About Our Lady of Schoenstatt · Madison, Wisconsin
The Schoenstatt Founder Shrine in Madison, Wisconsin — also known as Our Lady of Schoenstatt or the Shrine of Mary, Mother Thrice Admirable, Queen and Victress of Schoenstatt — is the first Schoenstatt Shrine built in the United States. Constructed in 1952 on the grounds of Queen of Apostles Seminary and formally dedicated on June 20, 1953, it is a small replica of the Original Shrine in Schoenstatt, Germany, where Father Joseph Kentenich sealed the Schoenstatt Covenant of Love with Mary on October 18, 1914. Located today at Schoenstatt Heights (5901 Cottage Grove Road) in the Diocese of Madison, the shrine is cared for by the Schoenstatt Sisters of Mary and serves as a place of Marian pilgrimage, daily prayer, Eucharistic adoration, and Covenant of Love renewal.
- Established
- 1952
- Patron
- Mary, Mother Thrice Admirable, Queen and Victress of Schoenstatt (Blessed Virgin Mary)
- Rector
- Served by the Schoenstatt Sisters of Mary (the Shrine is not a territorial parish; pastoral care is provided by the Schoenstatt Fathers and Sisters of the Schoenstatt Movement, including Fr. Gonzalo Villaseca, Fr. Cristobal Asenjo, and Fr. Jeff Roedel who have offered retreats and ministry there)
- Diocese
- Diocese of Madison
Why belong here
The Schoenstatt Founder Shrine in Madison offers a uniquely personal Marian pilgrimage experience centered on the Covenant of Love with Our Lady. Pilgrims and visitors can pray daily in the Shrine (open 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. year-round), attend the Saturday morning Mass (8:00 a.m. in the Family Room with confession available beforehand), renew their Covenant of Love on the 18th of each month, spend time in Eucharistic adoration in the Sisters' house chapel, or take part in retreats such as the one-day Schoenstatt Spiritual Exercises. The site is also home to the Magnificat Household, an intentional Catholic community of university students and young professional women living alongside the Schoenstatt Sisters of Mary — making it a quiet oasis for anyone seeking formation, discernment, or simply a place of grace overlooking the Madison State Capitol.
Mass times at Our Lady of Schoenstatt
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 7:30–8:00 AM (prior to the 8:00 AM Mass, on the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, or 5th Saturday of each month)
Adoration times
- 24/7 adoration in the house chapel of the Schoenstatt Sisters of Mary at Schoenstatt Heights
- Adoration in the Founder Shrine scheduled as part of retreat days (e.g., 10:00 AM with music on the one-day Schoenstatt Spiritual Exercises)
History of the Founder Shrine
The Schoenstatt Founder Shrine in Madison was built in 1952 on the grounds of Queen of Apostles Seminary (a Pallottine minor seminary founded in 1949 at 5810 Cottage Grove Road) and dedicated on June 20, 1953 — the first Schoenstatt Shrine in the United States. Father Joseph Kentenich laid its cornerstone on October 18, 1952, with Bishop William P. O'Connor of Madison presiding; O'Connor predicted it would become a 'spiritual powerhouse' for the entire nation. When the seminary closed in 1979, the Shrine was moved approximately 1,200 feet south across Cottage Grove Road to the site now called Schoenstatt Heights, where it overlooks the State Capitol and continues its mission of forming the 'American saint' through the Covenant of Love with Mary.
- 1952 — Construction at Queen of Apostles Seminary during Father Kentenich's first US visit
- October 18, 1952 — Cornerstone laying with Bishop William P. O'Connor
- June 20, 1953 — Formal dedication (first US Schoenstatt Shrine)
- June 21, 1952 – September 15, 1965 — Father Kentenich's residence in Wisconsin
- 1979 — Queen of Apostles Seminary closes; Shrine relocated to Schoenstatt Heights on October 10, 1979
- 2023 — 70th anniversary celebrated
Father Joseph Kentenich and the Schoenstatt Covenant of Love
Father Joseph Kentenich (1885–1968) was born on November 18, 1885, in Gymnich near Cologne, Germany. A Pallottine priest and educator, he sealed the original Covenant of Love with the Blessed Virgin Mary on October 18, 1914, in a small chapel in Schoenstatt, Vallendar — the founding act of the worldwide Schoenstatt Movement. From 1952 to 1965 he lived in Wisconsin, praying in the Founder Shrine and celebrating the Eucharistic liturgy there. He died on September 15, 1968 (Feast of the Seven Sorrows of Our Lady); the inscription 'Dilexit Ecclesiam' (He loved the Church) marks his tomb, and his canonization process was opened February 10, 1975.
- Founder of the Schoenstatt Movement (Covenant of Love, October 18, 1914)
- Resident of Wisconsin 1952–1965
- Died September 15, 1968 — 'Dilexit Ecclesiam'
- Canonization process opened February 10, 1975
Mission and Spirituality
The mission of the Founder Shrine is 'to educate and form the American Saint from the Founder Shrine.' According to the Schoenstatt Sisters of Mary, the goal of the Blessed Mother's educational activity is the personal sanctification of pilgrims in everyday life and the moral and religious renewal of society, accomplished through the dispensation of grace and the free cooperation, prayers, and sacrifices of the faithful. Father Kentenich always stressed inner freedom — the 'freedom of the children of God' (Romans 8:21) — as an essential educational objective of the Movement.
- Covenant of Love with Mary, Mother Thrice Admirable
- Inner freedom as an essential educational objective
- Formation of the 'American saint' through Marian consecration
- Renewal of the Covenant on the 18th of each month
Architecture and the Shrine Building
The Founder Shrine is a small, one-story, rectangular Late Gothic Revival chapel with stucco walls, an asphalt-shinged steeply-pitched front-gabled roof, an arched doorway flanked by wooden pilasters, and stained glass side windows. Its interior holds two rows of pews with kneelers and a central altarpiece of carved wood. Because the Shrine is a deliberate replica of the Original Shrine in Schoenstatt, Germany, it is defined less by architectural ambition than by its role as a pilgrimage site. It is recorded in the Wisconsin Historical Society's Architecture and History Inventory as property HI4824.
- Late Gothic Revival / Neogothic Revival style
- Stucco walls, steeply-pitched asphalt-shinged roof
- Stained glass side windows, carved-wood altarpiece
- Wisconsin Historical Society property HI4824
Schoenstatt Heights and the Magnificat Household
Schoenstatt Heights is the home and center of the local Schoenstatt Movement in the Diocese of Madison. Set on more than 50 acres of wooded and farmland within Madison city limits, the property includes the Founder Shrine, the Sisters' house chapel with 24/7 Eucharistic adoration, meeting and conference rooms, dining rooms, gift shop, kitchen and laundry, the Sisters' living quarters, and the third floor reserved for overnight retreats. The Magnificat Household, launched in August 2024, is an intentional Catholic community of university students and young professional women (up to eight residents) who commit for one year, sharing prayer, formation, mission experiences, and life alongside the Schoenstatt Sisters of Mary.
- 50+ acres within Madison city limits
- House chapel with 24/7 Eucharistic adoration
- Meeting rooms, conference hall, dining rooms, gift shop
- Third floor for overnight retreats
- Magnificat Household — intentional women's community (since August 2024; accepting applications for August 2026)
Retreats and Formation Programs
The Shrine and Schoenstatt Heights host a range of retreats and formation programs. The Schoenstatt Fathers offer one-day Schoenstatt Spiritual Exercises for young adults (typically $25, with scholarships available), led by Fr. Gonzalo Villaseca, Fr. Cristobal Asenjo, and Fr. Jeff Roedel, including adoration, two spiritual exercises, lunch, and a closing rosary. The Sisters host 'Let there be light!' discernment weekends for young women in Sleepy Eye MN, Madison WI, and Waukesha WI. Groups from parishes, schools, and other organizations can also schedule overnight stays in the third-floor retreat space.
- Schoenstatt Spiritual Exercises (1-day) for young adults
- 'Let there be light!' discernment weekends for young women
- Overnight group retreats on the third floor
- Day retreats and parish/school visits
The Schoenstatt Movement in the United States
Madison is one of several Schoenstatt centers across the United States, all administered by the Schoenstatt Sisters of Mary or coordinated through the wider Schoenstatt Apostolic Movement. Other US locations include the International Schoenstatt Center in Waukesha, Wisconsin (provincial house and retreat center); the Movement House in Milwaukee; 'Schoenstatt on the Lake' in Sleepy Eye, Minnesota; Cor Mariae Schoenstatt Center in Crete, Nebraska; House Schoenstatt in Lamar/Rockport, Texas; and the Shrine of Light on Staten Island, New York. The Schoenstatt Fathers (Institute of Schoenstatt Fathers, ISP) arrived in the Diocese of Madison in July 2024 to take pastoral responsibility of Blessed Sacrament Parish in Madison, expanding the Movement's diocesan footprint.
- Schoenstatt Sisters of Mary, North American Province (Waukesha)
- Schoenstatt Fathers (ISP) — arrived in Madison Diocese July 1, 2024
- Branches: families, priests, men, women, youth
- More than 200 Schoenstatt Shrines worldwide; 11 in the US; 3 in Wisconsin
Contact and Stay Connected
Phone: (608) 222-7208. Email: [email protected]. The Shrine's canonical address is 5901 Cottage Grove Rd., Madison, Wisconsin 53718. Newsletters, calendars of events, and online reflections are published regularly on the Schoenstatt Wisconsin website; the Schoenstatt Fathers US Facebook page and the Schoenstatt Sisters of Mary website share news and pilgrimage opportunities.
- Phone: (608) 222-7208
- Email: [email protected]
- Newsletter: schoenstatt-wisconsin.us/madison/newsletters/
- Schoenstatt Fathers US — schoenstatt-fathers.us
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Father Joseph Kentenich (1885–1968)1952–1965
Founder of the Schoenstatt Movement; resident in Wisconsin, celebrated Mass and prayed in the Founder Shrine from its construction through 1965. Lived at Queen of Apostles Seminary during his 13-year US stay.
 "Our Lady of Schoenstatt")