Nuestra familia apostólica inglés

Encuentro de la Federación Internacional de Familias 26 –27 de Mayo 2012
de Schoenstatt en Bellavista

On the Way to a Family-like Church –

Apostolic World Federation

A. (New) Evangelisation – a worldwide network – a voice of our times

We can see that everywhere the life of the Church is declining. In Europe this results in its de-
Christianisation, in Latin America the sects are growing. Our Holy Father has challenged us to engage in a
new evangelisation. This appeal has been taken up more strongly in Latin America than in Europe. We
observe a network growing worldwide between people and organisations, either via Facebook, the global
economy or financial systems, the media, parties or NGOs. What is our attitude to this subject in
Schoenstatt?

(Please note, the talk is given from the perspective of Central Europe).

B. Why does Schoenstatt exist – and why the Family Federation?

If we look, we will find this subject already at the very start of the Movement. It concerns "the apostolate in
every accessible field", and we find it as one of Schoenstatt's great goals: Besides the "new person in the
new community" and "saving the original mission of the West in salvation history (31 May)", there is the
third great goal: "building up an Apostolic World Federation".

"Our League must cultivate the idea of the apostolate in a unique way. The League may not be drowned by
tendencies and thoughts about self-sanctification. As the League we have received the charism of an
apostolate for the world from God. So we have to embrace everything that strengthens the apostolic spirit."
(Conference for the Women's League, 1951)

These great goals include a twofold danger: The goal is too big and so distant that we could defer it to
distant generations, or, we could concentrate on the huge goals and forget that we have to build up and
form our communities to enable them to support this work of evangelisation.

C. Vincent Pallotti's idea

By the Apostolic Word Federation Fr Kentenich understood the federal amalgamation of all the apostolic
forces in the Church. He took this idea over from St Vincent Pallotti, who had developed a detailed plan of
organisation for a worldwide Catholic Apostolate in 1839. To start with, he divided the whole world into
geographical regions and arranged them into the Centre in Rome, and then into Provinces, Dioceses, cities
and places. In Rome there would be an apostolic commission with twelve subdivisions, which he called
‘Prokuren’,1 to cover the apostolate for youth, the army, the sick, prisoners, missions for the people, caring
for the poor, etc. It never became a reality. At the death of St Vincent Pallotti on 22 January 1850, the
congregation of priests he had founded had just twelve members and there was no idea of carrying out

1
Prokuren: apostolic committees or working groups. The emphasis is placed on the central committee in
Rome and the local committee in a town, city or parish... The whole world is divided into twelve areas, and a
member of the Council takes responsibility for each of these areas under the protection of one of the
Apostles. (Cf. B. Baywer, Zweifel, J. (ed): Vinzenz Pallotti, Ausgewählte Texte, Friedberg, 1985.)

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Pallotti's plan. In the time that followed the Pallottine Fathers developed into a "normal" missionary
congregation. (B. Maas)

The event of 1915/16

In 1915/16 the Superior General of that time, Fr Gissler, raised the critical question as to whether what was
developing in Schoenstatt was in keeping with Pallotti's ideas. In Spring 1916 our Father decided to adopt
Pallotti's idea as a goal for his work. This goal also exercised an influence on the structural organisation of
the Schoenstatt Movement.

The role of the Pallottine Fathers as the pars motrix et centralis

Fr Kentenich was convinced that the Schoenstatt Movement had put forward a proposal that could carry
out Pallotti's original idea. "The point is that all apostolically orientated communities and individuals in the
Church as a whole are combined to form a united entity with the Pallottines as the central and main
administration, although of course in suitable dependence on the Pope and hierarchy." (J.K. 1956) That is
why he wanted to win the co-operation of the Pallottine Society as the core community in and for
Schoenstatt, which he only partly realized. In the course of the conflicts and examination by the Church
authorities, important representatives of the Pallottine Society rejected Pallotti's idea as utopian. Fr
Kentenich continued to uphold Pallotti's goal, as he understood it, as God's commission, although he had
modified it. It was his belief that the role of the Pallottine Society had been transferred to the Schoenstatt
Fathers (and the whole Schoenstatt Family).

D. Our Father's vision of the Apostolic World Federation

Fr Kentenich strongly modified four points of Vincent Pallotti's original concept and made them more
precise.

1. The principle of organisation: the intensity of the apostolate and community attachment

To start with, Fr Kentenich only had a very sketchy notion of Pallotti's idea. Nevertheless he soon decided to
take over the basic idea of the federal co-operation of apostolic forces. He gave up the system of ‘Prokuren’,
an organisation according to the form or field of the apostolate, and structured his Movement with a view
to the intensity of the apostolate and the form and degree of community attachment. He believed he was
justified in making these changes, because Pallotti had asked for them to be adapted to the times.
(Schoenstatt Lexikon)

2. Federal structure

The World Federation is envisaged as a strong, federal amalgamation of all apostolic forces in the Church,
that is, it did not have the authority of leadership. The individual members, groups and communities would
lose none of their rights or their autonomy, whereas all apostolic activities were to be promoted, co-
ordinated and filled with heart and soul. This goal requires, on the one hand, that the organisation is open
for the various characters of the collaborators (individuals, communities, associations, movements,
diocesan and supra-diocesan organisations, etc.). On the other hand, it was essential to avoid the World
Federation becoming a sort of ecclesiastical-hierarchical institution of government. This would prevent the
co-operation of autonomous communities and build up competition to the hierarchy. (Schoenstatt Lexikon)

3. Schoenstatt as casus praeclarus and pars motrix

The Schoenstatt Movement – and in particular the Federations – is a model for the Apostolic World
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Federation, because of its strongly federal structure. The Movement is a federation of various sections. It
was from a strategic viewpoint that Fr Kentenich first promoted the development of his core communities,
so that they could carry on and carry out his idea and goal of the Apostolic World Federation. As he
envisaged it, the Schoenstatt Fathers have been given the role of pars motrix et centralis.

So, according to Fr Kentenich, the Schoenstatt Movement has to show that a strongly federal, worldwide
apostolic structure is both possible and fruitful, and has to provide the core community that feels
responsible for imbuing everything with heart and soul. It was in this sense that Fr Kentenich spoke about
Schoenstatt as the "first wing" of the Apostolic World Federation, in which the whole idea is tried and
tested, and of the second wing in which all interested members could unite." (Schoenstatt-Lexikon).
Schoenstatt has to "concentrate, that is, it has to awaken and guide all apostolic forces, filling them with
heart and soul". (1956)

4. A graced combination: Shrine and covenant of love

Fr Kentenich emphasised that it will be very difficult to bring about the co-operation of all apostolic forces
in the Church, and it will only happen very slowly. Many will see it as utopian and unrealisable. He wrote,
"What moved me to reach back to Pallotti's fundamental idea, and to commit myself to it, was simply my
'faith' in his worldwide mission and that of his Society in the closest possible union with the covenant of love
the MTA had entered into with Schoenstatt, the place and the community. In very truth it was believing
against all belief and hoping against all hope." (1956)

Is this vision only a dream today?

What is happening today with regard to the Apostolic World Federation? In 1962 our Father wrote, "For
most of our members the Apostolic Word Federation doesn't even exist on paper, even less in mind and
heart, and least of all in life." Have things today changed in essentials? Does his analysis at that time still
apply in the way he continued, "There are practical life tasks that prey on our minds, and there are far too
many existential questions that have to be answered immediately, so who wants to spend their time and
strength for distant ideas?" (1962)

Or is it a legacy after all?

In 1956 he assessed the situation as follows, "The situation of the Church as a whole today is far more
favourable to an Apostolic World Federation than at that time. .... Many boundaries between countries,
peoples and nations collapse almost over night. The concentration of people and businesses on the one
hand, call for the concentration and direction of [apostolic] forces, on the other." (1956)

And on 15 August 1968, exactly a month before his death, Fr Kentenich wrote a Promemoria to the Holy
Father in which he pointed out the urgency, "for all apostolic communities to unite more closely in order to
help each other and to proceed together. Besides this, the situation in the world today seems such that the
Church can only fulfil its supernatural mission if new ways of carrying out its apostolic activities are
discovered." Also in this context he pointed to the experience of the Schoenstatt Family that the planned
confederation cannot come into existence "if it is ordered and organised authoritatively from above.
Instead, it has to be able to form from the grassroots upwards through free and organic growth. In this
there is absolutely no thought of a super-organisation, but of close contact for mutual inspiration."
Schoenstatt should and wants to take the initiative. Isn't that a legacy from our Founder?

E. Actual steps taken towards the Apostolic World Federation
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We can assume that in the 1930s Fr Kentenich felt greatly encouraged in his vision of an Apostolic World
Federation as a result of the developments round Schoenstatt. At that time the Movement attracted many
people who were engaged in the apostolate, including members of Orders and the leaders of many Catholic
associations (youth, Caritas, Teaching Brothers, women's communities, Scouts, etc), while the leaders of
Seminaries and thousands of priests came to him to be trained and inspired.

Catholic Action

When Pope Pius XI founded Catholic Action in 1925, Fr Kentenich immediately discovered similarities
between this initiative and Pallotti's idea and the Schoenstatt Movement. Catholic Action quickly spread to
many countries and became a power to be reckoned with. It was hierarchic in structure and was directly
subject to the bishop and parish priests. In the meantime a great deal of its original impetus has been lost.

"The idea and development of Catholic Action, in Fr Kentenich's opinion, has also shown the meaning and
limitations of such an organisation. ... However, if it is governed in a too authoritarian way, it will prevent
the best of the organisations from co-operating, and will easily stifle initiative. It has also shown that such
Action can hardly be kept alive and preserved without a core community to give it a soul." (Schoenstatt
Lexikon)

A new commission to Chiara Lubich

After a number of spiritual movements had been formed following the Council, Pope John Paul II asked
Chiara Lubich, the foundress of the Focolare Movement, to create a network for the new spiritual
communities. As part of carrying out this commission, Chiara and Andrea Riccardi, founder of Sant' Egidio,
came to Schoenstatt and visited the Original Shrine and Founder's Grave. They recognised the potential
that had been given to Schoenstatt through the covenant of love, and called for the communities to enter
into a "covenant of love".

The first stage of getting to know one another (Meeting in Rome 1998 and 2006/Stuttgart 2004 and 2007)
and Ecumenical expansion

Pope John Paul II initiated the first world congress of spiritual communities at Pentecost 1998 in Rome. In
2004 an international Ecumenical meeting took place in Stuttgart, which was attended by 150 spiritual
communities, and which became an important step towards the rapprochement of groups of people and
the concerns of Ecumenism. In 2007 there was a second international meeting with twelve thousand
participants from more than 200 spiritual communities and movements from all Christian confessions. The
Focolare Movement worked very particularly towards creating a network of the various groups. It was also
the host of the Second World Congress of over a hundred Roman Catholic spiritual movements in Rocca di
Papa in 2006. After this congress the Pope celebrated a vigil in St Peter's Square with about three hundred
thousand Faithful.

The Family: Marriage initiatives, Marriage Week, Rottenburg Declaration 2011

In Germany there are regular Ecumenical meetings of leaders of marriage initiatives from about twenty
spiritual movements, which serve, on the one hand, to help them to get to know one another, and on the
other, to look at resources common to all. The contribution of the Schoenstatt Family Movement in this
field is greatly valued. We are seen as very modern, and our tried and tested pedagogical means are gladly
adopted. Schoenstatters in Germany count among the initiators of, among other things, the Marriage
Week, an annual week for married couples with the aim of improving the awareness in society of the
importance of marriage.

In December 2011 there was an international conference of Christian movements on the subject of the

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family at the Liebfrauenhoehe, a Schoenstatt Centre in Southern Germany. By the way, it is there that the
"Rottenburg Declaration on Marriage and the Family" was drawn up.

Text from Austria?

Brussels 2012: Into European Public Life

On 12 May 2012 a meeting took place in Brussels, the seat of Europe's institutions, of over three hundred
Catholic, Evangelical, Anglican, Orthodox and Free Church communities from all over Europe under the
heading "Together for Europe". Parallel to this, events were organised in about 150 towns or cities in
Europe with a direct video link to Brussels. At this meeting the focus was on the "Seven YESes", which make
it clear that their members' actions are oriented to saying that YES to life and to humankind that Jesus
Christ brought us with his Gospel. At this third international conference, "Together for Europe", the
movements and communities showed how they were taking a stand to the many and varied challenges on
the continent, and stated that they wanted to have an effect on public life and opinion.

Schoenstatt's current role

In 2010 there was a meeting of over a hundred leaders of spiritual movements in Schoenstatt. At many
places there were concurrent projects of cooperation on a local level (Karlsruhe, Munich, Mainz, etc.). We
Schoenstatters were actively involved in all meetings and to some extent we played a significant role. Fr
Heinrich Walter, Superior General of the Fathers, is a driving force in the international governing body, and
in the past years Fr Marmann has undertaken a great deal of constructive work while fostering contacts. A
number of communities often call upon Fr Busse for spiritual inspiration. If we consider the initiatives
already mentioned, and we can be sure that there are a great many similar initiatives on the other
continents, we may say that Schoenstatt is seen as a reliable and valued partner who also provides stimulus
particularly in the field of marriage and the family. The shrine is also greatly valued as a place of prayer by
the communities that come to us, in particular by the Evangelical groups. A further viewpoint is that the
other spiritual movements take a vibrant interest in the togetherness and co-operation of Schoenstatt's 25
autonomous spiritual communities. However, we are not (yet) able to say that we are the actual engines
driving this movement forward. For that we still lack the organisational strength. However, we may see all
these developments as a sign and encouragement from Divine Providence to continue along this route.

Initial evaluation

Let us set aside whether these many and varied attempts at good co-operation with the spiritual
movements can already be seen as the Apostolic World Federation according to Fr Kentenich's original
idea. At any rate, we think that these are first step in this direction; how often in our history has not
something great been brought about from the tiniest beginnings. When our Founder talked about the
Apostolic World Federation, he often mentioned as an example what it would have to be likw for the
Jesuits to want to join in. We haven't reached that point yet.

Nevertheless, it is correct to say that on account of its strong emphasis on its federal structure and rich
experience in the collaboration of many autonomous communities, Schoenstatt can contribute a great deal
to many apostolic communities and help to create a style for such collaboration. So Schoenstatt can and
should be a model, a casus praeclarus of co-operation for many very different communities at very
different levels.

F. What can EACH ONE OF US do in practice?

There is an idiom: Actions speak louder than words. What can each one of us contribute towards carrying
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out Schoenstatt's third inner configuration and goal?

Study our Father, his thinking, his actions, his methods

Fr Kentenich has left us an extremely rich heritage, one could even call it a huge gold mine, at least as large
as the Chuquicamata mine.2 Nevertheless we have only scratched the surface of the mine until today, and
we will need many years before we have begun to penetrate the depths and reach the full treasure it
contains. What instruments can we use to open up the mine? It is our task, as a pars motrix community, to
study our Father and Founder, and to try out and apply his thinking, his methods and his ideas. We should
never forget to continue developing his thinking with creative loyalty.

We cultivate the childlike awareness that we are instruments

What can we do in view of the tremendous task our Founder has asked us to take to heart? Who of us does
not feel helpless in the face of the present state of the Schoenstatt Movement and our limited gifts and
powers. What are we!? However our Father encourages us and tells us we should, on the one hand, not
think too much of ourselves, and on the other, we should not see ourselves as only a tiny cog in the great
drama of world history and hence under-value ourselves. What really matters is what I do; the history of
the redemption of the world essentially depends on the history of my own salvation. We are allowed to be
instruments, and we may allow ourselves to be led and used as such.

We give our all and do all we can for the unity of the Family Federation and Schoenstatt

Fr Kentenich expressly mentioned that one of the conditions for the success of the third inner configuration
and goal is the inner unity of the Schoenstatt Family. A newly coined concept in the context of the
preparations for the centenary in 2014 is "covenant culture", that is to say, a culture inspired by the
covenant of love. Covenant culture comes into existence wherever the covenant of love becomes the
practical modality for forming a Christian world – in the family, economy, politics, science and teaching, in
working for human dignity at every stage of life, but also the way we relate to one another as a Schoenstatt
Family. Haven't we also entered into a covenant of love with one another? If we value our communities, if
we speak well of one another, meet one another with goodwill, and support one another, as well as
promoting the projects of others, we will live in a covenant culture and promote the unity of the
Movement. So the structural principle of family-like "federality" will come alive: That is the great thing: to
live side by side, and in one another, and to leave one another freedom. (J.K.)

Invoke Pallotti and ask him to support our Father

Schoenstatt's third configuration and goal originated with Vincent Pallotti. Why should he not take the
greatest interest in the realisation of his objective through his disciple, Joseph Kentenich? He has been
canonised by the Church and we may ask him very seriously to support our Father and help him to carry out
his mission.

G. Our gift for 2014 and the breakthrough of new life in the coming hundred years

Our Father told the Federation Priests that each community, including each religious community, has to be
re-founded every fifty years if it is not to ossify. We will be celebrating a hundred years of the covenant of
love; that is twice fifty years. So at the jubilee we are hoping for a new breakthrough of life in the
Movement, also in the sense of its re-foundation from its original root.
2
The Chuquicamata mine is a large open pit copper mine located 1,650km north of Santiago, Chile. The
mine, popularly known as Chuqui, has been operating since 1910. Despite being exploited for over 90 years,
the mine produced 29 million tonnes of copper by the end of 2007.
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We believe that the time has come for Schoenstatt to make its existence and influence felt in the widest
possible circles in its second century. We ask ourselves: Is it in God's plan for us to experience the
realisation of the third configuration and goal in this coming century? If not, when?

A re-foundation includes deepening and re-assimilating our Father's vision with regard to the Apostolic
World Federation. In practical terms this means:

• We hold onto his long-term goal: We can quickly describe the final stage we have been talking
about here: to concentrate, that is, to awaken, guide and imbue with heart and soul all the
apostolic forces within the Church in the battle against diabolical forces, so that very soon there
may be one flock and one shepherd. (1956)

• We rejoice in the charisms given to other communities, discover their strengths and gifts, and see
them as God's gift to the Church without wanting to imitate them. We enrich one another and do
not feel that we are in competition with them. We speak well about one another.

• Wherever God has placed us we follow the guidance of Divine Providence and go through the doors
opened to us to co-operate with spiritual and apostolic communities: from covenant of love to a
covenant of action.

• We discover and strengthen our own apostolic image: learn from one another, practice networking
personally and with our projects, study how our Father worked. We families try to carry out a
sound apostolate from our centre in our home shrine.

• Last but not least: We continue building up our Family Federation as a distinctive model for a
renewed Church of the future – apostolic, family-like, federally structured, in an international
network!!! In Schoenstatt we ensure good co-operation between communities, in particular in the
Family Movement.

Appendix

Example: Marriage initiative of the spiritual movements in Germany

Eighteen communities that are actively engaged in working for marriage and the family. Inspired by Mr &
Mrs Heizmann (Schoenstatt) and Mr & Mrs Endres (Family Life Mission) they have been meeting regularly
since 2005 (15 times)

Basis: The Seven YESes of Stuttgart

Goals:

1. Spiritual exchange, and exchange on marriage pedagogy

2. Support the message of families (e.g. Marriage Week)

3. Couples facilitate living by faith and passing it on.

Fruits:

1. Spiritual exchange – learning from each other's spirituality (e.g. Praise, Bible, reconciliation)

2. Marriage Week, presence at Church days, Catholic Congresses, other meetings that influence and create
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awareness

Example: Network of Schoenstatt Family Academies

Text from Austria still to arrive

Questions to the participants

• Is Schoenstatt's third configuration and goal a subject for me personally, for my group, our
Federation? What appeals to us? Is this vision able to awaken my enthusiasm?

• Am I able to pass on observations or personal experiences of the togetherness of apostolic forces in
the Church?

• What can and will I do / what do we want to do in practice, in order to cultivate the co-operation of
apostolic forces in the Church?

Our way from 'basic Schönstatt apostle' to 'worldwide apostolic movement'

Introduction:

Schönstatt in Austria: The centre of the movement is 'Schönstatt in Kahlenberg', retreat centre and shrine
in the hills north of Vienna. The motto for this year 2011/2012 is 'winning hearts and building Schönstatt'.

Father Kentenich promised to 'win our hearts' and gave us the mission to 'build Schönstatt'.

The apostolic (Schönstatt) Family Movement in Austria has at its heart the so called 'Familienbund', this
forms a competent core of families for developing the Family Movement and other parts of the wider
Schönstatt Movement.

The most important competence: is giving concrete answers to the questions that arise in our daily life:
family, children, education, spiritual and giving a response to the religious desires of people today.

That is why there is a need for us as 'Familienbund':

− showing the ideology of Father Kentenich
− including this ideology in many aspects of modern life

'Let a new feeling of revival spread through the Catholic Church through the work of Schönstatt’

The three steps from 'basic Schönstatt apostle' to 'worldwide apostolic movement'.

Step 1: The BASIC 'Schönstatt Apostle'

We are 'fishers of men' bringing new christians to Schönstatt events – monthly Covenant service, Retreat
days, Family Retreat weeks, House discussions.

We invite people to come with us to the centre on Kahlenberg so that they can experience the relationship
to our beloved Mary, Father Kentenich and through them a deeper experience of our father God.

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Step 2: We carry Schönstatt competence to others.

We give the people, outside of the Schönstatt family ( Fokolar movement, Legio Mariens, Opus Dei,
Carismatic renewal, church organisations) the 'tools' for working with families. These organisations can
profit from the well proven Know-how developed by Father Kentenich.

Target: To disseminate the information and techniques of Father Kentenich in all stages of life and in many
countries.

We are like teachers following the path of Father Kentenich – we learn to educate ourselves and then share
this learning with others.

Example: Academy for FamilyTrainers.

Start in Vienna 1992.

A course from Schönstatt for married couples both in Schönstatt movement and outside.

Course following the educational and communication principles of Father Kentenich – up to the present
day there has been about 50 courses, with 6 to 10 couples per course.

− 1 year: growing as married couple
− 2 year: learning to communicate the spiritual growth and also the growth as person and
couple, to other people.
In total 34 course days, spread over two years.

Target: To spread the ‘family competence’ of Father Kentenich not only to for personal growth within the
Schönstatt family but also to share this with other movements and people.

Participants from many Movements:

Fokolar, Legio Mariens, Opus dei, Carismatic renewal, …

Example 1:

A couple from a Catholic movement in Vienna use their experience and practical knowhow in their movement
to help build up a „marriage preparation course“ for young people who want to celebrate their marriage in
the church.

Example 2:

Two couples from the local church organisations for helping families, conceived their own course to make even
more use of the educational principles of the Schönsatt course in their parish.

Both examples: creating a concurrence for our own Schönstatt course!

Father Kentenich „ The tension-principle, is a way that God allows tension and stress to be present in many of
the situations in life and that this is seen as a way of improving the process and avoiding complacency – it is
a creative principle”

(Josef Kentenich, Lecture for Schönstatt priests in Marienau, 7.6.1966)

“ if you want really make change happen for the worldwide organization, then I think it is really necessary,
or at least very probable, that we have to organize ourselves that there is always some tension in the
system. It is the same as the Tension-principle that God uses to help lead and rule the world.”
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(same source as above)

Development of the Family Academy in many Countries:

From 1992 till 1999 throughout Austria

From 2000 till today in Germany, Hungary, Switzerland, Czech Republic, Croatia, Lithuania, Spain

Aim: To develop the Schönstatt principles and spirituality in many countries and areas.

Example 3:

The Family Academy in Lithuania – there is no Schönstatt movement (at the moment).

The first course with 10 families is lead by a Schönstatt family from Austria.

The families study the work of Father Kentenich in order to start their own Family Academy in Lithuania.

Step 3: „Together“ - vibrant and living exchange with other apostolic movements

Example: „Together in and for Europe“

Representatives of 250 Christian organisations from the catholic church, evangelistic church, Anglicans,
orthodox churches and „free churches“ join in a covenant of love. They want to join together side by side,
each with their own valuable gifts and charisma in order to further build up a Christian society in Europe.

A new society concept with a major contribution of Schönstatt – so that a new and living Christian organism
can grow – no hierarchical governing body - a functioning social network of equal partners.

The most important process is the exchange of the experience of events, situations, issues about daily life -
„How does that work – the answer is: we did the following....- and everybody learns in this continuous
exchange“

The thoughts of Father Kentenich can be used here: we creating examples of life in the family, life with
children, life with God and our work and we are interested in learning from others how they master such
situations.

„Our (Schönstatt) Family should offer the modern church, examples of fruitful life, an abundant collection
of tried and tested recipes that have helped families, children, women, men, nuns and priests to come to a
better and more fulfilled life.“

(Josef Kentenich, speech in the Marienschule in Schönstatt, 24 December 1966)

„We all come together and try as best we can to demonstrate living examples and hope that our dear
father God, when the time is right, will show us the next steps on our way!“

(Josef Kentenich, Message to the Chilean delegation, 7 February 1967)

Example 1

Stuttgart 12 May 2007

Congress „together for Europe!“ A conference of 250 Christian movements with over 10,000 participants.

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During the conference Eva Berger presented the example of the Family Academy as a potentially useful
approach from Schönstatt Movement Austria.

With the words “duc in altum” (Lk5,4) “go forward!” Jesus motivates us as christian families to take part in
the development of Europe by providing a living witness of the work and grace in our daily lives.

In the two year course for “family trainers” there has been over 400 couples (in groups of 6-10 families)
educated and trained. The couples were from Austria, Hungary, Germany, Switzerland, Slovenia. The basis
is the education methods of Father Kentenich, who is the founding Father of the Schönstatt movement.

Comment from the video sequence of 25seconds.

Example 2

8Th April 2011 in Vienna, House of Europoen Union

Discussion with the Austrian delegation in the European Parliament where 14 different Christian
organizations present their proposals and values for a Christian Europe:

the key values are:

Reconciliation

Truthfulness

Social commitment

The examples which were shown were the following:

- Educational principles of Kentenich applied to the modern Christian families – Schönstatt
Movement,
- Economics in communities – Fokolar Movement
- One week of Family recreation time with Jesus and the Carismatic Renewal
- Ways of reconciliation
A representative, selected out of the representatives of each movement presented the example of the
Fokolar movement:

“Economic competence – an model for a community; this we find very good idea and has a great
importance for economics within Christian communities. Chiara Lubich arrived in 1991 and said we are
doing something wrong in our communities – we need a new initiative for the community and we now
have 750 communities worldwide using the same approach. The profit from such an organization is
distributed 1/3 to the poor, 1/3 as Education about the project itself, 1/3 on further investments into
the organization. The distribution to the poor is carried out in a particular form as a ‘culture of giving’.
Video 48 Seconds

Example 3:

12 May 2012

In Brussels and in 130 cities in Europe – “Together for Europe” with catholic, evangelistic and free
Christians Churches.

In Vienna: Festival for Europe around the cathedral of Vienna (Saint Stephans). The theme was
examples of Christian movements making real social contributions visible in Europe, particularly in the
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areas of:

A culture of living (especially contributions from Schönstatt)

A culture of giving

A culture of peace

“If an apostolic movement should have future then it must have a central team which acts like a soul of
the organization who can continually lead and encourage the complete movement!”

(Father Kentenich 28 February 1963, 86 Discussion of the Milwaukee-Terziats )

“The holy ghost expects a Christian movement of this kind ( and all the energy which is possible to used
in this crusade ), as a response to the enormous spiritual opposition of the other side”

(Father Kentenich, in discussion with P Jose Vincente Herz in Milwaukee, 27 Febuary 1965)

Question on the audience:

Where can we create examples of modern Christian life that can be experienced by other apostolic
movements? And be accepted as such?

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Nuestra familia apostólica inglés

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