Celebrating the Covenant of Love on our way to 2014 from Johannesburg

SOUTH AFRICA, Sr. M. Joanne Peterson. The Schoenstatt Family in Johannesburg, South Africa, celebrated its October Weekend on the weekend of the 17th and 18th October. Over the two days, about 140 people were present. The theme for the weekend was “The covenant of love on our way to 2014”.

The weekend began with Mass in the Shrine, during which 2 Pilgrim Mothers were sent out. This was followed by Branch reportbacks of their highlights in the covenant of love over the past year. A few events out of the many are mentioned just to give the reader an idea: The Mothers’ Union told of the Jubilee celebration of the Hoerde Conference. It was the first time one of the South African Mothers’ Union representatives had been to Schoenstatt so she was filled with all their wonderful experiences. The Schoenstatt Rosary Campaign  announced the opening of their silver jubilee year which will run from October 2009 to October 2010. The original missionary of Pilgrim Mother no. 2 which was sent out in August 1984 by Fr Uriburu here in Johannesburg, was there together with the Pilgrim Mother. She is still going around and working many miracles in the families she visits. Unfortunately, we have lost contact with the very first Pilgrim Mother which was sent out with the mineworkers on the goldmines here in Johannesburg. But we trust that Our Lady is working many graces through this image somewhere in Africa.

Share the Father’s love through the covenant

The talks focused on our covenant of love. Sr M Edith reminded us of the biblical base of our covenant. The insights gained from the talk were workshopped and then meditated on. After a good hour of prayer and renewal of the covenant, prepared by the Family League, we all gathered to discuss together what the holy Spirit is telling us for 2010. In just 45 minutes, we had our motto for 2010: Share the Father’s love through the covenant. This focuses thematically on God the Father and also on our father and founder, particularly in this year of the priest.

Sunday began with the Mother’s Union presenting an hour of adoration and reflection in the Shrine with the renewal of the covenant and burning of the capital of grace slips in our African Josef Engling fire. Sr M Joanne deepened the theme of the covenant with a practical presentation on how we live the covenant in our everyday lives in the hustle and bustle of the big city of Johannesburg.

The crowning celebration was the Mass on Sunday afternoon at which 3 young women of the Womens’ League made their consecration and 3 girls made their consecration as members of the Schoenstatt Girls Youth. One young woman who had come along as a visitor, was so moved by the day and all the experiences that she joined the Women’s League there and then.