Agathe Hug. “Place your bet…” Well, in Schoenstatt there isn’t such a TV programme, nor is Schoenstatt a request programme. Or isn’t it? If that were the case, you can be sure that the most common request would be: Dear Blessed Mother we need money for …! Schoenstatters always need money (and usually don’t have any) for social projects, to build a shrine, to build a training centre, etc., that is, for all their good ideas for carrying out Schoenstatt’s mission. There are always plenty of good ideas – there’s never any shortage.
That was true right from the beginning. Already in 1916 it was clear to the very small Schoenstatt Family, in particular the Sodalists, that the shrine and Old House next to it were inadequate for the great future they believed God had in store. In Autumn 1923 a meeting of those in leadership positions said that they would at least have to enlarge the little shrine if all who came for Training Courses were to fit in. It was impossible to go on forever with things as they were on 18 October 1914, when around 53 young men crowded into the little chapel. So they began to plan…
First a bed and a roof…
Fortunately the Schoenstatters at that time were practical people and there was a general lack of funds. So they carried out a very practical plan: Unless there is a bed, and unless you have a roof over your head, you can’t come to Schoenstatt. So they had to create these very basic necessities. Also here it is true that grace builds on nature. The idea of building a “Covenant Home” was born.
But how to finance it? A building fund was started. On 8 December 1924 the young assistant priest, Rudi Oster, who was stationed in Boppard fairly close to Schoenstatt, prepared the draft for a first appeal to all the members of the Federation to help finance the new Covenant Home with their donations. He told them about the start of the building fund for the large, new house:
“Recently we Federation Priests belonging to the Trier diocese met. During a very relaxed conversation the question was raised: What has Schoenstatt meant to us so far, and what would it mean to us in the future? We said: Schoenstatt and its shrine has to become a home from home for us priests. So one suggested: Then we have to create a real home for ourselves. Suddenly, in answer one placed 50 Marks on the table as the foundation for the building, which is an absolute necessity, and by the time we departed the first 350 Marks had been donated to the building fund. We are convinced that that evening the Mother Thrice Admirable had again guided and directed our hearts and thoughts.”
In his draft text Fr Oster described the situation in detail:
“Really urgent tasks are waiting to be solved! The individual courses are getting bigger all the time, and more and more “guests”, above all priests who want to take a closer look at what we are up to, are coming to functions. It has shown, particularly during the Autumn Conference and even more during the course for spiritual directors, that we lack the facilities to accommodate all participants. We Federation members are satisfied if we can find a corner in a common dormitory, but we can’t expect this of people in general. It isn’t always possible to create space in the house up there (this refers to the College), and isn’t a good idea. We want to be independent, we want to meet and discuss things in our own home… Schoenstatt has to become our home from home, and we have to feel at home there. This isn’t possible if there aren’t enough rooms or space for us all. Schoenstatt has increasingly to become a place where we can relax and recuperate spiritually and physically. Also the Centre has to be extended, etc., etc.
Most of all our shrine, our Federation shrine! We all agreed on this a long time ago that it is far too small and urgently needs remedial action.
But haven’t we talked about this far too often? And more or less nothing has been done. We’ve used enough words. On 30 October the Trier region founded a building fund that will enable us to build a large new building for our Federation (Federation shrine and Federation home). Four Federation members immediately collected 350 Marks for this purpose and laid the foundation for the fund.”
From below…
The discussion as to whether it wouldn’t be better if Fr Kentenich were to appeal for donations in a special issue of the MTA was closed when Fr Kentenich and all the leaders at the Centre turned down the idea. We had to follow Schoenstatt’s principle of life. The initiative would not go from the “top” down, but from the “bottom” up. It was agreed that the young priests in the Trier group should start the appeal in their own name. Once a final draft for the appeal had been agreed upon, a document bearing the date 8 December 1924 contained the following:
“Dear Federation Brothers and Sisters,
We are coming to the end of the Jubilee Year of our Apostolic Movement. Autumn brought us large and enthusiastic congresses. They showed us that we have grown not just inwardly, but also outwardly. The stronger the religious needs of our time – and all the signs point in this direction – the greater will be the numbers of people joining our Movement, even though we try to spread our ideas and pave the way, while competing with similar attempts, without advertising ourselves in any way.
In order not to make any further development of our Movement impossible, because of lack of space, we absolutely have to think of a generous enlargement of our Federation Home and shrine. That means new buildings, because we have to work in the long term. The development until now simply forces us to do so. The facilities in the College are only at our disposal during the holidays.
There is no question of merely renovating our present Federation Home, because it would only be a short-term solution, and we would soon be faced with a similar situation to the one confronting us now.
It now depends on our readiness for sacrifice when, and in how far, the plan to erect a large new building can be carried out.
We need significant means if the new Federation Home is to do justice, at least to some extent, to the demands that will be made on such a house. We need at least seventy single rooms and two larger dormitories, a large conference room, and a number of smaller conference rooms, etc. Although everything has to be very simple, it must also have a homely feel, so that we really feel at home there, because Schoenstatt has to become our home from home.”
In the end the Pallottine Province had to come to the help of the enthusiastic, but relatively poor, Federation members and it shouldered the main part of the costs.
On 15 August 1928 the new Federation Home could be dedicated.
Anniversary of Dedication: Holy Mass and Flea Market – grace and nature
On the anniversary of the dedication, 15 August 2011, at 7 p.m local time, the Schoenstatt International Bundesheim e.V. and schoenstatt-tv invite you to attend a Holy Mass in the house chapel of the Covenant Home.
This will be followed by a flea market and conclusion of the feast-day with a glass of wine.
After that work continues: Before winter starts the Covenant Home urgently needs new heating in the next section of the house, so that the water supply can be restored – it had to be turned off because of water damage. The sanitary arrangements can then be used again and the house kept warm to prevent it becoming damp. We still can’t do this – Why not? Money! If we were a TV programme, we could start a new version of “Place your bet that each Schoenstatter will donate ONE Euro for our common project”. This would finance the heating. Since we aren’t a TV programme, we can’t make the bet. However, if anyone feels inspired to send in a smaller or bigger sum of money, they are naturally cordially invited not to step on be brakes. If you want to do it quickly and easily, you will find a PayPal donation button on the www.schoenstatt-tv.de website. We promise that the money will be used for the heating. After all, schoenstatt-tv is interested in the new heating, because this is a condition for it being able to set up a studio in the Covenant Home.
[1] Since the German word “Bund”, meaning covenant, was also the name of what has come to be translated as Federation, it has been difficult to do justice to the double meaning. Since the name of the “Bundesheim” has been translated into English as “Covenant Home”, I have retained this name. However, later in the article I have had to designate it as “Federation Home”, because of the context.
