Schoenstatt is German for “a beautiful place.”
Marian devotees in the Philippines affiliated with the Schoenstatt Movement International are set to gather on June 7–9 at the beautiful shrine dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary under the avocation of Mother Thrice Admirable, Queen and Victress of Schoenstatt.
Nestled atop a hill overlooking the Cebu harbor in Lawaan III, Talisay City, Cebu, the Schoenstatt Shrine is a replica of the original shrine located in Vallendar, Germany, and is one of over 200 “daughter shrines” found around the world.
Schoenstatt is German for “a beautiful place.” The Marian shrine is being cared for by the Schoenstatt Sisters of Mary, a secular institute founded by a German priest, Fr. Joseph Kentenich, whose beatification is underway.
The Schoenstatt Sisters arrived in the Philippines in October 1987. Over the years, they promoted the Schoenstatt Spirituality embodied in the “Covenant of Love,” which, according to Fr. Kentenich, “relies on God’s activity and human cooperation.”
In the small shrine, Mary mediates for the faithful as an “expression, medium and safeguard of our Baptismal Covenant with the Divine Triune God.”
In July 2003, then-Cebu Archbishop Ricardo Cardinal Vidal declared the Marian Shrine an archdiocesan shrine.
It is a favorite pilgrimage destination for devotees of all ages, especially university students who spend time in the shrine during board examination weeks.
This year, Schoenstatt International marks the 75th year of the movement's third historical milestone in remembrance of Fr. Kentenich, who in 1949 worked to draw the attention of authorities to the spiritual treasures that Schoenstatt offers to the Church.
The Bestavilla Shrine in Chile hosted the main celebration from May 31 to June 2, 2024.
In Cebu, the Schoenstatt Movement will hold a three-day Visayas Convention for fellowship, prayers, movement updates, and plans.
With the theme, “In the Covenant of Love with Mary, We Stand in Divine Strength,” the event is expected to draw some 100 Schoenstatt devotees from all over the Visayas.
Invited speakers include Fr. Darwin Pagal, a member of the Schoenstatt Institute of Diocesan Priests; Mr. Jerry Mero, Pilgrim Mother Apostolate Coordinator based in Iligan City; and Sr. Rizamarie Sindangan, director of Schoenstatt Philippines.
Bishop Ruben Labajo, the Archdiocese of Cebu's auxiliary bishop, will celebrate mass.
The convention adopts the universal logo, which has the Unity Cross at its center. The Unity Cross is the symbol of the Schoenstatt Mission “being a family and belonging to each other.”
In his message to the community at the Bestavilla Shrine in Chile on May 31, 1949, Fr. Kentenich said, “The Blessed Mother has given us the gift of one another. We want to remain reciprocally faithful: one in the other, with the other, for the other, in the heart of God.”.
