mkf. On August 31, 2009, Mr. Franz M. Vogel was seventy years old; he is a member of the Institute of the Schoenstatt Brothers of Mary. He was born in Rottweil, and he is “fruit” of the apostolic work of Father Moser; he affirms, smiling. He is the one who on every 18th and frequently at other times lights the fire, where the contributions to the Capital of Grace are burned after the renewing of the Covenant of Love at the Original Shrine. Although he is not very well known, Mr. Vogel has built small Shrines for more than forty years. He has made almost one thousand. They are twenty centimeters (almost 8 in.) tall; furthermore, these replicas are an exact scale of the Shrine. These Shrines are not only in Germany; to increase the love for the Shrine, they are also in Switzerland, the United States, Puerto Rico, and in the Phillipines.
These small treasures are meticulously made with enormous affection down to the last detail, and it takes ten to twelve hours of work, which is done in his free time. “It is a complement to my work as a cook,” said Mr. Vogel, “and my apostolote for the Shrine.” The walls and the roof are slanted wood, the exterior walls are ‘plastered’ with sand, the windows have transparencies of the stained glass windows of the Shrine, and it has an interior light that makes it resplendent. Each detail is carried out to the utmost and to the point that bell in the bell tower is fired in bronze at the Brothers of Mary goldsmith shop. Since 1972, in addition to the finished Shrines, Mr. Vogel also offers a kit with all the parts to make them, including the instructions; it is only necessary to cut out the windows and the door with a hand saw, assemble it and plaster it.
For the Shrine
The reason for building the Shrine is born from the desire of the community of the Brothers of Mary to have their own Shrine. In the year 1968, Mr. Vogel saw a small cardboard Shrine in Libfrauenhohe that had been made by a Sister of Mary. 
That is where he got the idea! At first it was not done for material gain; rather, it was to give the Blessed Mother many small Shrines that could be given by her Shrine. The first series was so widely accepted that he continued to build the small Shrines, year after year, often more than one hundred. In 1979, the Holy Father, John Paul II received one of these small Shrines as a gift, and Misters Franz M. Vogel and Clemens M. Hollander – who often collaborated with this task – received a thank you letter from the Vatican Secretary of State. Until 1985 he built and distributed 497 and 635 kits to make them within the Schoenstatt Movement. Lately, there have been few requests said Mr. Vogel. Why? 
“Perhaps because in the meantime, many daughter Shrines have been built?” he replies. Perhaps, it is simply because many people do not know that the small Shrines are available. A collaborator for schoenstatt.de in Buenos Aires who translates the news to Spanish, when she saw the photos said emphatically: “I want the next one he builds! It is so beautiful, it is unique!”
Golden Anniversary as a Brother of Mary.
Love for the Shrine: this is what is placed in each small Shrine made by Mr. Vogel, who will also celebrate his Golden Anniversary as a Brother of Mary next year. During a conversation at the Press Office, that used to be the former goldsmith’s shop, the experiences of this building came to mind spontaneously, because for a long time, it had been the home of the Brothers of Mary. This is where Father Alexander Menningen was about to celebrate the Holy Mass on September 15th, precisely when he received the news of Father Kentenich’s death. What memories does Mr. Vogel have of Father Kentenich
He does not have to reflect on it very much to respond:
The first thing he recalls is Father Kentenich’s attention to the least detail. “I was impressed by his attentiveness when he was at the table. He was the first one to notice if someone wanted to reach the butter, marmalade, or if he needed to offer the plate of cold meat.” One can feel the awe with which, even now, Mr. Vogel says: “Here we are before a great Founder, before a great man, and he was attentive to the most insignificant things.”
A second impression was his charisma: “You could not sin in his presence,” was how Mr. Vogel summarizes his experience. Peace, calm, cordiality: that is what Father Kentenich radiated, and that was what was the experience created by his proximity.
And finally a bit of his good humor, Mr. Vogel recalls that once a multitude of adolescent girls, who wanted to see Father Kentenich in any way possible, appeared and they noisly expressed it. Father Kentenich emphasized: “Sometimes one feels like a grizzly bear that has to be presented!” Then he went on and welcomed the girls with great cordiality.
“The reason is his consecration to Mary”, said Mr. Vogel. “There was something about Mary that was felt in him…”
These small Shrines built with such care and passion by Mr. Vogel express the exact same feeling.
Translation: Celina Garza, San Antonio, USA/Melissa Janknegt, Elgin, USA
>>> If you want to order a small shrine, best is to ask someone who travels to Schoenstatt to get you one; you can connect via pressoffice@schoenstatt.de; The price of a small shrine is 50,00 €.
