"I Open the Door of my Heaven for You!"

Following In the Footsteps of Father Kentenich – A Pilgrimage to Milwaukee from the 14 – 26 of August, 2008

El Santuario de Exilio The Exile Shrine Das Exilsheiligtum
Con la familia Fenelon With the Fenelons Bei Familie Fenelon
Santa Misa Holy Mass Heilige Messe
Dra. Inge Birk con la Hermana Marihedwig, en la estatua del Padre Dr. Inge Birk and Sr, Marihedwig at the Father Statue Dr. Inge Birk und Schw. Marihedwig bei der Vaterstatue
Sello „Shrine Passport“ Stempel im „Shrine Passport“ Fotos: Inge Birk © 2008

USA, Dr. Inge Birk "I open the door of my Heaven for you!" With these words Father Birkenmaier, the Pilgrimage Leader, began our Pilgrimage to the "father places" in Milwaukee where Father Joseph Kentenich, the Founder of the Schoenstatt Movement, lived from 1952 through 1965. Twenty two pilgrims from Germany and Switzerland undertook this journey in order to gain a deeper understanding of the time of his exile and to encounter him personally. It was a special gift that the pilgrimage participants included 11 priests – members of the Schoenstatt Diocesan Priests Federation and Diocesan Priests Institute -- who contributed much to the ambiance of the pilgrimage.

Father Kentenich spent 14 years in Milwaukee until he could return to Schoenstatt in 1965. How did Father Kentenich master these difficult years and the separation from the Schoenstatt Movement? This question engaged the members of the pilgrimage and every day brought new insights and very concrete answers through visits to the various places of Father encounter. Although Father Kentenich’s exterior activity was quite restricted, he devoted himself above all to pastoral tasks. With immense interest and great empathy he guided the many people who turned to him in their personal needs and difficulties. He was fully involved with young families who treasured his advice, especially in regard to educational questions. Out of this attachment, grew the new Family Movement in Milwaukee, whose fruit was the Home Shrine. The impressive reports of the Gmeinder family in Madison, who started contact with Father Kentenich already in 1952 and from the Horn family, emigrants from Hungary, imparted a vivid picture of the founder as a spiritual father to families such as these. Father Kentenich simply sewed tiny stitches in Milwaukee. A new world opened up and the image of the "new Father", as embodied in Father Kentenich, revealed itself more and more before our spiritual eyes.

The Exile Shrine – Center Point of the Pilgrim Experience

Visiting the various places of Father encounter showed us in a special way the diversity of his priestly service and its fruitfulness, despite the narrow limitations placed on his endeavors. It was emphasized with what great interest Father Kentenich accompanied the building of the Shrine in Madison, the "Founder Shrine" (dedicated in 1953), the Shrine at Holy Cross, the "Exile Shrine" (dedicated in 1954), and the Shrine at the International Center in Waukesha, the "Father Shrine" (dedicated in 1964). He considered them as a great gift of Divine Providence in difficult times. In the Exile Shrine, located a short distance from his first office, he celebrated the Sacrifice of the Mass over 3000 times. So too, would this shrine become the center point for the pilgrims and a place of intense Father encounter. Spiritually united with our Father and Founder, the pilgrims attended the Eucharistic Liturgy -- concelebrated by our eleven priests -- time and again. Close by in the cemetery, the pilgrims followed in Father Kentenich’s footsteps and learned a lot about Schoenstatt history at that time. Also in the Movement House, the birthplace of the Milwaukee Schoenstatt Movement, the personal witness of various Sisters of Mary immersed us into the reality of the time our Founder spent there. In the Church of St. Michael we encountered our Founder in a special way as pastor of the German community, It was in his homilies that he took up current church themes. (Now published in the series "Aus dem Glauben leben" meaning To Live Out of Faith) The "Shrine Passport" found a joyful response from the group. In every shrine and home shrine there was eager stamping, referring to the imprint of an original stamp to document the visit to a specific shrine.

Pilgrimage Retreat

Connected with the pilgrimage was a five day retreat, which circled around the theme of our Founder’s teaching on secondary causes. With the help of diagrams and examples, Fr. Birkenmaier provided an excellent understanding of the interaction between nature and grace for the development of the personality and to allow it to carry over into practical life. Father Kentenich himself is an outstanding example of what it means to mentor people in their personality development. These statements were supported by numerous concrete examples and living witnesses from that period of time. Of inestimable value, were the many reports shared with us by Sisters of Mary and other Movement members, who related their experiences, meetings and encounters with Father Kentenich. Every witness showed another facet of Father’s rapport with people and his educational wisdom. Anyone who came to visit Father felt totally taken in as he or she was. It was an opportunity to truly come in touch with Father Kentenich. In great detail, Sister M. Carol Winkler shared her numerous Father encounters throughout the years of Exile. Understanding deepened, as she imparted to us the variety and diversity of the father encounters she had over many years. She vividly conveyed her point and encouraged us to dream with father. The life sized statue of Father Kentenich, standing near the International Shrine, was a great attraction to obtain a personal father encounter for the pilgrims. Daily visits were made -- alone or together -- so as to stand before this exquisite figure, in order to thank Father for all the new input received during the past day. Milwaukee became a new place of grace, a place of a deep father encounter and a family experience.

Nature, too, was Not Short-changed

With all the intellectual input, rest assured that "nature" did not come up short. On a daily basis the pilgrims from Germany and Switzerland experienced the kind attention of the Sisters of Mary and enjoyed the good American menu to gain strength for the journey. In the evening get-togethers a family atmosphere and lively exchange of impressions and experiences benefited all participants. One of the highpoints for the pilgrims occurred during the Barbeque in the backyard of the Horn Family. Accompanied by Fr. Birkenmeier’s guitar and Mr. Horn’s harmonica, the pilgrims engaged in a sing-along. A special delight began as one after the other of the so-called "national anthems" of the various parts of Germany – Swabia, Baden, and Bavaria -- were enthusiastically sung by the members of these regions. They stood placing their hand over their heart to show the fervor of their patriotism. On the last day of the pilgrimage we made a daytrip to Chicago. Beautiful weather added much to Fr. Mueller’s tour around the city of skyscrapers. In 40 seconds, we rose to the top of "Big John", the John Hancock tower with 97 stories, the second highest skyscraper in Chicago. A fabulous view of the whole city awaited those who braved the ride up. When we returned to the ground once again, we discovered in the heavy traffic a bus displaying "Belmonte". Thus in the midst of all those skyscrapers, we found a connection to the shrine in Rome.

The Author, Dr. Inge Birk, is the former General Superior of the Institute of the Ladies of Schoenstatt.

Translation: Sr. Angela Macari, USA