On October 18, 1914, the founding day of the Schoenstatt Movement, Father Kentenich said the following words to the young seminarians who made their covenant of love: “You gather what I am aiming at: I would like to make this place a place of pilgrimage, a place of grace for our house and for the whole German province, and perhaps even further afield…”  This “bold” plan proposed by Father Kentenich has become a reality. There are approximately 220 daughter shrines in the world.

A Visit to a Holy Place – Getting Closer to God and the Blessed Mother

A pilgrimage is a spiritual journey to a sacred place. It is to take time to be closer to God and to the Blessed Mother. You can look at pictures, read books and learn about Schoenstatt, but the living experience that you receive from a pilgrimage journey is far different. When we visit a shrine, we receive grace which gives us the strength to continue our Schoenstatt “way of life”. We can touch and see physical manifestations of our faith. We meditate and pray. We entrust all of our concerns to the Blessed Mother. We also bring her our requests for healing. A pilgrimage can help us to grow in holiness, and may even cause an awakening in us. When we come back from a pilgrimage, we are filled with so much love, energy, and a great desire to work harder for our Mother Thrice Admirable. When we make a visit (pilgrimage) to any Schoenstatt Shrine, we feel the love of the Blessed Mother and our founder Fr. Kentenich. We are all pilgrims in this world, searching for our final destination, eternal life.

Making a pilgrimage to visit the Schoenstatt Ohio home shrine brings me a lot of joy. It is the closest that I can come to the Mother Thrice Admirable in a shrine. The Ohio home shrine includes the crowned MTA Picture, the light frame with the wording “A Child of Mary will Never Perish”, and the St.Joseph statue from the closed Mariengarten Shrine in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. She arrived in Ohio, to find a home in the little St. Philomena Chapel at Sacred Heart Parish in Anna, Ohio.( See contact tab on homepage for map). When I see her at the St. Philomena Chapel, my heart is always on fire with love. For me, to make the sacrifice to go to the little chapel in Anna, Ohio,  helps me to stay connected with her and Schoenstatt. I  bring her my gifts, sacrifices, and concerns. I have her image in my home shrine, but the pilgrimage is my sacred time. The Blessed Mother teaches us and transforms us if we try to imitate her.  Joseph and Mary also made pilgrimages every year to Jerusalem for the celebration of Passover. When Jesus was lost and found at the Temple, His response to them was “Why were you searching for me?” “Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house”! We also need to go in pilgrimage to visit our Mother’s house. 

 Ohio MTA Chapel and Ohio Catholic Churches with MTA Enthroned to Visit

The Blessed Sacrament Chapel of the Mother Thrice Admirable at Transfiguration Spiritual Center
3505 Calmut Rd, Ludlow Falls OH 45339 was dedicated on August 8, 2017, with the permission of Archbishop Dennis Schnurr by Father Eric Bowman.

The Mother Thrice Admirable picture is enthroned in the following Catholic Churches or Centers:
Transfiguration Catholic Church, 972 S Miami Street, West Milton OH 45383  ( May 4, 1994 -first in Ohio) 
Sacred Heart Catholic Church, 703 Master Street, Corbin KY 40701 ( May 28, 1995)
Our Lady of the Holy Spirit Retreat Center, 5440 Moeller Avenue, Norwood OH 45212 (May 7,1999)
All Saints Catholic Church, 62 Needmore Street, Walton KY 41094 (Nov 1, 2003)
St. Louis Catholic Church, 15 East Star Road, North Star OH 45350 (Aug 14, 2004) 
St. Nicholas Catholic Church, 128 Church Street, Osgood OH 45351 (July 26, 2018)
Immaculate Conception Catholic Church, 116 North Mills Street, Botkins OH 45306 (May 21, 2019) 
St. Michaels Catholic Church, 33 Elm Street, Ft. Loramie OH 45845 (July 16, 2019)