Welcome
About Schoenstatt
Schoenstatt is a part of the city of Vallendar, near Koblenz on the Rhine River in Germany — a place where a movement of grace was born that now touches millions worldwide.
A Place of Grace
In October 1914, Father Joseph Kentenich and a small number of students sealed a "Covenant of Love" with Mary in a little chapel. A new place of grace came into existence. Today, nearly 200 replicas of this Original Shrine exist worldwide.
A Movement
Schoenstatt is an international Movement in the Roman Catholic Church — a spiritual family composed of priests, laity, families, and youth. In over 90 countries, millions of people have come in contact with the Schoenstatt Movement.
A Way of Life
By living the Covenant of Love with Mary, we conquer hearts for Christ and build a culture of love for a new Christian society — forming New Persons in the New Community.
Our Spirituality
Covenant of Love
The essential message of Holy Scripture is that God is Love and He offers His covenant, time and again, to humanity. This truth is a fundamental facet of Schoenstatt's spirituality.
Salvation history reveals many such covenants, finding their culmination in the New Covenant — the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. God calls every person to accept His love and to extend it to others.
Mary is our model — totally open for God. From the cross, Jesus speaks: “Behold your Mother!” Like Mary and united with her, we yearn to become new people who live by this fundamental power of love.
Schoenstatt Spirituality
Faith in Divine Providence
“We know that all things work for good for those who love God.”
Romans 8:28
Schoenstatt came into existence through attentive discernment of God's Providence and a humble, courageous acceptance of His will. Faith in the God of life and history — who is also active today — has shaped the life of the Movement from the beginning.
Father Kentenich calls this “practical faith in Divine Providence”. One learns to discover God's will via the discernment of providential signs shown in daily experiences, events, and encounters. The response given to God is an answer of love — a contemporary way of holiness for everyday life.
Schoenstatt Spirituality
Mission Consciousness
“As the Father has sent me, so I send you.”
John 20:21
Just as Jesus sent his disciples to spread his Gospel, so today he continues to call people to bring his message into the world. St. Augustine observed: “Without God, we can do nothing. Without humanity, God desires to do nothing.”
In Schoenstatt, this idea is expressed in the short covenant motto: Nothing without you — Nothing without us. All who make the covenant of love allow themselves to be used as instruments by God and the Mother Thrice Admirable — witnesses of Divine love and mercy in family, work, and parish.
Our Roots
Historical Development
In 1912, Father Kentenich was appointed Spiritual Director in the Pallottine minor seminary. His educational goals were clear: the young men were to become strong, free, leader personalities who aimed at holiness in everyday life. He inspired the young people to turn to Mary as a Mother and Educator.
On October 18, 1914, he dared to take the first step in founding the Schoenstatt Movement. Gathered with some students in their small chapel, they consecrated themselves to Mary — an act known as the “Covenant of Love.”
They petitioned Our Lady to make the chapel a place of grace from where many people can find their way to God. A daring request; an insignificant beginning — yet the Founder was convinced it would become a source of life and blessing for many.
The Covenant of Love is a mutual exchange in which Mary completely gives herself. Whoever responds by offering his or her life entirely to Our Lady will experience: I am not alone! Mary, the Mother of Jesus, is also my mother.
The Original Shrine, Schoenstatt — early 1900s
Our Founder
Fr. Joseph Kentenich
1885 – 1968 · Founder of Schoenstatt
Father Joseph Kentenich
Fr. Joseph Kentenich (1885–1968), born in Gymnich, Germany, entered the Pallottine Fathers in 1904 and was ordained a priest in 1910. Two years later, he was appointed Spiritual Director of the Minor Seminary, where his innovative educational work culminated in the founding of Schoenstatt. As a pedagogue and prophet of renewal, he dedicated his entire life to the Schoenstatt Family, guiding it through trials and expansions, and leaving behind a work of universal dimensions. He died on September 15, 1968, entrusting to the Church a living legacy of Marian pedagogy and covenant spirituality.
Our real humanity shows itself in being a bridge for others to the Divine.
— Fr. Joseph Kentenich
Our Shrine
The Schoenstatt Shrine
The Schoenstatt Shrine is a place of grace — a spiritual home where pilgrims encounter the Blessed Mother's love and renew their covenant with her.
Our shrine in India is a beacon of hope and prayer for the faithful across the country, welcoming visitors for retreat, reflection, and renewal throughout the year.
Plan a VisitWalk With Us in Faith
Whether you seek spiritual growth, wish to support our mission, or want to visit our shrine — you are always welcome in the Schoenstatt family.