17 November 2025 · 2025-11 newsletter
On Sunday October 19th, over 500 people gathered at Mount Schoenstatt, Mulgoa for the Schoenstatt Foundation Day Family Festival. The celebrations began at 10.15am with a pre-program in the Family Hall. This was led by Thorie Tembo a Schoenstatt Young Woman and Bernard Toutounji a member of the Schoenstatt Family Branch. The pre-program comprised a mix of information about Schoenstatt’s spirituality in the form of videos, testimonies and prayers.
During the pre-program Fr. Pawel Barszczewski OP and Fr. Piotr Kruk OP made themselves available for the Sacrament of Reconciliation which was gratefully received by many pilgrims.
Before Holy Mass began everyone was invited to write down their gifts of love on a slip of paper which the volunteers then collected. These contributions to the capital of grace were placed into the jar which was beautifully arranged near the Covenant Book at the side of the altar near the Blessed Mother.
Holy Mass began at 11.00am with pilgrims carrying flags from different countries in the procession into the Family Hall. Fr. Pawel OP celebrated holy Mass, assisted by Deacon Jerome D’Rozario. It was great to have many Schoenstatt members present and active during the liturgy as ministers at the altar, lectors, choir members and in the offertory procession.
In his homily Fr. Pawel OP highlighted the importance of the Covenant of Love and how everything we do in our daily life can be offered as a gift to our Mother Thrice Admirable. She in turn takes these gifts and transforms them into the many graces which flow from the Schoenstatt Shrine. He emphasised that Schoenstatt’s foundation day is not just about an historical event but a mission for these current times that we are all called to participate in.
At the conclusion of Holy Mass there was a procession to the Schoenstatt Shrine which again was led by bearers of the national flags. The Covenant Jar and the Covenant Book were also carried in the procession. Along the way a decade of the rosary was prayed for Pope Leo’s intention for peace and for all the intentions that were placed in the jar and entrusted to the blessed Mother in the Shrine. Upon arrival at the Shrine, we presented our gratitude to the blessed Mother for transforming this place into a place of grace and we renewed our Covenant of Love. At the conclusion Fr. Pawel OP gave the blessing, and sent us out from the Shrine as Pilgrims of Hope. Grace was then prayed, and the food at the food stalls was blessed, opening the afternoon program.
There was a BBQ, international food stalls, dessert stalls and various other stalls available for everyone to enjoy. The little ones very much appreciated the snow cones, the jumping castle and face painting while the adults took the opportunity to visit the market stall, the information stall and plant stall. The raffle tickets were also a very big attraction. The day was filled with a family atmosphere and everywhere you turned there were smiling faces.
At 1:45, the Shrine bell was rung inviting everyone to the Shrine for a prayer devotion and Benediction. Many people gathered in and around the Shrine, looking for any shade they could find as it was a hot and sunny day. A marquee and an altar were set up outside the Shrine where Fr. Pawel OP led the prayers and Sr. M. Elizabeth Foley accompanied the hymns on the keyboard under the shade of a tree. Under the motto “United in the Covenant – Pilgrims of Hope!”, together we gave praise and thanks to our Lord Jesus present in the monstrance. We then turned our gaze to our Mother Thrice Admirable and in gratitude we recognized all the wondrous things she has done over the many years, through the International Schoenstatt Movement, and also in our own personal lives. We also prayed in thanksgiving for our founder Fr. Joseph Kentenich and implored that his process for canonization may soon proceed with a positive outcome. After Benediction Fr. Pawel OP went around with holy water and blessed all the religious items that had been purchased during the day.
Sr. M. Rita Baysari concluded the day with words of thanks. She thanked everyone who contributed in making this day possible, particularly mentioning the planning team who invested much time and effort in setting up and organising the day. She also expressed her gratitude for the many sponsors and stalls holders for their generous donations.
This year’s Foundation Day celebrations truly had a family festival character with the Covenant of Love and the Schoenstatt Shrine at the centre of the whole day. What was truly amazing was the wide variety of people from different cultures and ages, as well as varying levels of Schoenstatt knowledge or commitment who took part in the day.
Some people who were in attendance have been part of the Schoenstatt Movement for over fifty years while others only recently visited the Shrine for the first time. We hope that all who attended had a blessed and joyful experience.
Sr. M. Rita Baysari
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