USA, Carlos Cantú. The Schoenstatt Movement in the Diocese of Brownsville (Texas) hosted a mini Marian Conference on Saturday, June 4, 2011. The event was planned and directed by the Schoenstatt Rosary Campaign. It was held at Christ the King Church in Brownsville, Texas from 10:00 A.M. to 3:00 P.M. Almost 200 persons were in attendance. The more than 60 Pilgrim MTA’s demonstrated the presence of Our Lady’s great Visitation throughout the Diocese of Brownsville. In addition to the diocese’s Auxiliary, 8 Novenarias graced the beautifully decorated parish hall where the conference was held.
The Novenarias…
I should explain a little about the Novenarias. The Novenarias are in the shape of the Pilgrim MTAs; however, they are much, much larger. I am probably incorrect about the dimensions, but they stand at approximately 4 feet in height and are about 3 feet in width, so they are quite large. Some time ago, Raquel Guillen, a most faithful and dedicated Schoenstatt member, had the inspiration of circulating these Novenarias with a purpose. In Spanish, the word novenaria is related to a novena, nine days of prayer. She invites a family or household to receive the Novenaria in their home, but they must pray the novena to our Mother Thrice Admirable, Queen and Victress of Schoenstatt for 9 days and all together. After the nine days of the novena, they are invited to receive the Pilgrim MTA in their home, and thus they participate in the Schoenstatt Rosary Campaign. At the moment, she has 11 Novenarias circulating and there are 11 different persons in charge of these Novenarias. This is quite an apostolate spearheaded by an 80 plus year old!
Covenant of Love
After a short welcome, the conference began with the recitation of the most holy Rosary. Speakers for the event included Schoenstatt Father Héctor Vega, director of the Schoenstatt Movement in Texas and Schoenstatt Sister of Mary, Sr. M. Gloria Mauricio from the Confidentia Shrine/Schoenstatt Center in Rockport/Lamar, Texas.
Fr. Vega’s talk focused on proclaiming the Covenant of Love. He stressed the history of Covenant in salvation history.
Sr. Gloria stressed how to live the Covenant of Love in daily life. Both presentations were very enlightening and provided much food for thought for the participants.
A lovely floral crown for the Auxiliary
After a break for lunch, the conference continued with living testimonies. Three ladies: Dora González, Marilú Zamora, and Esperanza Alemán, shared their experiences with the Mother Thrice Admirable. A great procession ensued to the church for the celebration of the Mass. The procession was led by the Auxiliary. Following were the Novenarias and the Pilgrim MTA’s. After the homily, a beautiful crowning prayer was prayed by everyone present, and the Auxiliary received a lovely floral crown.
Smiling faces and cordial farewells indicated the blessedness of the day!
Photos
