The Shrine is filled with symbols
which tell of its spiritual importance and draws us into God's grace. Schoenstatt's picture of grace portrays the close union between Jesus and Mary. The Latin inscription of the light frame tells us "A child (servant) of Mary will never perish." The wooden doors of the tabernacle, with wheat and grapes carved in relief, point to Jesus Christ who nourishes us through the Holy Eucharist. The golden inner doors remind us of the Annunciation. A specially designed crucifix calls us to follow the example of the Blessed Virgin Mary and willingly share in the sufferings of Christ. We find a shining Father Symbol above the altar in many shrines. This ancient symbol of the Blessed Trinity tells us of God's provident care and his fatherly, all-seeing, all-knowing love for his children. A symbol of the Holy Spirit, a dove surrounded by flaming rays, is found on the center of the ceiling. The Holy Spirit endowed Mary with the fullness of grace, and now he adorns the Church with his sevenfold gifts. The altar itself is ornately carved. The statues of St. Peter and St. Paul, St. Peter, holding the keys, and St. Paul, with his sword, stand one on each side of the tabernacle and reflect the apostolic spirit of the Schoenstatt family. The statue of St. Michael the Archangel, at the left of the altar, assures us that he will lead us in these apolcalyptic times in the battles against the powers of darkness. On the other side of the altar, a sanctuary light burns constantly to indicate the presence of Christ in the Blessed Sacrament. The flame expresses a silent call to spiritual renewal, reminds us of our high ideals, and urges us to set the world afire for Christ. The statue of St. Joseph reminds us that he is the protector and guardian of the Church and is especially honored by the Schoenstatt family. He stands before us as a model of everday sanctity.
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In 1914, a little cemetery chapel in Schoenstatt, Germany, became the meeting place of a Marian Sodality of young men who were under the spiritual direction of a Pallottine priest, Father Joseph Kentenich. It was in this small chapel, which housed only an altar and a statue of St. Michael, that the first Schoenstatt shrine came into being. On October 18, 1914, Father Kentenich inspired these young men to make a covenant of love with the Blessed Mother asking that the little chapel become a place of grace. They were not asking for external, physical miracles, but miracles of inner spiritual growth. Through their offerings, prayers, and sacrifices of love they began to recognize that the Blessed Mother was working in their lives.The shrine became their spiritual home. In 1947, the Church officially recognized this Schoenstatt Original (Mother) Shrine as a place of pilgrimage. It is now visited by pilgrims from around the world.
During World War II, the Schoenstatt Sisters of Mary in Uruguay, found it difficult to share the Schoenstatt way of life without the possibility of going to the shrine and experiencing this special place of grace. In a bold move, the Sisters built the first daughter shrine in Uruguay, in 1943. The daughter shrine is an exact replica of the Original Shrine with the exception of a few minor differences in the decor. The shrine was built without Father Kentenich’s approval because he was imprisoned in the Dachau concentration camp. Father later approved the building of this daughter shrine along with the possibility that more daughter shrines might be built. Today, there are approximately 280 daughter shrines in the world. The daughter shrines have proven to be the key to establishing the Schoenstatt movement worldwide. Schoenstatt of Ohio is striving for a daughter shrine.
The Pilgrim MTA has its origin in Brazil. In 1947, John Pozzobon became a member of the Schoenstatt Movement. On September 10, 1950, he was commissioned in the Schoenstatt Shrine in Santa Maria, Brazil to take a pilgrim picture of our Mother Thrice Admirable to families and to pray the rosary with them. This would ultimately became his life's task. After his death, others took up the task. The Pilgrim MTA now goes on pilgrimage from home to home through the efforts of the Pilgrim Mother Campaign (previously called the Rosary Campaign). The Pilgrim Mother picture has a wooden frame that is in the shape of the shrine. It is carried from family to family bringing the blessing of the Schoenstatt Shrine to many people. You do not have to be in Schoenstatt to be part of the Pilgrim Mother Campaign.
After making their covenant of love with the MTA, many Schoenstatt members have a great desire to give the MTA picture a place of honor in their homes. The home shrine has its roots with Schoenstatt families in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, who desired a Schoenstatt corner in their homes. These families felt a strong helplessness in raising their children with strong Catholic values. With Father Kentenich's blessing on November 18, 1963, the home shrine officially came into being. The home shrine is the religious center of the home and a place of prayer and spiritual encounter for the family.
During the summer of 1965, while still in Milwaukee, Father Kentenich's understanding of the deep meaning of the home shrine prompted development of the heart shrine and its consecration. The heart shrine is the dwelling of our MTA in one’s heart. Many Schoenstatt members have offered their hearts as a shrine for the Blessed Mother and her activity of grace. The dedication of your heart shrine is implicit when a person makes a covenant of love and Mary enters your heart. One can dedicate a heart shrine explicitly in a ceremony. Through the heart shrine Schoenstatt members can experience Mary’s blessing and guidance and be drawn closer to God.
Wayside shrines can range in size from a simple roadside or garden marker, to a small chapel. They include the MTA picture of grace. This smaller version of the shrine reminds visitors and those who pass by of God and prayer. The larger wayside shrine often serve as the local Schoenstatt center where there is no daughter shrine.
From Shoenstatt pamphlet - The Schoenstatt Shrine