Schoenstatt Spirituality
Schoenstatt is a religious center, a place of pilgrimage, a shrine dedicated to Mary. The first Shrine-located in Germany near Colbence on the Rhine-became Our Lady’s place of grace in 1914. Throughout the years, many such shrines have been erected across the world, each of them an exact replica of the Mother Shrine. They are the spiritual centers of the international Apostolic Movement of Schoenstatt.
A Movement
The Schoenstatt Movement is a special kind of spiritual community, offering a place and support to any Catholic searching for spritual growth and apostolic activity. It comprises people of all walks and states of life, of all ages and cultures. It has expanded internationally into more than 28 nations. It cannot be compared to a club, an association or guild, or to any work-related or special interest group. It has an image of its own.
A Movementof Lay Apostolate
The main body of the movement is formed by lay people who work in conjunction with priests. Together they serve the universal apostolate of the Church in the world today. By their striving to sanctify each day, they hope to fulfill the challenge of Vatican II, “to consecrate the world.”
A Movement of Education
Education and spiritual formation of each person are necessary in order to render the apostolic endeavors fruitful. Schoenstatt offers specific methods of education which help us to reach the final goal of our catholic living; self-education should bring about the inner renewal of each person, the formation of a new person in a new society.
