20 August 2026 · 2026-08 newsletter
United in the Covenant
Pilgrims of Hope
Dear Schoenstatt Family and Friends,
Greetings and blessings from our Schoenstatt Shrines for this Covenant Day – 18th August. Just the day before we celebrate our Covenant Sunday, we commemorate the Solemnity of The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary (15th).
In fulfilling the mission given to our Blessed Mother by the Heavenly Father, Mary became a perfect and authentic witness to holiness. The Church looks at the Blessed Mother as a sign of true hope and comfort for the pilgrim people of God.
In our Novena for this month, we look at the many pilgrimages that have taken place to Schoenstatt. There have been those people who have included in their travels overseas, a visit to original Schoenstatt, Germany. Sometimes this has been only one person, or a small group of people or a larger organised pilgrimage.
Many of those who have visited Schoenstatt and the Original Shrine, whether privately or as part of a group have experienced that we are all Schoenstatt. It doesn’t matter what language we speak, which country we come from, we all have our Lady as our Mother, we all have the Covenant of Love as our source of grace and strength, we have Father Kentenich as our spiritual father and we have the shrine as our home. This is a unity that we all share, and it reflects the mission that we share with each other and with Father Kentenich.
Already in 1958, on his 73rd Birthday, Father Kentenich said that he never believed that the mission he had received was just for himself. He said:
My dear Schoenstatt Family— I may say that all of you are drawn into my mission. This mission was not placed on my shoulders alone, but also upon the shoulders of all Schoenstatt children. God has called you to help me fulfil this great mission. Every one of us receives now this great mission — the mission of our dear Mother and Queen of Schoenstatt. It is a consolation to me that it does not rest on my shoulders alone. It is wonderful that you want to help me fulfil my great mission.”
As well as the many experiences shared during the pilgrimages, there have also been many Jubilees and Milestones that we have celebrated in our Schoenstatt Family here in Australia. These have allowed us to not only take an active part in these celebrations, both spiritually and practically, but have allowed us to deepen our understanding and commitment to Schoenstatt and our Covenant mission.
We want to give special thanks to Our Blessed Mother for all the gifts and graces she has given to us through our Shrines and for leading us through our Covenant of Love to the Heavenly Father.
Through our unity with each other in the Covenant of Love we share in Mary’s mission for our present times.
During this coming month may our Blessed Mother take us more deeply into the Covenant of Love with her, and help us to see God as a loving, merciful Father who only wants what is best for each one of us in all situations. As Pilgrims of hope, let us pray:
Blessed Mother…… Let us walk like you
through life,
let us mirror you forever, strong and noble,
meek and mild,
peace and love be our endeavour.
Walk in us through our world,
make it ready for the Lord. Amen
United in our covenant,
Shirley Hall
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