Mass and Worship
Holy Mass
Sunday Mass is celebrated at 11:00am in English. Sunday Mass in Spanish is celebrated every 2nd and 4th Sunday of the month at 1:00pm
Daily Mass is celebrated every Wednesday and Thursday at 7:00am
Summer Hours: Sunday Mass is moved to 10:00am during the months of June, July and August.
In the event of rain, Holy Mass is moved to the Movement House. Space is limited.
The Sacrament of Reconciliation
The Schoenstatt Fathers are available for reconciliation by appointment only. Please email us to request an appointment.
Our Marian Atmosphere
The Practical Implications of our Marian Pedagogy for Liturgy
Everything we do at the Shrine must come and does come from our Schoenstatt spirituality, that is to say, from our Covenant of Love with the Mother Thrice Admirable of Schoenstatt. The Covenant is the heart of our way of life, and this wants to be reflected in all of our actions and in all the details of the atmosphere we create, from the smallest thing to the overarching feel of the holy grounds.
Please reflect on the following quotes by Fr Kentenich as a way to deepen and inform the Marian character of the Shrine.
Quotes for Reflection by our Founder
Hail, Immaculate Mary! There is nothing impure in her. Mirror without stain, more radiant than the sun, whiter than the snow! She is the reflection of the eternal Sun, Jesus Christ, worshiped for all eternity!
When we kneel before the great Immaculata, how many thoughts, feelings, longings, hopes and expectations awaken within us!
He who kneels with faith before the image of the Immaculata feels involuntarily moved to thank God from his heart for all of the greatness, power and kindness that God squandered in the creation of the Blessed Mother. From his lips a joyful magnificat breaks forth.
Experience proves that the Mother of God has a singular capacity to radiate purity. It is for this reason that an enlightened love for Mary moves always towards a profound love for purity.
Experience tells us where such a supernatural atmosphere is most strongly at work – at places of grace, especially Marian places of grace, where zestful religious communities work, and places where there is perpetual adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. Schoenstatt is such a place. Schoenstatt is a place of grace; Schoenstatt is the home of a number of religious communities; Schoenstatt is also the home of perpetual adoration. Allow me to return to the start of this conference. What brought us here? May I repeat: The longing for a distinctively supernatural atmosphere, which has found expression to an extraordinary degree in our Marian devotion. Can you feel this supernatural atmosphere here? Do we have the courage to expose ourselves to it? Has this supernatural atmosphere penetrated our hearts and become creative there?
The body of the Christian is a temple, a dwelling place of the Most Holy Trinity, a member of the Mystical Body of Christ, that has been bought and redeemed by the high price of the Blood of the Son of God.
The body participates in the dignity and nobility of the soul, since it is its mirror, its instrument and its companion.
What a person wears is a true expression of a personal way of being and a state in life.
The liturgy is a superior school of Christian tact. It teaches, in a noble way, how to walk and to stand up, to sit, to act and to kneel. In this manner it signals a way to cultivate modesty and purity.
Recognize, O man, your dignity! (Leo the Great). What does modern man, what do we still know about the reality of the supernatural world? The elevated man possesses a new level of existence. He has been elevated to the rank of nobility of divine sonship. The realization of his dignity as a child of God has its roots in the existence of the supernatural reality. We must preach and proclaim that time and time again with fervor and zeal, cost what it may.
Practical Implications for Dress and Attire for Mass Volunteers
The way we celebrate liturgy at the Shrine is a result and outcome of the inner attitude that is developed by reflection on such texts represented above, and a fruit of our Covenant of Love with the Blessed Mother, based on sound Catholic anthropology and Church teachings. Only the details of attire will be dealt with here, although many liturgical and hospitality details are included as part of the whole Marian atmosphere.
These guidelines apply for anyone who has a liturgical or hospitality role (sacristan, lector, eucharistic ministry, choir member, hospitality volunteer, etc.)
For gentleman, please consider the following as a baseline:
Dress should be Sunday formal, your “Sunday best”
No jeans on the altar
No sandals or open toed shoes
Please wear pants (no shorts)
If long hair, must be well kept, pulled back
For Sacristans, it is appropriate to wear attire that allows you to do the physical labor of your job, and then to change for Holy Mass
For ladies, please consider the following as a baseline rule:
Dress should be Sunday formal, your “Sunday best”
Shoulders covered, no low necklines. Please avoid tight-fitting fabrics.
Dresses to an appropriate length (Below the hands or just above the knees (please use discretion accordingly); Wind-resistant material is highly recommended as the Shrine is always, always windy.
No jeans on the altar
Shoes with very high heels (especially high, teen heels) are not recommended due to the uneven terrain, use at your discretion