INTERNATIONAL, mkf. It is about a month until World Youth Day that will take place in Madrid. Two Schoenstatt Youth Branches, Boys’ and Girls’, are preparing throughout the world for the International Retreat prior to World Youth Day, and for the common commitment of being in the midst of thousands of youth from allover the world gathered in Madrid in August 2011, in the heart of the young Church. Both Youth Branches will have an International Retreat there: the Girls’ at one place, the Boys’ at another, and then together. Last September the Girls’ Youth formulated the motto for their international retreat in Madrid: “With you, Father, a living crown for the Church.”
A letter from Clara Aymerich, Theresia Trunk, Sister M. Monserrat, and Sister M. Anastasia states: “The Blessed Mother has given us the feeling of being one Youth with the same beginning, the same home, the same ideal and the same mission.” “We were surprised that in spite of this workshop being prepared and convoked in such a short time, the response was so great: ten countries sent delegates (we were thirty in total) and six sent us their contributions thereby participating via a video-conference.”
They overcame the diversity of languages, they took the time to listen and to understand each other, they enjoyed the variety of cultures, they sang international songs, they had common experiences in the Shrine, and at Father Kentenich’s tomb: it was a small experience in advance of what will happen in Madrid in 2011, and naturally also in Schoenstatt and Rome in 2014.
Living crown
“We were surprised that there were so many coincidences not only in the voices of time, but also in how we responded as Girls’ Youth in what we want and therefore, to what we aspire,” stated a summary of the experience. We still need an intense exchange, even with four video-conferences among the countries. Meanwhile, the motto – unanimously formulated – was born for the International Retreat: “With you, Father, a living crown for the Church.”
What does this motto mean? Why a crown? They explained that this was related with the current of real life, with the history, and above all with the year 2000. Concretely: “The expression, “Living Crown,” emerged practically from the beginning, since it is a very strong current in the majority of the countries and in it we feel very united. To be a Living Crown is to aspire to the highest, a small Mary, to be that woman, who like the Immaculata is a joyful, firm, brave, coherent personality who desires to unite faith with life, that radiates and ignites others wherever they are. Joyfully, we realized that we are not alone in this desire; we are a community and all of us form a part of this Living Crown that has come to us as a precious inheritance.
Since this history does not begin with us or with our generation, but rather is a gift that we have received from the hands of our Father, Father Kentenich gave us the RTA crown, and with it he gave us a mission. Moreover this crown came alive when Divine Providence allowed it to be lost, and therefore the International Youth became aware that the crown is to be embodied: all of us form Mary’s crown, no girl can be left out.
The entire Schoenstatt world becomes manifested in the Living Crown (the reality of the Covenant of Love with the Blessed Mother in the Shrine, the heroism of the sodalists, the solidarity of destinies, etc.) Thus the World Youth Day crown will be resplendent!
Crown and Crown
This is where the logo of World Youth Day in Madrid comes into play: “We saw how a very strong voice that is precisely in the symbol for World Youth Day is also a living crown formed by the Catholic youth around the Holy Father. Isn’t this a very clear invitation that, as International Girls’ Youth, we secure the World Youth Day crown with our RTA? It would be a great gift for the Pope that along with showing the face of a young Church, positive and joyful, we also show the true face of Mary and her mission for the Church and the world. Our retreat is framed within World Youth Day, and for this reason, we consciously give our charism to the Church, and with it, we also show the crown of our Father and Founder’s holiness. Father founded Schoenstatt almost one hundred years ago with youth. With him, we also want to be a gift for the Church with our works. This is the reason for the second part of the motto: – a living crown for the Church. Precisely because of the crisis and critical issues that shake the Church in Germany, isn’t it necessary to be brilliant, credible, fascinating witnesses of a living faith? Perhaps we could give the Church the greatest gift, and in addition, also to the world, precisely by our being…Father Kentenich always thought of Schoenstatt as a gift, an enrichment for the Church, and that this has to become more and more a reality,” the young Germans continued.”
In the Year of the Father Current
Since last October 18th, the International Schoenstatt Family has been on pilgrimage in the Year of the Father Current toward the year 2014. The Girls’ Youth got ahead of the rest of the Family, (naturally!) and since September, they included “With you, Father in their motto”… “It is in this loyalty to the Father and to the history of almost a hundred years, that we want to say: ‘With you, Father’ we give the richness of our charism to the Church. We also realized that The Living Crown is a very clear response to the challenges that the reality of the Church and the world present to us today”. “We, the younger generation, want to actively work to shape this era. We do not want to look the other way, we do not want to hide, and moreover we want to tell others what is important to us! In summary: we want to be convinced and to be convincing. To remove the mask, this is simply what is asked. This is clearly seen in the multiple projects and initiatives that each one exposed…” stated a letter directed to the circle of leaders of the Schoenstatt Girls’ Youth in Germany.
When and where?
The International Boys’ and Girls’ Youth Retreat will be held on August 14th in Madrid. The Girls will be close to the Shrine of Pozuelo, and the boys will be in the vicinity of the City Shrine, on Serrano Street. On the afternoon of August 17th, both youth groups will meet at the Pozuelo Shrine. On August 18th, there will be a program for the pilgrims who arrive to both Schoenstatt centers in Madrid, and simultaneously there will be missionary work in the city. On August 20th and 21st, the Schoenstatt Youth from allover the world will participate in a solemn vigil and Holy Mass with the Holy Father: “for the Church”.
> Official Page: World Youth Day 2011 in Madrid
Translation Spanish/English: Celina M. Garza – English edit: Melissa Peña-Janknegt
