BOLIVIA, Roberto Henestrosa y Alexandra Kempff. The Schoenstatt Family in Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia hosted a week filled with apostolic activities geared towards the apostolic formation of families in this Jubilee year. They invited Cardinal Julio Terrazas and the Jensens — Pilar Escudero and Luis Jensen — members of the Schoenstatt Secular Institute of Families in Santiago de Chile.
After the intense rains that flooded almost half of the country and caused a great deal of suffering to families, the week kicked off the start of the Schoenstatt year in Santa Cruz de la Sierra.
In times of rain and suffering
It was difficult to avoid the pain for so many people who lived this drama (about 33.700 families were affected, neighbours to the most marginalized areas of Bolivia) and they were present in the prayers. The participants reflected that at times we find ourselves in the same situation as these people: at the limit of our endurance, where the sun is absent and rivers are overflowing, without relent.
Visit by Cardinal Julio Terrazas
On 2 February, Feast of the Presentation of the Child Jesus at the Temple, the Blessed Mother received a visit by Cardinal Julio Terrazas at the largest wayside shrine in the world. It was a beautiful but windy day, which some participants interpreted as a symbol of the presence of the Holy Spirit.
Luis Jensen and Pilar Escudero also arrived at the wayside shrine in Santa Cruz: they remained in the city for a week to hold conferences. That day, about 150 young people of the charismatic community Young Missionaries were there on retreat. They formed a human chain to receive Cardinal Julio as a symbol of love.
Conferences by the Jensens
This week was full of conferences. Almost 70 doctors met to discuss medical ethics and fertility treatments. Some 80 women also attended a conference by Pilar on the current role of women in our society.
More than one hundred young people attended a seminar on “Promoting life and responsible sexuality”. The series of conferences ended with a retreat for couples focusing on responsible parenthood and a final seminar which more than a hundred married couples attended.
This work is for the unity of families, thus writing the history of Schoenstatt in the field of the apostolic formation of families.
Original: Spanish. Translation: Kohnie Valderrama, Madrid, Spain
