ARGENTINA, Mónica Jendrzejcyk. The day they had been dreaming about and waiting for finally arrived: March 25th, the Feast of the Annunciation of our Lord, the day of the “Child to be born”. The 120 missionaries booked their places in November 2011 to make sure they would be able to visit the Shrine of God the Father, in Florencio Varela. But now there was a bigger challenge: fitting all the missionaries, youth, children and adults onto the buses.
The missionaries always hold their annual pilgrimage during Advent, but this year God and our Blessed Mother wanted them to go during Lent. All of the missionaries wore their t-shirts with the motto of the year: “LIVING SHRINE, HOME FOR THE WORLD” as a way of saying, “Here we come, She is waiting for us.”
The date of the pilgrimage – a sign
Starting at the end of November 2011, they prayed the Rosary for unborn children every Sunday before the children’s Mass. It was beautiful to see how, little by little, the families and the children who had never prayed a meditative and living Rosary were able to do so. In this way, an atmosphere of love and respect was created in the Holy Name of Mary parish.
The Blessed Mother creates the atmosphere, creates the home, and therefore, out of love for these children who really need the prayers of older people, she will “work Miracles” in her time and at her own way.
They did not choose the feast of the Annunciation as the date for their pilgrimage. It was available and they took it. Trust in the Providence of God the Father is becoming increasingly difficult in our times, but these are small (or big) signs where God reveals himself. In this way, they can continue on their journey knowing that He has a Plan of Love for each person.
Twenty Covenants of Love
During this time, twenty people were preparing to seal their Covenant of Love. Five new missionaries also joined the group. Fr. Alberto Eronti celebrated Mass in the God the Father Church then accompanied them in all of the celebrations, and during one of these Masses, they renewed their missionary commitment.
This year, the pilgrimage brought together missionaries from the Our Lady of the Mountain (Tablada), San Nicolás de Bari (San Justo) and Virgin of Carmen (Ramos Mejia) parishes.
As Joao Pozzobon once said: “I know that we will meet with difficulties because it is being born. The child will go through difficulties but afterwards will see the light and life. It is a good sign when we encounter difficulties, because when everything is easy, the flame is also easily extinguished.”
And in this way, they will continue to make progress. The Blessed Mother gave them a day of peace, joy, family, and community. What child can resist the gifts of a Mother?
During the afternoon, they meditated on the Stations of the Cross, while watching the children running in between the trees.
Thank you Mother because our heart is already your home, because each time we visit the Shrine, we recharge our batteries and fill ourselves with courage and enthusiasm.
Translation: Sarah-Leah Pimentel, Pretoria, South Africa
