19 August 2024 · 2024-08 newsletter
Come July and the much-awaited school holidays arrive; more so, for an extra sleep in, on a cold winter morning. However, the Family weekend at Schoenstatt, is also something that my family looks forward to; at least for the past 3 years, ever since our family decided to join the Family group at Schoenstatt.
One would wonder what a family weekend at the Shrine would look like… Precisely my thoughts, when we attended our first in 2022.
Would there be talks and a schedule packed back-to-back? Will my kid like it? What were the kids going to do, while the adults sat through the talks? Lots and lots of question …
I must admit that I was in for a surprise. The organising team had a well charted schedule, which included talks around the Theme of the weekend. The kids were kept occupied and were well taken care of, by amazing volunteers. Family activities included games, bush dancing, bush walking and sumptuous meals and time at the Shrine. The one thing that stood out for me was, the Schoenstatt hour, where spouses spend a one-on-one time, with each other.
Every year, the organising committee decides on the Theme of the weekend. This year our family weekend took place from 12-14th July and the theme was around Education and Formation in the family.
While living in America, Fr Joseph Kentenich spoke to the couples in Milwaukee, about the dignity of the father and mother in the family. He urged them to think of God as the President and parents as his Ambassadors. Parents are the first representative, oldest representative and most important representative of God.
Father Kentenich also recognised the helplessness that parents encounter, mostly due to generational differences between each generation. Often parents are compelled to parent their kids, precisely the way they were parented. This leads to more helplessness. Father emphasised education as being a constant living contact. As parents we must strive to know our children, learn about their interests and be involved in their interests, while still being a figure of authority.
Education also means, to embody the child’s ideals and be a lighthouse constantly giving directions to the children. Education should be directed towards creating a will in the child, rather than commanding them. As parents it’s easy to tell your child… “Put on your sweater”, “Do the dishes”, “Fold your clothes”. Creating a will is …. somewhat taking the long road. It sounds like this… “A sweater would keep you nice and warm. You don’t want to fall sick, do you?”. It is in our parental nature and the hustle-bustle of daily life, that we tend to resort to quick orders. However, by creating a will, the child understands the underlying concern of the parent.
Father Kentenich was a man who possessed a wealth of knowledge. We ended the weekend with some food for thought, lots of happy memories and the determination to be better educators in the family.
Nitasha Fernandes, Schoenstatt Family Group.
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