church Tag

NIGERIA, Okpala Michael I. • The priesthood is a gift from God to the Church and the world. Through the ministry of the priesthood, the sacrifice of Christ, and Christ himself, is made present in the sacred Body and Blood of Christ, God meets humanity in its utter miserableness, and, humanity is drawn up into the mercy of God. Heaven thus meets earth, and, earth is led heavenwards. This is the ministry that our four brothers have undertaken today. — Anointed with the Holy Spirit On this day, 25 MayRead More
CHRIST IS ALIVE. The Pope’s letter to youth, editorial team • “Christ is alive. He is our hope, and in a wonderful way he brings youth to our world. Everything he touches becomes young, new, full of life. Christ is alive and he wants you to be alive!” Thus begins the post-synodal apostolic exhortation “Christus Vivit” (Christ is a live), signed by Pope Francis in Loreto, in the Marian shrine of the Holy House on 25 March, and published by the Vatican on 2 April.— The exhortation follows from theRead More
Foto: Arnulf Müller
GERMANY, Maria Fischer • During a solemn Pontifical High Mass in the packed  Fulda Cathedral on Sunday, 31 March 2019, Bishop Dr Michael Gerber (49) was inaugurated into his office as spiritual leader of the Diocese of Fulda by the competent Metropolitan, Archbishop Hans-Josef Becker (Paderborn). Two thousand people took part in the Mass in and around the Fulda Cathedral, among them many members of the Schoenstatt Movement in the diocese of Fulda and from all over Germany and beyond. Schoenstatters from Austria, Bolivia, USA and Argentina followed the ceremoniesRead More
AUSTRIA, Martin Schiffl via schoenstatt.at • When there is “full house” in the Formation Centre on the Kahlenberg, Vienna, and Auxiliary Bishop Franz Charl is sending out four couples as family trainers, there is a mission celebration. The fifteenth course of the Academy for Family Pedagogy at Schoenstatt am Kahlenberg, Vienna, has come to a glorious conclusion.— The couples have successfully completed the two-year formation as family trainers and are now ready to work for the Church and society. It was a great joy for Auxiliary Bishop Franz Scharl, asRead More
Youth Synod, interview with Lucas Galhardo • One month after the Youth Synod, we asked Lucas Galhardo from the Schoenstatt Boys’ Youth in Brazil, who particpated at the Synod and the preparatory meetings for it, about what these meetings meant for him and which were the most important moments for him, and what needs to happen now so that the Synod does not live only on paper. —   In your video message to the Schoenstatt Family at the end of the Synod, you spoke about how your participation atRead More
SPAIN, Juan Zaforas and Maria Fischer “We could stay in these common places, our clichés, but they do not touch the essence of our priesthood.  When do they become real?  When do they enter the hearts of those called?  When do they really enter your heart?” asked Fr. José María García in the homily during Fr. Eduardo Segura Bueno’s first Mass, on 4 November 2018, in Madrid’s Schoenstatt Shrine.  He was encouraging him and all to be “free and brave, faithful witnesses to serve others.” — The day after Fr.Read More
COSTA RICA, José Alejandro Martínez and Anelena Hueda • The second Retreat for Engaged Couples was held Sunday, 21 October, at the Family of Hope Shrine in San José, Costa Rica. In spite of being in the midst of the rainy season, Divine Providence gave us a splendidly sunny day, providing thirty-three young engaged couples the opportunity to attend Sunday Mass as well as participating in Fr. José Luis Correa’s jointly organized talks. He is the Schoenstatt Movement Adviser in Costa Rica, and for couples that belong to the EngagedRead More
Sexual abuse – what now? Elmar Busse, Schoenstatt Father • “For the last thirty years, and not just since the Cox case, I have known anger and shame well up in me on account of colleagues who had destroyed in minutes what I have been unable to heal in many hours over many years with the people concerned.” –   Fr Elmar Busse, born 1951 in Heiligenstadt, and ordained a priest in 1980, has worked as a pastor to youth and families, and for the last few years has ledRead More
iglesia
Editorial column • We have never seen anything like this before. Opening the Schoenstatt Twitter and social media accounts, we are confronted by a wave of disillusioned and hateful comments about our beloved movement. We understand. These are like the comments one finds about the Church in the press, social networks and interactions between believers and non-believers. The Catholic Church is once again suffering the fallout as a result of the storm of allegations of sexual abuse and the abuse of power and conscience. — Our beloved Schoenstatt has alsoRead More
WE PRAY WITH POPE FRANCIS, editorial team with material from AICA • Pope Francis, in the latest instalment of “The Pope Video” initiated a campaign to pray for the Church during the month of October and recalled the snares of the devil in daily life: “The Devil presents himself with great power, he brings you gifts. But you don’t know what’s inside.” — PrayForTheChurch Pope Francis renewed the invitation he made at the beginning of the month to pray the Rosary every day, concluding with the antiphon ‘We fly toRead More