Elisabeth Schalück: Ver Sacrum, a sacred springtime for Schoenstatt

Walburga Westermann. February 9, 2011 is the 50th Anniversary of Elisabeth Schalück’s death; she was the branch leader of the Schoenstatt Girls’ Youth in the Wiedenbrück district. Those who belonged to Elisabeth’s group at that time, now grown women and mothers, took the initiative to especially commemorate this day. On February 8, 2011, the eve of her death, a Holy Mass will be held at 6:00 p.m. at Saint Egido Parish in Wiedenbrück.

On the anniversary day, February 9th at 5:00 p.m., a Eucharist will be celebrated in her memory at the Covenant of Love for Europe Shrine in Paderborn. Everyone who knew her or who had a relationship with her are cordially invited to attend.

Who was Elisabeth Schalück?

She was one of us. She belonged to our Branch. She was born on May 6, 1930, and she died on February 9, 1961 as a novice of the Schoenstatt Institute of the Sisters of Mary. She had three siblings – a sister and two brothers – with whom she grew up in a very Catholic family from Wiedenbrück. Her parents had a small farm, where there was plenty of work: among Elisabeth’s tasks were the house, the livestock, and fieldwork in the summer. Her father died in 1948; he was a firm and a totally committed man. Her mother was a good-humored profoundly religious woman, but she always sick.

Looking at her life in retrospect, one could say that she not only surpassed us exteriorly in height, but she also surpassed us much more in her interior greatness.

She wanted to be a teacher, but the circumstances of the World War II made her give up this desire.

She was untiring in sustaining the groups

She learned about the Schoenstatt Girls’ Youth when she was 14 years old. Elisabeth later said: “I truly went only because the girl in charge of the group was nice, I liked her. It was only much later that I understood what the group and Schoenstatt were…”

In 1948 she participated in the annual conference to train diocesan and district leaders for the first time. She untiringly and very carefully took care of forming groups first in Wiedenbrück and later beyond. It did not take long before Elisabeth became the main proponent of the Girls’ Youth in Paderborn. She gave all the abilities of her heart and soul to build the youth kingdom. With her good sense of humor, which was attractive, she was able to draw others. She could answer a serious question with a joke, but the response contained a profound solution.

Ver sacrum: sacred springtime

When the Ver Sacrum ideal emerged in 1954 during a training conference carried out in Freckenhorst (Münster), Elisabeth was one who understood it in depth. The Girls’ Youth wanted to give itself totally according to the example of those members of the Boys’ Youth, such as Enrique Schäfer and Julio Steinkaul, to even give their life for the Schoenstatt mission. They all understood: that the Queen of Schoenstatt’s victory is conditioned by the commitment with complete dependence on the Blessed Mother. On May 29, 1954, Elisabeth Schalück made the Ver Sacrum Consecration in Freckenhorst, along with all the leaders, who were present.

She carried the Ver Sacrum ideal to her district of Wiedenbrück and on December 11, 1955 the leaders from this district made the Ver Sacrum Consecration for the first time, which was then renewed on December 8th of each year. As a souvenir symbol, they received a black cross, which alluded to the black crosses on the tombs of the heroes behind the Original Shrine.

I do not withdraw any of my consecration

Elisabeth wanted to place her entire life at the disposal of the Schoenstatt mission. She wanted to be a Sister of Mary, but the circumstances in her home did not allow it. She could not join until her brother married, and she knew that her mother, the house, and the farm would be well cared for. So when she joined the Postulancy of the Sisters of Mary in Jülich on November 3, 1960, she was a little behind. Persistent stomach ailments had weakened her greatly. A surgery in December proved that she had advanced cancer, and her life could not be saved. She renewed her Ver Sacrum Consecration and she said: “I do not withdraw any of my consecration. She accepted God’s will that took its toll.”

The community of Sisters fulfilled her ardent desire to be a Sister of Mary. She received her dress on the night of December 31, 1960 to January 1, 1961. She returned her life into the hands of the Father on February 9th.

As far as I know, Elisabeth did not know Father Kentenich personally, but she gave her life for the Schoenstatt mission.

In this way, the Schoenstatt Family from Paderborn has Elisabeth Schalück from the Girls’ Youth, along with Wolfgang Nerlich from the Boys’ Youth, whose 50th Anniversary of death was recalled on August 29, 2010 (see September 3, 2010).

I was encouraged to write this by the article on schoenstatt.de about the book: “Their Hearts Are Already Burning!”

Translation: Celina Garza/Melissa Janknegt, USA