Brief History

The Secular Institute of the Schoenstatt Fathers was founded on 18 July 1965.

Our first Constitutions were approved by Pope Paul VI in May 1966.

The dedication of our Shrine on Mount Sion, Schoenstatt, Germany, took place on 30 August 1970.

The Institute received pontifical recognition on 24 June 1988 and its Constitutions received final Vatican approval on 22 February 1994.

Our first General Chapter took place in 1974, and there have been other three General Chapters since: in 1980, 1991/92 and 2003.

The next General Chapter will be held in August 2015 in the Father House on Mount Sion, Schoenstatt, Germany.

Presently we live in 19 countries and serve the Schoenstatt Movement also in 20 other countries. To find out more about the history and the present reality of our Institute in each country where we are present, please see: Where we are

The following video (part I and part II) is a testemony (in Spanish) about the foundation of our Institute, by one of the first members, Fr Humberto Anwandter (Chile).