The Pallottine Missionary Society - Their foundations in Germany - Purchase of the ancient cloisters at Schoenstatt.
[...] Early in the new century new life moved into the ancient buildings. The Pallottine Missionary Society situated in Limburg on the Lahn had built a house of studies for the lower classes of their minor seminary. The cloisters had returned to their original purpose.
How did this come about? It would be impossible to give the whole history here, so we will limit ourselves to some explanations.
In the summer of 1890 (20 July) the Congregation of the Propagation of the Faith, with the agreement of the German government, had handed over responsibility for the German Protectorate of Cameron to the Pallottine Missionary Society. In October that year the first missionaries left for Africa. This society had been founded in 1835 in Rome by the saintly Vincent Pallotti (21 April 1795-22 January 1850). His first aim was to serve the inner city mission and the conversion of the schismatic Greeks, but their activity soon spread beyond Italy to England, South and North America. Today the Society is working on four continents: Europe, America, Africa and Australia.
In the autumn of 1892 the superior of the Mission House in Masio, the present German Provincial Superior, Fr Max Kugelmann, went to Germany. He had to overcome many difficulties that resulted from the “Kulturkampf”, but he was eventually welcomed by Bishop Karl Klein (1886-1898) of Limburg, and opened the first German Mission House there. The community grew rapidly and the accommodation was soon inadequate. With the permission of the Bishop of Trier, Dr. Mich. Felix Korum, and the government, the study house was transferred to Ehrenbreitstein in 1893, where it continued to grow. In 1897 the new Mission House in Limburg was completed and blessed.
At this time Schoenstatt was the property of Mr Dorsemagen (here spelt without the “n”). When he wanted to sell it towards the end of 1900, the Pallottine Fathers wanted to by it, because the house in Ehrenbreitstein had become too small. Thanks to the support of the Bishop of Trier, and in particular of the Dean of Vallendar, Fr Nikolaus Barain, the contract was signed on 19 April 1901 and the Schoenstatt Convent became the property of the Missionary Society.
The house was quickly renovated for its new purpose, and the three lowest classes from Ehrenbreitstein moved to Vallendar. The rector was Fr Frz. X. Zeus.