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The “Old Haus”
Close to the Original Shrine there is a house, originally called "The Old House". The sacristy for the Original Shrine can be found in this house, and in the last few years the Rector and sacristan lived here. There are also a variety of rooms for discussions.
If the walls of the house could talk, they would have an exciting story to tell.
On 19 April 1901 the Pallottine Fathers bought the ancient Cloister buildings of the former Augustinian Convent, as well as the ancient cemetery chapel and the land around the buildings, from the Dorsemagen family. They furnished it as a residence for about 90 students. It included a house chapel. The ancient Chapel of St Michael served as a second place where Mass could be celebrated. This was necessary because of the number of priests living here.
In 1912 a new College was opened, and as a result the Old House became free. From August 1914 until 1919 it served as a military hospital. However, in the time prior to the War it was used by the Pallottine boarding school. It was here that the newly founded Marian Sodality began life. It was here that the students, along with their Spiritual Director, Fr Joseph Kentenich, laid the foundations for what became the Schoenstatt Movement after the Founding Document on 18 October 1914.
The College house chronicle of 1919 reports:
“On 22 September 1919 it was possible to resume lessons in the new house. The number of students had reached about 190. A few days later it was necessary to change things. For important reasons Course IV was transferred back to Ehrenbreitstein, and Frs Meister and Rexter were transferred here. The Spiritual Director of the students until now was appointed to other duties. His place was taken by Fr Mühlbeyer ...
The Old House was also given a thorough renovation, so that some of its rooms could serve Fr Kentenich's purposes in the time to come. The Provincial Superior, Fr Michael Kolb, had the little chapel thoroughly renovated.”
The official letter by which the Pallottine Provincial Superior, Fr Kolb, handed over the Old House and the chapel to the Apostolic Movement of Schoenstatt for its permanent use was printed in the MTA magazine, Nr 1-3, p. 20, of 15 November 1919.
From this time the house served the events of the Schoenstatt Movement. It was not their property, but it was handed over to them unconditionally. However, it was very soon bursting at the seams, and a tight squeeze by no means does justice to the living conditions there. It did not offer the best conditions for priests' retreats or similar functions. So a new house had to be built, and it was blessed in 1928. This is now known as the "Covenant Home" and overlooks the shrine.
From 1925 the Old House served the Sisters of Mary as their first home. It saw the founding history of this community within the Schoenstatt Movement and the first years of its development in extreme poverty, but with great faith in Divine Providence. it served as its Novitiate, and for a time as its Generalate. The foundation of the Adoration Sisters took place there. During the Second World War the house chapel in the cellar of the Old House served the Adoration Sisters at night to maintain perpetual Adoration, which has continued since Christmas 1929 without interruption.
Until 1967 the Sisters of Mary lived in this house and looked after the sacristy while being available for adoration in the Original Shrine. On 1 July 1967 a Pallottine Brother took over the sacristy of the Original Shrine and the Sisters moved out.
