The Schoenstatt Milestones

The Schoenstatt Movement has a rich history and spirituality. Its unique origin, message, and way of living the Gospel offer a wealth of new perspectives on the faith and its practice. In this section we want to highlight the turning points or “milestones” in the history of our Movement.

Fr. Kentenich developed the concept of the milestones as a way to grasp and cultivate the unique identity and mission which God has given Schoenstatt. Each is a historical moment that defines a central aspect of what Schoenstatt is. The milestones are:

First Milestone:  October 18, 1914

On October 18, 1914, the young Pallottine priest, Fr. Joseph Kentenich [1885-1968], and a group of junior seminarians sealed the first Covenant of Love with the Blessed Mother.

The intention was to form “firm, free and apostolic men and women” through the Covenant of Love with Mary, and invite her to make the Schoenstatt Shrine a place of grace. From there she would form the hearts of people for the renewal of the Church in our time. Essentially Fr. Kentenich wanted to create a spiritual life that was appropriate for the fast changing conditions of our modern world.

The resolve of the young students was severely tested when many were called to serve in the trenches of the First World War. The Founding Generation produced many heroic lives. Between the world wars Schoenstatt began to grow as a retreat and formation center that catered to many diverse groups of people. Fr. Kentenich 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.

Second Milestone:  January 20, 1942

During the 1930s the Nazis began to scrutinize the activities of the Schoenstatt Movement. They decided that whoever was won over to Schoenstatt was lost to National Socialism. In September of 1941, Fr. Kentenich was arrested by the Nazis and sent to the Gestapo prison in Koblenz.

In January 1942, some of Fr. Kentenich’s friends arranged an opportunity for him to gain a medical release that would prevent his transport to the Dachau concentration camp. However, on January 20, 1942, he freely made the decision to refuse the medical release and was sent to Dachau for almost four years. He writes in one of his letters: “With the surrender of my exterior freedom, I am paying for your inner freedom; and you will have to pay for my exterior freedom with your inner freedom, that is, striving to become interiorly free, disposed to accept all God wants at whatever moment.”

In “the hell of Dachau,” he initiated an active apostolate among his fellow prisoners. He wrote theological reflections and prayers, gave regular talks, and organized retreats. At the urging of his fellow priests in the concentration camp, he composed a prayer book that is now known as Heavenwards. The spirit of these prayers gave many the strength to preserve their faith and humanity, even in Dachau.

Father was released from Dachau on April 6, 1945. He was 60 years old, but he did not stop to rest and recover from the brutalities of life in a concentration camp. He moved quickly to strengthen the internal organization of the Schoenstatt Movement in Germany.

Third Milestone:  May 31, 1949

After the war, Fr. Kentenich worked tirelessly to expand Schoenstatt overseas and to draw the attention of the Church authorities to the spiritual treasures God was offering the Church in Schoenstatt. After an episcopal visitation of the Schoenstatt Work by German Church authorities, Fr. Kentenich began working on a letter in response to the visitator’s report. The letter, which came to be called the ‘epistola perlonga’ (latin for ‘very long letter’), was a respectful but stern warning against“mechanistic thinking,” the contemporary theological thought that separated the idea of God from the life of God. On May 31, 1949, he placed the letter on the altar of the shrine in Bellavista, Chile, before sending it to the German Church hierarchy. He knew there was risk involved in sending it.

“Whoever has a mission must fulfill it, even if it leads into the darkest and deepest abyss, even when it requires one death leap after another. A prophet’s mission always includes a prophet’s fate.”

The response to this letter was a chain of events culminating with the Church’s decision to initiate an examination of his work by the Holy Office. The conclusion was that Fr. Kentenich was too influential in the movement and the attachment of his followers to him was exaggerated. Church authorities decided to test the Schoenstatt Work by separating Fr. Kentenich from the Movement. He was exiled to the Pallottine Province House in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and indefinitely banned from the Schoenstatt Movement he founded.

Fourth Milestone:  October 22, 1965

In spite of the difficulties caused by the separation from its founder, Schoenstatt continued to grow and mature. It remained spiritually vibrant and creative. Its aims and spirituality became clearer and parts of its organization came into their final form.

The Second Vatican Council realized the importance and vision of Fr. Kentenich’s work. On October 22, 1965, after 14 years of exile, Fr. Kentenich was reinstated in his duties as founder of Schoenstatt and received the blessing of Pope St. Paul VI. This marked the beginning of a new era for Schoenstatt’s mission within the Church.

Fr. Kentenich characterized the inner meaning of the fourth milestone as “standing in divine victoriousness.” To him, his freedom and the end of the exile were outward features reflecting a deeper reality that had been growing in Schoenstatt during the years of testing: a deep and unshakable trust and confidence in God’s power to win the victory.

Given its concurrence with the end of Vatican II, the fourth milestone is also connected with the mission of the Church “on the newest shores of the times.” In this light, Schoenstatt not only has a mission for the Church, but also a mission with the Church as she works to accomplish the work entrusted to her by Christ. This cooperation, including with the official structures and hierarchical leadership of the Church, took concrete form when Fr. Kentenich made definite promises to authorities of the Church.