Schoenstatt's History
Fr Joseph Kentenich 1910
Original Shrine in Schoenstatt Germany
Fr Joseph Kentenich 1960sThe Schoenstatt movement is named after the place it was founded at Schoenstatt/Vallendar. This lies on the Rhine near Koblenz Germany. The name itself means a 'beautiful place'
The Movement was founded on the 18th of October 1914 by a young Pallotine Priest Fr Joseph Kentenich (1885 - 1968) and a group of junior seminarians.
The intention was to create "firm free priestly characters" through the covenant of love with Mary, and invite Her to make the shrine a place of grace. From there she would form the hearts of people for the renewal of the Church in our times. Essentially Fr Kentenich wanted to create a spiritual life that was adaptable to fast changing conditions of the modern world. The resolve and plans of the young students were severely tested when many were called to serve in the trenches of the First World War.
Between the wars Schoenstatt began to grow as a retreat centre that catered for many different groups of people from all walks of life. Fr Kentenich himself gave many of the talks and retreats developing the Covenant of love with Mary. He highlighted how the world is moving into a new era and the Church has to give a credible response to the needs of our times.
During the 1930s the activities of the movement came under close scrutiny of the Nazis. In 1941 Fr Kentenich was arrested and sent to Dachau concentration camp for four years.
It was in Dachau that a member of Schoenstatt a young deacon called Karl Leisner was secretly ordained to the priesthood. Karl died of tuberculosis shortly after his release from the camp and was beatified in 1996.
After the war Fr Kentenich started travelling visiting countries where Schoenstatt had become establish particularly South African and South America.
During this period he wrote an letter on 'mechanistic thinking' to the Church authorities highlighting the dangers facing the Church due to modes of theological thought which separated the life of God from His creation and our humanity from the Spirit. A response to this letter was a Visitation of Schoenstatt by the Church authorities and Fr Kentenich was exiled in to the United States for over 14 years.
The Vatican council opened up an new vision of the Church that better understood Fr Kentenich's work and in 1965 he was called back home and fully reinstated by Pope Paul VI. During the next three years Fr Kentenich was able to continue his work with the movement and died on 15th Sept 1968.
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Schoenstatt in Scotland
Sr Vincetas and Sr Xavera. Oct 1978
Ardmory house GlasgowIn January 1962 Schoenstatt came to Scotland in the shape of Sr Xavera. She was asked by the German Bishops to establish a centre for German catholics resident in Scotland and the North of England. She was joined later by Sr Vincetas and they worked for many years from Ardmory on the south side of Glasgow. Their work covered an area from the north of Scotland down to Manchester in the north of England.
As well as looking after German ex-patriots they worked to promote Schoenstatt and slowly but surely a small family Movement began to emerge. In the 1960s some members even travelled to Germany and met Fr Kentenich. The desire for a Shrine also began to grow encouraged by Sr Xavera's irrepressible energy. The altar arrived in the 1970s and in the 1980s the first vocations began to appear. Two priests were ordained for the Schoenstatt Fathers (Fr Duncan McVicar and Fr Bryan Cunningham) Two girls joined the Schoenstatt Sisters (Sr Mary-Elsbeth Owens and Sr Marion McClay) and one Glasgow Diocesan priest joined the Schoenstatt Priests' Institute. (Fr Michael Savage).
As well as a broad pilgrims branch a flegling Family branch also began to form. In the 1980s Sr Margareta and Sr Patricia arrived in Scotland and the move to establish a shrine gathered pace. The Shrine opened in 1989 at Campsie Glen north of Glasgow followed by the formation centre at Ballencleroch in 1995.
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