By Jonathan Martinez - Florida Catholic
Photographer: JONATHAN MARTINEZ | FC
Archbishop Thomas Wenski blesses the statue of Father Joseph Kentenich at the Schoenstatt Shrine in Homestead. Father Kentenich founded the Schoenstatt Apostolic Movement over 100 years ago.
Photographer: JONATHAN MARTINEZ | FC
Arinda Moreno, a member of the Schoenstatt Apostolic Movement, prays during the Mass commemorating the 50th anniversary of the death of Father Joseph Kentenich.
HOMESTEAD | A bright and scorching Florida sun could not keep hundreds of devotees of the Schoenstatt Movement from gathering to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the death of its founder.
Over 400 people from all parts of the Archdiocese of Miami, and from as far away as Orlando, traveled to the Schoenstatt Shrine in Homestead Sept. 15 to celebrate the solemn occasion.
“Today we remember an apostle of our time who, moved by the love of the Virgin Mary and wanting to follow her example, gave himself to the service of God and of his brothers, facing the most difficult circumstances throughout his life,” said Archbishop Thomas Wenski, who celebrated the Mass with several priest concelebrants. (Read his homily here.)
Photographer: JONATHAN MARTINEZ | FC
Archbishop Thomas Wenski gives the homily during the Mass commemorating the 50th anniversary of the death of Father Joseph Kentenich.
Photographer: JONATHAN MARTINEZ | FC
Sister Maria Jose of the Schoenstatt Sisters of Mary, prays during the Mass commemorating the 50th anniversary of the death of Father Joseph Kentenich.
Photographer: JONATHAN MARTINEZ | FC
Statue of Father Joseph Ketenich at the Schoenstatt Shrine in Homestead.
Father Joseph Kentenich, a Pallottine priest who lived from 1885 to 1968, founded the Schoenstatt Movement in 1914 in his native Germany, when he and a group of seminarians sealed a “Covenant of Love” with the Virgin Mary. The movement took the name Schoenstatt after the area where it was born, which means “beautiful place.”
In commemoration of the jubilee, the archbishop also unveiled a statue of Father Kentenich. The statue was envisioned as a symbol of his paternal role in establishing the movement and of his profound love for the Virgin Mary under the title of Mother Thrice Admirable, Queen and Victress of Schoenstatt. The community raised over $10,000 in donations to pay for the statue.
“We’ve been preparing for this for a whole year, commemorating the death of our founder, so it’s a great blessing,” said Sister Maria Jose of the Schoenstatt Sisters of Mary. “To have the archbishop here and then to have the presence of our founder in the symbol of the statue among us, it’s a great blessing.”
Father Kentenich’s movement started with the humble desire to convert an abandoned chapel, where a small number of faithful gathered, into a site of pilgrimage and encounter with God. The movement emphasizes spiritual renewal guided by a devotion to Mary, who teaches the way to become better followers of Christ.
Although it includes priests and religious, the movement is focused on helping all people, especially the laity, realize their Christian calling in the midst of the modern world. The movement has branches for men, women, children, youths and families.
During World War II, Father Kentenich was a prisoner in the Nazi concentration camps of Koblenz and Dachau. Afterward he traveled throughout the world to build up the movement. From 1951 to 1965 he lived in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, which is where the movement began in the U.S.
The Schoenstatt devotion arrived in Miami in 1987 through five local families. After many years of work and perseverance, the Shrine of Light and Pathway to the Merciful Father was blessed Dec. 12, 2010.
“I rejoice for this great event, being here to see the statue of Father Kentenich,” said Anabelgica Lantigua, originally from the Dominican Republic, who joined the Schoenstatt Movement over five decades ago. “Joining the movement 53 years ago has been an amazing experience that not only transformed my life but also my family’s. I give thanks to the Mother for helping me belong to this great family of Schoenstatt.”
The movement is currently active in 110 countries with over 200 affiliated shrines throughout the world. For members here in South Florida, such as Belzay Jenning, host of the Catholic radio program dedicated to the Schoenstatt Apostolic Movement, “Alianza de Amor,” the future is filled with hope.
“Our wish is for people to come here to get to know the sanctuary, to ask for prayers so that they may receive the pilgrim mother. May the pilgrim virgin go out of this sanctuary and return with them to their homes,” Jenning said.
Photographer: JONATHAN MARTINEZ | FC
Over 400 faithful gathered at the Schoenstatt Shrine in Homestead for a Mass commemorating the 50th anniversary of the death of Father Joseph Kentenich. Father Kentenich founded the Schoenstatt Apostolic Movement over 100 years ago.
FYI
- The Schoenstatt shrine is located at 22800 S.W. 187 Ave., Miami, 33170.
- Among its activities are a Circle of Sion to pray for vocations, first Thursdays at 10:30 a.m.; Rosario de la Aurora (rosary at dawn) every first Saturday at 6 a.m.; and a rosary with young people second Sundays at 10:30 a.m.
- For more information on Mass times and activities, visit www.schoenstattmiamiusa.org or call 305-248-4800.
