About Schoenstatt Communicators
and Digital Missionaries
July 8, 2025
This text can only be accessed through the corresponding link.
ES – PT – DE
Dear Fr. Alexandre,
President of the General Presidium of Schoenstatt,
Dear Sr. M. Cacilda and Fr. Arkadiusz,
International Coordinators of the Movement,
Dear Sr. M. Kathia and Fr. Felipe,
Continental Coordinators for the Americas,
I would like to briefly share with you the progress that Schoenstatt Communicators have made recently, as well as our perspective on how this small free community within the Movement can both receive from and contribute to the broader Family.
We are well aware of the importance of staying connected — this significantly amplifies our strength. Therefore, I’ll keep this message as concise and clear as possible.
A Brief History
We have records of sporadic gatherings of communicators since 1994, organized by both official and free communities. Here we list those we are aware of:
👉 https://www.schcom.org/meetings-encuentros-encontros-treffen/
In the 10 meetings we organized in Argentina, about 80% of the participants came from broader Church communication backgrounds, with 20% being Schoenstatt members.
In November 2012, Schoenstatt Communicators hosted an international congress in Nuevo Schoenstatt, Florencio Varela, with around 120 participants from 15 countries, including the 2014 International Communication Team. In that instance, most participants were Schoenstatt members:
👉https://www.schcom.org/congress1-details/
Attentive to God’s Signs
We have always tried to discern God’s signs. While occasional meetings have continued, we had not seen a clear sign to organize another international gathering — until recently. We believe that doing something good is not enough; we must be convinced that it is God’s will.
In 2024, unexpected, simple signs came together, suggesting—upon deeper discernment—that God was inviting us to “do something.”
Brief Background
Dicastery: Monsignor Lucio Ruiz
From the Dicastery for Communication, Msgr. Lucio Ruiz — its secretary — has transformed Church communication, emphasizing the mission of the digital evangelizer. He gathered thousands of digital missionaries at WYD in Lisbon and is responsible for a Dicastery document on the digital mission:
👉 https://www.schcom.org/towards-full-presence/
…which he also introduced in the Synod on Synodality.
Please don’t miss this song, which conveys more than words can explain: 🎵
Important distinction between digitization of evangelization vs. digital evangelization
Digitization of Evangelization refers to transferring traditional methods of evangelization into digital formats, without truly changing the underlying logic. It’s about digitizing what was already being done — but without necessarily adapting the approach to the digital world.
Digital Evangelization means using digital media as natural spaces to proclaim the Gospel. It involves entering the digital world — social media, podcasts, YouTube, blogs, apps, etc. — with a missionary mindset, adapting the message without losing its essence. Example: A Catholic influencer sharing their testimony on Instagram, or a priest answering questions about the faith on TikTok, using the visual and emotional language native to those platforms.
In summary:
Digital Evangelization is not just about “being on social media” — it’s about living as digital disciples, listening, speaking the digital language, and building authentic bridges to announce the Good News.
Rome, Lisbon, Argentina, Germany
This vision deeply resonated with many digital missionaries of the Church in Argentina, including Francisco Sosa, a member of our community of Schoenstatt Communicators.
Developments from the Dicastery, the global response, and the interest of Agathe Hug and Sr. Francine-Marie from Germany, moved us to reflect on how we — as communicators — could respond.
What could we do? A national meeting in Argentina? An international gathering?
Moved by these signs, we envisioned a national meeting for communicators and digital missionaries at Nuevo Schoenstatt, Argentina, open to the whole country, and possibly, an international gathering in 2026 for Schoenstatt communicators/digital missionaries, somewhere in Latin America.
Steps Taken
Briefly:
– We updated our website: schcom.org, which is dedicated (with few exceptions) to topics surrounding communication and the communicator’s mission in both the Church and Schoenstatt.
– I participated in a Diploma Program for Digital Missionaries organized by the Latin American Episcopal Council (CELAM), which received strong support from Fr. Lucio. This experience greatly deepened my interest in the digital mission. It marked a turning point for me.
– Martín (my son), Sr. Francine-Marie, and I participated in the 2025 Jubilee of the World of Communication in Rome.
– The three of us met with Fr. Lucio for 45 minutes in his office, where he showed great interest in our progress. Upon learning that Sr. Francine-Marie lives in Germany, he expressed a desire to ‘venture into’ the mission in that country, hoping that Schoenstatt could collaborate in this effort.
– Martín and I met in Rome with Fr. Alexandre, who showed great interest in and support for this mission.
– We then flew to Schoenstatt. There, on January 28, 2025, Martín met with Sr. M. Joanna and Sr. Andra-Maria to share about this current and mission, as we are always interested in working together with moderators — in this case, with the Sisters of Mary — and being integrated with the official community. In this one-hour meeting, they shared about the importance of the digital mission for both the Church and for Schoenstatt. Both sisters also expressed great interest.
– After Martín returned to the university, I met on February 1st with Sr. M. Cacilda and Fr. Arkadiusz and presented the idea we had of organizing a gathering of communicators in Argentina, for Argentina, and an international gathering of Schoenstatt communicators in 2026.
Conclusions regarding a potential international gathering in relation to the official community
At the mentioned meeting, Fr. Arkadiusz suggested that instead of holding an international meeting as early as 2026, it would be better to first move forward with virtual forums, in order to foster a spirit that could eventually lead to an international gathering — with the idea of progressing organically. Sr. M. Cacilda and I both agreed that this was a good idea.
The international coordinators suggested that the national directors take up this topic in their meetings in Santa Maria in September 2025, within the context of the international gathering for the 75th anniversary of the Pilgrim Mother Apostolate.
The mission isn’t just ours — it’s the mission of the whole Schoenstatt Family.
As Schoenstatt Communicators, we feel that this mission is definitely not just ours, but that of the entire Schoenstatt Family. Therefore, we are completely open if, instead of our free community, Schoenstatt International would take the lead in organizing an international meeting of communicators (that is, under the official leadership), if that would be the best option.
In either case, we would gladly support the official community with all the means at our disposal, should it be required.
Last Steps with the Dicastery and Schoenstatt Digital Missionaries
– Fr. Lucio hosted a monthly meeting (first Saturday) with a community of 300 digital missionaries from the CELAM Diploma course. These gatherings were geared toward promoting the Jubilee of Digital Missionaries and Catholic Influencers (July 28–29, 2025, just before the Youth Jubilee): 👉digitalismissio.org. At its core, the goal is clearly to empower the mission of the digital evangelizer.
– Several members of Schoenstatt have joined these gatherings with Fr. Lucio. To support the forums held on the first Saturday of each month, Schoenstatt Communicators organized a meeting on the last Saturday of each month to promote the Dicastery’s gatherings. This initiative led to the creation of a WhatsApp group called MISIONEROS DIGITALES de Schoenstatt, which is open to everyone—whether they are part of Schoenstatt or not. The group currently has over 220 members, and a second group, INTERCAMBIO Misioneros Digitales Sch, has 90 members. We opened recently also an English Whastsapp group: DIGITAL MISSIONARIES Schoenstatt.
– We invited Fr. Lucio to share a few words at our gatherings. Seeing the potential of participation in our groups, Fr. Lucio offered to provide formation during our meetings, which aligned with what we had already intended. As a result, he now offers 45 minutes of in-depth reflection on the mission during the monthly gatherings we organize.
– A mini-team for reels has emerged to produce videos in service of the Dicastery, promoting the 2025 Jubilee and the mission.
– Tony Gazel, leader of Radio María Costa Rica and a member of Schoenstatt Communicators, arranged a meeting between the worldwide president and other global leaders of Radio María with Fr. Lucio, responding to his request for collaboration in fully strengthening the mission and promoting the Jubilee.
Meeting of Communicators / Digital Missionaries in Argentina: June 6–7, 2026
A group of us from Argentina (Francisco Sosa, Adrián Cura, and myself) met to discern whether we should organize a meeting of communicators and digital evangelizers in Nuevo Schoenstatt, for Argentina. We felt that the time was right.
We discussed it with Fr. Santiago Ferrero, Movement Director in Argentina, sharing with him this mission and our desire to organize the event—not only for Schoenstatters but also for those outside the Movement, as we have done in the 10 previous meetings we’ve organized. Fr. Santiago responded with interest. Since Nuevo Schoenstatt was not available on suitable dates in 2025, we decided to hold the event in 2026.
Conclusion: The Communicators / Digital Missionaries Meeting for and in Argentina will take place in Nuevo Schoenstatt on Saturday, June 6 and Sunday, June 7, 2026.
While the event is based in and for Argentina, as always, we warmly invite everyone interested to participate—whether from Argentina or other countries.
The main goals of this encounter are:
– To inspire and motivate the sharing of the digital mission.
– To foster integration between digital missionaries and communicators, whether from Schoenstatt or other backgrounds.
– To raise awareness that we are all called to be missionaries on social media.
– To offer formation in the digital mission, promoting a style of communication characterized by listening, using language close to the one receiving, and building bridges and relationships.
– To raise awareness that this kind of language applies to all forms of communication, informed not primarily by the desires of the “sender”, but by the needs of the soul of the “receiver” — a challenge for Schoenstatt and for the Church.
We have invited Fr. Lucio to this meeting in Argentina, and we are happy to share that he has added it to his calendar. Although he doesn’t yet have final instructions from Pope Leo regarding his future, we are hopeful he will be able to attend. His presence would give the event a significant boost.
It would be a great honor to have you with us. We hope you can mark your calendars and participate!
Free and Official Communities: Complementary Missions
Clarity in concepts and communication is essential for integration and communion among all. That is why we believe it is not superfluous to express the following principles, which are clear to us:
– Everything organized by Schoenstatt Communicators is done in our capacity as a free community, and we never act on behalf of the Schoenstatt Movement. This includes the formation webinars with Fr. Lucio, which are coordinated by Schoenstatt Communicators and aimed at digital missionaries—whether they are part of Schoenstatt or not.
– Fr. Lucio has offered to provide formation webinars on the digital mission to the Schoenstatt Movement. In such cases, for example, Schoenstatt Communicators does not take part in any decision-making, since the offer is addressed to the Movement itself, and all decisions therefore fall under the responsibility of the International Coordinators. The same applies if Schoenstatt International were to organize communication forums—this is their responsibility, not ours.
– The same principle applies to Continental Coordinators, should they choose to organize webinars or forums for their continent, and likewise to National Directors, if they wish to organize such initiatives for their country.
All relevant information regarding our mission can always be found on our website: schcom.org.
Schoenstatt Communicators / Digital Missionaries form a small group, with minimal structure and a deep passion for communication.
We entrust this intention to our Mother, that she may lead the Schoenstatt Family to work together in this mission for the present and the future.
Blessings!
Enrique Soros
Schoenstatt Communicators
Coordinator
Together with the international team
👉 https://www.schcom.org/who-we-are/
– Abby Dedinsky – USA
– Agathe Hug – Germany
– Edilberto González – Mexico
– Erika Cedeño – Ecuador
– Francisco Sosa – Argentina
– Sr. Francine-Marie – Great Britain-Germany
– Sr. M. Nilza da Silva – Brazil
– Martín Soros – USA
– Maura Moser – Spain
– Stellita Kassimatis – Canada
– Tony Gazel – Costa Rica
– Jesmary Velázquez – Puerto Rico
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