GERMANY, Christin Benkner. Radiant Sign of Light! “That is exactly what we thought about when we searched for the name of the Association,” said Mrs. Ulrike Eichenberg, a member of the Sign of Light Association. “The Blessed Virgin – the true foundress of this Association – is a Sign of Light, and we also want to be a sign of light to pregnant women who find themselves in all types of conflicts.”
The song “Radiant Sign of Light” best describes the foundation of “Sign of Light.” On a Friday, a group from the Girls Youth in Treveris who is studying in detail the topic of abortion, visited the headquarters for the “Sign of Light” Association. It can be seen in their eyes that on the one hand they are happy and on the other hand, they are very curious about what awaits them there.
“Lady, send us to new shores, to a new mission!”
The Sign of Light Association was founded in 2002. After seven years of existence, it has a wealth of experiences. The mothers branch of the Schoenstatt Movement from which this initiative came forth and from where many collaborators have ensued, wants to guarantee the protection of the unborn child. They help financially and they transmit values in situations of conflict not only to pregnant women but also to women who have experienced an abortion.
The volume of work they do is so enormous that they would need four or five institutions for this….. a child needs an outfit, a blanket or a carriage….. a woman or her husband needs employment….. a mother-to-be from another country needs a passport or a place to live. Sign of Light offers help in all of these situations – and much more in other situations – to protect the life of an unborn person. “Material needs are frequently only the tip of the iceberg,” says Ulrike Eichenberg. “The women often need this helping hand which supports them and accompanies them in everything. Dialog is also a very important part of our work.”
Here one has to help and help them help themselves: I am seeking the greatest in you!….. We welcome you here!….. You accomplished this! By means of these motivational phrases taken from the pedagogy of Father Kentenich, Sign of Light wants to help the women so they themselves can find an answer to apparently insurmountable situations. This happens day and night. It is also a Sign of Light specialty that its collaborators really support the pregnant women with all their strength when they are in situations of conflict either day or night. For this reason, other organizations often ask them for help. Sometimes the only thing needed is baby clothing, and at other times, “Sign of Light” is asked to make a complete assessment of a woman in conflict.
“You are abundantly generous to us: here you give us the grace of having a home in you, transformation and apostolic fruitfulness”
Ulrike Eichenberg states that she always has great openness for the women who are in difficult situations. With this she creates a great basis for confidence. This can be easily said. In the scope of “Sign of Light” it is felt that this is the case. Here one quickly feels at home, everything is clear and cordial. In a room with a table and chairs, the Home Shrine is also very important. To give this room the name “Room for Assessment” could really give the wrong impression. Among other things there, with the image of the Blessed Mother, a crucifix, and some teddy bears in the Home Shrine, one feels comfortable and pleased. “Precisely here, some women decided to keep their child,” says Mrs. Eichenberg. On the wall are pictures of “Sign of Light” children: they tell the girls the true stories of some of these children.
“Lady, send us to new shores, to a new victory”
“As soon as a mother speaks of ‘her child,’ we’ve won,” says Mrs. Eichenberg with a radiant look. Many children have already been born whose mothers received a great deal of support from Sign of Light. This is exclusively a pro-life Association and helps in all circumstances.
The Mothers Branch of the Schoenstatt Movement in Germany sponsors this Association and all of them help whenever and wherever they can: collecting clothing, securing a place to live, giving out information material, or providing formation to the women. They also make a commitment to prayer chains: a group from eight to twelve persons forms a chain. Always when a woman is in an especially difficult situation, the first woman on the prayer chain sends out the petition to pray for the person. This petition is sent from person to person. When the girls from the Girls Youth heard this, they immediately wanted to collaborate and were certain of at least forming two prayer chains.
The girls left enriched with many experiences after spending a wonderful time at the “Shrine of Light” headquarters. “As soon as we have a similar case among us, we will help. Every day we must express a positive opinion and be happy about a child. Hopefully, we will then make it clear to the future mother that within her womb is a being who has the right to life,” said one of the girls very optimistically as they left.
Translation: Carlos Cantú Schoenstatt Family Federation La Feria, Texas USA 081509
Website (also in English): www.lichtzeichen.org
