Experiences Heritage Experiences Cathcart Shrine
| Cathcart Shrine |
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As you travel from Stutterheim in the direction of Queenstown, you come to Cathcart. A little town surrounded by soft green hills, after a good rainfall. The “Wind Vogel” mountain and its foothills are seen from far. The first road on the right is Rhodes Street, and halfway up, at No. 22, you find the most peaceful little place, called “Schoenstatt”. It bears a shrine, dedicated to Mary, the Mother of Jesus, the Schoenstatt shrine. This very shrine was built in 1949; it was the first of its kind on African soil. Today there are 9 in Africa. The original or Mother shrine, after which all others are build as replicas is in Germany, Vallendar near Koblenz on the river Rhine. Its original history goes back to 11 hundred with more recent history resuming to 1914. On the 18th of October 1914 Father Josef Kentenich, together with some minor seminarians who had to break their studies and go to war, entered a “covenant of love”. Whatever the future would hold, life or death, they would accept and offer in love taken from a loving mother’s hand, because that would be as God planned it for each one of them. ”Nothing without you - nothing without us” became their motto of strength. Some young men died on the battle field, others returned to Schoenstatt. They shared their covenant experience with others, and this is how Schoenstatt grew into a worldwide movement for lay people, over 5 continents, and it includes youth, both girls and boys, families, priests, brothers and sisters. It is worth your while to stop and spend some time at the Cathcart Shrine. The altar is hand carved, from oak; the wood served for 400 years as a bridge over the river Sieg in Western Germany. The center of the altar is the tabernacle with its very precious gift, “Jesus present in Holy Eucharist”, of which the red light at the right side is a sign. Above it is a picture of Mary, Mother with the child Jesus; a picture of grace. Here, as in the 200 shrines all over the world, people found a home for their heart and soul; they were touched by God’s grace, and left with new apostolic zeal, the needs of the world became their own, in greater urgency. Please feel free to kneel and meditate, adore the Lord, the God Almighty who is present amongst us. |