A thousand Catholics from across Sydney celebrated the hundredth birthday of the Schoenstatt Sisters of Mary in Mulgoa on 13 September.
The Schoenstatt movement was founded by Fr Joseph Kentenich in Germany in 1914, and the Secular Institute of the Schoenstatt Sisters was established in October 1926 with 18 sisters. The movement has now expanded, with the Schoenstatt Sisters working in 32 countries, including Germany, Australia, and the Philippines.
The day began with a Mass concelebrated by Archbishop Anthony Fisher OP and priests from across the Sydney Archdiocese and the Diocese of Parramatta. It ended with the sisters being presented with two gifts: a plaque for the shrine, denoting the hundred years of service and a depiction of a bouquet of roses, symbolising the milestones achieved by the sisters.
The Mass began with Sr M. Isabel Naumann reading a letter from the movement’s Superior General, Sr M. Joanna Buckley, who called for Catholics to celebrate the jubilee with the motto, “Mary, light of our hope,” in their hearts and minds.
Archbishop Fisher later told the crowd their very presence justified his predecessor Cardinal Norman Gilroy’s belief that the Schoenstatt shrine in Mulgoa was, “a little but powerful gem in the crown of the Church of Sydney and Australia.”
“It’s fair to say that this diamond has shone far beyond what might have been anticipated,” he said.
“Amidst war and depression, [the Schoenstatt Sisters’] situation was precarious, with so few resources and nothing in church law to formalise their new form of consecration.
“But from those humble beginnings grew the Secular Institute of the Schoenstatt Sisters of Mary, and over a hundred years later it has a footprint in 32 countries and over 1500 sisters.”
The Archbishop also spoke of the growing significance of the Schoenstatt Sisters in a world where conflict and tension are expanding.
“In 1994, St John Paul II told the Schoenstatt Sisters that their Marian path was one of complete availability for the church’s mission,” he said.
“The mission of the sisters is to permeate the realities of this world with the spirit of Christ, and they have done so in the myriad ways they serve church and society.
“To a world desperately needing his love: happy birthday, centenarians.”
Another special moment during the Mass came when the Archbishop invited the sisters to lay a hundred white roses at the foot of the shrine, a devotion designed to share “our rich, Jubilee blessings with our mother Mary, who made it all possible,” according to Sr M. Olivia Lukaszewicz, the youngest Schoenstatt sister residing at Mulgoa.
Sr Olivia later told The Catholic Weekly even though a hundred years “feels so long, we still feel so young.”
“It really does mean a lot; we still feel like our mission is already spread so far, but there is still so much to go,” she said.
“I’ve only been a sister for about five and a half years but I’ve learnt enough already to just marvel at what my sisters gone by have done. This is really an amazing celebration.”
Ninety-five year old Sr M. Angrit Bergman says she has “never felt so energetic.”
“I came here in 1968, two days after Cardinal Gilroy blessed and opened the site,” she said.
“The shrine is a great attraction for so many people, and I just love serving the people who come here seeking a bit of peace. It’s a wonderful life.”
For Peter Gould, a parishioner at Holy Innocent’s Catholic Church in Croydon, the Schoenstatt Sisters represent what he called “the greatest part of my life: my marriage.”
“My wife came out from Germany 50 years ago and she had grown up with the sisters, so because the Croydon church was a German church we started attending Mass there with many Schoenstatt sisters,” he said.
“They mean quite a lot to us at our age.”
Sr Luisa Maria spoke of the importance of the Schoenstatt Sisters in the Philippines, saying without the sisters, “I wouldn’t be here.”
“Today, as we celebrate a hundred years, we’re not simply remembering our history: we are part of this history,” she said.
“The Mother Thrice Admirable continues to send her instruments wherever they are need, a light of hope for many.”
