Celebrating Foundation Day across the States

Celebrating Foundation Day across the States

18 November 2022 · 2022-11 newsletter

2.1 Foundation Day Homily

This year on Sunday 16th October, 2022 we celebrated the Foundation Day of Schoenstatt in our shrines across Australia. As an introduction into these celebrations we “listen” to an extract from the sermon that Fr. Pawel Barszczewski OP gave during the Foundation Day Mass at Mt. Schoenstatt, Mulgoa. In his sermon Fr. Pawel shared with us, not only the meaning of Foundation Day, but also its relevance for us today.

“Nos cum Prole pia, benedicat Virgo Maria! – May the Virgin Mary, with her holy Child, bless us!”

These were the first words of Father Joseph Kentenich at the beginning of his talk given to the small group of seminarians gathered in the original Shine on October 18, 1914. This was a normal greeting for the members of the Marian Sodality, but this was the first time these words sounded in this small, modest chapel that we know today as the Original Shrine.

Through this invocation, Father Joseph invited the Virgin Mary along with her Son not only to bless them but to come and live in this Shrine as a true home. And this simple act filled his heart with great joy. He said:

This little chapel belongs to our small sodality family which is guided by our heavenly Mother. It belongs completely to us and only to us. Without envy we leave to others the more beautiful house chapel, our previous lodging. We rejoice and will let no one take this joy from us. Besides joy, a feeling of rightful pride makes our hearts beat faster. For this sanctuary, which has stood more or less neglected, desolate and bare for as long as we can remember, has been—because of us and at our instigation — restored and given to the Mother of God.

The Shrine has become a true home to our Blessed Mother. Therefore, every one of us can call the Shrine their own home.

The experience of true joy is something unique, something we want and seek. But for Father Joseph Kentenich joy was not enough. This experience of joy for him was just the starting point for something greater. He wanted this little chapel to become a place of transfiguration, a new Tabor. He said:

When St. Peter saw the glory of God on Tabor, he called out with delight, “It is good for us to be here. Let us build three tents here” (Mt 17,4). These words come to my mind again and again. And I have often asked myself: Would it not be possible for our little sodality chapel to likewise become for us the Tabor on which the glory of Mary would be revealed? Undoubtedly, we could not accomplish a greater apostolic deed nor leave our successors a more precious legacy than to urge our Lady and Queen to erect her throne here in a special way, to distribute her treasures, and to work miracles of grace. You gather what I am aiming at: I would like to make this place a place of pilgrimage, a place of grace for our house and for the whole German province, and perhaps even further afield. All those who come here to pray shall experience the glory of Mary and confess: “It is good for us to be here. Here we will build our tents, here our favourite place.” A bold thought, nearly too bold for the public, but not too bold for you.

Everything is possible with God. The Original Shrine became the place of pilgrimage, the place of grace not only for the Schoenstatt family but for countless pilgrims visiting Schoenstatt every year……

So, the Shrine is not only a place where we experience joy, a place where it is good to be, but above all it is a place of deep transformation. It is here that we are called to discern our vocation. It is here that we are invited to consecrate our lives to Mary through the Covenant of Love. It is here that Mary sends us out into the world to be instruments of God’s Providence. The Shrine is our home but also our mission.

Nos cum Prole pia, benedicat Virgo Maria!

Father Joseph Kentenich with this group of young seminarians made the covenant of love for the first time only a few months after the beginning of the First World War. It was a time of fear and uncertainty. No one could predict how many years the war would last and how many lives would be lost. Today we face similar difficulties.

…….Globally, we suffer with the economic crisis. Inflation, recession, unemployment, this is our reality. It is very difficult to predict the future, but not only the future of the world, but also our own future. We don’t know what will happen to us next month, next week, or even tomorrow.

So, what should we do? The answer to this question we can find in today’s Gospel. “Jesus told his disciples a parable about the need to pray continually and never lose heart.” (Lk 18:1). We need to be like this widow from the parable. She was courageous, she was brave, and she was persistent. The unjust judge answered her petition because of her persistence. This is the way we should pray. Unfortunately, it is very easy to give up prayer. Why? There are many reasons for giving up prayer. When I look around, many people have given up on prayer. They have given up, because they prayed for a loved one’s miraculous healing, but death came anyway. They have given up, because they prayed for an end to their struggles, but the struggles just kept on coming. They have given up, because they prayed for their children, and yet they are forced to watch as sons and daughters continue to make one bad choice after another. They have given up because it seems that God has forsaken them. They have given up because they don’t see the point of prayer. What is the use? Too often, it feels like talking to a wall.

Father Joseph Kentenich had a different experience. He believed in the power of prayer. He believed in God’s Providence. He was the man of complete surrender and consecration to God and to our Blessed Mother. And I deeply believe that we share with him the same experience. Today we are here to renew our covenant of love. We wish to renew our consecration. We want to entrust our lives, our marriages, our families, and communities to God’s Providence repeating the words of our daily prayer:

You know the way for me, you know the time.
Into your hands, I trustingly place mine.
Your plan is perfect, born of perfect love.
You know the way for me that is enough.

This is an act of faith; this is an act of true love. Why? Because you can entrust your life to someone only if you know that they love you. And we know that our God loves us, that He listens to us that He cares for us. His love for us is always first. Our love, faith, hope, our dedication, devotion, and consecration are the only response for His unconditional love for us, His children.

Nos cum Prole pia, benedicat Virgo Maria! – May the Virgin Mary, with her holy Child, bless us.

Therefore, we would like express our great gratitude and thanksgiving for the presence of our Blessed Mother in our lives. Today we would like to repeat the words of Mary during her visit to Elizabeth as our own thanksgiving for all the graces received at the Shrine:

My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God, my salvation. (Lk 1:46-47)

………Every Covenant Day but especially the Foundation Day is a great opportunity for us to renew our Covenant of Love, to express our gratitude for all graces received from God but also to ask Him for His blessing and guidance for the future. Like Father Joseph and the first generation we would like to offer ourselves to God as a gift. We would like to surrender our lives to God’s Providence, and to consecrate ourselves to our Blessed Mother.

I trust your might, your kindness, Mother dear,
I do believe that you are always near.
Schoenstatt’s great Queen, O Mother mild,
I blindly trust in you and in your Child.

This is our gift to you our Mother on this Foundation Day. Please bless us and guide us today, tomorrow and for ever. Amen.

Nos cum Prole pia, benedicat Virgo Maria! – May the Virgin Mary, with her holy Child, bless us!

Fr Pawel Barszczewski OP

2.2 Foundation Day Celebrations in WA

Our Foundation Day Covenant Sunday was attended by a good crowd of Movement people in the Shrine. Sr Thomasine prepared a lovely devotion that included excerpts from the Founding Document about the Six Promises and Six Demands of our Blessed Mother and our exchange of hearts in the Covenant of Love. This tied in well with the Video Presentation held before the Devotions, prepared by Ann-Maree Huxtable (from WA) with her theme being “Nothing Without You, Nothing Without Us”.

Following the devotions, Sr Luka told us about her journey that led her to join Schoenstatt. There were lots of signs of Divine Providence that guided her. Sr Luka is happy to be stationed in Perth, after being here a couple of times before. She is grateful that she has been welcomed so warmly, and looks forward to whatever her time here brings.

After that we all moved outside to burn the Offerings that had been placed in the jar (to over-flowing) over many months. We said a prayer and then sang “Your Covenant, Our Mission”. This was then followed by afternoon tea and fellowship in the meeting room.

Regards,
Philomena Theseira

2.3 Foundation Day Celebrations in Kew, Melbourne

Preparation:

Foundation Day in Melbourne this year was particularly significant for us, given the recent proclamation by the Pallottine Community (our hosts) that they will be selling the property by the end of the year 2022. For us the question is and remains, what about our Shrine, the first on Australian soil.

We decided to crown Our Lady with a spiritual crown for this event and strove towards this crowning with conscious dedication of our striving for this intention. We prayed together the “Courage of Faith” novena for nine days leading up to the event.

Celebration:

Our celebration began with a gathering of some 50 people around the Shrine. Together we prayed the rosary whilst walking around the Shrine and stopping with each decade. We were joined by Pilgrim Mother Co-ordinators and members of their circles. The mood was sombre with expectation and anticipation of the unknown. It was filled with a sense of thanksgiving and reflection of the past 23 years or so after we implored Our Blessed Mother to re-conquer the Shrine as a Schoenstatt Shrine, and a place of grace.

After the rosary we offered our petitions and the spiritual crown to Our Blessed Mother and joined together singing Hymns to Our Lady. We gave thanks for the many pioneers of this Shrine and specifically those who had passed away and are now in their Heavenly home.

Fellowship and Sharing:

We then shared a cuppa together for one last time in the Pallotti House, and thereafter people could have personal devotion in the Shrine before we celebrated Mass together.

Mass was celebrated for us by Fr. Pat Jackson. During Mass we were able to renew our commitment as Pilgrim Mother Co-ordinators for a further 12 months and our Pilgrim Mother Shrines were sent out anew.

At the end of Mass we were blessed to be able to send out three new Pilgrim Mother Co-ordinators from the Shrine. They were Marianna, Jeanette Raymond, and Blas Petroni.

The day ended with much anticipation about what Our Lady has in store for her special Shrine and for us as a community.

Situation Now:

Karin Southgate

2.4 Foundation Day Celebrations in Mulgoa

With the theme Magnificat! we began to commemorate our Foundation Day as well as celebrate my 25 years as a Schoenstatt Sister of Mary, and Fr Paul’s 20 years ordination as a Dominican priest. The grounds were decorated with small Schoenstatt flags, and in the Family Hall were country flags, with the MTA picture framed with the words Schoenstatt’s Foundation Day. It fittingly began with Holy Mass at 11.00am, con-celebrated by Fr Paul and Fr Terry, led by the Schoenstatt Choir and attended by my family and friends; Schoenstatt family members with Fiona and Rebecca Webb representing Queensland, pilgrims and the Dominican Sisters and the young women on their week-end retreat here. Shirley Hall warmly welcomed everyone, highlighting the importance of the occasion.

Fr Paul’s homily focused on Foundation Day. Beginning with the greeting Nos cum prole pia – May the Virgin Mary, with her holy Child, bless us! He said:

“We would like to proclaim the greatness of God in our lives. We know we believe, he is our salvation…Today we would like to express our gratitude for the life and mission of Father Joseph Kentenich, for the gift of the Covenant of Love, for the gift of our Schoenstatt family, for our lives and vocations… Today we will renew our Covenant of Love. We wish to renew our consecration. We want to entrust our lives, our marriages, our families, and communities to God’s Providence repeating the words of our daily prayer: “You know the way for me, you know the time…”

My Uncle, Aunt and my sister felt honoured to take up the offertory gifts. Before the final blessing, Shirley invited myself and then Fr Paul to receive a special blessing. Then as the pilgrims made their way to the Shrine for some prayers, the Family hall was wonderfully transformed into a festive dining area, where everyone could gather for a shared lunch. To conclude lunch Fr Paul and I were invited to cut the wonderfully decorated Jubilee cake. As everyone enjoyed their cake, Sr Luisa Maria invited Fr Paul to speak. He shared with us how he came to make his Covenant of Love, even sharing with us his consecration prayer. Fr Paul was then presented with a candle. Sr Luisa Maria then invited me to say a few words. I joyfully shared with everyone two points on my vocation journey – that God is faithful and how the Covenant of Love carries us in difficulty. It was a wonderful opportunity to thank all those who prayed for me and to give witness to the power of prayer. Sr Luisa Maria’s Team surprised me when Agnes Aldana presented me with a large bouquet of white flowers, as well as a ‘sister’ mug.

As on every Covenant Sunday, everyone was invited to form small groups to reflect on a few questions. It was a joy to have a table of young adults gather. At 3.00pm we made our way to the Shrine to renew our Covenant of Love. Fr Paul was invited to light his candle and I had the opportunity to give to Our Lady my bouquet of white flowers, which represented my 25 years as a Schoenstatt Sister of Mary, and in thanksgiving for her 25 years of loyalty.

Of course spiritually many more were present in my mind and heart, including the WA Schoenstatt family members who spiritually united themselves with me in prayer and celebration.

My heart is overflowing with gratitude that so many joined me in thanksgiving, and made this day most memorable.

Here I can share with you some of the echoes I received about the day:

Sr. M. Rebecca Sampang

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