POLAND, Violetta Wilandt. Since June 2008, the Schoenstatt Family at the Shrine in Bydgoszcz (Sanctuarium Fidentiae) had prepared for the Feast of crowning the Blessed Mother as the Queen of Confidence. The Crowning Feast was celebrated on June 18th in the presence of many pilgrims and friends.
During the preparations, they had worked on every symbol of the crown and gotten to know great people of confidence such as: Bl. John Paul II, Fr. Josef Kentenich, Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński and Cardinal Ignacy Jeż. Especially during their preparation, they tried to learn more about the deep life, charisma, and pedagogy of Fr. Kentenich. They considered this year being the year of the Father Current and the Crowning Feast that was also part of the preparation for Jubilee 2014 a great gift for their community.
Symbols on the Crown from community life
In their crown they have these symbols:
- The shape of crown – connected with their Schoenstatt sources of the Original Shrine and the Shrine of Faithfulness in Świder
- 3 Rubies – symbol of the Trinity and Mother Thrice Admirable
- 4 Daisies – symbol of faithfulness of Bl. John Paul II, Fr. Josef Kentenich, Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński and Cardinal Ignacy Jeż
- 5 Stars – symbol of Fr. Kentenich’s pedagogic system
- Rose from their Cathedral Church in Bydgoszcz – link to their diocese and history of Schoenstatt Movement in Bydgoszcz
- TOTUS TUUS – confidence and life of the Holy Father John Paul II
- One part of Rosary – symbol of all their communities gathered in Sanctuarium Fidentiae and everyday rosary prayer
- The Cross – reminds them that cross is a part of their life as a difficulty and blessing.
Preparing with prayer
For some months they’ve also worked hard for the organization of the Crowning Feast, using all their powers and energy. There were some difficult moments also, when enthusiasm was low and their abilities were less. That‘s why since October18, 2010, they prayed a 9-month prayer to prepare for this crowning. The last month they have given thanks to God and the MTA for the crowning feast.
The Crowning Feast–changing lives
The Crowning Feast took place on Saturday, June 18th, 2011. It was a very special and beautiful day for the whole Schoenstatt Family.
The Family gave Mary the crown as the sign of their thankfulness for Her presence and activity in them, their families and communities, in their diocese and the Church. They were thankful for: the ten years of Sanctuarium Fidentiae, twenty-five years of the Schoenstatt Movement in the Bydgoszcz diocese, and for the beatification of John Paul II. They also expressed their deep love to Mary and confidence in their everyday lives, both their personal and community lives.
In the name of the Bydogoszcz Schoenstatt Family, the Bishop of Bydgoszcz, Jan Tyrawa, gave the crown to the MTA during Holy Mass at 11 am. In the homily, Bishop Jan Tyrawa underlined the Schoenstatt Family’s task from the second reading – the Letter of Apostle Paul to the Romans (Rom. 12:9-16) – where St. Paul called us do love each other, to be patient, to have passionate spirit, to be persistent in prayers, and above all to bless all people. The Bishop said that our Christianity is not concentrated on what is external, but in having spiritual inner benefits. Each of person should change because of today Crowning Feast, not for that only, but also each meeting with the MTA should change us, because it’s a meeting with God, who acts. Every meeting with God should change us, so we can change the world and be witnesses of God. Let every meeting with God and the MTA change us, so we can go on as better people, more human and more connected with God.
The future of Schoenstatt and the Church
After the Holy Mass, the young people–who are the future of Schoenstatt and the Church– brought the picture of MTA to the Shrine. For all the people, the time to celebrate was here. There was an opportunity to visit the Queen and pray, to talk with the members of Schoenstatt from the allover Poland, to celebrate and enjoy this moment. That afternoon they also had an opportunity to see the history of Schoenstatt and their Shrine and look back on those twenty-five years…
On a personal note: “For me personally it’s amazing gift of God and Blessed Mother that I had a part in preparations for crowning MTA in two very important places: in the Shrine Mother of Unity in Rokitnica and the Shrine of Confidence in Bydgoszcz. The great gifts and tasks for me are to live and carry these two ideals: unity and confidence.
On June 18th, I personally thanked the Blessed Mother for my getting to know Schoenstatt, discovering my vocation, and all my experiences with Movement. This was also my 10th anniversary of the Covenant of Love.”
English edition: Melissa Janknegt, Elgin, USA
