Fr. José María García. Just over two weeks ago the news went round Schoenstatt that gave rise to great consternation and strong feelings of concern, pain, sadness, lack of understanding … Together with these echoes an even bigger wave of solidarity in prayer and contributions to the capital of grace was set in motion: as of 30 June this year the Secular Institute of the Schoenstatt Sisters of Mary has withdrawn Sr M. Kornelia, member of Team 2014 and responsible editor of this internet website and its predecessors, from all her tasks in the field of communication.
This decision gave rise to a crisis in Team 2014 and its longstanding plan of work, but also new commitment to continue the planned communication projects, in particular schoenstatt.org, in the service of the stream of grace that took shape in the 2014 Conference and urges our international Schoenstatt Family towards the jubilee of the covenant of love through its international network and missionary creativity.
It is not the purpose of this article to explain the decision taken by the government of the Sisters of Mary. This has been done by the Sisters themselves in a letter to all the Institutes, Federations and responsible leaders of the Movement. It is even less concerned with evaluating the tremendous work done by Sr Kornelia in the Movement and outside it. She is known for her substantial professional work as a journalist. The nine thousand or more articles she has written, as well as the numerous seminars to train and school trainees, working teams, translators, correspondents and editors speak for themselves. One task has brought about a vital connection between all concerned, on the one hand, and the profound solidarity of all with our common focal point – the Original Shrine – on the other, for example, through the “covenant greetings”, the “stars” at the Crib, and much more.
The aim of this article is rather that, following the necessary time for thought and discussion between colleagues and those responsible, and in the spirit spread by Sr Kornelia, we want to continue with all that we have learnt together. We want to do so with a new commitment and great hope, which grow from the covenant of love precisely in such situations.
Even more than before www.schoenstatt.org is “our” website, our common work
“Now it depends on us, on our loyalty to the mission!” These are the words of Monina Crivelli, Buenos Aires. “Until now it has been simple and just wonderful with Sr Kornelia in Schoenstatt, who ran the whole show and saw to everything. Now our loyalty is being tested after we have been given so much over so many years. So this is now even more than before our website.”
At the end of June Monina Crivelli, a trusted colleague of Sr Kornelia from the beginning in all aspects of schoenstatt.org, who has had a great deal of experience in Schoenstatt’s world of communication as a result of her longstanding work as Secretary General of the Campaign of the Pilgrim Mother in Argentina, will take over the editorial responsibility and overall co-ordination of the website (co-ordination of the network of colleagues, choice of articles and final editorial work). With the full support of the people currently responsible for the website www.schoenstatt.org, she will carry on her tasks. We therefore ask you to send all articles, testimonies, reports and experiences to the address info@schoenstatt.org (or monina@schoenstatt.org) as from the end of June.
The translators and many other colleagues are busy continuing their tasks until now with a high degree of self-organisation. New and earlier colleagues join the team of schoenstatt.org because they feel called upon in this situation to offer active support and collaboration – for example, Pitty Reiche (translator for Fr Kentenich’s process of beatification), Tita Andras, Marissa Ludos, as well as Tomás Rinke (Argentina), IT specialist and Diploma in Engineering, and Alejandro Reid (Chile), in the context of Schoenstatt International Communications Office 2014, of which schoenstatt.org is one of his core fields of work, and youth out of our Movement, who are at present collaborating in the Organisation Office of the World Youth Day in Madrid.
If all do “that little bit more” (as John Pozzobon taught and said again and again) – either in editing or correcting texts before they are sent in, or through their own initiative at work – everything will continue well and with sufficient efficiency and fruitfulness, because it is our common work. We will miss Sr Kornelia, but out of gratitude to her and in solidarity with her and her mission, we ask everyone to continue to send in news and articles and to visit our website www.schoenstatt.org. That is our active answer through faith in Divine Providence to all the questions that have been raised in these days.
The International Communications Office 2014
In these days we are busy revising the communication concept of the Jubilee 2014 – a concept of participatory and interconnecting communication. Schoenstatt’s International Communications Office 2014 (SICO2014 an acronym of the English title) is responsible for applying, co-ordinating and implementing the necessary measures for this policy of communication, which is derived from the message of the international planning conference 2014, and implemented in its communications. This office is situated in the “East Wing” of the Bundesheim (Covenant House) as part of the Jubilee Offices, and is subject to the Team 2014. Fr José María García, together with Sr M. Luciane Machens as the person in charge of Team 2014, takes on the task of Director General of SICO2014, and is therefore the final authority for their common work and the work of all its departments (Internet website, social network, newsletter, publications, etc.) The new rooms in the Bundesheim and our office will soon be filled with people who are enthusiastic about communication, who are prepared to work on every aspect of communication, and who are waiting to hear the stories and testimonies of visitors to Schoenstatt. We hope to welcome them all with a good cup of Cappuccino, with time and a personal interest in their experiences in living the covenant, which we will be celebrating together on 18 October 2014.
Team 2014
The triennium of spiritual and organisational preparation will be marked by the currents of life that connect our worldwide Schoenstatt Family. A fundamental instrument for such work is an efficient and participatory network of communication. Sr Kornelia and her large team of colleagues has been a “pillar” of this work with currents of life in the past years. Since we are already fully involved in the organisational work of developing and forming working teams, it is neither possible nor meaningful to replace her in Team 2014, in which there are no clearly defined spheres of work, with the exception of Dr Link, the General Manager of the jubilee. However, we are looking for colleagues who are able to make a contribution to the various working groups – in communication and elsewhere – in the spirit of solidarity and co-operation that makes up our work.
The motto of our jubilee is “Your Covenant our Mission”. In the spirit of this covenant with Mary and one another we want to work for the mission she has accepted for our times by making her visible in our own work and service. We are convinced that the message of our jubilee to the world at large is that of a covenant that can create a culture. Let us ask our Father and Founder to help us with his intercession, so that our work is an expression of this covenant culture, which we have to give to the men and women of the second century of our Family history.
Translation: Mary Cole, Manchester, England
