USA, Katie Martin. The annual Texas Delegates Convention took place from October 12th to the 14th, 2012 at the Confidentia Shrine in Lamar, Texas. Representatives and leaders of the Movement branches in each diocese participated from Brownsville, Houston, Corpus Christi, Dallas-Ft.Worth, San Antonio, and Austin. The purpose of this meeting was to review the life of the Movement in the past year and discern how we are called to live out this year of the Mission-Current. At the Convention, we discussed three big topics shown below.
Who are we?
Never would I have expected that a coffee-shop conversation about a delegates’ convention would bring tears of joy to my friend’s eyes. But indeed, the unassuming mention of our dreams for the future of Schoenstatt in Texas had the power to move hearts! And why? Our dreams for the future are a whisper of God’s call to us of our hope for eternity. They are a deep reflection of (1) who we are (2) what our mission is (3) how we live that out.
We began our talks on Saturday remembering that we are a people formed in the Shrine and molded through our Covenant of Love. As the Year of the Shrine Current draws to a close, we recognize that the inner-transformation and self-knowledge we have gained through the Covenant and in the Shrine enables us to go out into the world to share this gift we have received.
What is our Mission?
John Goetschel, a Houston professional and young-adult representative, presented us with a clear answer. Our mission is that which Father Kentenich shared with us on May 31st 1949: to be “pioneers of organic thinking, living, and loving.” In this Year of the Mission Current, we must remember that organic thinking, living, and loving means that we do not compartmentalize or separate what God designed as a whole. Organic thinking means that all of the aspects of a person are in communication with one another—we know and honor our strengths and weaknesses; we recognize that every part of our life impacts every other part; we acknowledge that we are an integrated whole, not a compilation of parts. Fr. Jesus Ferras, director of the Schoenstatt Movement in Texas, added that this understanding of the person as an integrated whole is an answer to the crisis about the human person we experience in our times. In some ways, the world distracts us, and we forget what it is to be a whole human being. Organic living unites us within ourselves and with each other—it is the mystery of the Covenant; the mystery of the Unity Cross—that we are called out of the Shrine to share with the world.
How do we live-out our mission?
After focusing on defining our mission, we had ample time to discuss in mixed groups and as diocesan groups where we found newness in our mission, how we are already living our mission, and how we want to transmit and live it out. All of these discussions were aimed toward discerning a unifying motto for the year. As John reminded us, we want to be united when we act: “The man of a single idea changes the world.”
We discovered through group discussions, that we are united in our zeal for self-education and being an organic, integrated, whole (both as individuals and as a Schoenstatt Family). We are united in our excitement for spreading this renewal of inner-life and unity.
The current life in each diocese displayed the fire that all of us have for our mission. Four representatives from the Mothers’ Group from Corpus showed their enthusiasm this past September when they visited Atibaia in Brazil, where they joined tens of thousands of pilgrims. Representatives from Brownsville are focusing on self-education and interior freedom. La Feria Representatives shared their beautiful experiences from a pilgrimage to Schoenstatt, Germany and Switzerland.
Ideas for future projects to fuel our “mission-fire” included fundraising events, starting the Pilgrim Mother Campaign in new areas, speaking to parishes and reaching out to the larger community. Representatives from Corpus Christi want to create a bust of Fr. Kentenich as a gift for the Jubilee in 2014.
Father Jesus reminded us that all of these projects and dreams for spreading our mission would culminate in our united pilgrimage to Schoenstatt and Rome in 2014 to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the founding of Schoenstatt.
Our Motto
Looking at the life in Texas and connecting with each other, praying together at Mass on Sunday, it was time to synthesize what the Holy Spirit was telling us about ourselves as a Schoenstatt Family in Texas. Branch leaders from each diocese were selected to meet and write the motto for the year.
Thinking of our Covenant spirituality as the ultimate reflection of our focus on organic thinking, living, and loving and Father Kentenich’s call to be pioneers they announced that our motto for this is year will be, “In the Covenant, ablaze for our mission.”
In this time where many people struggle with mechanistic thinking, we realize that Our Lady has given us the “healing balm of heaven” to share with others. This healing balm is our Covenant of love, that is unity, that is inner-freedom, that is self-knowledge, that is organic thinking, living, loving. Call it all of these things, but it is one idea that will change the world.
Thank You!
I know I personally am deeply grateful to the fire I have seen within each of the people I met at this convention. I also want to particularly recognize all of the young people who created an amazing skit to fuel the flames: Megan, James, John, Michael, Annie, Karmina, Josh Ch. and Josh P. Thank you for enkindling my heart!
And this is the beautiful and powerful thing about fire: it is catching! As Our Lady showed me that day in the coffee shop, when my friend was moved to tears, our single idea—our mission—moves hearts. Let us go then, united in the heart of Mary, to renew the world! Amen.
