23 February 2024 · 2024-02 newsletter
Groups
In NSW we have now run a couple of successful ‘Women’s Breakfasts’ and it seems many enjoy these days for the community, learning and camaraderie aspects.
Fr. Kentenich (herein Father), in a lecture in 1950 which I will quote from frequently, spoke about the characteristics of groups and how education is especially important today, given the prevailing and increasingly destructive influences which damage those essential qualities beloved by God. We are now 73 years further on and these words are still most relevant for today.
Women’s Breakfast days
The ‘Women’s Breakfast days’ are of the lecture kind that Father gave in 1950 with the added benefit of a meal. Women come from all over in small groups or on their own to search for and listen to what Father calls “internal work”. When we attend these days and break into small groups we are mainly looking for “spiritual formation for our person or personality” (to help us grow in everyday sanctity).
The women who come
The women who attend these days are often, in their own parish, involved in what Father calls “external work” which includes “service projects, apostolic work, parish work or any other ‘life’ group which affects the life of the church or community.”
For those women who come to the days from already established Schoenstatt groups particularly a “Mothers Group” or “Women’s Group”, the day provides for them internal work in the same way as during their group meetings. Most of them are heavily involved in the day either through organisation or food preparation (all donated) in the external work that goes into providing an “Internal Work” day for others to help others from their own group or larger lecture group in forming what Father calls “the new person (internal) or the new community (external)”.
Leadership Circles
So, the groups Father envisaged ‘being built’ as a resultant from these days are “small, select, leadership circles who get together to work on their spiritual education and formation” so that internal work and external work is of a more regular kind.
Women’s Breakfast’s may look at the same principles in a brief way, but Schoenstatt groups are a way of continuously working on what is the ‘Essence’ of a group, hence why mothers gather with other mothers, and single women gather the same in kind.
❖ Creativity ❖ Inner life ❖ High goals ❖ Conquering (winning over) the world
Four essential aspects feature in Schoenstatt groups and there is not enough room in the newsletter to deal with these in full so what follows is a brief introduction. The full article “Characteristics of a Schoenstatt Community” can be read or downloaded here.
Creativity: The group must “exercise creative faithfulness as the first Christians did”, and as Christians of all times have been required to do, either when persecuted or compelled to give an answer for the times.
Inner life: “Think of the inner life that both the educator and the priest must have’. We too must attach great importance to being both instruments and educators. This includes the consciousness of being attached to the Lord, to being betrothed with the divine force of the Lord. Father Kentenich intended that this deep inner life develop out of group experience.
Our groups should work to develop a deep inner life, using the Spiritual Daily Order and regular spiritual direction. If we believe we have a special mission, it requires cultivation of a vital inner life. Spiritual reading, praying and meditation are our ways of making our inner life grow. One of the illnesses of education and society today is that man believes in himself and his own human methods above all else. We no longer understand the power of the Holy Spirit’s breath and therefore don’t have the simplicity, innocence, and childlike confidence of the children of God. This simplicity has always existed within us but must be stimulated.
High Goals "Establish the highest goal. Do it without staggering and you will be astonished of the results" (Dom. J.B. Chauchard). We have to establish high goals without assigning them as a "must," but as an "if you freely choose to". In other words, the goals must be internally generated, and constitute an internal imperative. Life enkindles life, inner life enkindles inner life.
Conquering the world: Another specific feature of the Schoenstatt groups is the eagerness to renew or win over the world. We have to care that our groups, our families do not become isolated.
We, in a Schoenstatt group seek sanctity for the sake of others and not for itself. On the contrary, it is moved to help others achieve a greater everyday sanctity – an excellence in servant leadership.
If you want more than ‘lectures’, try forming a Schoenstatt Mothers or Women’s group because “Where 2 or 3 are gathered in my name – I am there with them’.”
Angela (with Fr. Kentenich’s help) a Schoenstatt Mother of 32 years.
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