Heartfelt congratulations go out to long-time Pilgrim Mother Apostolate member Donna Hummel, who is the recipient of the 2019 Regina Matrum Award from the Archdiocese of New Orleans! This award is presented annually by the Council of Catholic Schools Cooperative Clubs to a Catholic mother who has demonstrated an outstanding commitment to faith and family throughout her life. Please follow this link to the Clarion Herald interview, which includes a link to a short video interview at the end of the article . Donna is the fifth St. Catherine of Siena parishioner to receive this award.
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Sister Isabel sends us the following from the Fall Newsletter: With heartfelt greetings from our shrine, on this covenant day, we share our new motto with everyone! The group of leaders gathered at the Schoenstatt Retreat Center for the Leaders' Convention, October 12-14, 2018, have also decided to pray the motto at the time of morning prayer each day, and to think of a practical way in which we may dare reach out to someone or be of service to the Church -- starting with small things.  Use us according to your will.
Through Schoenstatt may the wide halls of the holy Church be filled again and your praise resound to your throne. You may use us for your work and send us crosses, suffering and hardship; whether we meet with failure or success we want to proclaim your love. May what you have foreseen for us be realized in every moment of our lives. We have but a single longing: Lead us according to your wise plans. (Morning Consecration, Heavenwards) Happy 18th to all! Mary Lynn Womack sends word that Kolbe David, the son of the first coordinator of her first PMTA shrine, entered St. Joseph Seminary (St. Ben's) near Covington this week. The fact that his name is Kolbe, and the feast of St. Maximillian Kolbe was also this week should not be a coincidence to those of us in Schoenstatt! Please keep him in your prayers as he begins his studies and further discerns his vocation. Our Church needs priests, and we in Schoenstatt especially need those who have grown up familiar with Schoenstatt!
Sister M. Jessica Swedzinski, who directed the Rosary Campaign from 2001-2010, writes that she will be transferred from her current position at the Sleepy Eye, MN. shrine to the Provincial House in Waukesha this coming September. Sister will be working on more books in the Monday Night Talks series. Sister Marie will be taking her place in Sleepy Eye. We will be praying for a safe and uneventful move, and may the Holy Spirit guide her in her work!
For those of you who would like to make a donation to help repair our Schoenstatt Centers damaged by the hurricanes, here's some links and information:
TEXAS: CLICK HERE FOR THE LAMAR SHRINE DONATION WEBPAGE (they are also asking for volunteer labor) OR DONATE VIA PAYPAL BY CLICKING HERE. We understand that checks may also be sent in care of Sr. M. Joan at the International Schoenstatt Center, W284 N404 Cherry Lane, Waukesha, WI 53188. December 2017 update: Sister Isabel reports that the shrines in Florida and Puerto Rico are generally fine. We thank all for their prayers and concern! Today, the 49th anniversary of Father Kentenich's death, begins the Year of Father Kentenich, leading up to next year's 50th anniversary. Please follow this link to the International website for information: http://www.schoenstatt.org/en/kentenich-en/2017/09/opening-kentenich-year/
Please pray throughout the weekend for the safety of our Schoenstatt Family in Texas and our Texas shrines during Hurricane Harvey. Late Friday night, the eye of Harvey passed directly over the shrine in Lamar. We will post reports as they are received.   AUGUST 27 UPDATE: Reports are that the sisters elected to remain on the property and shelter in-place, to order to look after the Shrine. The last report from them was that there was no real damage evident. However, following this report, communications were lost, and there have been no further reports as of Saturday evening. Please continue to keep our sisters and our Shrine in your prayers! AUGUST 29 UPDATE: Cathy Johnson sends us some photos she found online of the damage to the Shrine:      AUGUST 31ST UPDATE: We have received a report that the Mother House lost its roof and that the Retreat Center was severely damaged in the hurricane. The photos above show the roof damage to the Shrine. There is no electricity and no water. The sisters are returning to Waukesha until they have a place to stay in Texas. Click here for a Youtube video walk through of the damage. Please continue to keep in your prayers all those affected by the hurricane. SEPTEMBER 5th UPDATE: Sister Jessica sends this link to more information, and how to send donations. Please continue to pray for Texas, and now also for our Schoenstatt Family in Florida, which appears to be directly in the path of Cat 5 Hurricane Irma. SEPTEMBER 16th UPDATE: The Florida Shrine's Facebook page says that the Shrine and the House were not damaged by Hurricane Irma, but there are many fallen trees on the property and part of the fence was damaged. They are asking for (local) volunteers to help put things back in order during this week so that they will be able to have the 18th celebration on Sunday the 24th. Meanwhile, the shrine will remain closed to the public until the area is adequately cleared. Please continue to keep our members in both Texas and Florida in your prayers. SEPTEMBER 22nd UPDATE: Please pass along any news of our shrines in Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic following Hurricane Maria. There are three shrines in Puerto Rico, near Ponce, Arecibo, and Mayaguez; and two in the DR, near Santo Domingo and San Francisco de Macoris. The center of the hurricane's eye passed directly over the shrine in Arecibo. Please keep our Schoenstatt Family in all hurricane affected areas in your prayers. OCTOBER 10th UPDATE: We have heard through Sister Isabel that the Shrine near Mayaguez, actually in Cabo Rojo, had no damage, but the retreat house there had some damage. The sisters are reportedly fine, except for the shortage of water, electricity, gas, etc., that is already well known from other reports from the island. No specific word yet of the other two shrines.
 Photo from the 2010 Schoenstatt pilgrimage, a life-sized crucified Christ, part of an exhibit in the basement of the Basilica of Santa Maria degli Angeli, near Assisi, Italy.
Virginia Schoenstatter Gabriel Gross has been busy making videos! His latest, a compilation of pictures from the recent Crowning of our MTAs as Queen of the Three Graces on the Move can be found here. I'm sure you will recognize many of our fellow Schoenstatters! (Many thanks to our Area Coordinators who contributed to this effort!) And yes, that's Sister M. Isabel singing "As I Am Your Own"!
Gabriel has many Schoenstatt-oriented videos on his Vimeo page, (mostly in Spanish) and I have added links to two of them (that are in English) to our links page: Father House, a tour of the Father House at the International Center in Waukesha, WI., and Father Kentenich's Telephone, starring Father's phone from the "Milwaukee Days" and explaining Father's "telephone message" quotes. Both of these are narrated by Father Gerold Langsch. Enjoy! Thanks for the videos, Gabriel! |
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May 2019
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