USA, Joe Yank/mev. An atmosphere of immediate preparation for the Home Shrine Congress is experienced during these days in Milwaukee. Delegations from Argentina, Chile, Paraguay, Dominican Republic and Colombia, as well as representatives from Ecuador, South Africa and Germany, have arrived to the Exile Land and get ready to participate at the Congress as International Family.
The pilgrims have had the possibility to go around the Exile places, following in the footsteps of Fr. Kentenich. The groups have made visits to the Exile Shrine, the shrines at Madison and at the International Center and have been able to experience the closeness of the Founder in those who met him during his exile in Milwaukee.
Visits to Home Shrines
The visits to various Home Shrines – some of them dedicated by Fr. Kentenich – have been moments of deep encounter and the joy of all is increased by the gift of presence of the Father Symbol. Divine Providence took care that the Father Symbol will accompany the groups during the days before the Congress and will be present throughout its development.
Invitation on behalf of the organizing team
On behalf of the organizing team, Joe Yank invites everyone to spiritually participate and pray for the Home Shrine Congress:
This weekend, June 27 through June 30, a Home Shrine Congress is being held in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA where our Father and Founder spent almost 14 years working with families. There are over 500 delegates from throughout the world coming to participate in this 50th Jubilee celebration of the founding of the home shrine.
In 1963 Fr. Kentenich clarified the meaning and importance of the home shrine when he said; “What do we mean by ‘home shrine’? Many of us have not only dedicated their house to the Blessed Mother in general, but also offered it to her as a Living Shrine. What I am about to say is of elementary importance for the future: Everything which holds true for the Original Shrine and for the daughter shrines also holds true for the home shrine.”
In later conversation that night he added, “Collectivism can close or destroy all the churches, close or destroy all our shrines. But the home shrines – no one can destroy them!” (The Birth of the Home Shrine – Second Edition – Fr. Jonathan Niehaus)
We have been given a great gift from our Father and Founder in a world today that has very little respect for the family. This time that we live in is unprecedented in human history and our founder gave us a legacy that will truly stand the test of time for centuries to come: “With Hope and Joy, Confident in the Victory, We go with Mary into the Newest time.”
Is this the time for the home shrine? Already in the Second Founding Document of October 18, 1939 our founder stressed: “We would like them (the events and experiences of our age) to show us the future tasks of our family. We all feel that we are approaching a great world catastrophe and a turning point in time. Again and again we ask ourselves: Is this the time for which Divine Providence has built the ark of our family, or must the tide rise higher and become more devastating?”
Is this the time for the home shrine? We listen again to our father’s words; “We may often feel depressed when we see how the poor weak beam of collectivism develops an irresistible formative power and determines world history, while we, who possess the full and radiant light of the Sun, look only into the past and avoid looking into the future, or else answer today’s problems with depressing pessimism. From the beginning Schoenstatt has taken great care to make the entire Christian Vision of the future its own, and through its ‘secret’, to clothe it in an original and effective form.” JK, September 1968
That great secret, our covenant of love with our dear MTA, is protected and nourished in the home shrine and from there she can begin to change the world for centuries to come. “In the shadow of the Shrine, the fate of the Church and world will be essentially co-determined for centuries to come.”
We would like to ask you, our Schoenstatt Family throughout the world, to accompany the delegates of this Congress with your prayers and offerings to the Capitol of Grace for a fruitful and Spirit filled experience so that they may return to their countries with renewed enthusiasm for our Father and Founder’s mission for the home shrine.
Included below is a PDF file of the program of events for the four days of the Congress for those who wish to follow along.
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| Home Shrine Pre-Congress |
Very best wishes to all those who will participate in the homeshrinejubilee congress. I wish I was there and am looking forward to hearing about all that takes place in these next days. Here in Zimbabwe where Schoenstatt has been alive and well since 1977′, we can say with gratitude that this is so because of our. Home Shrines since we don’t have a shrine. Our mother Thrice Admirable has taken up her abode in our homes and worked countless miracles of grace from them. We give thanks for our father and founder’s insight and foresight when he stated that the same graces of the original shrine will be present in our home shrines. when Sheila Coleman, myself, and Bridgit (from Joburg) travelled to South America in 1989 we were overwhelmed with our experiences of the home shrines and their importance in the homes we were privileged to visit. God bless you all in these coming days. United in Christ Jesus. MPHC