Who We Are
Rooted in a
Covenant of Love
Schoenstatt New York is a Marian shrine and spiritual community nestled in Staten Island — part of a global Catholic Apostolic Movement present in over 49 countries, united by a shared covenant with Our Blessed Mother.
The Schoenstatt Movement
Schoenstatt is a Catholic Apostolic Movement founded in 1914 by Father Joseph Kentenich in Schoenstatt, Germany. Its name comes from a small chapel near Vallendar, Rhineland-Palatinate, where a Covenant of Love with Mary was first made — and where a worldwide spiritual family was born.
Today the movement is present in more than 49 countries across all continents, with over 180 daughter shrines around the world. It is made up of people of all ages and walks of life — families, youth, priests, religious, and laypeople — united by a shared Marian spirituality and a mission of renewal in Christ.
The Shrine is dedicated to Mary as the Mother Thrice Admirable, Queen, and Victress of Schoenstatt — the spiritual center of the movement’s life and the source of its graces.
Original Shrine · Vallendar, Germany
Father Joseph Kentenich
Servant of God · 1885 – 1968
Father Joseph Kentenich was born on November 18, 1885, in Gymnich near Cologne, Germany. He began his priestly life as a gifted teacher and educator in the Pallotine House of Studies in Schoenstatt, Vallendar, where an extraordinary bond of trust grew between him and his students.
Alert to the signs of the times and listening attentively to perceive God’s will, Father Kentenich — together with a small group of students — entered into a Covenant of Love with Mary in the chapel now known as the Original Shrine. This was the beginning and lasting foundation of the worldwide Schoenstatt Movement.
“With the hand on the pulse of time and his ear on the heart of God.”
He understood himself as a work and instrument in the hands of God and of the Blessed Mother, dedicating his life to helping men and women of every age become free, filial, and fully human personalities.
Read his biographical sketch →The Shrine in New York
The Schoenstatt Shrine of Light is nestled in a peaceful Staten Island neighborhood, just a short distance from the iconic Statue of Liberty. It serves as a spiritual beacon and place of grace for all who seek prayer, renewal, and a deeper encounter with the Blessed Mother.
The Schoenstatt Sisters of Mary
The Shrine in New York is served by the Schoenstatt Sisters of Mary, who dedicate their lives to the apostolic mission — welcoming all who come to the Shrine, accompanying families and individuals on their spiritual journey, and fostering the Covenant of Love with Our Blessed Mother.
Sister Veronica & Sister Jessica
Schoenstatt Sisters of Mary
Sister Vanessa
Schoenstatt Sisters of Mary
Sister Mary Martha
Schoenstatt Sisters of MaryThe Capital of Grace
From 1915 onward, Schoenstatt began speaking of a spiritual concept unique to the movement: the Capital of Grace. The image draws from the world of finance — just as large sums are gathered for major undertakings, what we bring to Mary in the Shrine comes together to assist her in the moral and religious renewal of the world in Christ.
This capital is not financial but spiritual — it is built through prayer, sacrifice, works of love, and the faithful living of the Covenant. All who enter the Shrine with open hearts contribute to it and draw from its abundance.
A place of grace
“What we bring to Mary in the shrine comes together to assist her in the moral and religious renewal of the world in Christ.”