Mary Most Holy of Schoenstatt

Mater Ter Admirabilis · Madre Tres Veces Admirable

From a small chapel in Germany, the devotion to Mother Three Lovable Days of Schoenstatt has spread throughout the world, inviting to seal with Mary a "love alliance" and to make the home a small sanctuary.

Origin and history

The Schoenstatt Movement was born on October 18, 1914, when Father Josef Kenenich, with a group of seminarians, sealed in a small chapel in Schoenstatt a "Alliance of Love" with the Virgin Mary, trusting that that little chapel would become a sanctuary of graces. The image of the Mater Ter Admirabilis - a copy of a Marian painting venerated before in Ingolstadt - became the icon of the movement.

Over time, Schoenstatt spread across Europe, America and other continents, with numerous "replica" shrines of the original. His spirituality underlines the alliance of love with Mary, the holiness of daily life and apostolic commitment. The Church has recognized its communities; Father Kenenich's figure is in the process of being studied.