About Marian Shrine of Our Lady of Schoensatt · Austin, Texas
The Marian Shrine of Our Lady of Schoenstatt, formally named "Bethlehem, Cradle of Sanctity," is a Catholic Marian shrine located on Addie Roy Road in the Westlake/Barton Creek area of Austin, Texas. Dedicated on September 13, 2014 in Schoenstatt's Jubilee Year, it is the third Schoenstatt Shrine in Texas and the tenth in the United States — and the 200th Daughter Shrine worldwide. The Shrine is not a parish but a place of pilgrimage, worship, evangelization and reconciliation modeled on the 1914 Original Shrine in Schoenstatt, Germany. It is staffed by the Institute of the Schoenstatt Fathers and serves as the spiritual home of the Austin Schoenstatt Movement, which includes university men and women, families, mothers, youth, and the Pilgrim Mother Apostolate.
- Established
- 2014
- Patron
- Our Lady of Schoenstatt (Mother Thrice Admirable / Mater Ter Admirabilis)
- Rector
- Fr. Gonzalo Villaseca (Shrine Rector)
- Diocese
- Diocese of Austin
Why belong here
The Marian Shrine of Our Lady of Schoenstatt is a pilgrimage site rather than a territorial parish, so the faithful don't 'join' it in the usual sense — but visitors and members are drawn to its outdoor Sunday Mass (in English and Spanish), its weekly day-long Thursday Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, monthly Covenant of Love renewal Masses, and a rich calendar of retreats and branch gatherings for university men and women, mothers, families, and youth. The Shrine offers a distinctive Marian spirituality centered on the Covenant of Love and the Pilgrim Mother Apostolate, a place of silence in the hill country just minutes from downtown Austin, and a vibrant young-adult community that has produced multiple priestly and consecrated vocations.
Mass times at Marian Shrine of Our Lady of Schoensatt
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Confessions are not available during the summer; schedules otherwise are listed on the Shrine calendar
Adoration times
- Every Thursday 7:30 am – 6:00 pm (Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament)
- Third Tuesday of each month at 7:00 pm (Young Adult Adoration with holy hour, songs, meditations, and social)
The Shrine and Its Mission
The Marian Shrine of Our Lady of Schoenstatt is described by the Movement as a place of worship, pilgrimage, evangelization and reconciliation. It is not a parish church but a shrine dedicated to Mary as the Mother Thrice Admirable of Schoenstatt (MTA), and is meant to be a 'spiritual home' where the faithful experience belonging — as children to the Mother of God, as brothers and sisters in Jesus, and as beloved sons and daughters of God the Father. The Shrine offers the grace of a home in Mary's maternal heart for everyone seeking answers in the confusion and uncertainty of life, and is sent forth as a center of conversion and inner transformation.
- Local title: 'Bethlehem, Cradle of Sanctity'
- Built as a replica of the Original Shrine in Schoenstatt, Germany (founded 1914)
- 3rd Schoenstatt Shrine in Texas; 10th in the U.S.; 200th Daughter Shrine worldwide
History of the Schoenstatt Movement in Austin
The Schoenstatt Movement was founded by Fr. Joseph Kentenich on October 18, 1914, in Germany. The Schoenstatt Fathers arrived in the U.S. in 1965 (Milwaukee), with a Texas presence since 1966. The Schoenstatt Sisters of Mary (Ladies of Schoenstatt) first came to Texas in 1953. In 2005 the Schoenstatt Fathers established a house community in Austin, and the first university branches were formed at UT Austin in 2006. After Texas's first two daughter shrines in Rockport and Helotes, the Austin Shrine was dedicated on September 13, 2014 as the 200th Daughter Shrine worldwide. The Shrine marked its 10th Anniversary with Bishop Joe Vásquez in October 2024.
- 1953 — Ladies of Schoenstatt arrive in Texas
- 1965 — Schoenstatt Fathers established in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
- 1966 — Schoenstatt Fathers begin ministry in Texas
- 2005 — Schoenstatt Fathers' Austin house community founded
- 2006 — Schoenstatt University Men & Women begin at UT Austin
- 2007 — Ladies of Schoenstatt become SUW moderators
- First Texas Shrine dedicated in Rockport (#27 Daughter Shrine)
- 2008 — Second Texas Shrine dedicated in Helotes (#192 Daughter Shrine)
- September 13, 2014 — Austin Shrine dedicated (#200 Daughter Shrine worldwide)
- 2017 — First U.S. vocation to the Ladies of Schoenstatt
- 2023 — Youth branches travel to Schoenstatt, Germany & World Youth Day Portugal
- October 13, 2024 — 10th Anniversary Mass with Bishop Joe Vásquez
- 2025 — Good Friday Pilgrimage surpasses 1,000 walkers
- 2025 — First U.S. Lady of Schoenstatt makes Perpetual Consecration
Mass and Worship
All are welcome to attend Mass at the Shrine. Sunday Mass is celebrated outdoors year-round in most weather conditions; in heavy rain or extreme cold, Mass is moved inside the Movement House (limited seating). Daily Mass is celebrated on Saturday morning. Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament is offered every Thursday, and young adults gather for a holy hour with songs and meditations on the third Tuesday of each month. Confessions are not available during the summer.
- Sunday 10:30 am — English (outdoors)
- Sunday 12:30 pm — Spanish (2nd and 4th Sundays of the month)
- Saturday 9:30 am — Daily Mass
- Thursday 7:30 am – 6:00 pm — Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament
- Third Tuesday 7:00 pm — Young Adult Adoration (holy hour, songs, meditations, social)
- Special Masses for Marian Feast Days and Holy Days of Obligation
- Confessions: not available during the summer
Monthly Covenant Gatherings
On the third Sunday of every month the Schoenstatt Family of Austin gathers — united with the worldwide Schoenstatt Family — to celebrate and renew the Covenant of Love with Mary. All are welcome to attend the Covenant Mass and stay for the potluck lunch that follows in the Movement House. The 18th of every month is traditionally observed as a day of Covenant renewal.
- Third Sunday of each month — Covenant Mass
- Followed by potluck lunch in the Movement House
- 18th of each month — worldwide Covenant of Love renewal
Marian Spirituality: Covenant of Love & Capital of Grace
The Covenant of Love is Schoenstatt's central Marian consecration — a mutual self-giving between Mary and those who consecrate themselves to her in the Shrine. Fr. Kentenich coined the precise term 'Covenant of Love' in 1944 to describe a relationship rooted in generous self-giving love rather than justice or contract. The faithful also contribute 'Capital of Grace' — prayers, sacrifices, striving for sanctity — which Mary gathers at the Shrine and offers back for the Church's mission. The Blessed Mother needs not money but grace: people willing to give her everything they are and do so that she can work the miracles needed in the world.
- Covenant of Love — Schoenstatt's Marian consecration, first sealed October 18, 1914
- Capital of Grace — prayers, sacrifices, and good works offered to the MTA at the Shrine
- Renewed on the 18th of every month
Movement Branches
The Schoenstatt Movement of Austin is organized into several lay branches that provide formation, community and apostolate for people in different states of life. The Mothers' Branch focuses on integrating Schoenstatt's Marian lifestyle into family life. The Family Branch gathers couples to renew family life under Mary's guidance, striving to become the 'domestic Church' and to live the ideal of the Nazareth Family. The Schoenstatt University Men (SUM) and Schoenstatt University Women (SUW) serve students at UT Austin. Youth branches serve boys and girls of various ages, and the Pilgrim Mother Apostolate carries a traveling MTA shrine into homes, schools, parishes and workplaces.
- Schoenstatt University Men (SUM) — Fr. Gonzalo Villaseca & Fr. Jeff Roedel
- Schoenstatt University Women (SUW) — Fr. Rex Anthony
- Mothers' Branch — Fr. Marcel Mouras (leaders: Marta Carlin, Diana Torres)
- Family Branch — Fr. Marcel Mouras
- Youth Branches (Boys' Youth ages 13–18; Girls' Youth ages 7–18)
- Pilgrim Mother Apostolate — Fr. Rex Anthony
Pilgrim Mother Apostolate
The Pilgrim Mother Apostolate (formerly the Schoenstatt Rosary Campaign) is an outreach within the Schoenstatt Movement that evangelizes through a traveling pilgrim image of the Mother Thrice Admirable. It began in 1950 in Brazil with Deacon João Pozzobon, who for 35 years walked more than 87,000 miles bringing the MTA picture into a different home each day. The Apostolate arrived in Texas in 1987; today missionaries form groups of 7–10 families or individuals who welcome the pilgrim MTA shrine into their homes, schools, parishes and workplaces, asking Mary's intercession for miracles of inner transformation.
- Began in 1950 by Deacon João Pozzobon in Santa Maria, Brazil
- Texas presence since 1987
- Contact: [email protected]
The Schoenstatt Fathers in Austin
The Schoenstatt Fathers (Secular Institute of Pontifical Right) are a community of about 300 priests worldwide, headquartered in Schoenstatt, Germany. Their U.S. delegation, established in Milwaukee in August 1965, has ministered in Texas since 1966. The Austin house community was founded in 2005 and now consists of six Fathers who serve as Movement moderators and Shrine ministers; some also serve the local Church at St. Paul's Catholic Church in South Austin. Fr. Hector Vega is the Delegate Superior for the United States, and Fr. Gonzalo Villaseca serves as Shrine Rector.
- Founded 1965; U.S. headquarters Milwaukee, Wisconsin
- Austin house community established 2005
- Six Fathers currently in Austin
- Also serve Mount Schoenstatt Shrine in San Antonio and St. Paul's Catholic Church, South Austin
Visit Us — Shrine Hours, Gift Shop & Groups
The Shrine grounds are open daily from 9:00 am to 8:00 pm for individual prayer and visits. The Gift Shop, staffed by Shrine Guardians, is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm. Groups are welcome to schedule day retreats or reserved prayer time; meeting space in the Movement House may be reserved by submitting the group visit reservation form on the website. Parking is available in the lot across the street from the Shrine after 5 pm on weekdays and all day on weekends.
- Shrine open daily 9:00 am – 8:00 pm
- Gift Shop Tue–Sat 10:00 am – 3:00 pm
- Parking: lot across the street; available after 5 pm M–F, all day Sat/Sun
- Group visits by reservation (Movement House & Shrine)
Schoenstatt Feast Day Celebration
Each year on or near October 18 — the anniversary of the 1914 founding of the Movement — the Austin Schoenstatt community gathers for a special Feast Day Mass and celebration, joined by priests from across the Diocese of Austin. In 2025 the main celebrant was Fr. Michael Noriega, a newly ordained diocesan priest of Austin who was formed in the Schoenstatt University Men during his years at UT Austin. The Feast Day is also a moment to recognize the graces received during the year and to renew the Covenant of Love.
- Held annually on/near October 18 (founding of Schoenstatt Movement, 1914)
- Brings together priests from across the Diocese of Austin
FAQs
Common questions about the Shrine address what it is (a shrine, not a parish), whether anyone can attend Mass (yes), whether weddings happen there (generally no, since it is not a parish), and where to find it. Couples preparing for marriage are invited to make a pilgrimage to the Shrine to consecrate their marriage to the MTA before or after the wedding, but the wedding itself should be celebrated at the couple's parish.
- Is this a parish? No — it is a Shrine for worship, pilgrimage, evangelization and reconciliation.
- Can anyone attend Mass? Yes — Sunday 10:30 am English, every 2nd and 4th Sunday 12:30 pm Spanish, Saturday 9:30 am.
- Can we get married here? Generally no; couples should marry at their parish and may consecrate their marriage at the Shrine as a pilgrimage.
- Where is it? 225 Addie Roy Rd, Austin, TX 78746 — 2 miles west of Hwy 360 off Bee Caves Rd (FM 2244).
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Fr. Gonzalo Villasecacurrent
Current Shrine Rector and Schoenstatt University Men moderator; member of the Austin house community of the Schoenstatt Fathers