USA, Sally LeRoy. Where were you when Pope Francis was elected? The Schoenstatt Family of Arizona was together and celebrated Mass for him. How did it happen? Invited by Ben DuMontier, a student at the University of Arizona, in Tucson, Schoenstatt Father Mark Niehaus spoke to the students on “Call to Holiness” and gave talks at “Theology on Tap.” Before leaving, Fr. Niehaus and Ben DuMontier visited the small Arizona Schoenstatt Family of on the evening of March 13th, the very day of the Pope Francis’ election. The meeting took place in the “Mother of Good Counsel” Home shrine in presence of the Auxiliary Pilgrim MTA for Arizona.
They prayed together, enjoyed chips, salsa and Arizona tea, and caught up on Schoenstatt news like the Home Shrine Congress in June and Jubilee 2014 – very important for a small and remote Schoenstatt family not yet accustomed to searching for information and connecting via the Internet.
Filling the jars
In Jeanne Gagnon`s home shrine “Gentle Mother”, Fr. Mark Niehaus and the small community celebrated Holy Mass for the new Holy Father.
At the beginning, Father Niehaus introduced something he uses at every meeting with the Boys’ youth. He said it quiets them right down, and it did the same with the more “mature” Arizona Schoenstatt folks. He gave them each a piece of paper with the words “Mother I offer to you…” and “Mother I ask of you…” and they penciled in their personal thoughts. Then he passed the little jar around for each of them to put their intentions in – the capital of grace becoming “tangible” as happens in so many Schoenstatt Shrines where the jars are filled and as the worldwide Schoenstatt Family prays in the International Pilgrimage Prayer 2014: We fill the jars with our gifts…
Father Niehaus said we want to always bring something to the Blessed Mother; we are partners with her. He would take this little jar he brought with him, filled with words of gratitude, and intentions back to the International Shrine in Waukesha and place them in the big jar near the altar. It was a real feeling of being connected with FAMILY. “I love Father Niehaus, and that our words of our faith are “TANGIBLE” even in our hurried life; TANGIBLE stuck in my mind, as well as the feeling of knowing our intentions are going back with him to the International Shrine contributions’ jar,” one of the participants shared.
God needs fathers
Fr. Mark commented during Mass of the beauty of our new Pope’s election. We need a dad, we need a father, and knowing he’s the one steering the ship is so comforting. We need that tangible-ness of his being close to us. Our Blessed Mother makes tangible that our faith is alive. Allow the graces to flow, truly believe we are partners with one so full of grace, the Blessed Mother. We need the Pope and the graces he brings us. We’re very blessed. Father Niehaus shared that it’s so great when the dads run the boys groups, they draw graces. Jesus is in the presence of the dads, he wants parents, grandparents, fatherhood and the connection of all.
Fellowship and refreshments followed Mass. Father Niehaus gave an insight of his childhood days in a Schoenstatt Family, and of course many things were shared about his brother, Father Jonathan Niehaus, who died in January 2012.
Edition: mda, Melissa Janknegt
