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Anniversary of Father Kentenich's death commemorated in Schoenstatt
SCHOENSTATT, mkf. September 15 this year fell on a Sunday like in 1968, when Father Kentenich died on this day. Schoenstatt members from all over the world visited his tomb in the Adoration Church on Mount Schoenstatt. The evening before, at 7:30 PM, Monsignor Dr. Peter Wolf, Director General of the Schoenstatt Institute of Diocesan Priests, gave a talk about on Father Kentenich's answer to God crossing his plans. On the 15th, at 7:00 AM, hour of Father Kentenich's death in 1968, a solemn Holy Mass was held in the Adoration Church with Fr. Michael Marmann, Chairperson of the General Council, the main celebrant; Father Ángel Strada gave the sermon. A pilgrimage of the Mothers' Federation in Chile, the almost 1,000 participants in the diocesan pilgrimage from Freeburg and from the Niederrhein area, the participants of the Sisters' and the Mothers' Federation's International Congresses, and many individual pilgrims from different countries made Schoenstatt buzz with life and encounters of people who have made Father Kentenich's mission their mission.
Bright blue skies, crisp air and splendid sunshine added to the atmosphere of a real feast day that already began on September 14, when in the Founder Chapel the usual red carpet marking the place where Father Kentenich died on September 15, 1968, was replaced by a carpet of white lilies and carnations – and when each free space left between this carpet and the flower arrangements kept filling with signs of gratitude, attachment, confidence, and the longing of many to make Father Kentenich's mission their mission: rosaries, photos, Pilgrim MTA's (among them 5 for the growing Campaign in Senegal, on a stopover on their travel from Argentina to Senegal), medals, letters everywhere! The more than 600 pilgrims from Freeburg (extra report) filled the Adoration Church to capacity at 3:00 PM for their festive Holy Mass. "I attended the Mass on Saturday in the Adoration church. I was so surprised, there were so many people in the church who were visiting the tomb of Father Kentenich and almost everybody was praying and paying respect to him," wrote Ricardo Malabag, from the Filipino community in Frankfurt. "And I am one of those people… "
Two Golden Jubilees of 2002 – in Argentina and Milwaukee – shedding light on Father Kentenich's life and lasting mission
On the eve of September 15, Monsignor Dr. Peter Wolf, Director General of the Schoenstatt Institute of Diocesan Priests, took two Golden Anniversaries of the year 2002 – the 50th anniversary of the Shrine of the Father in Argentina, and the 50th anniversary of Father Kentenich's arrival in Milwaukee – as perspective for his talk: the gift of thousands of persons sealing the covenant with Father Kentenich to be his allies for his Schoenstatt mission on January 20, 2002, and the celebration of Father Kentenich's arrival in Milwaukee under the title "Your gift our mission" would point at the fruitfulness of the seeds sown by Father Kentenich on the way to his Exile – in Argentina - and in his Exile in Milwaukee, and of the commitment that his life and person created in those who witnessed his total surrender to God who constantly seemed to cross Father Kentenich's plans. He showed the fruits of the 14 years of Exile and emphasized the importance of studying this time in the history of Schoenstatt in view of the mission that Schoenstatt is to fulfill today.
Gathered around the altar of Father Kentenich's last Holy Mass on earth
In the morning of September 15, at 7:00 AM, the hour of the death of Father Kentenich, the Schoenstatt family gathered in the Adoration church around the altar where Father Kentenich on September 15, 1968, had celebrated his first Holy Mass in this church and his last on earth. Soon after the Mass, in the sacristy (now Founder Chapel), after inviting the concelebrating priests for breakfast and blessing rosaries, he died. It was a Sunday, and also this year it was a Sunday, when a big number of Schoenstatt Fathers and diocesan priests – in liturgical green like in 1968 – celebrated the Mass in gratitude for Father Kentenich's life and his lasting presence. Father Marmann was main celebrant, reminding all at the beginning of the Mass that those present were representing the entire international family.
Father Ángel Strada spoke about the ways that God's loving Providence lead our Father and how he always answered to his guidance with a confidence and flexibility. The sermon ended with a prayer to Father Kentenich, asking him to grant each one and the whole family
- To not allow pessimism and self-satisfaction to reign in any heart or community
- To be open and flexible for God's new calls in new situations and times and the manifold needs of people
- To follow God's loving guidance with the childlike generosity and love of our Father.
"Like a family get-together…"
"It's like a family get-together on a special family feast day, when siblings and their families come from far and near to celebrate together!" – Carlos Rivera Solidoro from Trujillo, Peru, who spent some days in Schoenstatt, was overwhelmed with the big number of pilgrims that gathered in Schoenstatt on and around the anniversary. "Coming from a very young and small Schoenstatt family, this is really a strong impression." After the Mass on September 15, several pilgrims from Argentina stood together, astonished to meet in Schoenstatt on such a day, among them Maximiano "Quitito" Ascensio, founder of Schoenstatt in Paraná, and the participants of the Mothers' Federations' International Congress that would start in the evening. Olga and Victor Alegría from Texas, of the state team of the Schoenstatt Rosary Campaign, and postulants of the Schoenstatt Institute of Families, brought the whole joy of the recent September 11 crowning of the MTA as Queen of the USA to Schoenstatt, arriving just on time for the celebration of September 15.
In the course of the afternoon the participants of the Mothers' Federation's Congress arrived. Sr. Marian from Cape Town and Tish Holding from Johannesburg with exuberant joy received two pictures of the Pilgrim Mother for the blind that one of the pilgrims from Argentina had brought from Villa Ballester, Argentina, the place of origin of this modality of the Campaign, for South Africa and Zimbabwe.
Coming from their visit to Dachau, the participants of the Chilean Mothers' Federation's pilgrimage to Schoenstatt were glad to participate in the celebration of the anniversary – a special highlight of their week in Schoenstatt.
Spiritually, Schoenstatt members from all continents on this day made a personal pilgrimage to the tomb of Father Kentenich…and their presence was tangible. Teresita Bittar wrote from Asunción, Paraguay: "In our 'Young Shrine' here in Asunción we also had Mass in thanksgiving for our Father, and a big, big number of people attended. There was a big photo of Father Kentenich in the gardens, and I could not cease to look at our Father…And that the seed has to fall into the ground and die to bear abundant fruit."
***All materials in this page were originally published in www.schoenstatt.de With due thanks and credit to them.
Below is the Tomb of Father Kentenich, with carpet of white lilies and carnations, surrounded by the love of his children: Pilgrim MTA's, rosaries, letters, photos, medals...
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