Rejoicing with all that is happening throughout the world just like a true family!

SCHOENSTATT.DE – creating attachments, informing and motivating the Schoenstatt Family throughout the entire world

Trabajar en la Oficina de Prensa: „Una experiencia que cambió mi vida” Working in the PressOffice: “An experience that changed a lot for me.” Mitarbeit im PressOffice: “Eine Erfahrung, die viel für mich verändert hat.”
Jovenes de San Fernando, Chile: compartir las vivencias Youth from San Fernando, Chile: sharing their experiences Jugendliche aus San Fernando, Chile: Mitteilen, was bewegt
Matrimonios de Argentina: Saber lo que pasa en Schoenstatt Couples from Argentina: Knowing what is going on  in Schoenstatt Ehepaare aus Argentinien: Wissen, was sich in Schönstatt tut
Voluntaria de Alemania Volunteer from Germany Übersetzungen machen im PressOffice, mal eine neue Erfahrung
Voluntaria de Alemania Volunteer from Germany Übersetzungen machen im PressOffice, mal eine neue Erfahrung

SCHOENSTATT PRESS OFFICE, mkf. "The first course of the Family Federation from Ecuador made its perpetual consecration last October 29^th, we will send photos and a report to our marvelous SCHOENSTATT.DE web site no later than the 30^th – this site gives us the possibility – as a true Family of our Father and Founder – to literally share this joy with all the world", writes Dory and Carlos Manrique, members of the founding course of the Family Federation in Ecuador. "In the name of the ministry of exterior relations I want to cordially express my gratitude for the outstanding work of Schoenstatt in Burundi and the excellent information that it offers", reads an email sent by a high official of the Ministry of exterior relations from Germany, who is responsible for the countries of Africa. "At a conference I was informed about your web site and through this means, I want to extend my gratitude". "From Vienna we want to cordially express our gratitude for the excellent work and to the Schoenstatt.de team on the Internet. As you know, each news item from Schoenstatt gives us great joy. Thanks to this, we feel closely attached with the Original Shrine, which is the heart of Schoenstatt. It is beautiful to feel a part of a great universal Family…Your magnificent work is bearing fruit!" writes Hans Georg Andras, from the Schoenstatt Movement in Austria.

These are only three of the enormous variety of messages that arrive daily at the Press Office, representing a few of the ten thousand readers who visit schoenstatt.de weekly. Schoenstatt.de is backed by an enormous group of collaborators, who are happy with the task. Along with the team of the Schoenstatt Press Office – with Heinrich Brehm as webmaster and Sister M. Kornelia Fischer as Editor – there is a committed nucleus of eight volunteers who work between two to four hours daily translating and editing articles, in the United States, Argentina, Chile and Italy. In addition, there are fifteen people who occasionally collaborate with translations and editing. There are three hundred reporters in 31 nations, who communicate regularly and responsibly, reporting what is happening in their countries, communities, apostolic actions, or in the Schoenstatt headquarters. They do this ad honorem, along with their professional work, their family obligations, or their responsibilities within the Movement.

During the last year, some four hundred persons, in addition to the 300 already mentioned, have sent at least one report. During the same period, thirteen persons collaborated between one to six weeks as volunteers in the Press Office, in some cases as part of a practicum required by their schoolwork. People from Germany, Austria, Bolivia, Ecuador, Argentina and Venezuela have felt attracted by this task and have asked to work for some time in the Press Office to learn or to perfect their knowledge. The weekly electronic newsletter is produced in Argentina, the audio blog in the United States, the change in the mailing system of the newsletter through a service that does not contain advertisements was the initiative of Dietger M. Kuller (Schoenstatt Brother of Mary), the list of links and the calendar of activities is under the direction of Arno Hernadi (a seminarian of the Schoenstatt Fathers). The collaborators come from practically all the Institutes, Federations, and Branches of the Schoenstatt Family, the Schoenstatt Rosary Campaign, and the so-called "non-organized Schoenstatt". A small Schoenstatt Family: that is what is behind schoenstatt.de.

Work with the media: press section

Since the beginning of the year schoenstatt.de has its own press section, where the news agencies or the news media can extract information about subjects related with the Schoenstatt Movement that transcend the regional area. Along with sending press releases, the Schoenstatt Press Office (with major or minor success) gives interviews to newspapers, radio and television stations. These are public statements about current events, maintaining contact with the media. It offers reporters the opportunity to work in Schoenstatt, and it acts as a go between for all kinds of institutions, from the publishing of the telephone book of Koblenz to a radio station from Argentina that is interested in transmitting live interviews from Cologne during World Youth Day. As for World Youth Day the following means of communication gave a positive response to the request for coverage: ZDF (the second state channel of German television), ARD (the leading German television chain), WDR (radio/television from western Germany), World Youth Day – television, Zenit (Rome), Aciprensa (Peru)Christ Today (Argentina),EPD –Service of the evangelical press (Germany), the Press Office of the Diocese of Treir, Press Office of the Diocese of Koblenz, :aulinus (Diocsan Newsletter from Trier), Rheinischer Merkur, Deutsche Tagespost, Rhein-Zeitung, Radio Horeb (Radio Mary), K-TV, Kolner Rundschau, Kolner Stadtanzeiger, France Espirit –Foto.

Index of Links

This new index, titled LINKS offers a listing of web sites listed by categories, languages, countries, or key words. Persons can recommend interesting sites about the Schoenstatt Movement and of the Church (news sites, ecclesial communities…) that can be added to the listing of the index. We are asking for everyone’s collaboration in this regard because the listing of links is maintained and up-dated thanks to you. Please send in the sites that you are familiar with, be it about Schoenstatt or the Church in general.

Free Newsletter in four languages

An electronic weekly newsletter is sent out in German, Spanish, English, and Italian with summaries of the new articles and the contributions that are received by schoenstatt.de during the week. Occasionally extra newsletters are sent between the scheduled ones, with the latest news, information about events, etc. Shortly the subscription will be made directly through schoenstatt.de, for the moment, it is sent by email to: news@schoenstatt.de with the Subject: Subscribe through the Internet

Calendar of activities

For several years, schoenstatt.de has also incorporated a calendar of activities for the Schoenstatt Movement of Germany. With the help of a small contribution that is asked of the organizers of events, the users have free access to a chronicle of activities that is open to the Schoenstatt Movement of Germany. They are listed by subjects, key words, places, branches…and although we still need to list the offerings from some headquarters, branches, or organizers, the calendar offers a clear panorama of the great diversity of activities – spiritual exercises, journeys, Masses, forums, academics, seminars – that are available in Schoenstatt. And there were even some who did not belong to the Movement, who participated in a sponsored event, which was found thanks to this calendar!

Schoenstatt Aktuell

The German public has access to "Schonstatt Aktuell", a magazine of the German Movement with ten monthly editions per year. Its twelve pages provide a brief summary of the main articles published through schoenstatt.de on the Internet. Mainly, it is offered for those who do not have access to the Internet, but at the same time, it also offers the possibility of referring to a past article or to refresh ones memory about one of the articles from the past month. "Schonstatt Aktuell" is also an apostolic instrument. It is available in many Schoenstatt centers as well as in some medical offices. In Vallendar, for example, it is available free to the readers and it carries the Schoenstatt message to visitors, guests, interested parties. Moreover, "Schonstatt Aktuell" is sent to the press offices of the German dioceses, to the church newsletters and the local press.

News and public relations seminars. The Schoenstatt style of communication

During the year 2005, three press and public relations seminars were held in Germany, and one in Switzerland. Groups of 5 to 15 persons participated, not only with the interest of learning basic news techniques, but to learn about and to apply the style of communication that Father Kentenich taught and practiced.

Next year seminars will be conducted about the methods and reflection of diverse complementary subjects, offered individually:

• Help, here comes a journalist! Methodology Seminar: How Schoenstatt and the press can make contact
• Live, love, transmit Schoenstatt Methodology Seminar: Public relations strategies that benefit Schoenstatt
• Welcome, come in! Everyone is invited - Methodology Seminar: Dates, invitations, posters and then?
• Life, where are you? - Basic Seminar: how to write so that life is inflamed in life
• Life is inflamed in life - Seminar of reflection: Is there a Schoenstatt style of communication? Yes: "Life is inflamed in life" and "Service freely given to others" are its main points.
• With the hand on the pulse of the times - Round table: to search for and to reflect on current subjects…And see whether and how Schoenstatt can respond and act out

Schoenstatt blogs

The subject of blogs is the most common thing today, especially among the youth. It is like a "diary" that is shared on the Internet through a page that anyone can set up easily. That is how the blog for October week was implemented.

Beginning with the World Youth Day there is an audio blog with the "Sounds of Schoenstatt", a kind of "Radio on the Internet", with audios and short videos. In a hypothetical case if someone was interested in listening to the Covenant Mass for the youth of world or the illuminated rosary in Werl, you could find it here, as well as the taped interviews of the participants of World Youth Day, or videos of Dequeni and Joseph Engling. To see the Original Shrine and to hear the new Schoenstatt songs or previous ones go to http://schoenstattblog.blogspot.com. This log was the work of Angie Santos from the United States. This made it possible for a Schoenstatter from Mauritius to see a video of Father Kentenich...three times in one day…

A service of all the family for all the family…and more

If it was originally born as a service to the German Movement, schoenstatt.de quickly acquired an international seal. There are many factors that influenced this, among them the proximity of the original source of grace, which gives it a unique and exclusive character. This detonated an immediate attachment by the people, whose deepest desire was to be close to the MTA and the Father in the Original Schoenstatt. That is how emails and letters continually arrive to be placed in the Shrine or on Father’s tomb; a request that is answered immediately.

After three weeks of the absence of new articles on schoenstatt.de, because of the webmaster’s vacation, many persons commented on how much they missed "their direct link" to Schoenstatt. "The schoenstatt.de page is on at last!! Just in case, we opened the web page every day to see if new articles had appeared. This "life current" that the communities from all over the world communicate gives us the incentive to work and to pray, and it encourages us to educate ourselves to be better instruments". "If it works over there, why not try it here…? I tell myself many times", says Tita Rios, from Parana, Argentina.

SCHOENSTATT.DE lives thanks to what each one shares about his life in the covenant! In addition, Schoenstatt.de needs your help, the help of the users of the Internet, in order to continue creating attachments, informing and motivating the Schoenstatt Family and the world. How can I collaborate? Through translations (from and to Spanish, English, German, Portuguese, and Italian) or as a reporter, as well as any other contribution you make that will be very well received.

Your collaboration makes the Family!

Translation: Celina M Garza, Harlingen, TX/ Christi Jentz, Milwaukee,WI, USA