GERMANY, mkf. After a reflective final analysis, the Schoenstatt Boys’ Torch 2009 experience simply could not end with its successful arrival in St. Peter’s Square nor could a torch race to Rome be organized every year. However what could be done was to take the main essence of the event and to continue in some way by running and carrying the burden of others until reaching the limit of our strength. Therefore Project Paulus was born after the Torch Race, and the meaning of Project Paulus? For whom are you running?
Schoenstatt.de spoke with Stefan Treuer, the director of the project.
If Schoenstatt could choose one “word of the year” (why don’t we do it?) for the year 2009, surely Torch would be chosen. Not only among the youth but rather also within the Schoenstatt Family , this was the most talked about subject in 2009. What do you personally attach to the word and the Torch event?
– When I hear or read the word Torch, thousands of pictures and experiences come to my mind. They are memories of those 10 days that changed my life.
What was the most intense memory of Torch?
– For me the most intense memory was the applause of the spectators when I, carrying a special petition, ran the last meters reaching St. Peters along with the other runners.
And now what happens to those who could not participate or those who could not “run” with you following the daily Blog about the Torch that was carried between August and September?
– Spontaneously I would say that they should feel angry, although in reality there is no reason for it, after the Annual Conference of the Schoentatt Boys’ Youth in December of 2009 a 30 minute movie was published with photos, something about the subject, experiences and impressions of what Torch 2009 meant. For us, the runners, this movie is a very valuable souvenir and at the same time for those who could not be there, it is an opportunity of experiencing Torch and to take something for your own of what you consider the most important point in your personal view.
The movie is already available in the DVD format and it can be obtained in many Schoenstatt centers and it is very probable that it will also be available on Youtube (we will inform you beforehand).
When you run in the Torch Race for the petition that you receive from another person this becomes something very important. How did this idea start?
– It all began during the planning, we asked ourselves the question: how can we raise the 20.000 euros that are necessary to carry out the Torch Race to Rome with 35 boys? That is when we decided to call sponsors and while we designed the brochure for the donations we had the idea of taking the personal petitions with us in gratitude to everyone who would help us.
What at the beginning was considered as something secondary, became the main thing during the race. Through these petitions the Blessed Mother led us to a new way to pray which, during an interview, Father Helmut called “to pray with the feet”. It was a new way to pray, which we enjoyed, it motivated us and according to our experience it helped to liberate some unexpected reserves.
How will you continue now?
– With the motto ‘Project Paulus – for whom do you run” we want to continue experiencing this new experience and also to be able to transmit it, to all those who are interested and to offer them the opportunity to run for a cause.
Why did you name it “Project Paulus”?
– We meditated on this for a long time. First, we decided to seek another word to describe a “Race of Petitions”.
“Paulus” came to mind because in 2009, not only during the Torch Race, rather also during our camp we became very interested in this person whom we had chosen as our model. In his time Paulus took the Church to all the world. Our main idea is to take Schoenstatt to the world. The name Project Paulus – for whom do you run? comes from this inheritance.
What is the meaning of the phrase: “For whom do you run”?
– This phrase has a short history (which is available on the Internet in the area “Impulse”). We were all enthused with this phrase since the beginning. This phrase should exhort each one to reflect and to ask oneself: for whom am I doing this? We should try to not always think about ourselves.
As you have already mentioned, the project wants to give others the opportunity of experiencing prayer in a different way. Does that mean that the people who want to participate can already do it by running or for example, by organizing walks?
– We have already discussed this question very much among ourselves, since we have already received proposals from people who want to participate by skiing, walking or by horseback. For this reason, we reached the conclusion that it is necessary to run in order to participate. We know that because of this many people will be excluded, but for us it is important to maintain the line “pray with the feet”, as it is also a way of offering sacrifice. Carrying our brethen’s burden to the limit of physical endurance, for this there are no specifications or pre-defined norms, each person must identify their own limit.
So it means to run, and how can someone register in order to particiopate?
– If someone wants to participate all they have to do is register at out web page: www.projektpaulus.de (in German) at the area designated for runners.
And if someone has a petition, how can they contact you?
– The easiest way is to write your petition on our web page under the subject: “Petitions” and send it to us.
Another possibility for people, who are not familiar with the Internet, is to contact one of the runners and they will place your petition on the Internet or símply mail it to me: (Stefan Treuer – Edelweissweg 4, 88326 Aulendorf). Shortly, we will circulate postcards for the purpose of gathering petitions.
Are there fixed goals or is the idea simply to run until you reach the limit of your strength and to do it for a specific cause?
– The main goal is to unite ourselves to God doing something for our brethen, helping them to carry their burden.
Another goal is for many youth, people, who like to run and everyone in general to exerience the great meaning of the omnipresent God in their daily lives, a “God who runs with us”. Through this race we symbolically take Schoenstatt to the world.
To take Schoenstatt to the world in a symbolic way in the sense that each runner places the number of kilometers they run on our web page, which are added up on our home page. Roads from Schoenstatt to the different places will be marked, with the miles that are run, . Our first goal is Berlin, for this we need 555 kilometers.
This project just began a month ago, what has happened since then?
– As of now 55 runners have registered and we have already received many petitions. 224 kilometers have already been run and this with temperatures below zero and with snow. Anyway the number of runners and the kilometers run are increasing every day.
I am also very excited about the amount of written messages in our visitors’ book, because here not only the runners can write; rather the people who want to send us their petition can also tell their personal experience.
I took this from a message that I liked very much and it says:
It is an undescribable sensation! For me, who was not able to participate in the Torch Race, it is a very new sensation to run for a petition of another person. It is truly incredible how much strength developed within me after the 10 kilometers in the cold, I could still continue to run. One can perfectly feel, how a person, sustained by faith and with ones thoughts placed on the petition received can continue to run. It is simply super, the sensation of arriving to the goal exhausted, reaching the limit of our strength, but with the beautiful feeling of carrying out something for someone.
Another person concluded his message with the following words:
…I will carry the petition I received with me for the rest of my life.
What do you desire for the future of Project Paulus?
– Of course, I would like to reach the goals that have already been mentioned.
I hope that all the runners who join Project Paulus will experience what we did during the Torch Race or what those who have already started to run are experiencing with this project.
Of course, it would be wonderful if many more people who have nothing to do with Schoenstatt would also become interested in this project.
I hope that soon we will also have a web page in English and Portuguese, in order to create a connection and that we can start a collective “us”.
Proyect Paulus – for whom do you run? (in German) www.projektpaulus.de
>> Proyect Paulus will soon be on the schoenstatt.de web page in the area of Apostolic Action – “Youth”.
Translation: Celina Garza, San Antonio /Melissa Janknegt, Elgin, USA
