Bischof Dr. Michael Gerber, Fulda, Germany • We are deeply moved by the news we are currently receiving hourly from Eastern Europe, especially from Ukraine. Our solidarity goes out to those who are directly affected by the war, to those who have lost loved ones, to the injured, traumatized, to those who are on the run and face the ruins of their existence. — Against the backdrop of many years of friendly ties with the Church in Ukraine, especially with the diocese of Ivano-Frankivsk, very concrete descriptions of the dramas
Read More Ignacio Serrano del Pozo, Chile • It is still not even a month (refers to the publication of the original version of this article: 07/26/2020) since the controversial report appeared in which the historian and theologian Alexandra von Teuffenbach denounced having found documents in the Vatican files, which compromised the moral integrity of Father Joseph Kentenich. However, to many of us this time has seemed like a full year, if not more, marked by emotional wear and intense discussion. We could even admit that we had never read so many
Read More Fr. Diogo Barata on behalf of the Schoenstatt Fathers of Spain | Letter to the Schoenstatt Movement of Spain • The Schoenstatt Fathers from Spain want to share with you a first reflection on the news that have appeared in the last few hours. It is an investigation of recently declassified historical files that have brought to light accusations of alleged abuses by our founder. Father Joseph Kentenich – as we all know him – was removed from his work as a result of an apostolic visitation in the early
Read More CHILE, P. Juan Pablo Rovegno • But “I will see thy face in righteousness, I will be satisfied with thy form when I awaken,” sings the antiphon of the psalm this Sunday. The awakening of Chile was at the centre of the news, the “hopes and fears, joys and sorrows” of these days. — An awakening that presents us with (at least) three spiritual dimensions with concrete consequences: Awakening to hope for a fairer, more solidary and more fraternal Chile, a wake-up call to legitimate needs, always postponed and made
Read More CHILE, Fr. Juan Pablo Rovegno • Looking at the social crisis and the violence Chile is experiencing, Fr Juan Pablo Rovegno based his Sunday sermon on 20 October on the Gospel account of the widow looking for justice. He noted that the Schoenstatt Movement in Chile is “a body that is aware of people’s concerns, takes up their needs, creates possibilities and makes others its favourite concern and occupation.” It is a subject not just for a country in flames, like Chile; a subject raised long ago by Chile’s young
Read More BURUNDI , Claudine Niyomwungere • On Sunday, May 26, 2019, to celebrate the closing of the Marian Month of May, the Schoenstatt Shrine at Mount Sion Gikungu welcomed many pilgrims from all the parishes of the Bujumbura Vicariate and surrounding areas, belonging to the Catholic Action Movements falling under the Diocesan Coordination for the Lay Apostolate (CEDAL). — A large procession of the faithful and CEDAL members began at Kamenge Military Hospital. Hymns and dances in honour of the Blessed Virgin Mary accompanied the pilgrims. The theme of the pilgrimage was
Read More FRANCIS IN ROME – HOLY YEAR OF MERCY • A topic that is both daring and current: mercy and power. “May all forms of power be service, justice and mercy, like Jesus,” said the Pope. May all forms of power in the state in the world of work, in the Church, in movements, in communication be service, justice and mercy. A challenge. What Francis suggests, questions the reality of many countries, parts of the Church, places of work, so many areas. Today, on the Lenten journey in the Holy Year
Read More FRANCIS IN ROME – HOLY YEAR OF MERCY • The General Audience on 3 February, a week before the start of Lent and just before his visit to Mexico, Francis moved through St. Peter’s Square greeting the pilgrims accompanied by two children whom he invited to climb onto the popemobile. The Holy Father dedicated the General Audience to divine justice and perfect mercy, as well as forgiveness. “This is a difficult journey. It requires that those who have been wronged be ready to forgive and desire good and salvation for
Read More schoenstatt.org Editorial Staff • Every year, the Vatican publishes the Holy Father’s intentions for each month of the year: they reference the current challenges confronting humanity. They have always been disseminated in different ways: in parish bulletins, Catholic radio stations, and diocesan websites, in summary by every conceivable avenue. Or as they say, business as usual. This is how it has been until this year. On Wednesday, 6 January, the Epiphany of the Lord, the project, “the Pope Video§, was launched, in which the Holy Father explained his intentions for
Read More FRANCIS IN ROME • The right to rest, pension, assistance to mothers, among other labour rights, “based on the nature of the human person and on his transcendent dignity” were the key themes of Pope Francis’ address on Saturday, 7 September, in St. Peter’s Square, to 23,000 members of the Italian National Institute for Social Security (INPS) — on the same day when some 130 participants of the CIEES (Iberian-American Congress for Schoenstatt Executives and Businesspeople) met in Monterrey, Mexico to discuss the topic of living a covenant culture in
Read More