Foundation: Father Joseph Kentenich (1885 – 1968) founded the Family Federation in 1950 together with a group of young families as an independent community within the international Schoenstatt Movement that he had already founded in 1914. For him, the family is the nucleus of every sound order in church and society. 

Expansion: Today, the community counts about 2,000 families worldwide and is present in 20 countries: Argentina, Austria, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Costa Rica, Czech Republic, Ecuador, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Mexico, Paraguay, Poland, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Spain, South Africa, Switzerland, and United States. On an international level, the Family Federation is a confederation of territorial federation communities.

Community: The International Apostolic Schoenstatt Family Federation is a modern, apostolically formed, Catholic community of couples with a laic character, who, together with the entire Schoenstatt Movement, are committed to shaping the world in the spirit of Jesus Christ with the help of Mary, Mother of God.  

Mission: The Family Federation is inspired by the fundamental conviction of Father Joseph Kentenich that a sustainable and solidary society will only exist on the basis of families that are joyful, open to the future and affirm life. The heart of its mission is therefore the renewal of the family, so that its value may be more strongly manifested in the Church and have an impact on the life of society. 

Apostolate: The purpose of the Family Federation is the education and formation of Christian personalities, lay people who assume responsibility in church and society, and who are inspired by an apostolic spirit, based on Father Kentenich’s charism, in order to give a distinctly family face to the Church and the culture of the new millennium. In all its efforts and commitment to others, the primary focus is on one’s own family, the family as a domestic church. 

Spirituality: The couples strive to live in the spirit of the evangelical counsels, trusting in God’s loving guidance, in the power of the Covenant of Love with Mary as Mother and Educator, and the Sacrament of Marriage. They are members of a small community of life with other couples with the goal of educating themselves and growing in their vocation to holiness. They follow a formative spiritual path in a lifelong community, inspired by common ideals and a growing exchange of life. In this way, each couple receives indispensable support for building up their own family, the emergence of the small domestic church and the development of their personal and partnership potential. 

Profile: The profile of the couple joining the Family Federation has certain characteristics that should be present, at least initially, in order to reach their full development through the process of growing and maturing in life. These characteristics are summarized in four basic capabilities: ability to live in community, apostolic disposition, striving for holiness, personal and partnership balance within the couple.

International address: The International Family Federation is legally situated in Schoenstatt, Germany, at Josef-Kentenich-Hof.