GERMANY, Jonas Glaser, Konstantin Schlosser, Benedikt Matt •
Actually, it was already morning when the SMJ set its annual slogan for 2020: at 12:01 am sharp, after a long and intense debate, the 60 participants of the annual conference on Monday morning adopted the slogan “Forging the future in the glow of the founder”. —
Along the dimensions of the work motto, #NEW FOUNDERS, the young men had prepared this decision since Boxing Day in lectures, forums, and workshops, and in addition to the intensive study of the role of Schoenstatt in our time, they also worked on topics that they had dealt with throughout the year in society, the church, and the Boys’ Youth.
They discovered that the circumstances under which Schoenstatt came into being are still present today – and that Schoenstatt is therefore very much alive today. But the “Founder’s glow” is not only the ideas of Father Kentenich, which continue to be important today: It is above all what lies behind them, the encounter with God, which motivates us to shape the world.
The right occasion to rekindle the flames of the foundation is today, in the middle of a world where people are looking for support and space for development. It was criticized that the new foundation of Schoenstatt that Father Kentenich is calling for is not clear enough – and now the Boys’ Youth wants to be the driving force behind this renewal. The members of the Boys’ Youth also want to actively participate and guide the church, which is in a time of change.
“I looked for you, but you weren’t there.”
A striking moment from the annual conference: Emanuel from Mexico, who gave the German SMJ an IGNIS Crown of Flames. Various international meetings of the Boys’ Youth have taken place since the 2014 Jubilee under the title “IGNIS” – but in most cases the German youth were more on the sidelines than really at the heart of the events. However, Ignis kindled a fire in South America, which continued to burn long after the end of the celebrations and with which now wanted to infect the Boys’ Youth Germany. Emanuel said about a visit to Schoenstatt during the summer: “I looked for you, but you were not there. These words echoed clearly in all the conference’s participants and were an incentive for many to deal especially with the internationality of the movement in the coming year.
“Forging the future in the glow of the founder” – after a lively discussion, the representatives from all over Germany finally developed the slogan together. With this slogan they want to express the will to really change something in Schoenstatt and in the world and to shape it. In the coming months, the Boys’ Youth will energetically put this slogan into practice – and is looking forward to forging a future together with the other branches of the Schoenstatt Family.
Original: German 05.01.2020. Translation: Lindsay Burger, Ohio, USA
