COSTA RICA, Derek Monturiol •
Sunday, 19 March at 5:00 a.m. on the Feast of St. Joseph, outside the Family of Hope Shrine where the doors were closed, it was still dark. More than forty men met along with Fr. Carlos Cox and Octavio Galarce, founder of the Madrugadores, who visited us from Chile for the blessing of the Shrine that was held the previous day.
We prayed the morning consecration kneeling at the foot of the Shrine…
“Father I may awake with new strength
to rekindle my love.
Let me joyfully greet you
Together with all your Schoenstatt.
We are united in the Shrine
where the flames of our hearts
beat for our Mother Thrice Admirable
who through us, wants to build your kingdom.
We kneel in the Holy Spirit
And sing jubilant hymns to Christ,
Who sends us with her as instruments
To change the destiny of nations.
(Greeting of Morning Consecration from “Heavenwards” p.13).
To make the Shrine “our own”
We wanted to make the recently blessed Shrine, “our own”; the shrine was built thanks to our contributions of many years along with the contributions of thousands of other people.
We all stood, and for the first time, entered as a group of Madrugadores. We prayed and sang in the Shrine, and Father allowed each person to approach the altar, and we blessed the walls, statues, and altar with a branch of green leaves and holy water.
Amid songs and personal meditations, we also wrote our thanksgivings, petitions, and we deposited our contributions to the capital of grace. Father opened the Tabernacle, and he gave us time for prayer and contemplation, which he guided.
Finally, Fr. Cox blessed us with the St. Joseph statue, on his feast day, so that he will accompany us and help each one to take care of our family and our work, as he did.
It was a very great gift to begin St. Joseph’s Day.
Original: Spanish, 25.03.2017. Translated: Celina M. Garza, San Antonio, TX USA/Melissa Janknegt, Elgin, USA
