17 July 2024 · 2024-07 newsletter
It was a very special time when representatives of all the branches of our Movement gathered for a couple of hours with Fr. Bernd Biberger, the Director General of the Schoenstatt Sisters of Mary. Fr. Biberger is a member of the Secular Institute of Diocesan Priests – the same community to which Fr. Denis belonged.
He was visiting the Sisters Family for three weeks and was happy to meet members of the Movement.
This meeting took place on Sunday afternoon 7th July and we were happy to welcome Fr. Matthew, the brother of Sr. M Olivia, the youngest sister of our province who is still in Schoenstatt Germany. Fr. Matthew is the assistant priest at Mosman parish in Sydney.
To see members from the families, mothers, single women, men, sisters, PMA and even volunteers from the Pilgrims’ Centre take this opportunity to learn more about our international movement was a joy as well as being an enriching experience for the almost 40 people present. We had to continue widening the circle as more and more people arrived!
Members of the movement had sent in some questions which they wanted Fr. Biberger to answer and so we began with these questions. The first question asked about how the movement is growing in other countries and whether we can learn something from their approaches. With this we were taken into some of the amazing developments in Burundi (Central Africa) where there are regularly 3000 plus attendees at special events; in Costa Rica where there are no Schoenstatt Fathers or Sisters permanently present but where the Family Branch has grown the movement to an extraordinary degree; in Paraguay where the Family Branch is also very active – there are Schoenstatt Fathers and Schoenstatt Sisters present in the country giving inspiration but the families are the most active. The fourth country mentioned was Hungary where again the families are very active and the movement there is realising the importance of also developing other branches. As to what we can learn from these countries the point came over very strongly that the dedication of the lay people and their apostolic spirit is what makes a difference.
Fr. Biberger, in answering other questions pointed out the importance of the Covenant of Love in our spirituality, that is, our love for the Blessed Mother, our father and the Shrine. Faith in Divine providence is also something which we need to foster by looking for God in all encounters and activities of our everyday lives.
In his capacity as Director General of the Sisters Family, Fr. Biberger is a member of the General Presidium, and he was also asked about its composition and task. When asked who guarantees the authenticity of the founder’s teaching, the answer was the General Presidium. Fr. Biberger explained that there is no hierarchical structure in Schoenstatt as every Branch is independent but that all are united in the Covenant of Love. The representatives of the six Secular Institutes and the various Unions who belong to the General Presidium are then responsible for ensuring the “mens fundatoris” (the mind or teaching of the founder). There has to be a full consensus among the members before anything can be passed on to the rest of the Schoenstatt Family; even if one representative disagrees then discussion has to continue until consensus is reached. This is truly a synodal way of governing.
It is impossible to cover all the sharing of this amazing afternoon but if anyone is interested, there is a video (not professional) which may help to pass on some of the information shared.
Fr. Biberger was thanked for the time he gave to us and for the very valuable sharing. We were all challenged to think about how we can encourage others to discover the riches of our Schoenstatt Spirituality.
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