All founders (and foundresses) embody a special mission [charism] for a particular time. St. Francis found himself in a situation of wealth and embraced poverty as an answer to the needs of the time. A charism is a ‘ray of Christ’ made present through that founder (or foundress). When we consider our founder’s unique charism, it may be summed up as the gift of a covenant relationship, a ‘relational paradigm’, a network of relationships, that is, attachments to those around us; family, other members; Our Lady, the Triune God.
A charism is a gift given for a purpose – it grows out of a context! We cannot understand Schoenstatt without understanding the person of Father Kentenich. In those early years preceding Schoenstatt’s foundation, it was clear to our founder, also from his own life experiences, that faith and life were not being integrated. In 1912-1914 the rebellion of the boys in the minor seminary reflected the signs of that time. Religion was an outer form with very little inner connection. Natural and supernatural attachments were lacking. Father Kentenich spoke to priests in 1952 in Brazil about this lack of human bonding. The Marian person is that new person who is bonded in a network of God-pleasing relationships. Our situation today reflects this lack of genuine bonds when we think of how people are connected through the internet, social media and yet do not have the capacity to develop lasting genuine relationships.