The first 100 years – Schoenstatt Sisters of Mary open their jubilee year

28 October 2025 · 2025-10 newsletter

The Schoenstatt Sisters of Mary, will celebrate their first 100 years in 2026—a whole century – from their humble beginnings to their vibrant present. To reach the age of 100 as an international secular institute means to be a witness to countless stories that God has written for them:

A single anniversary day is not enough to exhaust this richness.

On October 1, 2025, the International Schoenstatt Sisters community opened their anniversary year worldwide.

It will be a year of remembrance, gratitude, and reorientation to how God wants to lead them in the coming hundred years. There are around 1,500 Sisters of Mary from 42 nations.

Looking back: An exciting history full of adventures

When, a few years after the Schoenstatt Movement was founded, more and more women joined this new movement and Father Joseph Kentenich sought full-time female collaborators. His concern was to create “an autonomous and independent women’s movement” in which women would “take the reins into their own hands.” On October 1, 1926, 18 young women made themselves available for this task. Despite the uncertainty of the post-war period, they gave up their professions. They started in extreme poverty, but with the enthusiasm and idealism of being the beginning of a new kind of community. In their vocation as a lay movement in Schoenstatt, they sought to lead a life consecrated to God, similar to that of religious orders, yet in the rhythm and spirituality of lay people. There was no room for this type of community in the Church as yet, and there was no guarantee that the venture would succeed. Their idealism spread. Just two weeks after its founding, the first filiation outside Schoenstatt was established.

By 1928, the community already had 110 sisters, and a year later, 179 members in 25 filiations. Five years after its founding, in 1931, the Sisters of Mary were already active in about 40 locations in Germany. The community existed for around 20 years without canonical recognition until 1947, when the form of life of “secular institutes” was recognized by Pope Pius XII. The Schoenstatt Sisters of Mary were the first German secular institute.

Another adventurous chapter from the early years

In 1933, Hitler came to power in Germany. This posed an acute threat to the existence of the still young Schoenstatt Movement and the community of sisters. Father Kentenich decided to take the bold step of sending Schoenstatt missionaries abroad. The sisters, who were all young, often lacked the necessary qualifications and experience, and the community did not even have statutes as yet. But time was pressing. Already in December 1933, the first sisters were sent to South Africa, followed by other groups to Brazil, Argentina, Chile, and Uruguay. The new beginnings involved great sacrifices, but they were blessed: the Schoenstatt Movement spread internationally and in 1951 the first four sisters arrived in Australia, invited by the Pallottine Fathers to help them in their work with First Nations people.

Looking back, we can see a wealth of such ventures that exceeded human strength and always anew, with the experience that the covenant of love with Mary carried them. This filled them with great gratitude and hope for the future. Today, the institute is spread across all continents. It has branches in 32 countries and works in other nations from these locations.

Being Mary – in as many cultures and areas of life as possible

Through their encounter with Mary, they experience Christianity as a way of life in which people flourish and bonds grow because the love of Christ shines into the smallest everyday moments. As Sisters of the Mother of God – Sisters of Mary – they want to make Christ present in their being and in their work, just as she does. To be present in as many cultures and areas of life as possible, the spectrum of their ways of life is broad: The institute has members who live alone in the world and others who maintain a family life either full-time or part-time; members who wear the sister’s dress and others who work in lay clothes. Sisters of Mary are individually active in a wide variety of professions. Others work as a team in the institute’s institutions, such as schools, hospitals, and social welfare facilities. Their shared identity gives this diversity its unique character: to be Mary today. Not only as individuals, but also in the profile of their common work.

In the service of Schoenstatt

The entire commitment as Schoenstatt Sisters of Mary serves the mission of Schoenstatt. The founding impulse – direct work for Schoenstatt – has special significance in this regard. Sisters from the community work in an inspirational way in many of the approximately 200 Schoenstatt shrines; they are responsible for 80 Schoenstatt centres with shrines. These spiritual centres have become an integral part of many local churches. In various countries, approximately 250 Sisters of Mary work full-time for the Schoenstatt Movement, especially for the youth, women, and families, as well as for the Pilgrim Mother Apostolate, through which Christ is brought to the peripheries of society.

God’s leadership style

Like other church communities, they are currently undergoing an exciting process of transition, partly because they are also experiencing a general decline in new vocations. The approximately 1,500 Sisters of Mary who belong to the institute here on earth are joined by around 2,200 members who support their mission from eternity. At the same time, there are hopeful new beginnings in several countries, e.g., Kenya, Vietnam, and Romania. Their Superior General, Sister M. Joanna Buckley, sums it up:

“At the beginning of this new century, we face challenges that demand all our strength and trust. But challenges are part of God’s leadership style. He constantly surprises us with new possibilities that we had not previously considered.”

Therefore, the Sisters enter this jubilee year with joy and expect as a special grace, the closeness and inspiration of the Holy Spirit through the intercession of the Blessed Mother. They summarize the experience of their first 100 years and their confidence for the future in their jubilee motto: “Mary, Light of our Hope.”

All are invited to join the Sisters in celebrating their anniversary year… Starting October 1, they will launch a series of portraits entitled “Faces of Hope” on their website: https://www.s-ms.org/. On the first day of each month, a video portrait of a Sister of Mary will be published, showcasing individuals from diverse cultures, generations, and professions. You will also find the anniversary trailer and a calendar of all anniversary events worldwide on our website. The calendar will be updated continuously.

Here in Australia, we also invite you to join our Sisters in celebrating this joyous centenary. The Sisters began their celebrations on 3rd October in Perth and on 5th October in Mulgoa with special celebrations. (See separate articles) This coming year should be an exciting year for our Schoenstatt Family here in Australia as we not only join with the Sisters in celebrating their centenary, but we will also be celebrating three other special events:

Details relating to other important celebrations during the coming year will be announced shortly

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