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 published: 2006-11-14

"To love the Church with Father Kentenich" (Benedict XVI)

Interview with Fr. Angel Strada, postulator for the cause of beatification for Father Kentenich

 

Amar a la Iglesia con el Padre Kentenich

Living the church with Father Kentenich

Mit Pater Kentenich die Kirche lieben

Foto: POS Fischer © 2006

 

Padre, Profeta, Pionero...

Father, Prophet, Pioneer...

Vater, Porphet, Pionier…

Foto: JM Córdoba © 2006

 
 

El P. Angel Strada durante una conferencia en Chile

Father Angel Strada during a conference in Chile

Pater Angel Strada bei einem Vortrag in Chile

Foto: Vinculo, Chile © 2006

 
 

“El P. Angel tiene el don que la gente se enamore siempre mas de P. Kentenich!” M.T.

“FAther Angel has the gift to make people fall in love with Father Kentenich!” M.T.

“Pater Strada hat die Gabe, die Leute immer mehr für Pater Kentenich zu begeistern!”

Foto: Crivelli © 2006

 

 

 

PJK, Paula Christensen/mkf. To hear the canonization of Father Joseph Kentenich from the windows at the Vatican is without a doubt a secret wish of all Schoenstatt children. In spite of the fact that it is not a simple thing, there are great advances in the process of beatification for Father Joseph Kentenich, Founder of the Schoenstatt Movement and whose 121st birthday will be celebrated on November 18th. In Gymnich, the city of his birth, there will be a procession from the home of his birth to the Church where he was baptized. In La Plata, there will be a "Father Kentenich Museum" organized by the local Schoenstatt Youth. There will be other events in many countries throughout the world.

Fr. Angel Strada, an Argentinian and first councilor for the Schoenstatt General Presidium, is postulator for the causes of beatification for Father Kentenich and Mario Hiriart. He highlights that there are great advances in the process of canonization and furthermore how profoundly confirmed is the charism and personality of Father Kentenich in all that is done in the context of the process.

Specifically, at which stage do we find the process today?

--At this time, lacking is the authentication of each page which has been investigated and the final report of the Treveris Commission so that the process can be closed in Germany. From there it goes to Rome where the Congregation for the Saints can object or validate the process. It is first reviewed by 8 theologians and then by 8 cardinals and bishops. Once this Vatican congregation validates the process, we await a transparent miracle through the intercession of Fr. Kentenich and then his beatification. Another miracle will be needed for his canonization.

Our Founder in depth

What new characteristics have you been able to detect in Fr. Kentenich in these unpublished writings of his?

--There are thousands of letters of his in which you see many aspects on how he spiritually accompanied people – the types of advice he gives, how he corrects, how he warns, how he consoles, how he encourages. For example, he often says: "Be a sunbeam" for your community, for your family. Also, he often invites confidence – confidence in God and in oneself. "Trust that God has given you talents to overcome this – trust in your positive experiences." Another thing he repeated often – "act according to your conscience" knowing that often conflict will come from this, but take "courage to be yourself." The invitation to become attached to the Shrine and to dialog with Mary also appears a great deal. At the end he always says "I will accompany you….. I think of you…..I pray for you…..You are in my thoughts…..count on my prayers." These are very strong expressions of personal commitment. This explains that he had so much influence on persons.

Have you had surprises during these investigations?

--In general, Father maintained an extraordinary line of continuity. The retreats preached to the Sisters and to the families had a greater depth than other retreats. We have never felt that there is a totally new theme. I would say no in general. There are controversial writings, thousands of pages on his relationship with Vincent Palotti. He writes this to the General Superior of the Palottines at one time in a letter, if I am not mistaken, which has 1,100 pages. He calls it a letter, but it is a dissertation. It is noteworthy how he makes very clear what is of his Work and what belongs to Palotti. He has a very special concept of humility. I think that mainly because he feels: "I cannot keep, I cannot silence what Mary has done in me." Then he will say: "This aspect came from me, not from Palotti." Father has a very strong self-knowledge of what Mary works through him. Here a psychological trait is discovered: once he is convinced of something, no one can move him. When he is certain, he is certain. Father Kentenich had enormous firmness. In that sense he had no diplomatic talent. Father would not negotiate. This trait in his personality explains the problems in Milwaukee. He foresaw that adopting a rigid attitude toward Rome would bring him a new decree which would restrict his freedom even more. Nevertheless, he would do it and the new decree would come. He would answer, "I will strictly fulfill the norms you are imposing on me, but I am not in agreement with your basis for them." He obeys; nevertheless, that concept of obedience demands a great deal of maturity from the superior and the subject. Sometimes Father’s attitude is very challenging. He explains in his letters: "I combine obedience and compliance with frankness, interior freedom and daring." Thus I can understand many things that happened…..in this I have had many surprises.

Why was it so hard for Father to negotiate?

--Our Father and Founder was very aware that he had a mission and that God asked him for certain things. For a person who does not have that awareness and does not adhere to God, it is not always easy. That is especially noticeable when Father returns to Dachau: he returns with a different attitude, with a different inner attitude. Until Dachau, Father Founder had avoided speaking of himself. He had shunned being spoken of or being photographed. He had said little of his personal history. But after Dachau, he returns totally convinced that Schoenstatt was a Work of God. His liberation is just that. It is a very strong confirmation. He also returns convinced that Schoenstatt has to take a leap. It has to come out. It has to be risked in the Church, in the world. He is impressed that Schoenstatt is already an international Work. There he decides to give it a personal center that guarantees the unity of this family which is growing constantly throughout the world. "And the only person who can do that is me," he assures. He is convinced that is the will of God. Then he allows himself to be photographed; he begins to speak of himself; he begins to insist on attachment to him and this totally disturbs the Palottines. So much so that some of them say that Father returned very changed from Dachau, that he returned abnormal and they also made this known to the bishops. He assumes it is the price he has to pay for something he considers to be the will of God and thinks it is just what the Work needs. This really bothers a good many of the German bishops and instigates the whole idea of the 31st of May.

Is there an episode you found difficult to understand?

--There is a very painful story. There are great Palottine fathers who were directed spiritually by Father Kentenich. For example, a priest who at one time was Superior General and later Vicegeneral tells him, "I can no longer follow you." It is an exchange of letters which was personally very hard for me because of the human drama it contains. While in Rome, he writes a letter to Father Kentenich and tells him he is going to Schoenstatt. Father responds: "Go to the Shrine. Take me also. Thank the Blessed Mother for the long part of the journey we have traveled together, and now that we go our separate ways, ask Mary to bless you and to bless me." It is a letter of farewell.

The model of the saint

What did Father do to understand, in God’s light, these painful things along the way which were so unconventional?

--At times Father would say, "I have light for the next step, but I cannot see the way." Because of having developed so much a practical faith in Divine Providence, one must be careful in believing that Father would receive a daily call from God telling him what he had to do that day. Father had many times of darkness and says clearly: "I only have light for the next step."

Fr. Angel, seeing the clarity which Father Kentenich had regarding himself, on his mission and all his personal qualities to attach himself to others, to what measure is the model of the saint applicable to normal persons who do not have a founding mission nor a deep psychological balance as Father had?

--Much depends on how the imitation of the saint is approached. It does not mean to imitate him literally, but to travel the road he traveled according to my originality and the many or few talents which are in my makeup. I can make use of his experience with his originality and makeup. Furthermore, he lives in a cultural environment and in a very different time. I should try to originally adapt to the values which motivated him, but according to my state of being.

We have to maintain a realistic view of Father Kentenich because he obviously was not born a saint. He traveled a long and very difficult road and one must see Father as a model, but not only at the end of his life. Often Father Kentenich would himself say, "In this I am not an example for you." Then, looking at the life of Father Kentenich, we make our own way assuming the values which motivated him. For sure we must take his hand, affirm ourselves in him, and ask for his help.

OK, how do we apply to daily life these many "can be canonized friends" which we have in the Schoenstatt Family as models to imitate?

--I think we should be grateful for the treasury of saints we have because they are signs of God’s activity in the history of the Family. A religious family which has no saints is lacking titles and richness. Furthermore, Father considers the Shrine as a cradle of sanctity: "If you cannot show that from this cradle saints have been born, then what Shrine are you talking to me about?" It is a treasure which one must know how to invest. See how wonderful that God gives us a plurality of saints which span different stages, different sexes, different missions, different states of being, etc. And responding to the question "How do I imitate?" there can be different seasons and I can better orient myself by the example of Sister Emilie who can tell me how to reach the Father and Founder and he will tell me how to reach Jesus Christ. If the life of the Founder who is a German priest seems a distant reality, we have Mario, a Chilean layman who walked the road I am traveling. It is a much more closer story and makes my way easier. These Family saints are definitely beacons of light and must not be kept out of sight, but must be enkindled so they may light the way.

And what about the miracle?

--Father respected the norms of the Church. He knows that to be beatified he must perform a miracle. On that topic and because of my faith, I am at peace. In the meantime, let us work the best we can on what must be done. At this time it is to finish all of the part of the process on virtue. For that I ask you to pray for Fr. George from the Diocese of Treveris. He must sign the final report. In a certain way, he represents all the persons working to complete the stage in the Diocese of Treveris and he has the authority to terminate this stage in which we are in.

In this way, praying for Fr. George in Treveris and without continuing to ask for the intercession of our Father and Founder in whatever small miracle in daily life, we will go on loving the Church and all that Father Kentenich loved so much in his lifetime. We will continue becoming like him especially in his particular way of attaching to persons and coming closer to that day when the Holy Father will give us a new saint for our Family. In spite of all the advances, there is also a consent from His Holiness Benedict XVI who gave a prologue to a novena on Father Kentenich with the words with which we have entitled this interview.

To have an idea:

  • 26,000 documents not edited
  • 9,500 letters from Father
  • 8,000 pages he wrote in Milwaukee
  • 350,000 pages (one thousand 300 page books)
  • Reputation of sanctity in 85 countries in the world
  • Testimonies of 150 persons
  • The registry of the files for each document has 4,800 pages

Interview by Paula Christensen, published in the magazine VINCULO, Chile

Translation Carlos Cantú Family Federation La Feria, Texas USA 010207


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