COSTA RICA, Gabriela Quesada •
Last July, work began with our national advisor, Father José Luis Correa, and with Father Manuel Peña, pastor of the Church of San Pablo, Heredia, on the enthronement of the picture of our beloved Blessed Mother in this parish. The goal was to have her with us on October 18, 2022 to celebrate and commemorate such an important date for us Schoenstatters. And so it was. —
What began as a desire and a wish of several people from Heredia and Father Peña has become a reality since that day. It fills our hearts with happiness to see in our parish a corner where we can feel sheltered.
The Women’s Branch is a must
Several groups began to organize around our Blessed Mother in her new home. The Madrugadores, the married couples, the youth and our beloved Ladies’ Branch (as it is known in Costa Rica) could not be missing and of which I have the enormous blessing of being a part of since 2017.
Several ladies from the Heredia area were invited to an informative talk about our Branch, what we call Pre-Schoenstatt. One by one, around 4:30 in the afternoon, began to arrive at St. Paul’s parish last Wednesday, November 9th. Some of them already knew something about our Movement through relatives and friends, others simply saw the invitation and moved by “a desire” they wanted to get to know our Blessed Mother and the Schoenstatt Movement. All of them had a common denominator, a sparkle in their eyes that can only be provoked by our Blessed Mother and by the love that She only knows how to awaken in us.
The desire to be better moms, better wives and better people
The talk took place “among friends”, as if we had always known each other. There were questions, some testimonies, but above all a real and clear desire to engage in this pedagogy that invites us to be better moms, better wives and better people and thus enrich our homes and community.
It is a challenge, without a doubt, to carry out this beautiful and noble task. With our faith and trust in Divine Providence and by the hand of Her, our great educator, I am sure that we will make these groups grow.
In these months you can feel the hand of Our Blessed Mother working in so many people who already live, or long to live a Covenant of Love with her, with all the blessings and responsibilities that this entails and that at the same time fills us with satisfaction, joy and peace.
Original: Spanish 2022-11-17. Translated by: María Aragón, Monterrey, México
