The Marian Shrine of Our Lady of schoenstatt
Although God is everywhere, He often chooses certain places to show His presence and action in a special way, often through Mary and the saints. Such places are called places of grace, pilgrimage places or shrines.
Bethlehem, Cradle of Sanctity Shrine in Austin, TX
The Schoenstatt Shrine is a spiritual home; it is dedicated to Mary as the Mother Thrice Admirable of Schoenstatt. There we experience the deepest sense of belonging - as children to the Mother of God, as brothers and sisters in Jesus, and as beloved sons and daughters of God our Father. We are one body in Christ, a community of God’s divine love. The Shrine is not only a holy place of pilgrimage dedicated to Mary but it is also the center and spiritual home of the Schoenstatt family.
The first Schoenstatt shrine - located in Germany near Koblenz on the Rhine - became our Lady's place of grace in 1914. Throughout the years, many such shrines have been built on all continents, each of them an exact replica of the Mother Shrine. This first chapel became the Original Shrine, the first of many replicas to follow. Around the world today, there are more than 200 shrines to be found on every continent– each one home to Christ in the Tabernacle, to the Blessed Mother, and to every child of God who comes to pray and to learn. Each shrine is connected by grace to the Original Shrine in Schoenstatt, Germany.
The Austin Schoenstatt Shrine was dedicated on September 13th, 2014 – in Schoenstatt’s Jubilee Year – as the third Shrine in Texas and the tenth Shrine in the United States. As is every Schoenstatt Shrine, it is a replica of the Original Shrine in Schoenstatt, Germany. This Shrine bears the specific name of “Bethlehem, Cradle of Sanctity”, as discerned by the local Schoenstatt Family. Our Shrine is a ministry of the Schoenstatt Fathers who provide the priestly pastoral care for those who come to visit us.
This and all Schoenstatt Shrines are places of worship, pilgrimage, evangelization and reconciliation. Here our Mother Thrice Admirable of Schoenstatt, who leads us to God, offers the grace of a home in her Motherly heart for everyone who seeks answers in the confusion and uncertainty of life. Here we also experience a place of conversion and inner transformation. It is from here that the faithful are sent forth as disciples and missionaries to spread God’s word wherever they go.