mda. A journalist once asked an old parish priest in Cologne if his very small parish church was big enough for his whole congregation. With typical Rheinland humour the priest replied, “If all go in, all can’t get in. But if not all go in, all get in.” Something similar applies to the jubilee celebrations in Schoenstatt and Rome for which the worldwide Schoenstatt Movement has been preparing spiritually and organisationally for five years. In a nutshell: For a long time the whisper has gone around that not everyone could fit in. Or, to put it another way: There isn’t enough room, you won’t reach the Original Shrine, you’ll be lost in the crowd, and you will be staying miles away. None of that is true. Above all, those who have booked through IQ Incoming, as suggested, will not be staying further than 30 km from Schoenstatt. In Rome everything is much more relaxed – such a city can “swallow” a few thousand pilgrims and not even notice it. However, everyone even at the last minute will still get in, as some last minute deciders have already found out …
As the 2014 Press Office has reported, the largest groups – after Germany, which has 700 helpers – , are from Chile, Paraguay, Argentina, Brazil and Ecuador, each of which is bringing 200-400 pilgrims. According to Clemens Mann, the Jubilee Press Officer, larger groups are also coming from Spain and Poland. A total of 50 countries have announced groups of pilgrims – fewer than at first expected (or feared, depending on your perspective). As expected, all the groups that have booked via their national travel agents with the central agents in Germany have a particularly easy time. “Whoever travels with an agency doesn’t have to worry about arrival and departure, hotels, or transfers from the airport to their hotel, or from their hotel to Schoenstatt. Also those with tickets from the agency will have an easy time. 70% of the agency customers could be accommodated within 30 km of Schoenstatt. For the pilgrims this means that they will spend less time travelling and more time in Schoenstatt itself.” Thus far the information of the Press Office. And the good news: Groups of more than 20 can still make last minute bookings via IQ Incoming.
Independent initiative also possible
Small groups, or individuals, who want to come to the jubilee celebrations need only book the pilgrim’s ticket. However, this is essential if you want to take part in the events and also the meals in Schoenstatt. Everything else can be arranged independently: Hotels, journeys, insurance, etc. In the meantime even the last minute individual pilgrims have already discovered: it is just as impossible to go by car to the Original Shrine as to sleep on an air mattress in the foyer of the Sonnenau. “The Office 2014 asks all visitors to book the necessary participants’ cards early enough, and when considering whether to travel to Schoenstatt by car, bus or train to remember that there is a wide exclusion zone for all traffic around the Jubilee arena.” The houses in Schoenstatt are already accommodating all who are helping with the event. A Swiss family that “wanted to arrive a little later and stay a little longer” than their national group was somewhat surprised that they had to see to everything for themselves. Nevertheless, a few days ago an Argentinean family was still able to find a hotel room right at Koblenz station, and from there they will be able to travel to Schoenstatt quite comfortably every day. The motto is, of course: Look for it yourself! That’s what you wanted! “I am really sorry for those who have been put off by the rumours from travelling with their national group, and now find that they have to organise everything for themselves”, a Spanish couple remarked. “We are simply happy that we don’t have to worry about anything, because we are travelling in such a relaxed way with our Spanish pilgrimage group.”
By the way, the editors of schoenstatt.org do not have the possibility to conjure up a bed on the doorstep of Schoenstatt, or to offer advice about hotels – they really don’t!
And since, for various reasons, not all are going – to quote the old parish priest from Cologne once more – you can be absolutely sure that everyone will get into the pilgrims’ arena, the exhibitions, the catering facilities, and above all, the Original Shrine with its new, warm paint outside and the covenant of love inside. To be there is more important than hotel, transport, insurance, and everything else one would have preferred to have differently or to have done differently ….
In the final weeks and days before the Jubilee the Press Office 2014 will be giving out a great deal of information and organisational detail to the worldwide Schoenstatt Family. Among other things there is a checklist for all pilgrims who have not booked via their national group and/or IQ Incoming. You will find these and all further official and organisational notifications in German, English, Spanish and Portuguese at the official jubilee website: www.schoenstatt2014.org.
With material from Press Releases by
Schoenstatt International 2014 Communications Team
Original German, translation M. Cole UK
