SHRINE SOUNDINGS Jubilee Family Shrine & Retreat Center
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Serving Iowa, Minnesota, North and South Dakota Spring 2012 SHRINE SOUNDINGS Jubilee Family Shrine & Retreat Center Schoenstatt Movement, 27762 County Rd 27, Sleepy Eye, MN 56085 www.SchoenstattMN.com 507.794.7727 The word God loves most is the little word “yes.” “The Blessed Mother’s mission in these newest times is precisely the same mission–I’ll use a general term–that she had for the old times. As far as the old times are concerned, the Blessed Mother first had to say her “Yes.” Only then did the Word become flesh (cf Jn 1:14). This pertains to the newest times also: Unless the Blessed Mother repeats her ‘Yes,’ repeats her ‘Yes’ in an original way, we may not expect Christ to become incarnate in the newest times.” Father Joseph Kentenich, Schoenstatt’s Founder, spoke these words at a Conference for Schoenstatt Men on October 21, 1966 (p 29, With Mary into the New Millennium). He said: “By her Fiat the Blessed Mother did not become the Mother of the incarnate Christ only, but also the Mother of the mystical Christ. If a new type of Christian is to be formed for the present gives time, then we may be unshakably convinced that us the strength to say “Yes” to God’s call for this will not happen without the Blessed Mother instruments to lead our great country back to him. speaking her ‘Yes.’” We want to say “Yes” to being pro-God, pro-life, As this Lent hurries by, we come to the feast of pro-family, pro-Catholic, pro-Marian. the Annunciation, celebrated this year on March All of our Schoenstatt Sisters of Mary at th 26 . We want to accomplish something great for Schoenstatt on the Lake wish you and your family a the Kingdom of God, we want to use our strength blessed and joy-filled Easter Sunday. May the and energy to bring Jesus into our society, into entire Easter Octave be filled from our Risen Lord every aspect of our lives. Mary is the one to help us with extra prayers, happiness, family visits, and do so. Mary’s ”Yes” for today is imperative to form renewed victory over sin in our lives. We the new type of Christian, leaders for our parishes, remember you in the Jubilee Family Shrine, Sister society, and nation. Mary will again speak her “Yes” Rita-Marie, Sister M Ellen, Sister M Antonia, Sister for each one of us. In the covenant of love, Mary M Candace, Sister M Deanne, and Sister M Jessica Featured Two More Churches with MTA Pictures Schoenstatter: December 18, 2011, Ida Grove, Iowa: Carmelita Jimenez I immigrated to the United States from the Philippines. An optometrist by profess- sion, I landed doing totally different jobs than what I went to school for in my country. I tried a new venture by earning some credits in accounting at college, not really my forte. A few years passed, then Schoenstatt came into my life. A good friend of mine met a Schoenstatt Sister of Mary at the University of Minnesota/St December 18, 2011, marked the date of the dedication of the Mary’s Riverside, and introduced her to us, Sister Juliana church of the Sacred Heart in Ida Grove, Iowa. Bishop Walker Najarro from Cebu City, Philippines. She started having Nickless of the Sioux City Diocese was present for the monthly meetings and I found myself in the Familia Ter dedication and Mass. The day held many highlights. One of Admirabilis Group, making my Covenant of Love in 1981. the greatest was the addition of a picture of the MTA, which Then in the early spring of 2007 my life somehow changed. I adorns a meditation space behind the main altar. was diagnosed with stage one breast cancer. My first human The MTA picture was given in honor of seven parishioners reaction of course was anger. The harder I tried to deal with who have been called to eternity. Their lives were marked by it, the more difficult it seemed to cope with the situation. a deep Marian devotion. Many Schoenstatt groups have When I came back to my senses I pulled myself together and developed in the area. Thank you, Mother and Child, for your next thing I knew, I was on my way to the Jubilee Family presence with us here. Bless us with your love and peace. Shrine in Sleepy Eye. With open arms the sisters took me in, talked to me with words of encouragement, and all of a sudden my heavy burden felt light. After tons of prayers to God and the Blessed Mother and countless novenas to Father Kentenich, I have been cancer free now for almost five years. I consider myself fortunate enough because the only treatment they did to me was a low dose of radiation therapy. I still pray faithfully, hoping that its really gone for good. Through this whole ordeal I felt God’s presence most in my life. To me personally, countless novenas to Father Kentenich played a big role throughout this time. I prayed to him to help me pull through this and he did. In return and in gratitude I told him I would personally come and visit his resting place in Schoenstatt, Germany, to thank him. I did this at the Pilgrimage of 2007. Praying to Father gives you that special feeling of connection because of his Covenant of Love we January 1, 2012, Blue Earth, Minnesota: make with the Blessed Mother. My goal and special mission in life is not an easy task. Living the covenant of love and being faithful to it is not easy. Not easy but not impossible. I also felt that if you pray hard enough to God through the Blessed Mother and Father Kentenich, even God may find it a little hard to say no to our persistence. In closing, it’s providential that at the last retreat I had in Sleepy Eye, I wrote these words of wisdom: “Ponder on things that happened in your life and imagine God’s impact on it.” When trials and tribulations come along our way, let’s try to embrace our cross and offer all our hearts and pains to the capital of grace. Hold unto our MTA and never let go! Children eagerly carry flowers for the opening procession at In Grateful and Blessed Memory the occasion of enthroning the Blessed Mother’s picture at Father Jonathan Niehaus (1960-2012) Sts Peter and Paul Church in Blue Earth on January 1, 2012. Jonathan James Niehaus was born in Madison, Minnesota on Father Leo Koppala, working with the parish council, June 5, 1960, the oldest of Melvin and Veronica Niehaus’ six prepared his parishioners for this new addition, which will children. After his family moved to Ivanhoe in 1966 they stand on an easel at St Joseph’s side altar. came into contact with the Schoenstatt Sisters who ran a small hospital in that town. He made his Covenant of Love with the MTA on April 7, 1974, the same day his family’s home shrine was dedicated. During his youth years he participated in numerous activities with the boys and the Minnesota Schoenstatt family, including the search for land and the building of the shrine in Sleepy Eye, MN. He graduated from Ivanhoe High School in 1978 and from Southwest Minnesota State University, Marshall, MN in 1982. Then he joined the Schoenstatt Fathers. After spending a year in Milwaukee, Jonathan moved to Germany to prepare for his novitiate that started in 1984. In the context of the 1985 Centennial of Fr. Kentenich’s birth, his course found their ideal—Pater renatus exoriens (the The Schoenstatt Mothers of Blue Earth took care of all details Father reborn dawning for all peoples)—making their course from framing the MTA print given by Jim Kasel to serving a consecration on April 12, 1985. After years of study in dinner prepared by the ladies of the parish for all who came. Muenster, he performed his internship working with the Schoenstatt Youth in the USA in 1987-88. Annual Epiphany Party Adores Jesus After finishing his studies in Muenster in 1993 and serving a year as a deacon at St. Mary’s parish in Elm Grove, Wisconsin, Bishop Raymond Lucker ordained Fr. Jonathan on June 4, 1994, in Sleepy Eye, Minnesota. He worked at St. James and St. Cecilia’s parish in Mequon until in 1996 he began working with the Schoenstatt boys and young men. Dads were recruited to help run the groups and camps. He wrote a whole new program for group material and outlines centered on the “tilma” that the boys earn, creating a simple form of a room shrine for themselves, modeled on the Schoenstatt heroes. And practically “on the side” he followed an inner inspiration and goal to publishing one or two books a year. He January 8, 2012, was an unusually warm and beautiful winter realized how day filled with lots of excitement and fun as we gathered few books had for the annual Epiphany celebration in Sleepy Eye, with about been publish- 80 participants. After rehearsing with Chris Rockers and ed of our Theresa Chryst, the children performed a wonderful version Schoenstatt of the Epiphany Pageant, complete with costumes and spirituality in beautiful music by David Baker and his daughter, Christine. English, inspir- The children are always so eager to pick parts for the pageant ing him to put and get all dressed up in costumes. It is a highlight for the much energy children; and they also love to work together as a family to into creating decorate gingerbread shrines with frosting and lots of colorful new material.