History » 1914 - 1919 » The MTA picture » Schulte on the MTA picture
Report on the Arrival of the MTA Picture
Memories about the MTA picture in Fr Schulte’s address on 8.12.1955 in der College in Schoenstatt, S. 4/5:
“A brief historical memory: Previously the statue of St Michael had stood on the altar. Fr Michael Kolb, the Provincial Superior, had give it along with the first, very simply furnishings in the chapel. But other Fathers, Brothers and benefactors had also contributed one or the other small item, e.g., the bead embroidery, the altar bell and other things.
The new picture of mary was given by a diocesan priest, a former Jesuit, Fr Huggle, who was a teacher of modern languages and related subjects in the College at that time.
Fr Rector told the two College gardeners, Brothers Joseph Viedenz and Christian Müller, to fetch the box with the picture from the station with a hand cart on Good Friday 1915. As Brother Viedenz later related, they had great difficulty in getting the officials to hand over the box, because freight was not delivered on public holidays, even if it wasn’t a Church holiday. Brother Viedenz’s tenacity, however, achieved it after long negotiations and many kind words. So the picture could be put up in the shrine on Low Sunday 1915, the anniversary of the foundation of the Senior Sodality.”
Note: Father Schulte’s report, rings true, although he did not witness it himself. However it raises the question: Why did the picture have to be fetched on Good Friday, since the Sodality feast-day was not until Low Sunday (anniversary of the foundation of the Marian Sodality and acceptance of new members, among others, Josef Engling). Easter Week lay between Good Friday and Low Sunday, and it would have been easy to fetch and put up the picture in that time. In the light of Divine Providence it is meaningful that the picture of the Blessed Mother arrived in Schoenstatt just on Good Friday, as though our Lord again wanted to leave us his Mother in his last testament.
