Schoenstatt has set up many shrines and centres over the years, however being able to establish a proper centre at the heart of the Church has a special significance.

As we enter the new millenium and will soon celebrate the 100th anniversary of Schoenstatt's founding this is probably one of the most important projects in recent years under taken by the whole Movement. Schoenstatt has set up many shrines and centres over the years, however being able to establish a proper centre at the heart of the Church has a special significance. Fr Kentenich wished that his foundation would be of service to the Church in the new Millenium, and when he visited the site back in 1965 this was his particular prayer. It has taken many years to receive the necessary permission but at last on the 8th Dec 2003 the foundation stone for the new Rome shrine and centre was finally laid.

I travelled out to Rome to join the celebrations arriving the late on Sunday 7th Dec. As a seminarian in 1978 I had been present when the first Schoenstatt priests' house in Rome was purchased on the Via Icilio. During the same week we greeted the then newly elected Pope John Paul II when he visited the Marian shrine in a mountain monastery called Mentorela. Since then the progress or difficulties regarding the whole project has found an echo within myself. On the 8th of Dec the day was packed with different events starting with an early morning mass in St Peter's at the Vatican. The new Bishop of Freiburg Dr Zollitsch himself a Schoenstatt Priest concelebrated with representatives of the many different Communities. What was particularly gratifying were the number of priests who made the journey as this project was especially entrusted to the care of the Schoenstatt priests' Communities. During the mass Dr Zollitsch said

"Our Mater Ecclesia Shrine is a shrine of new beginnings. We should be thankful that this shrine is bringing about a sense of going forth in our family....At the same time the shrine challenges us to set out into the heart of the Church"

Back out in the open air many of us shivered as a biting cold wind blew through the Holy city. Many of the pilgrims may have arrived with images of sunny warm Italy, but most of the ceremonies that day were accompanied to the sound of chattering teeth! The numbers of English speakers in Scheonstatt are dwarfed somewhat by the German and Spanish speakers, however Fr Denis Foley from Australia and myself along with a few other hardy souls from South Africa and America represented the English speaking world.

We visited the sisters house and shrine on the Via Aurelia Antica before moving off to the main celebration out on the Via di Boccea on the outskirts of Rome. Fr Kentenich himself visited this site with the senior members of the movement 38 years ago on the 8th of December 1965. In 2003 it still looked much as it did then. Some tape marked out the ground plan of the planned buildings while the shrine is as yet only a small wall with the foundation stone. With scaffolding the builders constructed a canopy in the shape of the finished shrine which also provided a stage for the ceremony.

The site lies in a neighbouring diocese to that of Rome and the local Bishop, Gino Reali joined us, speaking very eloquently on the Mission of Mary in the Church after the Second Vatican council. Perhaps one of the most significant groups present was the fledgling Italian Schoenstatt family, who made us all very welcome both at the ceremony and the party afterwards.

Fr Michael Savage

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