Schoenstatt and for
other conferences and guests. It hosts an exposition on Joseph
Engling.
41. The Tabor Shrine
It is located in front of House Tabor. It was blessed in 1995 and is
the spiritual center of the Mens’ Branch of the Movement.
Berg Sion - Mount Sion
Mount Sion is the central home of the Schoenstatt Fathers´
community. The name Sion points to the biblical Sion, Jerusalem
as the royal city and the capitol of the people of God where the arc
of the covenant was transferred after the completion of the
temple. The temple is the heart of the city which God has chosen
as his dwelling place. The Sion of the Schoenstatt Fathers is to be
the dwelling place of God.
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42. Provincial House (Provinzhaus)
It was erected in 1974 as central house for the German Province
of the Schoenstatt Fathers. For many years it has also served the
international novitiate of the community.
42. Mount Sion Shrine (Heiligtum Berg Sion)
Dedicated in 1970, it is the spiritual center of the community. Fr.
Kentenich blessed the land in 1967 and gave the shrine its name:
Sion Patris Matri Ecclesiae - Sion of the Father for the Mother of
the Church. Its cornerstone comes from the first church of St.
Peter in Rome, built in the time of Constantine and was blessed
by Pope Paul VI.
44. Generalate of the Schoenstatt Fathers - Father
House
The generalate of the Schoenstatt Fathers was completed in 1992
and serves as headquarters of the fathers. It also accommodates
their vocations during the times of their formation, the novices
and the Fathers during their tertianships.
45. Adoration Fathers
In 1980, the house for the Adoration branch of the community of
the fathers was dedicated. The priests dedicate their lives to
adoration, contemplation and liturgy.
46. Priesterhaus Berg Moriah - Priests´ House Mount
Moriah
Moriah was the Old Testament mountain where Abraham had to
sacrifice his son Isaac. As a place of sacrifice, Moriah is a priestly
symbol, a land of promise and of encounter with the God who
demands faith and obedience.
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Mount Moriah has the highest elevation of all centers in
Schoenstatt. Erected in 1980, it is the headquarters of the Secular
Institute of the Schoenstatt Diocesan Priests and of the league.
There are two monuments of special importance: The rock in the
main entrance is a symbol of God who acts in Schoenstatt´s
history, indicated by its four milestones. The altar and tabernacle
from Dachau, which the prisoners made themselves, were
acquired by Prelate Dresbach, who was with Fr. Kentenich in
Dachau. Both witness to the triumph of covenant loyalty.
47. Moriah Patris Shrine
The shrine, dedicated in 1976, bears the name: Moriah Patris -
Moriah of the Father. Its cornerstone was brought from Rome
close to the tomb of St. Peter and was blessed by Pope Paul VI.
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Venerable Sr. M. Emilie Engel 1893—1955
Many come to Koblenz-Metternich (Germany) to the grave of
Sister Emilie Engel, a Schoenstatt Sister of Mary, to ask for help
with their concerns. The founder of the international Schoenstatt
Work, Father Joseph Kentenich (1885-1968), spoke of a special
mission, which she had received from God for the people of our
time. After Sister Emilie’s death he said of her:
It is her mission to lead people out of the prison of fear and
anxiety and to give them a home in the father heart of God.
She herself suffered profoundly from fear and anxiety. It had to
be that way. If someone has a mission to fulfill the, person is
often tested expressly in this area. Many feel just like the one who
heard about Sister Emilie and spontaneously replied: “Then
Sister Emilie would be a ‘saint’ for today because we are all
afraid.”
Who was Sister Emilie?
Emilie Engel was born on February 6, 1893 as the forth of twelve
children in Husten in Sauerland, Germany. She came from a
large family and spent her childhood on the family farm. Her
home offered a secure shelter, the best conditions for Emilie who
was a quiet and somewhat reserved child. They had a large, warm
parlor in which she talked and prayed with her parents, brothers
and sisters, and where they were happy and sang together on long
winter evenings. But in her home there was also a dark corner
under the stairs; as a child she sometimes hid there in and
trembled there in fear.
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Emilie was often filled with fear. The thought that she might
offend God distressed her and made her look anxiously into her
heart. In addition, the religious instructions given in school in
those days depicted a very severe image of God.
Emilie became a teacher and she put her whole heart into
teaching. She looked after poor children in particular. A girl’s
mother died when Emilie was a young teacher. She took the girl
to her own home where she grew up like a child of the family. She
also helped the girl’s 14- year-old brother to secure a position
with the Pallottine Fathers in Schoenstatt where he could train as
a gardener. Emilie took him there personally. The grace of her
Schoenstatt calling was connected with this solicitous, motherly
deed. A new world opened up before her, a world whose goal
made an impression on her: to form the world in Christ’s image
through Mary.
Soon Emilie Engel gave up her secure profession as a teacher. On
October 1, 1926, she placed herself at the disposal of
Schoenstatt’s fonder, Father Kentenich, for the purpose of
founding the community of Schoenstatt Sisters of Mary.
In her Father Kentenich gained a valuable co-worker who placed
her whole strength and all her abilities unconditionally at the
service of the young community. She gave even more that that:
she gave herself. She offered herself to God as a sacrifice for the
fruitfulness of this new family.
And God accepted her offer. She was able to put herself totally
into the young community as its novice and tertianship mistress,
later a provincial superior and general council sister.
Above and beyond all this, she offered herself as a sacrifice. Sister
Emilie became seriously ill in 1935 and had to leave her home in
Schoenstatt. She had to stay in hospitals and clinics where she
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repeatedly underwent surgery that had excruciating painful
aftereffects. For years there followed stays in sanatoria. But her
health was not restored.
And yet, as ill as she was, she gave all her strength and time to the
community in Schoenstatt and later in Koblenz-Metternich. A
slowly progressive paralysis bound her to a wheelchair. She
became as helpless as a child. Towards the end she could no
longer speak.
In her life the spiritual suffering caused by fear may have been
more painful then her physical suffering. It was fear that
threatened to paralyze her abilities, her love, and her whole life.
But she went to Schoenstatt, and that was what gradually brought
about the change in her life.
Looking back she wrote: “At the time I did not know that the
Blessed Mother had drawn and guided me in order to help free
me here at this place of grace from great afflictions of the soul in
the midst of which I had already begged so often for help.”
What led Sister Emilie to find her way out of fear and inner
distress into God’s father heart was her belief that God is father.
God is mercy. He is love; in everything he is and does, he is love.
He is the God of wise and kind providence.
As difficult as her life became, she rested, as it were in God’s
providence. She could fearlessly let God love her and in her “Yes,
Father” she gave him the answer of love.
She could not conceal the fact that she was so deeply sheltered in
the heavenly Father. Those who met her said:
“The brief encounter with so kind a woman is an unforgettable
memory for me. In her presence a piece of eternity enveloped
me.”
“To have met such a woman in life is certainly a grace.”
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One of her classmates said: “Often we told her: Emilie, your name
is Engel (German for’ angel’), but you are an angel too.” By giving
them, the experience of God’s nearness Sister Emilie became an
angel for many.
A priest once declared: “I must really travel to Metternich again.
You know, your ‘saint’ lives there and I must look into the
beaming eyes of Sister Emilie once more. Then for me everything
will be alright again.”
A young girl wrote: “My first thought was: Here is a person who
radiates God’s love, kindness and beauty. Here is a new person
who is natural and supernatural at the same time, a complete
person whom you can love and revere. The longing to belong to
this community was strengthened in me. I certainly wanted to
become such a happy, relaxed and deep person myself.”
Emilie’s life was unique song of praise to God’s providence. God
used her limits to lead her to sanctity. God chose her limits as the
gate through which his grace penetrated.
On November 20, 1955, the vigil of the presentation of Mary,
Sister Emilie was allowed to go home to eternity like a child who
knows no fear. She was in Providentia House in Koblenz-
Metternich. A priest who was present at the time said: “If we
could all die like that some day all would be well. She is a saint.”
In her last testament, Sister Emilie summarized the divine love
fatherly care, which she experienced in such abundance during
her life:
“Praise to divine providence in my life. Extol the mercies of God
and the Blessed Mother! Throughout eternity, I will sing a hymn
of praise to the merciful father love and mother love. I want to be
a victim of praise of God’s mercy.” *
Notes
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Gymnich
Fr. Kentenich's Birthplace
In the year 1840 the Town had experienced the potato famine.
There were difficulties in getting an education to better your
situation. Germany was experiencing the challenge of persecution
of religion because of the Kulturkampf (the effects of the French
Revolution in Germany. Living as a religious, studying for
priesthood, as well as living your faith in everyday life was more
difficult.) Gymnich was a small town not far from the city of
Cologne. The farm village was not as affected by the difficulties of
the time as the city. One thing was experienced, the difficulty of
keeping a qualified teacher at the local school. Often the teachers
that were hired were absent because of sickness.
How does this visit to the place of Father Kentenich's birth,
Gymnich, compare with our time now in 2016 and modern
United States?
We might not have the " Kulturkampf ' but do we have
challenges to our religious freedom? What are some of these
challenges that have parallels to Father Kentenich's childhood
times?
Gymnich- a Blessing for little Joseph
Father Kentenich experienced the educational influence of his
own mother and grandparents in his home town. There is a
saying: " It takes a town to educate a man." For little Joseph, this
had some truth. He had much freedom to wander the hills and
discover God's beautiful world around him with his cousins. The
formal education was not so consistent but the love and support
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of his family and town were consistent and merciful. Later in Fr.
Kentenich's life he would share little insights and customs that
must have come from his grandparents:
"Everything to God's glory when I work and when I rest."
"Grandparents would pray the private exorcism, make the
sign of the cross, and sprinkle holy water to keep the devil
away."
What religious educational influences have we received from
our parents and grandparents?
Often, modern day media has a powerful influence on us: but
Father Kentenich once said that the modern person doesn't
read books anymore except the book of lived faith.
How can I or how have I been a living experience of God for
others?
How was and is Father Kentenich a living witness of God's
love for others?
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Cathedral in Cologne
Begun in 1248, the building of this Gothic masterpiece took place
in several stages and was not completed until 1880. Over seven
centuries, its successive builders were inspired by the same faith
and by a spirit of absolute fidelity to the original plans. Apart
from its exceptional intrinsic value and the artistic masterpieces
it contains, Cologne Cathedral bears witness to the strength and
endurance of European Christianity. No other Cathedral is so
perfectly conceived, so uniformly and uncompromisingly
executed in all its parts.
Cologne Cathedral is a High Gothic five-aisled basilica (144.5 m
long), with a projecting transept (86.25 m wide) and a tower
façade (157.22 m high). The nave is 43.58 m high and the side-
aisles 19.80 m. The western section, nave and transept begun in
1330, changes in style, but this is not perceptible in the overall
building. The 19th century work follows the medieval forms and
techniques faithfully, as can be seen by comparing it with the
original medieval plan on parchment.
The original liturgical appointments of the choir are still extant to
a considerable degree. These include the high altar with an
enormous monolithic slab of black limestone, believed to be the
largest in any Christian church, the carved oak choir stalls (1308-
11), the painted choir screens (1332-40), the fourteen statues on
the pillars in the choir (c. 1300), and the great cycle of stained-
glass windows, the largest existent cycle of early 14th century
windows in Europe. There is also an outstanding series of tombs
of twelve archbishops between 976 and 1612.
Of the many works of art in the Cathedral, special mention should
be made to the Gero Crucifix of the late 10th century, in the Chapel
of the Holy Cross, which was transferred from the pre-
Romanesque predecessor of the present Cathedral, and the Shrine
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of the Magi (1180-1225), in the choir, which is the largest reliquary
shrine in Europe. Other artistic masterpieces are the altarpiece of
St. Clare (c. 1350-1400) in the north aisle, brought here in 1811
from the destroyed cloister church of the Franciscan nuns, the
altarpiece of the City Patrons by Stephan Lochner (c. 1445) in the
Chapel of Our Lady, and the altarpiece of St. Agilolphus (c. 1520)
in the south transept.
Source: http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/292/
Tour
1. Five windows in the north side aisle, donated between 1507
and 1509 (from left to right): (a) Scenes of the Passion (above), St
Lawrence and the virgin (below); (b)The Legend of St Peter and
the Tree of Jesse (above), kneeling donor with Sts Peter and
Sebastian (below); (c)Adoration of the Shepherds (above), the
Cologne Knightly Sts George, Mauritius, Gereon, Albinus
(below); (d) Adoration of the Three Magi (above), the Virgin and
Sts Peter, Elizabeth, Christopher (below); (e) Coronation of the
Virgin (above), St Mary Magdalene and St George (below).
2. Altar of the Poor Clares, about 1350/60. This is the oldest
remaining sacrament altar with a permanently fixed tabernacle.
This lavish winged altar can be opened in three different
transformations. It originates from the former Franciscan
convent of St Clare in Cologne and was brought into the cathedral
in 1811.
3. Above the old entrance of the Treasury there are gilded
rods, whose number indicate the number of years of the current
Archbishop's tenure.
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4. Miraculous Picture of the Virgin
(so-called Schmuckmadonna).
Placed in the front wall of the Baroque mausoleum of the Three
Magi, which was created after 1667 for the axial chapel (the
chapel at the easternmost end of the choir).Now you reach the
ambulatory with its seven chapels. This is the oldest part of the
cathedral which was begun in 1248 and completed by 1265 it
surrounded the inner choir, at that time yet uncompleted. The
ambulatory and chapels were therefore already in use for
liturgical purposes by 1265.
5. Floor mosaic according to the design of August Essenwein,
1885-1892.
The first section shows Archbishop Hildebold (t8l8) who holds a
model of the "older" cathedral (the structure previous to 1248).
6. Chapel of the Cross: Here is the Gero-Crucifix which was
donated by Archbishop Gero (t 976). It is the oldest remaining
monumental crucifix of the Western World. Represented here is
not the suffering or triumphal Christ, rather the lifeless Christ
who through his death became the salvator of humankind.
According to a legendary report of Thietmar von Merseburg,
Archbishop Gero had stopped a developing crack in the wood
head by setting a host in it, through which the cross later worked
miracles and thereby became part of the Cathedral relics. In 1683
the corresponding Crucifix Altar was donated by Henrich von
Mering.
7. Engelbert Chapel: Wall epitaph of Archbishop
Anton von Schauenburg (f 1558), made by Cornelius Floris.
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Originally placed in the inner choir (compare to No. 14).
8. Maternus Chapel: Funerary monument of Archbishop
Phillip von Heinsberg
(f 1191), dated to about 1300 and having depictions of the
Cologne medieval city wall.
9. Chapel of St John: Funerary monument of Archbishop
Konrad von Hochstaden Of 1261) who laid the ground stone of for
the building of the Gothic cathedral in 1248. Dated to 1265.
10. Chapel of the Three Magi (Axial Chapel): On the occasion
of the choir consecration in 1322, the Shrine of the Three Magi
was placed here. From thistime on the ambulatory was opened
for the faithful and the pilgrims. Before this time, however, it is
assumed that the chapel was reserved for the cathedral and the
clergy of the city In the center is the Bible Window, the oldest
stained glass of the cathedral which is dated to about 1265. Here
are Typological (theologically corresponding) scenes from the Old
and New Testaments. To the left is the Three Magi window while
to the right is the
Peter and Maternus window, both dated to around 1330.
11. Funerary monument of Archbishop Dietrich von
Moers (f 1463), attributed to the chief cathedral architect
Konrad Kuyn.
12. Chapel of St Agnes: Funerary monument of St Irmingardis
von Suchteln (t
1085), dated to about 1270.
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13. Chapel of St Michael: Funerary monument of Archbishop
Walram von Julich (f 1349).
14. Chapel of St Stephen: Funerary monument of Archbishop
Gero (f976), dated to about 1270. Here also is the so-called Newer
Biblical Window (around 1280) from the former Dominican
church in Cologne. Wall epitaph of Archbishop Adolph von
Schauenburg (1556). (Counterpart to No. 7)
15. Funerary monument of Archbishop Friedrich von
Saarwenden (1414).
16. Chapel of the Virgin (Marienkapelle): Altarpiece of the
patrons saint of Cologne painted by Stefan Lochner
around 1442. (photo on next page) Previously located in
the chapel of the city hall. Before this altar originally stood
here the:
17. Milan Madonna, dated to about 1290 with some
restoration in 1855. This Madonna replaced a previous
miraculous Madonna which Rainald von Dassel had
brought from Milan to Cologne in 1164. Because the current
statue was considered to work miracles, it belongs to one of the
three most important relics of the cathedral.
18. The Inner Choir; the liturgical center of the cathedral,
was reserved in the Middle Ages for the Archbishop and
the Cathedral Chapter.
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19. High altar, about 1310. At this altar; one of the largest
known from the Middle Ages, the Cologne archbishop had the
privilege to celebrate the Mass facing the people.
20. Shrine of the Three Magi, about 1190- 1225. The pictorial
program is not dedicated to the Three Magi, rather summarizes
the entire history of salvation from the beginning of the Old
Testament to the return of the Christ at the end of time. There are
prophets and kings of the Old Testament depicted on the lower
part of the longer sides, while on the upper parts are the apostles
as corresponding representatives from the New Testament. The
Adoration of the Three Magi, the Baptism of Christ in the Jordan,
the Return of Christ as Judge of the World, which where the three
ways in which Christ appeared (Epiphany). On the back side in
the lower section, the Flagellation and Crucifixion of Christ are
represented while above one sees the Coronation of Sts Felix and
Narbor whose bones are housed in the shrine.
21. Choir stall, about 1308- 1311. With 104 seats this is the
largest choir stall in Germany
22. Wall-painting on the choir screen, about 1340.
23. Choir figures located on the pillars, dated to about 1290
(with original painted patterns restored in 1880). Here Christ is
represented with the Virgin and the 12 Apostles.
24. Clerestory windows of the Kings, about 1310: The 24
Kings of Juda and the 24 Elders of the Apocalypse. In the axial
window is the adoration of the Three Magi who are paying
homage to Mary and the devine Child.
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25. St Christopher, about 1470.
26. Altar of Agilolphus, a work from Antwerp which is dated to
about 1520 and comes from the former collegiate church of St
Mary of the Steps (Sancta Maria ad Gradus).
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My Memories
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