"I know mine and mine know me"

Fr. Angel Strada, Postulator in the process of beatification for Fr. Joseph Kentenich, shared in a talk his experiences with the Father and Founder

Compartió sus experiencias con el Padre Kentenich He shared his experiences with Fr. Kentenich Er erzählte von seinen Begegnungen mit Pater Kentenich Fotos: Juan Barbosa © 2008
P. José Kentenich Fr. Joseph Kentenich P. Josef Kentenich Foto: Archiv © 2008

SCHOENSTATT, Juan Barbosa. Fr. Angel Strada, Postulator in the process of beatification for Fr. Joseph Kentenich, shared in a talk his experiences with the Father and Founder. He brought up information on his process of beatification as well as information on other heroes in our Family.

The privileged assistants: an important delegation from different Chilean regions were accompanied by Fr. Juan Pablo Rovegna. Here we relate in detail a synthesis of what this enriching encounter has been.

A comment on his beginnings in the priesthood

With his usual familiarity and simplicity, he began his allocution with a brief review of the beginning of his life in Schoenstatt. At that time in his native Córdoba, the Wayside Shrine where our dear MTA established herself in the area of Villa Warcalde which is about 20 km from the center of that important city in the interior of Argentina, did not exist. "The Movement in Córdoba has its origin in a current from Bella Vista, Chile where it began with the visit to our city from the three Andrews" (Alessandri, Montesinos and Krausse) [please check the spelling of these names].

The love for the Blessed Mother which these Chilean youths radiated…..that most intimate commitment…..that desire to "flood the world with Schoenstatt"…..was what awakened in the youthful Angel and his group of friends only one idea: to consecrate themselves completely to this Work of God.

"We began our studies in Brazil, almost at the same time that the Founder was returning to Rome from his exile in Milwaukee. His immediate wish was that we would all study together in Germany since we were to form a Community. This was something difficult to envision at the beginning since we had different customs and ages…..but, of course, we accepted joyfully and we formulated the motto for our Course: What a joy when they said.....let us go to the house of the Father, and there we went."

"We were nervous and cold when we arrived (it was March 29th, 1966, and in Germany…..it is cold!). They told us that Fr. Kentenich would give us a talk that evening. When I saw him, I had two basic impressions: first, that he was not tall (1.68 m) and he spoke in a rare tone (his tone was from the Rhineland) [did I say that correctly?] and the second: he transmitted the image of a Patriarch like Abraham or Moses…..a firm personality, vigorous and yet close, not distant."

We know well that Fr. Angel Strada has a privileged memory; he especially did not forget a message which Fr. Joseph Kentenich transmitted to them with great clarity: "Everyone must preserve his own identity and that of each other. The South Americans must not Germanize themselves, nor should the opposite happen." Dear reader, here we observe the most appealing and intuitive impression of the Founder: respect for the originality of each person.

They were very far away and they reacted

The next day, they moved to their definite residence in Germany, the Seminary in Munster which is 250 Km from Schoenstatt. This was very far for these youths who wanted to be close to Father! (and they had also imagined that they would have him….."only for themselves"). "We wrote him a letter in which we told him with youthful frankness that we were upset with him because we were so far….." When he received the letter, Fr. Kentenich called the Rector of the Seminary, and far from being mad, told the Rector that he would be in Munster as soon as he could. Two months later, Father traveled (on a second-class train and with minimum luggage) to Munster to meet with the young seminarians. "We took it upon ourselves to tell the entire Movement in Munster that he was coming to see us and no one else. They better not begin to fill up his agenda….." They established the clear norm: between talks and Masses, he would speak to each one of the seminarians for thirty consecutive minutes. "In that youthfulness which enveloped me, nervousness kept me from sleeping the night previous to that 23^rd of August of 1967, in which punctually at 8:30 A.M., I would have my private meeting with Fr. Joseph Kentenich."

Paternity and the "praise-worthy ability to listen," indelible traits of the Founder.

"Upon entering, he took both of my hands and said: What is your name? Where are you from? When I told him I was from Córdoba, Argentina, he said: Ah, from Villa Warcalde! I really could not believe that this man – having done and experienced so many things – could remember that Villa Warcalde was in Córdoba. He remembered this because of a visit which Carlos and his brother (today Fr. Guillermo Mario Cassone) had made with their mother…..8 years earlier! When I told him that, he answered me with the words of Jesus Christ: "You know what is happening, I know mine and mine know me." They sat down to converse. He asked many questions and was concerned about the smallest details. He was a father in every sense of the word. He advised them in very personal things, even on how to dress. He even recommended that they use long underwear because the cold in Germany is very intense. He was concerned about everything regarding each person. "Previously, I was afraid that I would speak incorrectly since my German, at that time, was weak. I was afraid of not being able to say what I really wanted to say. As we began to speak, I noticed that my German was better than I expected. I realized that I could speak naturally what I wanted to say. Why? The reason is simple: I felt listened to with the full capability which a man has to listen…..attentive listening which Fr. Kentenich defined as the praise-worthy ability to listen.

"With his permission and that of the Rector, I took a bit more time with my conversation. He heard my confession and then reviewed what we had spoken about with clarity and skillfulness. This still astounds me even today. He told me things about myself which were absolutely accurate and which I had not mentioned to him and what is more, he foretold things about my future life which I reread today ( I still preserve the summary of the contents of that conversation) and I ponder: How could he have known that!? Undoubtedly a Prophet.

His Process of Beatification and the journey of that of his students.

"I never thought I would have this Mission as postulator, but of one thing I will always be certain: I stood before a Saint." With these words, Fr. Strada infects us with his certainty of an absolutely happy end, but in no way a speedy one for the process. He pointed out the different phases which this process encompasses: Reputation of Sanctity; Canonical Process ( includes the evaluation of 28,000 documents, some 1,000 books (300 pages each) and more than 12,000 letters written by Father); Evaluation of the documentation in Rome ( there are only 6 persons responsible in these processes and only 1 of them speaks Spanish); After the decision, it is sent to 8 cardinals for its evaluation and then it is finally sent to the Pope for consideration. Everything can be correct, but absolutely indispensable is the proof of a miracle attributed exclusively to Fr. Kentenich with characteristics in this regard: physical, of instant healing or almost instant healing, confirmed by a doctor (only in the technical part) and permanent, that is, in the case of an illness, it must deal with an illness healed with no technical explanation (in the case of cancer, they must wait 10 years). Those of us who attended the talk learned about the different very rigorous steps which the Church takes in its wisdom and to which all Processes must adapt to. The advances in his process and in that of his students, would place Carl Leisner of whom a miracle is being studied, at an advanced phase. Following would be Joseph Engling, Sr. Maria Emilie, Mario Hiriart, Joao Pozzobon and Joseph Kentenich who are practically at the same phase, and then Franz Reinisch.

The conclusion: Without a doubt, Fr. Kentenich has established a true school of sanctity.

Thus ended (much to our chagrin) the talk and Fr. Angel left us with an invitation which is more of an imperative: "Take the charisma of the Father Founder wherever you go. Share with others the richness of his teachings. I invite you to not keep him for yourselves so that when the time comes, there are not only Schoenstatters at St. Peter’s but hundreds of thousands of Catholics, not necessarily Schoenstatters, who fill the Square praising God and giving thanks for his Work."

Translation: Carlos Cantú Family Federation La Feria, Texas USA 062008