Dear Pilgrims

Who would believe it – there is only one month to go until our Covenant Year begins. Its amazing that in the Year of Mission we have received so much from above. In that year when we gave ourselves again and again in service to the Church the Original Shrine was given as a gift. In a year when we headed toward a celebration that helps us look beyond our own ‘four walls” a new Pope is elected who “speaks our language”.

That Shrine and that Pope confirm the image that Fr. Kentenich had for his movement and the Church. In Rome in 1965 he spoke of a pilgrim, a listening and a serving Church. That is our pilgrimage – to be a pilgrim, a listening and a serving movement.

There is another sign of the importance of our Journey at this moment, Syria. How important is our striving for Covenant Culture in the world today, how important we unite as a family with the Church as a world force for peace.

Pope Francis said in Aparecida (24th July 2013): When the Church looks for Jesus, she always knocks at his Mother’s door and asks: ‘Show us Jesus’”. On 18th October 2013 we will knock on the doors of our shrines as the Covenant Year begins.

God Bless
Fr. Andrew Pastore

It’s time!
The door of the Original Shrine will be opened

Information about the international opening of the Jubilee Year of Schoenstatt 18th October 2013

„With great joy we start out on our pilgrimage to your shrine…”- so Schoenstatt members have been praying all over the world for 3 years now in the pilgrimage prayer. In a few weeks, on October the 18th 2013, we will say: It’s time! Our pilgrimage nears its end. In a great feast at the Original Shrine we will open, as international family, the Jubilee Year 2014. Who would of thought that heaven was going to prepare a jubilee gift for this event? We can celebrate the beginning of our Jubilee Year with the joy of the gift of the Original Shrine.

Which elements will this opening celebration have?

The great pilgrimage
Representatives from many countries will be present in Schoenstatt. They represent that the jubilee means going buck to the origin. We’ll be able to experience Schoenstatt international in many ways: entrance of the countries flags, prayers and songs in various language and testimonies of Schoenstatt in different cultures. We thank together the “abundant life” that has developed from the beginnings in 1914 all over the globe.

Through the presence of Cardinal Stanislaw Rylko, President of the Pontifical Council for the Laity in Rome, Schoenstatts’ jubilee places itself within the International Church. He will preside the celebration ceremony. Cardinal Rylko it’s going to be welcomed in Schoenstatt as the “first pilgrim of the Jubilee Year”.

For this is our jubilee celebration, from day one: a great pilgrimage to the shrine of our Mother Thrice Admirable Queen and Victress of Schoenstatt that will have its high point in October 2014.

The door of the Original Shrine will be opened and even more our hearts
The pilgrim asks in the old testament: “Who may climb the mountain of the LORD? And who may stand in His holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart. (Psalm 24, 3)” With this spirit we perform a rite of preparation, a rite of “purification of the heart”, looking backwards on the last 100 years.

In a representative way Cardinal Rylko will open the door of the Original Shrine marking the opening of the Jubilee Year. “Crossing the threshold” of the shrine has a special meaning. It represents the decision of living in the covenant of love and creating a new culture, a covenant culture. It shows the hope that Mary’s heart is open and each pilgrim will receive the special graces of the Jubilee Year.

The opening of the door of the shrine reminds us also that every shrine is like an open door, a request to Mary in the spirit of the 18th of October 1914: come, live and work in our midst!

“Bring the light of the covenant of love to the world”
In the shrine we listen to words of Father Kentenich in the founding document 1914 and we renew our covenant of love. The jubilee torch that was lit in the founders chapel symbolizes the mission: “bring the light of the covenant of love to the world”. The Jubilee Year is the “year of the covenant of love”. The year of the joy and the gratitude for the gift of the covenant and all the blessings that come from it. The year of the renovation and invitation to make of the covenant of love the foundation of our life.

“Till 2014!”
With this words did the young people said farewell to each other after the international festival in Schoenstatt and the World Youth Day in Cologne in 2005. With this spirit we say this October 18th: Till 18th October 2014! Till the great jubilee next year!

We celebrate together and invite each Schoenstatt member to be here:
Participate, either by coming here or from home, to the opening celebration at the Original Shrine!
Decorate and open, in union with the Original Shrine, the door of your daughter, home or heart shrine!
Let the Jubilee Year be a celebration of your own covenant of love!
Be part of the joy and the new awakening of the Schoenstatt Movement!

Beginning of the opening ceremony in Schoenstatt:
19:30 Meditation in preparation and greeting of the guests (transmission: schoenstatt-tv.de)
20:00 International opening ceremony (transmission: EWTN)
21:30 Burning of the capital of grace
22:00 Night of the open shrine

Download:
Text of the celebration in Schoenstatt www.schoentatt2014.org

The Schoenstatt Movement arrived in Belgium 25 years ago.

The MTA definitely had a special plan for Belgium because the Movement there developed in a very unique way, without the Schoenstatt Fathers or the Sisters of Mary, being made up entirely of families.
Things began very quietly in 1985 when the first Belgian couple signed up to attend a programme organised by the Schoenstatt Family Institute in Germany, led by Marie-Louise Becker, a member of the Secular Institute of the Ladies of Schoenstatt.  This couple was joined by other families in 1988, who were attracted by Schoenstatt’s spirituality, thus founding the first Family League group in Belgium. These 7 families journeyed for several years with the valuable assistance of Fr. Sidney Fones, who was responsible for the Schoenstatt Fathers at the time.

Before his permanent departure for South America, Fr. Sidney encouraged the group to start two new League groups: a family group and a mothers’ group.

Shortly afterwards, four couples decided to join the Family Institute.

After Fr. Sidney’s departure, no other Schoenstatt Father was appointed and so, the group formed deep bonds with Movement members in Portugal.  It was under their impetus that the first student group was formed in 2008, followed by a group for young couples and two groups for teenagers (boys and girls). Very recently several young couples expressed their wish to begin their preparation to join the Family Union.

As a result of all this, there are now about 100 Schoenstatt members in Belgium

The growth of the Movement has made it necessary to finally put down roots somewhere so that it can have a “home.” The small Schoenstatt Family ardently desires a shrine and feels the need to be accompanied by a Schoenstatt Father so that it can grow even further.  They have been praying ardently for several years that the MTA will clearly reveal her plans and send instruments for her Work here in Belgium.

The Blessed Mother has already answered part of that prayer.  A year and a half ago, the Movement leaders in Belgium met with Bishop Hudsyn so that he could get to know Schoenstatt.  He was invited to accompany a group of youth during their annual retreat to Schoenstatt.  He accepted the invitation and was particularly touched by the covenant of love made by four of youth in the Family Shrine.  This moment was to become very important.

Some time later, Bishop Hudsyn suggested a place where Schoenstatt could put down its roots in Belgium.

This has now happened.  The Schoenstatt Family will base itself in a building belonging to the Spiritan Fathers, in the heart of Belgium, in Gentinnes.  This is truly a beautiful place (a Schön Statt) on a large tree-filled property.  The chapel has already been converted and already feels like “home.”  What a deep joy, what a gift!

The buildings have immense potential, suggesting that the Blessed Mother may have great plans for Belgium…The Family has undertaken to come here to pray often, with Adoration once a week and Holy

Mass each 18th, in communion with the entire Movement.

On 20 October, the Schoenstatt Family in Belgium will officially celebrate the inauguration of these places, presided by Bishop Hudsyn, and will solemnly invite the Blessed Mother to make her home in the beautiful chapel in Gentinnes.  This celebration is open to everyone and will be the first opportunity to make the Movement known and to reveal its influence.  All are invited to join the celebrations and the Movement leaders thank everyone who remembers them in their prayers.

Sylvie Jacquemin
Movement Coordinator for Belgium