GERMANY, Wolfang Fella. A small crown accompanied everyone, who arrived to the annual celebration at the Shrine of Marienhöhe in Würzburg, finally in the afternoon; it found its definitive place in shrine once again. During the morning Holy Mass on the Feast of Saints Peter and Paul, the Diocesan President, Father Achim Wenzel explained precisely why both the apostles had their place beside the altar. In the end, like rock and pilgrim they reflect the diversity within the Church and with this they are also an excellent image for the different members and projects of the Schoenstatt Movement.
The Church, with its changes, urgently needs places where faith can be rooted. In the diocese of Würzburg, spiritual centers should be available, among which, for example, those close to the convents and in the future they can also count on the Shrine of Marienhöhe.
Schoenstatt’s 100 years
After lunch, everything revolved around Schoenstatt’s 100 years. A musical was presented by the Girls’ Youth to a hall that was completely full, with approximately 300 spectators. “Their hearts were on fire” they took the participants to the origins of Schoenstatt from the years previous to 1914 to its founding. The youths looked back to that time that was traveled – however, they also searched for a reference that would make these messages current today that invited them to be heroines in the present time. In live scenes the “shrine mice” appeared like the “best friends”, and the audience was invited several times to participate by dancing.
Continuing with the Jubilee in its second pole in Rome, Gerhard Pfenning, of the Institute of Diocesan Priests, from his new post of information at Belmonte, called attention to the International Shrine and to the International Schoenstatt Center in Rome, the same one that waits for the pilgrims from the entire world.
Crowning – A useful explanation for the day to day
Finally, after 2 years of going on pilgrimage through the members of the Diocesan Family, the crown was at the center, on a red cushion. Father Wenzel and the representatives of the different groups prepared the inner and the exterior side of the renewal of the crowning, so that it was not only shown as an act of veneration and devotion of Mary. They wanted to show the experience of the day to day in a concrete way. To believe that the crowned Queen can show us new roads and opportunities even in difficult situations.
Name the needs – seek solutions and accept limitations – and, finally present all the concerns with the desire of making my things Hers: this is how the triple step was presented, to which, then, everyone was invited to participate, writing their personal concerns on little slips of paper.
Jubilee: Not a backwards gaze, but rather a forward sending forth
They went to the shrine with full jugs and the crown in front. There, Father Gerhard Pfenning went to the altar to place the crown in its place once again. With the solemn final blessing the entire community was invited to not only to look backwards, much to the contrary, to allow themselves to be sent forth once again from the Shrine.
Original: German – Translation: Celina M. Garza, San Antonio, TX USA
