GERMANY, Renate Siebenkäs • How surprised I was when I read the article “The new Unity Cross for the Bellavista Shrine” in the WhatsApp Channel of Schoenstatt.org. At the same time, I was also working on the Unity Cross for a Liturgy of the Word, in which the 12th Station of the Way of the Cross: “Jesus dies on the Cross” was to set the mood for Good Friday. — My thoughts were inspired by the cards that were produced in 2014 as a set of cards to mark Schoenstatt’s
Read More CHILE, Roberto Seguel • This Saturday, March 16, the 49th edition of the pilgrimage to Christ the Redeemer, on the Chile-Argentina border, called Finis Terrae, “the end of the earth”, will be held. — Inspired by the words of Mario Hiriart (1931-1964), a young consecrated layman who belonged to the Institute of Schoenstatt Brothers of Mary, we want to go on pilgrimage with him to Christ the Redeemer, making his great desire our own: “We will build a shrine in the Andes as a symbol of peace and unity of
Read More CHILE, editorial team / with Vínculo material • This year marks 75 years since Father Joseph Kentenich, on May 31, 1949, in the recently blessed Shrine of Bellavista, placed a letter on the altar of the Shrine: the first part of his response to Bishop Bernhard Stein’s report as a result of the diocesan visitation of Schoenstatt, concretely of the Institute of the Sisters of Mary. In this response, Joseph Kentenich points out the need to change the way of thinking, acting and living in the Church towards a more
Read More BRAZIL, Cláudio Medeiros, Jaraguá Family Federation • We often try to make the 18th of each month a special day to remember and renew our covenant of love. I think everyone has their own way of expressing this, so together with Marcio Gonçalvez from the Family League of Jaraguá, I found a somewhat unusual way to do this: In mid-December, while we were still thinking about how to get the spousal release that is so important and indispensable for this kind of event, we decided to set out from Jaraguá
Read More El Salvador, Florencia Couto and Claudio Martínez • El Salvador magnanimously carried out the first Marriage Strengthening: The first Marriage Strengthening took place in San Salvador from Friday, February 23rd to Sunday, February 25th. — “The first Forta is special. You can’t fail. If it goes wrong, there won’t be another one. It will be the first and the last, so you have to make every effort to make sure everything goes well and not let the opportunity go by”. The words of Father José Luis Correa, pronounced when the
Read More SPAIN, Narcís Vidal, from the Apostolic Movement of Schoenstatt, Tarragona • A few days ago, I was invited by the diocese to participate in a congress for the laity in Madrid with a main theme: “The First Announcement”. — I must confess that my expectations were very low because of the reality around me. Accustomed to lectures full of ideas and desires where one then has the impression that it can come to nothing, or what is even worse, with rigid and strict concepts where one can hardly see the
Read More NEWSLETTER OF THE SANT’EGIDIO COMMUNITY • I received the newsletter on February 22nd, I read it on February 24th, the second anniversary of the beginning of the war against Ukraine. Sant’Egidio, this young Movement from Together for Europe is in Ukraine, it is doing in Ukraine what Schoenstatt cannot do there, simply because it is not in this martyred country. With the permission of Sant’Egidio (of course, as they wrote to me) we share this newsletter in covenant solidarity. — Two years after the beginning of the war in Ukraine,
Read More INDIA, Fr. Jerin Choondal ISch • A chapel for the migrant youth was renovated and blessed by Father Joy Puthussery on February 18. Nearly 150 youth who are active in our Schoenstatt youth groups were present. Father Arkadiuz Sosna, International Coordinator of the Apostolic Schoenstatt Movement, was also present to bless the occasion. — Although we have been using this place for liturgical celebrations and meetings on a regular basis, we were fortunate to be able to consecrate it at this time. There are many other movement-related works that we
Read More INDIA, Fr. Alwin Joseph • Twenty-three students (eight from the Schoenstatt Language Academy, and others from Kuttur, Kerala) sealed their Covenant of Love with the Mother Thrice Admirable (MTA) of Schoenstatt. Three students among them renewed their Covenant of Love. — There were two groups preparing to seal their Covenant of Love. The group from Kuttur has been preparing for a year. Every month, mostly on the second Saturday, we met in the Shrine. Adoration, mentoring, special activities were there. Activities of reaching out As a group preparing for the
Read More MEXICO CITY, Gabriela de la Garza • Yesterday, February 24, we experienced a very important milestone for the history of the Schoenstatt Family of Monterrey, one more step in the desire to have another Shrine from where our Mother will shower abundant graces and touch many hearts. — In a very touching Mass, the foundations of the Shrine that is being built in the midst of this large and industrial city were blessed. That winter afternoon the sun shone in all its splendor, the wind blew softly and the warmth
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