Approved by Church Authorities in 1964
VATICAN CITY, 8 MAY 2006 (ZENIT)Here is the description of the
Schoenstatt Movement, which appears in the Directory of International
Associations of the Faithful, published by the Pontifical Council for
the Laity.
* * *
Official name: Apostolic Movement of Schoenstatt
Also known as: Schoenstatt Movement
Established: 1914
History: The Apostolic Movement of Schoenstatt was founded by a young
Pallotine priest, Josef Kentenich (1885-1968) who was given the pastoral
care of a student house at Schoenstatt, near Koblenz, Germany, in 1912,
which has given the movement its name.
In performing his task, Father Kentenich soon felt the need to combine
the truths of the faith with the needs of the times, and for a new type
of education for the young people entrusted to his care, springing from
the intimate depths of man, making people free and capable of making
responsible choices.
The charter founding the movement is called the "Covenant of Love" which
Father Kentenich and his students, on Oct. 18, 1914, sealed with Mary
and with the Blessed Trinity in the shrine chapel, of which there are
180 replicas in the world today, dedicated to the "Mater ter admirabilis"
(Mother Thrice Admirable).
It is at the shrine that the students entrust their lives to Our Lady,
asking her to make the chapel a home in which to obtain the grace of
welcome, the grace of interior transformation, the grace of the mission
or fruitful apostolate. This experience was to become the core of the
spirituality of the movement, and the chapel a Marian place of
pilgrimage for millions of people from all over the world.
The movement was approved by the Church authorities in 1964, and today
comprises 20 branches which gather together men, women, families, young
people, priests and consecrated lay persons, in various forms of
commitment.
Identity: Faithful to the teachings of the founder, the Apostolic
Movement of Schoenstatt aims at forming personalities and Christian
communities that are capable of freely supporting God's plan in the
world in which they live.
The formation proposed by the movement is based on self-education, faith
in Providence, the pursuit of holiness in daily life, and readiness and
willingness to be instruments in God's hands. The particular purpose of
the movement is the spiritual renewal of Christians, which is achieved
by promoting educational and religious activities and social projects,
also in cooperation with other ecclesial movements.
Organization: The Apostolic Movement of Schoenstatt is spiritually
centered on Mary, on the founder and on the Shrine of Grace in the place
where it was founded. It is institutionally subdivided into the
following:
Pilgrims' Movement; apostolic leagues without the obligation to live in
community; apostolic federations (or unions) with a non-legal obligatory
form of community; secular institutes, with the legal obligation to live
in community, forming the core of the movement, whose members live the
evangelical counsels radically but without taking vows. All these
branches are legally autonomous.
The General Praesidium has a coordinating role and is made up of the
leading representatives of the institutes and federations, as well as a
representative of the Apostolic Leagues.
Membership: The Apostolic Movement of Schoenstatt has about 96,000
members, of whom 4,400 belong to the institutes and 2,000 to the
federations, and is present in 42 countries as follows: Africa (6), Asia
(5), Europe (17), North America (5), and South America (9). About 10,000
people make a pilgrimage every day to one of the Shrines of the Movement
throughout the world.
Works: The secular institutes of the movement manage schools, colleges,
hospitals and charitable institutions.
Publications: Regnum, a magazine published three times a year; Basis,
published monthly; Pater Josef Kentenich, a newsletter published three
times a year.
Web site: www.schoenstatt.de
Headquarters: Apostolische Bewegung von Schoenstatt Berg Sion, 1
D- 56179 Vallendar
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Germany
Tel. [+49] 261.65040
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Fax 261.650444
E-mail: webmaster@schoenstatt.de
© Copyright 2006
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Libreria Editrice Vaticana [adapted] ZE06050805
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