ARGENTINA, Lis Álvarez •
On Monday, 2 November, All Souls’ Day, many people who arrived at Cementerio de la Charcarita [Charcarita Cemetery] in Buenos Aires to remember their beloved faithful who have already departed to the Father’s house, were surprised by who welcomed them; it was the Blessed Mother. Rosary Campaign missionaries from Vicaríá Devoto carried out a prayer and mission journey to this city cemetery’s Oratory.
A picture of the MTA was enthroned right where the prayer service was held; they prayed the rosary from 9:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. A Pilgrim Mother was on a small table at the entrance along with a Unity Cross, and there was a banner with Fr. Kentenich and Joao Pozzobon’s pictures behind the table.
The names of deceased relatives
Many arrived to visit the place where their loved ones are buried; they were surprised and attracted by the Blessed Mother’s picture welcoming them. They were able to write the names of their deceased relatives, their petitions, and expressions of gratitude in a notebook. Some remained at the Oratory to pray for a while. The missionaries prayed for all of them, and they gave them a rosary and a brochure with meditation texts about the Marian mysteries.
In covenant with Francis
Pope Francis prompted us in last year’s 2 November Angelus: “Remembering the dead, caring for their graves and prayers of suffrage, are the testimony of confident hope, rooted in the certainty that death does not have the last word on human existence, for man is destined to a life without limits, which has its roots and its fulfillment in God. (…) With this faith in man’s supreme destiny, we now turn to Our Lady, who suffered the tragedy of Christ’s death beneath the Cross and took part in the joy of his Resurrection. May She, the Gate of Heaven, help us to understand more and more the value of prayer in suffrage for the souls of the dead. They are close to us! May She support us on our daily pilgrimage on earth and help us to never lose sight of life’s ultimate goal, which is Heaven. And may we go forth with this hope that never disappoints!” (Angelus, 2 November 2014).
Photos: Lis Álvarez
