Schoenstatt on Kilimanjaro

KENYA/GERMANY, Andreas Gerner. On 11 January Chistoph Behmüller and Andreas Gerner, from Southern Germany, fulfilled their great dream At 8 a.m. in radiant sunshine they stood at the highest point in Africa, the peak of Mount Kilimanjaro at 5895 m. There they unfurled the Schoenstatt flag they had taken with them. Christoph, who is a member of the Schoenstatt Young Men, had carried with him his home shrine, and so they renewed their covenant of love and prayed in particular for the Schoenstatt Family in Africa.

The two mountain climbers had set out for Africa on the feast of the Epiphany, and reached Kilimanjaro in Tanzania via Kenya. A missionary from Canada recognised the Schoenstatt MTA in the plane, and this led to a fruitful exchange with Andreas, who is working in the Family Movement, about the various ecclesial communities in the Church.

Towards the “Point of Freedom”

Together with an international group, many porters and mountain guides, they followed the Rongai Route towards the peak. They spent the night in tents, and the closer they came to the top the colder and more barren it became.

They started the final assault on the peak at about midnight on the fourth day, and it lasted until the morning. Slowly, one step after the other, they climbed to the Uhuru Peak, the point of freedom, as the peak of Kilimanjaro is known. There was enough time for Andreas to reflect on his intentions and to hand over this mountain to God.

Finally they reached the top, which cost a great deal of effort because of the cold and the rarefied atmosphere, but the reward was all the greater.

One of the mountain guides told them that whenever he stood at the top, he prayed very intensively, because he felt he was closer to God.

At the highest point in Africa

Filled with gratitude for the gift of being able to stand at the highest point in Africa, the two soon began their descent. Perhaps Schoenstatt will reach other mountain peaks somewhere else in the world?