Mons. Morlino , Obispo de Madison, durante su visita al Centro de Schoenstatt Bishop Morlino of Madison during his visit to the Schoenstatt Center Bischof Morlino von Madison bei seinem Besuch im Schönstatt-Zentrum
Mons. Dolan, Arzobispo de Milwaukee, en Milwaukee, con una galletita en forma del Santuario Archbishop Dolan of Milwaukee proudly presenting a Shrine Cookie Erzbischof Dolan von Milwaukee zeigt stolz ein Heiligtums-Plätzchen
Mons. Morlino en el Santuario de Madison Bishop Morlino in the Founder Shrine, Madison Bischof Morlino im Gründerheiligtum, Madison
El Santuario de Madison The Schoenstatt Shrine in Madison Das Heiligtum in Madison
Mons. Morlino: cierre del Año del Rosario en el Santuario de Madison Bishop Morlino closed the Year of th eRosary in the Madison Shrine Bischof Morlino schloss das Rosenkranzjahr im Heiligtum in Madison
El equipo del Movimiento de Schoenstatt en Milwaukee The committee of the Schoenstatt Movement in Milwaukee Das Führungsteam der Schönstattbewegung in Milwaukee
Presentación de Schoenstatt Schoenstatt presentation for Archbishop Dolan Schönstatt-Darstellung für Erzbischof Dolan Photos: Schoenstatt Family Magazine © 2003

USA, Paul & Cindy Miller/Sr. M. Victoria Heiderscheid/mkf. The upcoming 50th anniversary of the dedication of the Exile Shrine in 2004 marks the new umbrella statement that leads the Schoenstatt family of the USA in this coming year: Our Lives for the Shrine - the Shrine for the Church.

In the Milwaukee and Madison area, the Schoenstatt family's recent encounters with the new bishops of these dioceses, Bishop Robert C. Morlino of Madison, and Archbishop Timothy Dolan of Milwaukee, have given a strong impulse in view of the mission for the Church. Both bishops chose the Schoenstatt Shrines of their dioceses as one of the places where they called the faithful to celebrate the Year of the Rosary with them. Archbishop Timothy Dolan ordained Mark Niehaus early in October and will preside the Reception of five novices of the Secular Institute of the Schoenstatt Sisters of Mary at St. Pallotti East Church in Milwaukee, come January 10, 2004.

The love of the Church experienced creates love for the church - this is, looking back, the experience at the core of the bishops' visits experienced in Madison and Milwaukee.

Bishop Robert C. Morlino in Madison: The Crowning of a Golden Year

The recently installed fifth bishop of the Diocese of Madison closed the Year of the Rosary on October 18, 2003, at the Schoenstatt Shrine in Madison. This event marked the first official visit of Bishop Robert C. Morlino to the Founder Shrine, the first Shrine built in the USA; for the Schoenstatt family, . it was the closing and crowning of the jubilee year celebrating the fiftieth anniversary of the Shrine. Who of us would have imagined at the dedication of the shrine on June 20, 1953, that the Holy Father would designate the year of its fiftieth jubilee a Year of the Rosary? Or who fathomed then that one year later John Pozzobon of Brazil would initiate a rosary crusade that would take on international proportions of which its national headquarters for the USA would be in the shadow of this newly dedicated shrine?

In his first greeting from the Founder Shrine, Bishop Morlino told the Schoenstatt Family of Madison and the faithful of the diocese gathered at the shrine for the occasion that it was a privilege for him to be there. He acknowledged the Schoenstatt Rosary Campaign and characterized his visit as the third special event in a triduum that brought the Year of the Rosary to a close for him and the diocese: the first was his visit to the Cisterian monastery at Prairie du Sac and the second a visit to the parish of St. Paul at the campus of UW-Madison.

Representatives of the Schoenstatt Girls’ Youth and of the young women and families of the Schoenstatt Movement in Madison offered twenty-five roses to the MTA in thanksgiving for our Holy Father and the twenty-five blessed years of his pontificate. Following this, Bishop Morlino led the rosary. Meditations on the Joyful Mysteries, taken from the apostolic letter on the rosary by Pope John Paul II introduced each decade. After the rosary devotion, one of the Schoenstatt Sisters of Mary stationed in Madison offered an MTA picture to the bishop. He expressed his gratitude and requested our prayers as he acquires his "sea legs" in the diocese. Then the bishop mingled with the people who enjoyed refreshments and conversation in the family room of the Schoenstatt Movement Center in Madison.

Milwaukee: Presentation of Schoenstatt to Archbishop Timothy M. Dolan

A month earlier, on September 25, 2003, the Milwaukee area Schoenstatt Diocesan Committee had the honor of meeting with Archbishop Timothy M. Dolan at the Cousins Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

After all were settled at a conference room table, Archbishop Dolan knocked on an adjoining door and put his arm through, holding a pilgrim MTA picture. Then he entered the room. He called her "My Leading Lady."

Father Langsch gave the archbishop a chart showing the various branches of Schoenstatt in a wheel structure. He used this as a guide during our presentations. Father Langsch also gave him some of the history of Schoenstatt. The archbishop asked some very probing questions about how Schoenstatt fits into canonical roles and relationships that are established by the Church for movements similar to ours. Each member of the Diocesan Committee had the opportunity to present a brief overview of their specific branch. After each branch’s presentation, a rose was presented to the archbishop and placed into a vase. The final arrangement was a beautiful bouquet for him.

Therese Yank, diocesan leader of the Girls’ Youth, made a card showing a graphic representation of Schoenstatt in a tree structure. The card included the archbishop’s own coat of arms and a picture of Father Kentenich along with the spiritual bouquet the entire local Schoenstatt Movement had given to him for this event.

The archbishop also received a picture of the International Shrine of the Father Kingdom (at the International Schoenstatt Center) and a box of shrine cookies. Typical of his good humor, the archbishop responded with "I like this kind of shrine" and "Now you’re singin’ my song!"

Archbishop Dolan said that part of the Schoenstatt charism is the warmth of our people. There is nothing elitist or exclusive about the Schoenstatt Movement and he valued this about Schoenstatt. He said that a concern about movements like Schoenstatt is that they detract from parish life. However, his experience has been the opposite: participation in Schoenstatt and other similar movements contributes to parish life rather than detracting from it and he is grateful for the support we give to parishes.

He is very supportive of devotion to Mary ("anything we can do to promote the rosary"). He said a unifying theme for us was Incarnation. God’s question to Mary was: Will you allow my Son to take on flesh, to take on a human nature? That is also God’s question to us. Will we allow God to take on a human nature through our work within the Church? This ripples throughout our families and our community.

When Archbishop Dolan asked us, "What can I do to help?" Father Langsch asked that he mention us and that we be part of the regular life of the Church. When Father Langsch asked the archbishop what we could do to be of service to him and the archdiocese, he said we should continue to do what we are doing, participate in diocesan life, and speak up.