Greetings from the Confidentia Shrine,
These days pilgrims to the Confidentia Shrine encounter a painful scene: the demolition of House Confidentia. It is the last remnant of the destruction caused by Harvey in 2017.
House Confidentia was built in 1989 with abundant spiritual and physical sacrifices from the sisters and the movement. It was the home of the sisters who lived in Texas and Mexico. There they received their formation, came for their annual retreat, and celebrated the major feast days together. From there they were sent out as apostles to serve Schoenstatt’s mission. House Confidentia also provided a home and care for our sick and elderly sisters. After Harvey, most of the sisters were evacuated and found a new home at the provincial headquarters in Wisconsin.
During many negotiations including the Diocese of Corpus Christi, a full assessment of House Confidentia by a forensic architect revealed that the entire outer structure of the building is not safe and it needs to be removed if we wanted to restore this house. Needless to say, such an undertaking is a very expensive and long-term project. Led by Divine Providence, a realistic look at our sisters’ community made it obvious that neither the present nor the coming generation will be able to maintain such a large facility.
We gratefully remember the kindness of our benefactors, who contributed to building House Confidentia. We ask our Mother and Queen to reward them abundantly.
Though it is painful to let go of an important part of our history, we hold on to the words of our father and founder, Father Kentenich: “Faith in Divine Providence convinces us that the Father-God has designed a plan of the world, namely a plan of love (…) and that the Father-God realized the plan precisely at the right time, at the right moment.”
With prayers and in gratitude,
Schoenstatt Sisters of Mary