| Membership | Priests |
| Founded | Founded by Fr. Joseph
Kentenich; approved as a Secular Institute of Pontifical Right, June 1988. |
| Purpose | To serve the needs of
the Schoenstatt Family in all their different lay communities; to promote and cultivate
Schoenstatt's original spirituality in all the various Schoenstatt communities. |
| | Questions about the Secular Institute of Schoenstatt Fathers |
| 1.
Who are the Schoenstatt Fathers? |
We are a
community of Roman Catholic priests whose primary mission is the priestly
service of the International Schoenstatt Movement. Together with this
movement we work towards the moral and religious renewal of society and
the mission of the Church. We have about 220 ordained members in 20
nations worldwide. |
| 2.
Why a "Secular Institute"? |
Our
official name is "Secular Institute of Schoenstatt Fathers."
This is because our place in the Church is that of a secular institute, a
community dedicated to furthering the Church's mission in the world
("secular" comes from the Latin word for "world"). We
strive to be an example of the proper balance between keeping the duties
of faith and prayer (in our case fulfilling all the duties of the
priesthood) and being apostolic in a world so much in need of God. |
| 3.
When were we founded? |
While
the Schoenstatt Fathers were only founded in 1965, our roots go back to
the founding of the Schoenstatt Movement on October 18, 1914. Ort that
day, Father Joseph Kentenich (1885- 1968) and a group of high school
seminarians made a covenant of love with Mary, asking her to take
possession of their chapel (now known as our Schoenstatt Shrine) to help
them become saints and draw many youthful hearts to herself. The ensuing
years verified that Mary was indeed very active in this new place of
grace, drawing Catholics since then from around the world.
As a secular institute, our community was approved by Rome as an
institute of pontifical right on June 24, 1988. We also have the right of
incardination, i.e. our ordained members are incardinated directly into
the community instead of a diocese. |
| 4.
What does "Schoenstatt" mean? |
Schoenstatt,
a German word for "beautiful place," is the name of the valley
in Germany where the Original Schoenstatt Shrine is located. It is very
near the Rhine River at Koblenz (1 hour south of Cologne).
It has also become the name of the international movernent associated
with the shrine. There are currently over 140 replicas of the Original
Shrine around the world. The movement involves lay people, priests, and
religious, with special branches for boys and girls youth and for the
sick. lt is the task of the Schoenstatt Fathers to help coordinate and
inspire these many parts which share a common spirituality. |
| 5.
What is our charism? |
Our
charism as a community might be summed up with the words: love of Mary,
love of the Church, love of the mission of Christ.
 | a. Love of Mary.
We love the Blessed Mother. She is at the heart of our spirituality as
the "Mother Thrice Admirable, Queen and Victress of Schoenstatt,"
or "MTA" for short. Our spirituality is anchored in the form
of Marian consecration particular to Schoenstatt, namely a generous
and mutual covenant of love with the MTA in the Shrine.
| b. Love of the Church.
From our founder, Father Kentenich, we have a strong love for the
Church. He devoted himself untiringly to the mission of the Church in
our times. We for our part make the inscription on his tomb our
mission: Dilexit Ecclesiam-He loved the Church.
| c. Love of the Mission of Christ.
As sharers in the one priesthood of Christ, we are especially bound to
Our Lord and Savior. This does not only express itself in love for the
Eucharist (like our founder, we cherish the daily celebration of the
Mass) and our striving for sanctity, but also in our desire to share
Christ's mission of proclaiming his Father. |
| |
This proclamation takes special form in our understanding of the
priesthood as a "priestly fatherhood" in the service of Christ
and the Church. We strive to find God the Father's voice in our times and
in our lives and to live a "practical faith in Divine
Providence." This demands of us a strong spirit of prayer and active
listening to what God might be trying to tell us through the events of
everyday life. |
| 6. What is our apostolate? | Around
the world, our apostolate includes parish work, missions, hospitals and
schools. But our main task is always the priestly inspiration and guidance of
the Schoenstatt Movement. Because of this, we center our work around our
Schoenstatt Shrines and centers: leading retreats, doing youth work, guiding
the individuals and branch communities of the. Schoenstatt Movernent.
|
| 7.
What is our organizational structure? |
Our
community has a traditional provincial structure, with the General
Superior and his council stationed in Schoenstatt, Germany. A unique
feature of our internal organization is the "courses."
Candidates who go through the same novitiate together form a permanent
course. Here members find an additional form of support and inspiration as
they go through their formation and the many phases of priestly ministry. |
| 8. How
does one join the Schoenstatt Fathers? |
To join
the Schoenstatt Fathers, a young man begins by taking up contact with a
member of the community. Because of the importance of the Schoenstatt
Movement to our mission, we normally encourage potential candidates to
become more familiar with the Schoenstatt Movement and to read about its
history and spirituality. With time, a vocation to our community will need
to grow into the covenant of love with Mary and a love for the Schoenstatt
Shrine. After a time of discernment (usually guided by one of the
Fathers), one can apply for acceptance as a postulant. If accepted, one
normally spends a time of three months in the U.S. in immediate contact
with one of our houses before going to South America to learn Spanish and
prepare for the novitiate.
Qualifications for entry include: A sound personality, good health
(physical, emotional, psychological), ability to study on the university
level, and an active spiritual life. The community normally requires two
complete years of university studies prior to departure for South America;
previous university coursework in philosophy, Greek, and Latin is helpful.
The normal age limits for acceptance are 20 to 27 years of age. |
| 9.
What is our course of studies and formation? |
Because
of the small size of our U.S. community, all studies and formation are
presently conducted in South America and in the Spanish language. This not
only directly benefits the later pastoral work (knowing Spanish and Latin
American culture), but also helps one grow into the larger international
community. Friendships are established and habits of community life are
learned which are crucial for one's later priesthood.
The course of studies begins with the 2-year novitiate near
Asunción, Paraguay. This is followed by a five- or six-year course of philosophy
and theology studies in Santiago, Chile. This time of studies is
interrupted after about three years for a year of practical pastoral
experience in the U.S. (living in the community here), a 3-month time of
further formation called a tertianship, and a year in original
Schoenstatt, Germany to become more familiar with German and the works of
Father Kentenich.
Upon completion of all studies (from the beginning of novitiate about
9-10 years), one is ordained a deacon and returns to the U.S. Ordination
to the priesthood follows. Following the wisdom of our founder,
ordination to the priesthood does not normally take place before one's
30th birthday. |
| 10.
What does the community look like in the U.S.? |
Our
Schoenstatt Fathers community in the United States is quite small. At
present we have 6 priests in the U.S. and 2 seminarians (studying in South
America). We have been blessed with 3 ordinations in the 1990s and are
grateful for our blessings. We maintain two community houses: our national
headquarters in Waukesha, Wisconsin (near Milwaukee) and a further center
in Corpus Christi, Texas. Here we maintain our community life in the midst
of the demands of apostolate; our work across the U.S. is maintained from
these two centers. For further information, contact the address below. by
Fr. Jonathan Niehaus, August 1998 |
| Contact,
Links + Mail |
Address:
Schoenstatt Fathers
W284 N746 Cherry Lane
Waukesha, WI 53188
Tel: (262) 548-9061
Fax: (262) 548-9593
E-mail:
fr-jonathan-niehaus@worldnet.att.net
|
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