PERÚ, Queca Espinoza and Manuel Huapaya •
“I want to be God’s peasant and that is how I feel.” Making the words of the Apostolic Nuncio Bishop Girazolli his own, the new Bishop of Caravelí, Bishop Reinaldo Nann began his homily, but not before greeting and thanking his mother, Gerda Nann, his brothers, priest friends who came from Germany, and everyone present.
Taking possession of the Prelature was celebrated on Tuesday, August 22, the Feast of Mary’s Coronation as Queen of Heaven, in St. Peter the Apostle Cathedral where the Patroness, the Virgin of the Good Shepherd is found; it is a polychrome carved oak wood image – which is very representative of Flamenco art.
Shepherd to 400 towns presented keys
Caravelí is a province located in the Arequipa region of the Peruvian Andes, and it became a Prelature seat of the Catholic Church in 1957. Pope Pius XII established it covering twenty-two parishes and more than 400 coastal and Andean towns scattered throughout the rugged terrain. The Prelature has had three bishops: Bishop Federico Kaiser MSC, a German from Westphalia, Bishop Kühnel MSC of Polish origin, and Bishop Juan Carlos Vera Plasencia MSC, a Peruvian. Bishop Reinaldo Nann becomes Caravelí’s fourth Bishop Prelate.
Seven Bishops and a large group of priests and religious, the majority of which belong to the Prelature’s different areas, attended the ceremony. Then there was a ceremony in Caravelí’s main square, where the city’s mayor presented the keys of the city to Bishop Reinaldo Nann.
Bishop Reinaldo taught the consecration prayer to his people, so they could pray together
In his homily, the new Bishop recalled that he also comes from an area where, just as in Caravelí, grapevines are planted, and moreover, he mentioned if the place is extensive, his experiences throughout these years in Peru enabled him to assume this challenge, he asked his people that they do it together, and not to leave him alone
The ceremony ended when he consecrated his task to the MTA (Mater Ter Admirabilis), he taught his people the consecration prayer, and they prayed: “My Queen, my mother…” together.
This August 22 was a day of celebration for Caravelí and for the Peruvian Church. As a Schoenstatt Family, we are happy for this immense gift that the Lord gave to our Family, he who invites us to renew our commitment to a Schoenstatt by reaching out in Covenant Solidarity as Pope Francis has asked of us.
Bishop Reinaldo Nann’s Family
Bishop Reinaldo Nann’s first birthday in the Prelature of Caravelí
Editor’s note. A few hours after this report arrived at the schoenstatt.org editorial team, we learned that, three days after the installation on Friday, August 25, Bishop Reinaldo Nann celebrated his 57th birthday, the first one in the Prelature of Caravelí
Very early, the teachers and band students from the Educational Institution of St. Michael Parish surprised Bishop Reinaldo with a serenade in the Episcopal House, where he shared a joyful time with cake and snacks. Later the faithful from St. Peter the Apostle Parish were not outdone, since different groups and collaborators led by Fr. Renzo Saldaña Gonzáles, their pastor and Chancellor of the Prelature, and Bishop Bernardo Kühnel MSC, Bishop Emeritus, organized together to pay tribute and to share a delicious lunch of brotherhood with their Shepherd.
Cathedral of Caravelí
Photos: Prelatura de Caravelí, Queca Espinoza
More photos of Bishop Reinaldo Nann’s installation:
- Welcome for Bishop Reinaldo Nann to Caravelí
- Ceremony in the Cathedral of St. Peter Apostle of Caravelí – Photos
- Eucharistic celebration
- Ceremony of honorary toast and presentation of the keys of the city
Original: Spanish, 27 August 2017. Translation: Celina M. Garza, San Antonio, TX USA. Edited: Melissa Peña-Janknegt, Elgin, TX USA
Gospel for the poor: Bishop Reinaldo Nann’s Episcopal ordination
