church Tag

GERMANY, Maria Fischer • During the last days of a radiant autumn sun this year, more than 100 Schoenstatters from the Barnberg region came together on the afternoon of 30 October at the Roman Hall in Böbingen, where a large Schoenstatt flag waved in the soft autumn breeze. It was the annual regional gathering although it dealt with a worldwide subject: the mission of Belmonte’s International Schoenstatt Center in Rome and how the region’s Schoenstatters want to be connected and to do more work for this center. An elderly woman,Read More
Interview with Albert and Aloisia Busch, Germany, Schoenstatt Family Institute • You posed the topic of Belmonte during one of your meetings of the Schoenstatt Family Institute.  In what context? Albert Busch:  Yes, during the annual meeting of the German-speaking region in August of 2016, the topic was the missionary task we have to support in the Church and in the world  – we as the responsible and enlivening nucleus within the Schoenstatt Family Work.  Our meeting took on the character of a re-orientation in agreement with the memorandum, whichRead More
FRANCIS IN ROME – YEAR OF MERCY • During his catequesis during the General Audience on 12 October, Pope Francis recalled his previous meditations dedicated to the great mystery of God’s mercy, and emphasised the spiritual and corporal works of mercy. “We reflected on the Father’s action in the Old Testament, and then, in the Gospel account, we saw how Jesus, in his words and actions, is the Incarnation of Mercy,” he told the crowds gathered in St. Peter’s Square. The Holy Father warned that “it is not enough toRead More
GERMANY, Sister Cordula-Maria Leidig • On Saturday, 8 October, the first “Belmonte Day” took place at the Father Kentenich House in Wiesbaden. During the last gathering of the Diocesan Council of Families, the first ‘Belmonte work group’ was formed, which meets around the 8th of every month (because the symbolic laying of the cornerstone was held on 8 December 1965, and the blessing of the Shrine was 8 September 2004; for this group the 8th is a “Belmonte Day”.) The gathering began with a time of Eucharistic Adoration: for listeningRead More
ITALY, Rome – Maria Fischer • “We should really have postponed and all of us should have been in St. Peter’s Square. The organizers realized too late that this year the first Sunday in September, traditionally the date for the annual meeting for the Italian Schoenstatt Family, would coincide with the canonization of Mother Teresa of Calcutta. An element of sadness among many of the participants and fewer participants than usual, particularly among the customary invited international clergy in Rome, were the visible signs of the date clash on 4Read More

Posted On 05.10.2016In Missions

Family Missions in Italy

ITALY – Fr. Alfredo Pereira • The art of ringing the bells, knocking on doors, the Pilgrim Mother traveling throughout town, community life, liturgies with the town people, people’s welcome, and sharing… A challenge of our times When there are so many questions about the family in different genres: anthropological, social, political, and above all religious, God calls some couples so that their marital love will also be missionary– a love that spreads outside their home.  Fr. Kentenich, founder of the Schoenstatt Movement, encouraged families previously during the ‘60’s notRead More
Belmonte | Newsletter 09/2016 Letter from Belmonte Dear family: August and part of September what a time!  In Schoenstatt, during the General Congress at the Institute of Diocesan Priests’ house, we have dedicated a good deal of time talking about Belmonte.  As the community responsible for carrying out the construction of the International Center, we are concerned, but not discouraged about concluding this great dream. I want to share something with you. When speaking about this Center, we want it to be called Belmonte Rome, so those who do notRead More
ROMA-BELMONTE, by Maria Fischer • “It could be them, they look like tourists, and they look somewhat tired…” From the door of Domus Pater Kentenich in Belmonte, those who come to Belmonte on public transportation are seen from a distance; it is almost the image of the merciful father from the Gospel parable! At the bus stop in front of the Belmonte’s lower entrance, there is a group of about ten people; after a few minutes, they begin to move–  Yes, it was them! It was the small group fromRead More
ITALY, by Federico Bauml and Pamela Fabiano • 18 September 2016, is an important date for the Schoenstatt Family since it marks the return of the Italian website to the International schoenstatt.org. Youths’ challenge for schoenstatt.org’s Italian website At the end of July, the Italian website was no longer up-dated due to an unforeseen shortage of translators of goodwill to translate news received in other languages and because of a lack of Italian news editors. Well, after many meetings, conversations, and above all, after the excitement of the World YouthRead More
ROME – BELMONTE, Maria Fischer • Wednesday, 7 September, Brazil’s Independence Day, a national holiday. Very early on that sunny day (not to mention the suffocating heat), it was also celebrated at the Shrine of all of us in Belmonte. For one hour, it became the Shrine of all Brazil. Fr. Marcelo Adriano Cervi, the future rector of the Shrine of Belmonte, Terezinha and Nivaldo Abram from Curitiba with their son who lives in Germany, and two Sisters of Mary from Brazil, who work in the Italian Schoenstatt Movement, wereRead More