Our Mission Reaches Africa: Remembering the First Schoenstatt Sisters in South Africa
Our jubilee year invites us not only to celebrate 100 years of our community’s founding but also to look back with deep reverence on a defining chapter in our history: the arrival of the first Schoenstatt Sisters of Mary in South Africa in 1934.
Only seven Years After Our Founding: A Bold Step of Faith
On 17th December 1933, the first seven sisters were officially sent out to South Africa from Germany, with more following over the next few years. They arrived in January 1934. They were young, few in number, and stepping into a world completely unknown to them. Yet they travelled with an unshakeable trust:
- that God’s Providence would guide their mission,
- that the Blessed Mother would go before them,
- and that the covenant of love would sustain them.
Leaving behind homeland, family, and the familiar, these pioneering Sisters embraced a call that demanded courage, sacrifice, and unwavering faith. Their “yes” became the foundation for everything that Schoenstatt would later become in Southern Africa.
Daring Hearts, Firm Trust
From Small Beginnings to a Living Mission
The early years were marked by:
- simplicity and hard work,
- cultural and linguistic challenges,
- and practical hardships of beginning anew.
Yet the Sisters carried something stronger than every difficulty: a deep certainty in Divine Providence. They believed that every struggle contained a hidden grace and that the Blessed Mother was forming them, and their mission, through every circumstance.
Their courage, perseverance, and gentle Marian spirit continue to inspire us today.
From their first steps in 1934, the mission has blossomed into a vibrant tapestry of apostolic service across Africa:
- education and youth formation,
- pastoral and retreat ministry,
- social outreach,
- support of parishes,
- the growth of Shrines and pilgrim circles,
- and the silent, powerful witness of consecrated life.
In all these areas, we strive to make Mary present and help others discover their God‑given dignity and mission.
Looking Ahead With Mary
As we honour our pioneer Sisters, we also look forward. Their legacy calls us:
- to trust in Providence as boldly as they did,
- to surrender ourselves to the Blessed Mother as they did,
- and to step courageously into the future with missionary hearts.
Strengthened by 100 years of grace, we continue the mission they began — joyfully offering our lives so that Christ may be encountered through Mary.
