Posted On 2015-08-01 In Church - Francis - Movements, Francis - Message, Projects

“I ask you to pray for the freedom of each of us, of everyone”

PARAGUAY, by María Fischer, with Fr. Pedro Kühlcke •

“After having read the Gospel, Orlando drew closer to greet me and told me: ‘I ask you to pray for the freedom of each one of us, of everyone.’ This is the blessing that Orlando asked for each of us. This is the blessing that we now ask together: freedom.” This is how Pope Francis began the most spontaneous speech of his trip through South America on Sunday 12 July.

“Orlando, the youth that made the Pope change his speech,” were the headlines in several Paraguayan newspapers a few days after the emotional meeting between Pope Francis and youth of Paraguay and many other countries on the Costanera de Asunción [the Asunción coastline]. Francis met with about one million youth in the late afternoon of Sunday, 12 July, a few hours before bidding farewell to Latin America. During this meeting, Orlando (17) read from the Gospel and moved the Pontiff with his request: freedom for him and his companions at the Educational Centre – a penitentiary for minors where Fr. Pedro Kühlcke has accompanied him and other teenagers for a year as a priest and as a friend in every sense.

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“Eight minors living at the La Esperanza [Hope] penitentiary in Itauguá attended the event with Pope Francis at the Costanera. One of them even read a passage from the bible, according to Orlando Castillo, responsible for the National Service Caring for Adolescent Offenders at the Ministry of Justice. He commented that these youngsters have been involved for a year and a half in a programme run by Fr. Pedro Kühlcke from the Schoenstatt Shrine in Ypacaraí. He explained that the minors who helped at the liturgical celebration are part of a semi-open programme because they do not have behavioural problems (Ultima Hora newspaper). “In the ened, we took four youngsters, not more, but it is a start,” commented Fr. Pedro Kühlcke, who accompanies them and also accompanied them to the meeting with Pope Francis, as he does at the penitentiary.

Walking together

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“I was saying to Orlando, on the way to the Costanera: “Don’t be nervous, you only have to proclaim the Gospel in front of the Pope and the whole world,” related Fr. Pedro Kühlcke. The photograph that depicts this moment has become one of the most shared photographs on social networks.

It symbolises the prison ministry of a “priest and friend” who goes out from the shrine at Tupãrendá to the peripheries, to meet these teenagers at the juvenile prison. The Visitation of Mary (Lk 1:39), I was in prison and you visited me (Mt 25:36), the history of salvation…these are real stories of Schoenstatters who reach out as missionaries and in solidarity, inspired by Pope Francis, Fr. Kentenich and the Pilgrim Mother…along the path that Jesus first walked.

“In this prison, some 160 teenagers between the ages of 14 and 18 are deprived of their freedom, under very difficult conditions. What hurts me most is to report that practically all of them come from underprivileged communities: they live in shanty towns or directly on the street. Many have very dysfunctional families, or don’t even have a family at all; the majority of them have immense emotional deficits, since they were children; and many also have addiction problems. It strikes me that there are no youngsters from the middle or upper classes in the prison…” commented Fr. Pedro Kühlcke.

“We were able to form a very cool prison ministry team, most of whom belong to the Schoenstatt Movement in Tupãrendá and Asunción. I have met very generous people, who at great cost, offer their love, time, and money to give something of the love of God and the Blessed Mother to these children who are so needy. Every Saturday, we share music, prayers and hugs with them, but above all, an abundant snack. We also experience at close hand the very difficult and painful situations that many of them find themselves in – family, social, legal, medical situations – and we give them a hand with what we can.” Giving them a hand so that, in the end, four teenagers were able to attend the meeting with Pope Francis.

“What a wonderful job Fr. Pedro and the team’s prison ministry are doing. I hope that all of the youngsters at the Educational Centre can be reintegrated and that they can find a home; youngsters will not fall if we strengthen them in good families. Let us work for the children on the street,” commented Agustin Saldivar in one of the Paraguayan newspapers.

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Pope Francis’ blessing for all teenagers deprived of freedom

“I was able to ask for his blessing for all the teenagers deprived of freedom. And Orlando also asked him this afterwards. This inspired the Pope to change his entire speech. It was so moving! That the two of us were on the stage so close to the Pope and nothing had been planned – a gift from the Blessed Mother for the prison ministry,” explained Fr. Pedro the day after the meeting, before leaving for the family missions. “I asked the Pope for a special blessing for all the teenagers deprived for freedom,” he repeated. “He listened attentively and gave a kindly smile.”

“You are a brave”

10404343_1042344139151128_1141535761161322770_nThe most moving thing for Orlando was the exchange of gifts. “I gave him a picture that has a pattern embroidered in Ñandutí [traditional Paraguayan embroidered lace]. I wrote him a letter in which I tell him my story, and I asked him to help me change my life, for my family.”

“Also for the street children who don’t have shelter, food and above all, that with his prayer, God will touch the heart of each young person and if he wants, he can contact me by telephone to my mom or the director of La Esperanza, which I wrote in the letter,” he commented.

“The reading, the hug and the rosary are my biggest gifts. They touched me deep in my heart. My commitment is to help my companions who believe in God, that they give Him their time. To show that He helps and changes our lives. When I leave here, I’m going to take the word of God, first to my family. Then I will help youngsters to think twice before they do things, because one mistake can cost dearly.”

The whole interview [in Spanish]: http://www.ultimahora.com/historia-del-joven-que-inspiro-al-papa-cambiar-su-discurso-costanera-n913934.html

 

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Photo: Sebastián Woitas, Asunción, Paraguay

Gracias, Santo Padre, por bendecir a los adolescentes del Centro Educativo. Gracias, Santo Padre, por bendecir la Pastoral Carcelaria del P. Pedro Kühlcke, y de todos los que le acompañan con su presencia, sus oraciones, y sus donaciones.

11232180_1041711415881067_8136826609383819396_nThank you, Holy Father, for blessing the teenagers of the Educational Centre. Thank you, Holy Father for blessing Fr. Pedro Kühlcke’s prison ministry, and for all those who accompany him with their presence, their prayers and their donations.

Thank you, Orlando, for giving us the most spontaneous speech by the Holy Father during his visit.

We give thanks, repeating Pope Francis’ words:

“Here we are together, giving thanks for Orlando who asked for this blessing, for having a free heart, a heart that can say what it thinks, that can say what it feels and that can do what it think and what it feels. It is a free heart! And this is what we are going to ask for together, this blessing that Orlando asked for everyone.”

Thank you Orlando, for giving us the opportunity to be part of this blessing. Count on our prayers for you and for all your friends in the prison, for Fr. Pedro and his team.

We also want to help with our generous donations and in solidarity with the Prison Ministry and the desired “Madre de Tupãrendá” [Mother of Tupãrendá] Home that will allow you and your companions to carry on the day you leave prison, that you may carry on with faith and work, with friends and solidarity…

 

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How to donate now

Bank account in Paraguay

Banco GNB

Cta Nro. 001-065259-003

Congregación Padres de Schoenstatt

Cuenta bancaria en Europa

Schönstatt-Patres International e. V.
IBAN  DE91 4006 0265 0003 1616 26
BIC/SWIFT GENODEM1DKM
Reference: P. Pedro Kühlcke, Casa Madre de Tuparenda

Donation via PayPal

 

Jovenes-paraguay1Text of the Holy Father’s speech

 

Dear Young People, Good Afternoon!

After having read the Gospel, Orlando came up to me and said, “I ask you to pray for the freedom of each one of us, of everyone”. This is the blessing which Orlando asked for each one of us. It is the blessing which all of us together now pray for: freedom. Freedom is a gift that God gives us, but we have to know how to accept it. We have to be able to have a free heart, because we all know that in the world there are so many things that bind our hearts and prevent them from being free. Exploitation, lack of means to survive, drug addiction, sadness, all those things take away our freedom. And so we can all thank Orlando for having asked for this blessing of having a free heart, a heart that can say what it thinks, that can express what it feels, and can act according to how it thinks and feels. That is a free heart! And that is what we are going to ask for together: the blessing which Orlando requested for all. Repeat with me: “Lord Jesus, give me a heart that is free, that I may not be a slave to all the snares in the world. That I may not be a slave to comfort and deception. That I may not be a slave to the good life. That I may not be a slave to vice. That I may not be a slave to a false freedom, which means doing what I want at every moment”. Thank you Orlando, for making us realize that we need to ask God for a heart that is free. Ask him for this everyday!

We heard two testimonies: from Liz and from Manuel. Liz has taught us all something. Just as Orlando taught us how to pray for a heart that is free, Liz, by sharing her experience, teaches us that we must not be like Pontius Pilate and wash our hands of things. Liz could quite easily have put her mother into one home, and her grandmother into another home, and then gone on to enjoy her youth, following the path of studies she desired. But Liz said, “No, there is my mother, and my grandmother”. Liz became a servant, and much more: she became a servant for her mother and her grandmother. And she did it with such love! She did it to the point, as she herself said, that the roles were reversed in her family, and she ended up being a mother to her mother, in the way she cared for her. Her mother, with that cruel illness which confuses everything. She still gives herself fully, even today, at age twenty-five, serving her mother and her grandmother. All by herself? Not at all. She told us two things that can help us. She talked about an angel, an aunt who for her was like an angel; and she talked about getting together with her friends on weekends, with a youth group committed to evangelization, a youth group that strengthened her faith. And those two angels, the aunt who watched out for her and the youth group, gave her the strength to keep going. This is what we call solidarity. What do we call it? [The young people all respond: “Solidarity!”]. This happens when we take interest in other people’s problems. There she found a haven to rest her weary heart. But there’s something still missing here. She didn’t say: “I do this and that is it”. She studied. She is a nurse. And what helps her is the solidarity she received from you, from your youth group, the solidarity she received from that aunt who was like an angel. All these helped her move forward. And today, at age twenty-five, she enjoys the grace that Orlando showed us how to pray for: she has a free heart. Liz is obeying the Fourth Commandment: “Honor your Father and your Mother”. Liz offers her life in service to her mother. It is indeed a high degree of solidarity, the highest degree of love. This is witness. “Father, is it possible to love?” There you have a person who shows us how to love.

So first of all: freedom, a free heart. So all together: [The young people repeat each phrase.] First: a free heart. Second: a solidarity that accompanies. Solidarity. This is the lesson of this testimony. And Manuel was not a spoiled child. He is not “a good kid”. He was never a “kid”, a young person who had it easy in life. He used strong words: “I was taken advantage of, I was mistreated, I risked falling into addiction, and I was alone”. Exploitation, mistreatment, and loneliness. But instead of going out and getting in trouble, instead of going out to steal, he found a job. Instead of wanting to take revenge on life, he looked ahead. And Manuel used a beautiful phrase: “I could move forward because in the situation I was in, it was hard even to talk about a future”. How many young people, how many of you, today have the opportunity to study, to sit at the table with your family every day, not to worry about the essentials. How many of you enjoy this? Altogether, those of you who have these things, let us say, “Thank you Lord!” [The young people repeat the phrase]. We have here a testimony from a young man who from childhood knew what it was to feel pain, sadness, to be exploited, mistreated, not to have food and to be alone. Lord, save all those young people who are in those conditions! And for ourselves let us pray, “Thank you, Lord!”. Everyone: “Thank you, Lord!”.

Freedom of heart. Do you remember? Freedom of heart. That is what Orlando told us. And service and solidarity. That is what Liz told us. Hope, employment, making an effort to live and to move forward. That is what Manuel told us. As you can see, life is not easy for many young people. And I want you to understand this, and I want you to keep it always in mind: “If my life is relatively easy, there are other young men and women whose lives are not relatively easy”. What is more, desperation drives them to crime, drives them to get involved in corruption. To those young people we want to say that we are close to them, we want to lend them a helping hand, we want to support them, with solidarity, love, and hope.

There were two things that Liz and Manuel both said. Two things that are beautiful. Listen to them. Liz said that she began to know Jesus and that this meant opening the door to hope. And Manuel said: “I came to know God as my strength”. To know God is strength. In other words, to know God, to draw closer to Jesus, is hope and strength. And that is what we need from young people today: young people full of hope and strength. We don’t want “namby-pambies”, young people who are just there, lukewarm, unable to say either yes or no. We don’t want young people who tire quickly and who are always weary, with bored faces. We want young people who are strong. We want young people full of hope and strength. Why? Because they know Jesus, because they know God. Because they have a heart that is free. A heart that is free, please repeat this. [The young people repeat each word]. Solidarity, work, hope, effort. To know Jesus. To know God, my strength. Can a young person who lives this way have a bored look on his face? [“No”!]. A sad heart? [“No!”]. This then is the path! But it is a path that requires sacrifice, it requires going against the tide. The plan… The plan is to go against the tide. Jesus said: “Happy are those who are poor in spirit”. He does not say, “Happy are the rich, those who make lots of money”. No. Those who are poor in spirit, those who are capable of approaching and understanding those who are poor. Jesus does not say: “Happy are those who have a good time of it”, but rather: “Happy are those who can suffer for the pain of others”. I would ask you to read at home, later on, the Beatitudes, which are in the fifth chapter of Saint Matthew’s Gospel. Which chapter? [“The fifth!”] Which Gospel? [ “Saint Matthew!”]. Read them and think about them; they will do you a lot of good.

I must thank you Liz; I thank you, Manuel, and I thank you, Orlando. A free heart, which is the way it should be. I have to go now [“No!”] The other day, a priest jokingly said to me: “Yes, keep telling young people to make a ruckus. But afterwards, we are the ones who have to clear it up”. So make a ruckus! But also help in cleaning it up. Two things: make a ruckus, but do a good job of it! A ruckus that brings a free heart, a ruckus that brings solidarity, a ruckus that brings us hope, a ruckus that comes from knowing Jesus and knowing that God, once I know him, is my strength. That is the kind of ruckus which you should make.

I already knew your questions, because I had them beforehand, so I wrote down some words for you, to share with you. But it’s boring to read a speech, so I am leaving it with the bishop in charge of the youth apostolate so that he can publish it. And now, before going [“No!”], I ask you, first of all, to continue to pray for me; second, that you carry on creating a ruckus; and third, that you organize that ruckus without ruining anything. And together now, in silence, let us raise our hearts to God. Each from the heart, in a quiet voice, let us repeat these words: “Lord Jesus, I thank you for being here, I thank you because you gave me brothers and a sister like Manuel, Orlando, and Liz. I thank you because you have given us many brothers and sisters like them. They found you, Jesus. They know you, Jesus. They know that you, their God, are their strength. Jesus, I pray for all those young boys and girls who do not know that you are their strength and who are afraid to live, afraid to be happy, afraid to have dreams. Jesus, teach them how to dream, to dream big, to dream beautiful things, things which, although they seem ordinary, are things which enlarge the heart. Lord Jesus, give us strength. Give us a free heart. Give us hope. Give us love and teach us how to serve. Amen.

And now I will give you my blessing and I ask you please, to pray for me and to pray for all the many young people who do not have the grace which you have had: the grace of knowing Jesus, who gives you hope, who gives you a free heart, and who makes you strong.

And may almighty God bless you, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

(English translation from www.vatican.va)

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