ROME, mda. When the editorial team of schoenstatt.org congratulated Fr Francisco Pistilli on his appointment at Bishop of Encarnacion in Paraguay last Saturday, and promised him our prayers, he replied immediately, “Many thanks to you all. Please take me with you to the shrine.” “Take me with you to the shrine”. We can be sure that many have done this, and continue to do so, and some have already expressed this openly to schoenstatt.org as a sign of living their solidarity in the covenant of love. In the shrine of all of us in Rome, Fr Frantisek acted immediately after reading the news and took Fr Francisco Pistilli to the shrine – and whoever has entered the shrine since last Sunday for Holy Mass, the Rosary, for Adoration or personal prayer, can hardly do anything else than pray for the new Bishop …
A large photo of Fr Francisto Pistilli, the Regional Superior of the Schoenstatt Fathers of the Father Region in Argentina, who will be ordained bishop on 20 December in Paraguay, can be found at the front of the shrine along with a card with the words: Let us pray for Paraguay. Beside it is the jar from Tuparenda, the national shrine of the Schoenstatt Family in Paraguay. The large photos bears the words in Italian for all those who might not yet have received the news: Appointment of Fr Francisco Pistilli as Bishop of Encarnacion.
The news of the Bishop’s appointment was a call to Fr Frantisek from the Czech Republic, who is working as Rector of Belmonte at present, to act in solidarity: the jar from Tuparenda, Paraguay was placed in the shrine, along with a photo and the call to pray.
It is quite simply a sign: here in our shrine we pray for the new Bishop, for his diocese and for the Church in Paraguay.
That fits to this shrine in the heart of the Church, for this shrine that bears responsibility for all who are united in the covenant of love, and this strong community united in solidarity with one another, with Mary, the Mother Thrice Admirable of Schoenstatt, and our Lord Jesus Christ. In this community united in solidarity, in which the principle of co-operation naturally applies: In an emergency or time of need each one can count upon the solidarity of the others. The only thing is that the element of love, love in solidarity, is added. And that places a large photo in the shrine…
Let us pray for our new Bishop Fr Francisco Pistilli and for Paraguay.
Original: German. Translation: Mary Cole, Manchester, England
