History » 1939 - 1969 » 1946 Brown Crosses
Putting up the Brown Crosses 1946
Interrment of our Heroes
In the room near the chapel of the Home of the Federation the urns of our two great departed stand between the two altars before their decorated pictures: Fr Franz Reinisch and Fr Albert Eise. Again and again silent worshippers kneel at this holy place until their hidden picture comes to life in a talk Fr Kreuzberg depicted the great soul of the martyr of freedom of conscience, Fr Reinisch, who, as “the loving oblation of the MTA” was guillotined on 21 August 1942 in Brandenburg.
Fr Fischer described the life of “the herold of the MTA”, Fr Eise, and his death in Dachau on 3 September 1942.
On the eve of the crowning day the Schoenstatt Family gathered in the Home of the Federation – in the morning Holy Mass was said for the two departed. The leader of the Federation spoke the prayers, then deacons in red vestments carried the two urns into the valley followed by more than 700 people. The Angelus bell greeted the returnees. They were carried into the shrine for a brief visit, and then to the heroes’ graves where they were buried next to Max Brunner and Hans Wormer in front of Joseph Engling’s memorial. They are now the heroes of the second generation. They rest there and admonish us, as was said at the open graves and is proclaimed from the memorial stone: “Safeguard this heritage!” Whoever knew them, or comes to know them, is gripped by their lives and suffering and filled with gratitude to the MTA for creating such greatness.
