Schoenstatt Sisters of Mary
in Dietershausen, Germany for 90 Years
So the Blessed Mother can be effective!
This was the title, in the newspaper of Fulda, of the article about the Shrine-Fest Day at the Schoenstatt Center in Dietershausen.
Since 1935, there have been Schoenstatt Sisters of Mary in Dietershausen;
Schoenstatt Sisters of Mary for 90 years, so the Blessed Mother can be effective!
This special anniversary was celebrated both during the Shrine-Fest Day on Sunday, August 24, and at the Sisters’ house on the following Monday evening.
The joyful, solemn, jubilee Mass was accompanied by music from the band Exaltation. There were about 450 in attendance. Father Dagobert emphasized,
“Dear Sisters, we thank you for being here, for keeping this place of faith and hope open as bearers of hope, and for radiating an influence that extends far beyond here. From here, we want to walk with you into the future as pilgrims of hope, because this future is a future with God.”
A wonderful sign of hope were the many children who at the end of the liturgy received a special blessing for the beginning of the school year. Their school bags were also blessed.
A giant bouncy house, remote-controlled construction vehicle toys, a box slide, and activities such as popcorn and the sale of songbooks were attractive offerings for the youngest guests.
From the podium Verena Gross began with the question ” What comes to your mind when you think of the Sisters in Dietershausen?”
Signs of Hope Over 90 Years
Sister M. Annekathrin Stein, Sister M. Hiltraude Burkhard, and Sister M. Ilga Dreier recounted on this afternoon stories from different periods and eras.
Sister M. Annekathrin took us on a pilgrimage to Schoenstatt. It is noteworthy that for almost 30 years there was a special train annually with pilgrims from Fulda to Vallendar. Sister M. Luzia Fischer was responsible for the extensive organization and preparation, for which she was presented with a certificate by the then Auxiliary Bishop Schick during the 25th pilgrimage. One year there were so many pilgrims that a second train was needed.
As the oldest witness from the time, Sister M. Hiltraude told how much she and other young women contributed to the construction of the Schoenstatt Shrine. By harvesting and selling their own produce, they were able to make a considerable financial contribution for the construction of the shrine. Later then, as a Schoenstatt Sister of Mary, she experienced the visit of the founder, Father Joseph Kentenich to Dietershausen. On this occasion, she arranged for the youth, whom she had brought together into a group, to meet Father Kentenich in the Schoenstatt Shrine. To this day, the certificate commemorating this visit is kept at the youth camp.
Sister M. Ilga Dreier, let us share in her experience and remembrances of the World Youth Day in 2005, when youth from South America and Poland and other places were accommodated overnight in Dietershausen. A special impression that is still with her is when the cross for World Youth Day, which was touring Germany, made a stop in Dietershausen. During an impressive night of prayer, in which the World Youth Day cross was the unmistakable centerpiece in the Schoenstatt Shrine, the motto of World Youth Day came to life:
We Have Come to Adore HIM.
This entertaining and informative insight into 90 years of eventful stories of hope came to an end with spontaneous questions from Verena Groß to the three sisters and equally spontaneous answers.
In his written address, Dr. Michael Gerber, Bischop of Fulda, expressed his appreciation that the Schoenstatt Center is a place of hospitality for his diocese and for himself personally. It has great significance for the present and for the future.
“I hope that in the future the Schoenstatt Center will continue to be a powerful place of encounter with God—especially in addressing a provocative question that Father Kentenich posed in 1967: ‘Is there a living God; is God a reality—or is it all just a game?’ For me, each individual’s personal response builds a bridge to the future of faith. So, we can look forward to seeing what new things will transpire in the next ten years until the 100th anniversary of the presence of the Schoenstatt Sisters of Mary here.”
As a special remembrance of this day, everyone could take home a light of hope. Several hundred candles of hope are ready in the chapel, promising that some of the light of hope which was felt today will continue to shine.
In fact, the anniversary candle continued to shine on the subsequent evening at the Sisters’ house, to which the people of Dietershausen in particular were invited. The celebration continued with a large and joyful festive gathering. The evening was marked by genuine mutual gratitude. One sensed the friendly unity between the people of Dietershausen and the Schoenstatt Sisters of Mary and vice versa. The Haunequelle music association from Dietershausen, which also celebrated an anniversary this year, provided talented and professional music for the evening. And time and again, “village stories” were told.
Various people from Dietershausen told their stories about the Sisters of Mary. For example, that in the past hardly anyone needed a doctor because the Sisters were there. Cod liver oil, sunlamps, and Nivea cream were used to treat minor and major ailments.
A kindergartener from former times—now 92 years old—brought a class photo with her and knew exactly who had been her kindergarten teacher.
Warm and personal words of welcome from Deputy District Council Member Frederik Schmitt, Mayor of the Association of Municipalities Timo Zentgraf, Local Council Chairman Holger Philipp, and Pastor Stefan Buß gave this evening a special touch.
The fact that the Haunequelle Music Society and the Schoenstatt Sisters of Mary surprised each other at the end with a song of thanks and a gift of gratitude was a telling sign of the evening.
We express our gratitude and are convinced that
the Blessed Mother will continue to be effective from here.
More impressions here: ms.org/2025/08/31/hoffnungsstories-und-dorfgeschichten