Schoenstatt movement to celebrate 100 years

Schoenstatt Philippines sets second national convention on May 2-4

THE Schoenstatt family all over the world will celebrate its centenary on Oct. 18, 2014.

At the heart of the jubilee celebration is the renewal of the covenant of love with Mary, “Mother Thrice Admirable, Queen and Victress of Schoenstatt.” Schoenstatt is a German word, which means a beautiful place.

Fr. Joseph Kentenich, Schoenstatt’s founder, said the covenant of love relies on God’s activity and human co-operation.

In the Schoenstatt Shrine, Mary mediates for the faithful as an “expression, medium and safeguard of our baptismal covenant with the Divine Triune God.”

To mark the 100 years of Schoenstatt’s foundation, the Schoenstatt family in the Philippines will hold its second national convention on May 2 to 4, with the theme, “Your Covenant, Our Mission.”

The national gathering will be held at the Schoenstatt Spirituality Center, Lawaan III, Talisay City, Cebu.

Some 250 delegates nationwide are expected to join the national convention as part of the centenary celebrations.

The highlight will be a holy mass with Archbishop Emeritus Ricardo Cardinal Vidal on May 3 at 4 p.m. and will be followed by a jubilee celebration. The life and times of Fr. Kentenich, who founded the Schoenstatt movement in 1914, will also be highlighted in the convention sessions and workshops.

Replica

The Philippines is privileged to have a replica of the original shrine in Vallendar, Germany. There are more than 200 replicas, known as “daughter Shrines,” throughout the world.

The Filipino “daughter” Shrine is located atop a sprawling hill in Lawaan 3, Talisay. The shrine was declared an Archdiocesan Shrine in 2008.

During this centenary year the Holy Father, Pope Francis, has granted a plena- ry indulgence to all who visit the shrine as part of a jubilee celebration and fulfill the normal requirements for the indulgence.

A jubilee pilgrimage to the original shrine in Germany with Filipino Delegates is scheduled for the second week of October. They will join the interna- tional Schoenstatt jubilee celebrations to be held in Schoenstatt, Germany on Oct. 18, 2014 and will be followed by celebrations in Rome.

According to the Schoenstatt website, pilgrims coming from different places all over the world expect to have an audience with Pope Francis on Oct. 25.