Rome Tag

ROME, BELMONTE, by Maria Fischer • It was in the evening of 7 September, during the conference of the General Council of the Schoenstatt Institute of Diocesan Priests in Belmonte, that a decision was taken not to wait any longer for someone to suggest a name for the third and hence last “unnamed” seminar room in the Father Kentenich House. The other two had already been named after Fr Franz Reinisch and Gertraud von Bullion on the initiative of the Friends of Fr Reinisch and the Schoenstatt Women’s Federation. TheRead More
FRANCIS IN ROME • In this Wednesday’s general audience, Pope Francis asked forgiveness for the recent “scandals” in Rome and the Vatican and highlighted the value of bringing a child to life. “Before beginning the catechesis, on behalf of the Church, to ask for your forgiveness for the scandals that have happened in recent times both in Rome and in the Vatican. I ask your forgiveness,” the Pontiff stated during the general audience in St. Peter’s Square. The Pope dedicated his catechesis to a reflection on the “promises we makeRead More
ROME, Belmonte, from Maria Fischer • 8 September 2015, eleventh anniversary of the dedication of the shrine of all of us in Rome. The Italian Schoenstatt Family had already celebrated the anniversary on Sunday – “for the last time on a building site”, as Davide Russo put it. At any rate, the talks and Holy Mass no longer took place in a rented tent as in the past; the entrance hall to the Domus Pater Kentenich has been used for that since the Jubilee pilgrimage in October 2014. So manyRead More
Sarah-Leah Pimentel, South Africa •   A Christian does not have the right to be an orphan…we have a Mother. For me, this is probably the most powerful sentence of the entire message that Pope Francis shared with the Schoenstatt Family last year. We have a Mother Sometimes it is very easy to feel abandoned. When a company closes down and the workers are retrenched. A mother whose child has grown apart from the family circle and never comes home to visit. That same child who turned his or herRead More
ITALY, Belmonte, Rome, María Fischer • “It is not ‘Belmonte’, it is ‘Bellissimo Monte'”, Fr. João José from Angola said smiling. He learned about Schoenstatt when he studied German at the Kreuzberg Institute in Bonn and when he returned to Rome – where he studied Church history at the request of his bishop – he contacted Belmonte to offer his priestly service and become more attached with Schoenstatt in Rome. On September 6, he participated in the national encounter of the Schoenstatt Movement in Italy at Belmonte. Like every year,Read More
BERG SION, Fr Francisco Sobral (Press release and www.schoenstatt-fathers.org)  • Forty-one representatives of the community from Africa, Asia, America and Europe gathered for the fifth General Chapter, which closed on 31 August on Berg Sion, the spiritual centre of the community in Schoenstatt, Germany, in the presence of Cardinal Francisco Javier Errazuriz, who is a member of this community. The emphases for the next six years were inspired by the pontificate of Pope Francis and the celebrations and experiences of the hundred-year Jubilee of the Schoenstatt Family. Faithful to theRead More
VATICAN, VIS/M. Fischer • Contemplation, service, fraternity – three aspects of priestly life that Pope Francis proposed to the participants in the general chapter of the Schoenstatt Fathers. The new Superior General, Fr. Juan Pablo Catoggio – whom the Holy Fathers knows personally and very well from Buenos Aires – along with the members of the General Chapter were received in audience by the Holy Father, Pope Francis on Thursday 3 September. At the end of the meeting the Pope gave three recommendations to the Schoenstatt priests. “Firstly, accompany andRead More
Rome, Belmonte, by Maria Fischer • “What words do you have for the first guests who will stay at Belmonte?” This was asked of Elena Buosi over a year ago, in May 2014, and still these first guests have yet to come, but her answer remains the same: “I hope you enjoy the stay and catch the feeling of peace and quiet, and that you feel spiritually connected to it.” Elena Buosi’s mother-in-law has belonged to the Movement for several years; once she talked to Elena, a hotel professional, aboutRead More
Belmonte, Fr. Daniel Lozano • Dear friends, the month of July has come to a close; it means that the whole of Rome is on holiday. We will take up our activities again with a conference on 6 September, which will be attended by representatives from all over Italy. We start at 9 a.m. and close with Holy Mass at 5.30 p.m. On 18 July we celebrated the end of the pastoral year with Holy Mass on one of the hottest days of the year; there weren’t many present, butRead More
Secular Institut of the Schoenstatt Fathers  • The Argentine Schoenstatt Father, Father Juan Pablo Catoggio, Isch is the new General Superior of the Schoenstatt Fathers Secular Institute. The 41 participants of the 5th General Chapter, who have been meeting since August 5th in Schoenstatt, elected him on August 20th to be the head of their Institute. Catoggio takes over from the German father, Heinrich Walter ISch, who held this office for 12 years. The 61 year old priest is the first Argentine to lead their community. The new General SuperiorRead More