19 December 2022 · 2022-12 newsletter
Following a successful Formation Weekend for members of the Mothers Groups and the Single Women’s Group in August, it was agreed to have a further formation day before the end of the year. This was held on Saturday 19th November at Mt. Schoenstatt. There were a total of 21 ladies who attended.
The day began with a visit to the Shrine and the Morning Prayer from Heavenwards.
The theme for this formation day, was to look at some of Schoenstatt’s history under the aspect of the Four Milestones. It was a day that was not so much about giving presentations or talks, but rather having some input and a lot of questioning and sharing.
We began by looking at what we mean by a milestone. It is some significant event, but what is also important is what leads up to this event / milestone, and what follows as a consequence of the milestone.
As a prelude to the formation day, Sister Elizabeth had sent out some pre-reading which helped those attending to gain some information about what would be discussed. For some of the ladies, much of this was not new, but for others who have only recently joined a mother’s group, much of this was new to them. So it was a good mix that enabled a sharing of ideas and thoughts from amongst the group.
As most of the ladies had already made their Covenant of Love and during that formation had looked at Schoenstatt’s first milestone (18th October, 1914), we didn’t spend too much time looking at this milestone. Rather we looked at the importance of this milestone in the history of Schoenstatt, and its importance for the Church and society.
We then looked at Schoenstatt’s second milestone of 20th January, 1942 focussing on what led up to this and its importance for Father Kentenich and for the whole Schoenstatt Family. We spent time looking at the “Blank Cheque” consecration and the “Inscriptio” consecration and the difference between these two.
One of the consequences of fathers’ imprisonment was the initiative of the Sisters in the Koblenz House to work with what Father called, the “Mariengarten”. This was a spiritual striving of the Sisters as they worked towards the ‘Miracle of the Holy Night” – the freeing of father from prison.
After father did return from prison, what had come alive through the Mariengarten was: an extraordinarily strong reciprocal interweaving of destinies, and an extraordinarily strong sense of responsibility between father and those who are “implanted” in the Mariengarten. This is usually referred to as a vital, deep and effective covenant of love with one another.
The Mariengarten was then shared among the other members of the Sisters’ family and eventually through the whole Movement, especially in the women’s communities.
Even though the first ‘Miracle of the Holy Night” (father returned to Schoenstatt on Pentecost Sunday 20th May, 1945), had already taken place, the Mariengarten continues to have the task for all time to ensure that the gardener of the garden, the father of the family, remains the centre. Only in this way can we as Schoenstatt Family fulfil the mission that God gave to our father and founder. Cor unum in Patre (One Heart in the Father)
In the afternoon we looked briefly at Schoenstatt’s Third Milestone (31st May, 1949). Again we looked at what led up to this milestone and its aftermath, which was the exile of Father Kentenich by the Church for fourteen years.
As time was running out, we could only have a brief look at Schoenstatt’s Fourth Milestone. This “fourth milestone” refers to the important historical events of 1965 that resulted in Fr. Kentenich’s reinstatement and return to his work in Germany on December 24, 1965: the “Second Miracle of the Holy Night”. As befits such a day, we concluded with a further time of prayer in the shrine.
One of the benefits of the Formation Weekend, and this Formation Day has been in allowing those in these mother’s groups and the women’s group to get to know each other better and to feel more comfortable in sharing with each other. For the Mothers it has also allowed them to appreciate that they are not only a member of one Mother’s group, but also part of a wider Mother’s Branch.
It is hoped that next year there will be further opportunities for more formation with these groups as we all grow in our knowledge and appreciation of our Schoenstatt Spirituality.
MILESTONES OF SCHOENSTATT’S HISTORY
- 18 October 1914. Standing in divine light
- 20 January 1942. Standing in divine confidence
- 31 May 1949. Standing in divine strength
- 20 and 22 October 1965. Standing in divine victoriousness
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