BRAZIL, Maria Rita Fanelli Vianna. In this Jubilee year, which is so rich in blessings and graces, the international Mothers’ Branch – each in their own country – is preparing a special gift for the Original Shrine in October 2014: the restored custodia, as an expression of our gratitude and readiness to be sent out again.
The custodia
The custodia, the monstrance where the Sacramental Jesus is exposed for Adoration, is the Mother’s Branch symbol because it expresses our ideal: our inheritance from our father and founder who said that the Schoenstatt mother follows Mary’s example to be the bearer, life-giver and servant of Christ for the family and society.
This is the ideal that motivates the Mother’s branch, leading them along the path of self-education and sanctity for ourselves and for those we meet along the way.
Like Mary and with our Educator, each mother seeks to give birth to Christ in her heart so as to become the Redeemer’s disciple and missionary, taking Him to all the spaces she inhabits.
Conquering the restored custodia
Inspired by the Mothers in Germany, many countries have joined spiritually to conquer the custodia, by living out the beautiful motto proposed for this year:
“and…you will be a blessing…” (Gen. 1:2). Mary, in Covenant with you, taking Christ to others.”
The starting point for this motto (it could not be any other way) is in a message by our father and founder to the Schoenstatt mothers:
“We want to make Christ present in all places: that he may live and reign in our hearts. Then endless blessings will radiate out from us.”
The meeting
The German Mothers’ Branch invited all the countries where the Branch is present to a meeting on the morning of 19 October 2014, consisting of with a welcome, meeting, testimonials and Holy Mass in the Pilgrim Church in the valley at Schoenstatt during which the restored custodia for the Original Shrine will be presented.
In Brazil
The Mothers’ League in Brazil, therefore, have proposed a ‘focus’ for each month of this Jubilee year, that is: to be a blessing to our husbands, our family, for the Church, for our friends, at work, for the Mothers’ League, for the Schoenstatt Movement, for society, a Jubilee blessing for the whole world.
The common activity is for each mother to turn spiritually each day towards the Original Shrine at 9 pm and there ask for our founder’s blessing for the striving of the month and to pray the Pilgrimage Prayer.
About eighty Brazilian mothers will go on pilgrimage to Schoenstatt in October and will, in addition to the Jubilee celebrations, will also attend this international meeting, where they will be able to meet other Schoenstatt mothers, share experiences, and sing the Magnificat together in gratitude and praise, for having been chosen by the Father of Love to live out this noble ideal!
Translated from the Portuguese by Sarah-Leah Pimentel, South Africa
