We are currently not having the Covenant Holy Mass on the 18th of the month in our Confidentia Shrine.
The Shrine is open everyday from 9:00 am to 6:00 pm.
Our store is open on the following days and hours:
Tuesday through Sunday
Questions?? Please contact us at (361) 729-2019
We are the Leyva Family and we are delighted to share our Schoenstatt story with you. Our journey began in October 2014. We were both raised in Catholic homes; however, we went through the motions of being Catholic but we didn’t have an intimate relationship with Jesus or our Blessed Mother. We were in no rush to have a relationship with God or our Blessed Mother. We started our family in 2008 and life moved on. Our marriage was just in a routine and we did not grow as a couple. As for Araceli, her priorities were our two girls and my priority was my work. We always had time for everything except for God and our Blessed Mother. They weren’t in our lives or minds unless we needed them. At some point in our marriage, we felt lost, in despair, and with no direction. Then in October 2014, Robert lost his eyesight and there was too much uncertainty in our lives. The doctor did not know if he would regain his eyesight or if he would be able to return to his job. We turned to our Blessed Mother by praying the rosary and she directed us to Her Son. Unbeknownst to us, we were being led to the Schoenstatt Movement.
A few years later, we were introduced to Sr. Danielle Peters, who led us to the Schoenstatt Movement. As we became more involved with Schoenstatt, we realized that God wanted our family to be more involved and to become instruments for His Son and Our Blessed Mother. We have met so many loving and caring Schoenstatt families who have guided and enriched our marriage, such as the Arth and Chaidez families. It has been Mother Thrice Admirable who has opened our eyes and guided us to her Son.
As Schoenstatt members we thought our family’s transformation would be immediate; however, it was a gradual transformation. We noticed that our prayer life strengthened because we now prayed daily and we noticed graces and blessings bestowed upon our family. An example of this was when Araceli contracted Covid-19. She was hospitalized for 9 days and was bedridden for another 2 months. It was our Schoenstatt group that created nightly prayer meetings and a meal train for our family.
We felt a strong desire to learn more about Schoenstatt and make it a part of our daily lives. We prepared for our Covenant of Love and sealed it in August 2020. Our hearts were filled with love and joy we had never experienced in our marriage – and we wanted more! We could now see the transformations within our hearts, family, and marriage. We could also see the blessings and graces in our lives. This led to a deeper commitment to Schoenstatt and the blessing of our home shrine which took place on April 17, 2021, and we named it “Con Ojos de Amor,” with Eyes of Love. It was a beautiful experience.
At one point, the smell of roses was very strong and friends who attended said they felt the presence of our Blessed Mother. We ask that our Blessed Mother continue to educate and guide our family to Her Son. We ask for the patience, humility, obedience, and discernment to continue our spiritual journey Con Ojos de Amor.
Robert, Araceli, Madison and Savanah Leyva
Ft. Worth, TX, Family League
Greetings from the Confidentia Shrine,
The month of June is traditionally dedicated to the Hearts of Jesus and Mary. The Church celebrates the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus on the Friday following the second Sunday after Pentecost; this year on June 11. The Feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary is celebrated on the Saturday after the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus as optimal memorial.
What does it mean when we speak of Jesus’ and Mary’s heart? The expression “heart” is to be understood in a biblical sense: it denotes the core of the personality; his or her intimate and unique being; the center and source of a person’s interior life, their mind and memory, of their will and love; the single-mindedness with which they love God and devote themselves to the saving work of her Son.
The hearts of Jesus and Mary model this belonging and acting for us. When our year’s motto asks us to be leaders from the shrine with … charity to all, the two hearts of Jesus and Mary can be our inspiration to put this challenge into practice.
We have made a covenant of love with the Blessed Mother which includes a mutual exchange of hearts. One of our Schoenstatt prayers refers to this reality:
O Mother, in your holy heart deeply inscribe each name
And as a sign that we are yours write it with blood and flame.
In love and childlike gratitude your name shall also be
Deeply inscribed within my heart for all eternity.
And what does Mary do with our hearts? She teaches us to ponder and treasure the events of daily life and discern God’s will and wish for us, just as she did (cf. Lk 2:19 and 2:51).
In this context, it is fitting to recall the saying of Antoine de Saint-Exupery: It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye. Our featured home shrine “Con Ojos de Amor,” with Eyes of Love, captures this reality quite
well.
Wishing you a blessed month of the Two Hearts and praying that they may inspire us to live our year’s motto from the Confidentia Shrine!
Schoenstatt Sisters of Mary
We are currently not having the Covenant Holy Mass on the 18th of the month in our Confidentia Shrine.
The Shrine is open everyday from 9:00 am to 6:00 pm.
Our store is open on the following days and hours:
Tuesday through Sunday
Questions?? Please contact us at (361) 729-2019
We had five of our nine children when we erected our Heavenward Home Shrine on January 15, 1984. Feeling somewhat inadequate, it was our great desire, just as we had invited God to be a Third Partner in our marriage, that his holy Mother would join us, as parents, and assist us by educating youthful hearts. We saw the Home Shrine as a source of grace and a fortress of sanctity. We invited Our Lady, as our Father and Founder had invited her, to make our home her dwelling. It was there that we would find, through the years, solace in grief, answers to tough decisions and peace during turmoil. It was, and still is, our wish that she will lead our family and all who come in contact with her, through this “open door”, Heavenward.
Rick and Kate Otto
Apostolic Family Federation, San Antonio, TX
Greetings from the Confidentia Shrine,
We are in the middle of the month of May traditionally dedicated to Our Lady. On May 1, 1945, soon after his dismissal from the concentration camp, Father Kentenich told the people who were still completely under the impression of the war experiences:
“There are words which have a unique, creative stirring sound. (…) They are like music to our ears and, like the sun in the spring after months of gloom and sadness, warm our hearts. Such words are filled with life. (…) How often we experienced this during air raids and horrific bombing attacks. The children in dark cellars were filled with fear. Suddenly the name ‘mother’ is heard, and now it is not as bad anymore. The children feel safe, protected, and secure with their mother. … We feel like these children.”
Haven’t we experienced a similar situation? During the pandemic, while we live through many dark spaces or dreadful situations, we were not left alone. Our Blessed Mother is with us, she takes us by the hand and leads us towards the light. Therefore it is only fitting that we thank and honor her during these 31 days with many ‘May flowers’, our deeds of perfect charity to all.
During this month, Pope Francis invites us on a worldwide pilgrimage. Every day, we travel spiritually to a Marian Shrine where we pray for a specific intention assigned by the Holy Father. Perhaps you would like to join in this Marian Marathon and thereby learn more about the many ways the Blessed Mother has proven her love for her children throughout time (see list). As Schoenstatt children, we make it a daily practice to (spiritually) visit the shrine. During this month, several pilgrimages will take place to the Confidentia Shrine. Perhaps you can join one of these or come on your own. Let us honor our MTA, the Queen of May, “not only for one day but for a whole month; for thirty-one days we may jubilate and congratulate” (Father Kentenich, May 1, 1945).
Please know that we pray daily for you and your intentions in the Confidentia Shrine!
Schoenstatt Sisters of Mary
We are currently not having the Covenant Holy Mass on the 18th of the month in our Confidentia Shrine.
The Shrine is open everyday from 9:00 am to 6:00 pm. Masks are required in order to come in.
Our store is open on the following days and hours:
Tuesday through Sunday
Questions?? Please contact us at (361) 729-2019
We chose this title because of the need for mercy and miracles in all of our lives, both the experience of Jesus’ mercy and miracles, and also the teaching of mercy for ourselves and for others. Jesus can and will do what is humanly impossible through trust in Divine Providence, as the Blessed Mother lived and taught.
Our Home Shrine was consecrated on the feast of Christ the King- November 22, 2015. It is a place to bring our joys, struggles and sorrows as well as our gratitude for His blessings through Our Blessed Mother. Our Home Shrine has been a comfort and a source of grace, such as the stabilization of our daughter’s long- time brain tumor, which her doctors had not thought possible, the location of doctors who could further help her, and the spiritual miracle of a renewed hope in our lives, even in the midst of sad and tragic news for dear friends and extended family members. There has been joy in the midst of extreme hardships, such as a deeper trust in God, knowing that He is walking the journey with us all as we seek His mercy and learn to love each other with a deeper love during these hard times. Some of our dearest friends who experienced a tragedy in their family, have found peace and comfort from being in Our Home Shrine, which is situated in the heart of our home and is a natural place for us to gather for family prayer. We are grateful that the Blessed Mother is teaching us to hope against hope and to trust Jesus, even when others say it is not humanly possible.
Kristen and Rick Martinez, Texas Family League, Diocese of Fort Worth
