BRAZIL, Sister. M. Nilza. More than 600 missionaries gathered near Tabor of Hope, Brasilia, on September 12th to commemorate the 60th Anniversary of the Schoenstatt Rosary Campaign and renewed their commitment to take the graces of the Shrine to the families. They came from the Archdiocese of Brasilia, the Archdiocese of Militar, the Dioceses of Formosa and Luziania/GO.
Exemplary missionaries
It was almost incredible! They arrived early, and a line to enter the house of the Mother and Queen already had formed. No one asked for silence, because it was not necessary. They prayed, but were respectful of others who were also praying. They entered and left the Shrine, spontaneously taking turns, so that everyone could enter. The atmosphere was one of silence and much prayer.
Others were already at the tent organizing the seating, or in the kitchen helping to prepare the lunch without anyone having to ask for help, while others distributed the brochures or volunteered for any other task. They simply took part: the Shrine and the day of encounter is ours!
By doing this, they immediately felt like family ready to celebrate the 60th Anniversary of the Schoenstatt Rosary Campaign.
With the blessing of the origin
In the opening prayer, the first glance was for John Louis Pozzobon and gratitude to God for his holy life. Then, with the coordination of Sister M. Liliana Diaz, the missionaries told the Mother and Queen the name of each family for whom each one was responsible. Everyone was present in the Shrine, at that moment, when there was an average of 72,000 people that the Blessed Mother welcomed on that morning.
She is touched when the missionaries give their backs to the Shrine, and they take the Pilgrim MTA to the ministers, the senate and representatives, who are in front of the place of grace. With the Pilgrim MTA extended towards the headquarters of the federal government, they ask that through the new elections, new leaders, who will struggle for pro-life, will be chosen in these places. They recall that this also depends on the “Nothing without you and nothing without us!”
Two MTA Auxiliaries are present, before them, the missionaries recall the sixty years of history in a litany of gratitude, and they pray confident of participating in the blessing that the Founder, Father Joseph Kentenich gave to the campaign. “My shoulders are your altar,” they prayed. “Here we take you to the families so that they may encounter you and your Shrine.”
Builders of history, assuming the mission
Then, everyone went to the tent, where Sister M. Liliana led a reflection with them after the reception at each place. Sister said: “Today we contemplate the wonders that were carried out during the 60 years of the Schoenstatt Rosary Campaign. The next 60 years are in our hands. We are the missionaries for the new times, we need to assume the mission.”
All the missionaries, who participated in the missionary conference in 2009, received the mantle of the mission. Today, other missionaries will receive this same mantle. It was a very touching moment, since the Schoenstatt mission for the next 60 years was placed on their shoulders.
The world of the Campaign is in my hands
The program for the afternoon began with this consciousness of historic responsibility, when they prayed the rosary together, contemplating on each mystery with a reading of the life left by Deacon Pozzobon, while a globe was passed from hand to hand: “The world of the campaign is in my hands!” And as a sign of assuming it for the new 60 years, the missionaries prayed the prayer of sending forth in unison; it was the same prayer with which they began the mission.
With these reflections, it was time to have a great celebration! Moreover it began with “Happy Birthday” and by cutting the Campaign birthday cake. Everyone enjoyed his/her piece of the festive cake.
We need brave and holy missionaries
Father Fernando José Teixeira, chaplain of the Shrine, presided at the Holy Mass, and to the more than one thousand people who were present, he said that Jesus began his mission when his mother took Him to Elizabeth’s house. In the same way, today, He wants to continue his mission in the arms of his mother, visiting the families. Wherever the mother arrives, the family is filled with joy. She deserves all our respect and gratitude. The priest recalled Pozzobon as someone who was not afraid to evangelize. In the same way today, the coordinators and the missionaries are brave people, who do not spare any effort to carry out their mission.
He continued to speak about Pozzobon’s holiness, “The Church does not make saints, it only recognizes when someone has lived a saintly life. John Louis Pozzobon did not become holy only by taking the Pilgrim MTA to families, rather, with this mission, he cultivated the virtues of holiness, and he lived that way. In the new sixty [years], we should also be saints in our mission.”
The Queen of Peace Choir accompanied the celebration and lent their rhythm to the joyful songs. After the Holy Eucharist, Father Fernando renewed the blessing of all the Pilgrim MTAs that were present, and each one was sent forth with new graces to begin to write more pages of history. Our shoulders will be the altar for the next sixty years.
Source: maeperegrina.com.br
Translation: Celina Garza, San Antonio/Melissa Janknegt, Elgin, USA
