Schoenstatt (“Beautiful Place” in German) was founded with the dedication of a shrine in Valendar, Germany in 1914. Replicated over 200 times around the world, these shrines are the spiritual center of the Schoenstatt movement. These ‘places of grace’ become a physical place of encounter between humanity and the divine, from which the Mother of God is invited to shape and form mankind. As the Catholic church teaches, Mary is the mediatrix of all graces and for Schoenstatt members and visitors the Shrine is a place to encounter that.
The Original Shrine (Germany)
Dedicated on October 18, 1914, the original shrine sits in the ‘Schoenstatt valley’ along the Rhine river in Germany. Formerly a cemetery chapel going back to the middle ages, the small present day shrine had fallen into dis-repair. Together with the seminarians he led, Fr Kentenich dedicated the small chapel to the Blessed Mother and invited her to take up residence within it. The dedication came with a special intention. Rather then asking for physical protection or miracles of healing, Fr Kentenich invited the Blessed Mother to work miracles of ‘Inner Transformation’ and become the ‘lead educator’ of the group (form them into the saints which God created them to be). With this invitation, the shrine was created and the movement of Schoenstatt was born. Today, the valley surrounding the original shrine contains 7 replicas of it (each for the dedicated use of the sub-branches of the movement) and is an international pilgrimage site visited by thousands.
The International Shrine (Waukesha, Wisconsin)
Located outside of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the ‘International Shrine’ is the closest Schoenstatt shrine to central Illinois (a little over 3 hours from Normal). The international shrine is the centerpiece of the 200+ acre grounds of the international HQ of Schoenstatt (which includes a large retreat and conference center, the ‘mother house’ where several dozen Schoenstatt sisters are in residence (retired and active), the ‘Father House’ where Fr Kentenich resided at the end of his Wisconsin time, walking trails, etc). The retreat center is hosts Family retreats, Women’s retreats, Men’s retreats, Youth retreats and countless workshops and is a frequent pilgrimage point for the Central IL Schoenstatt community.