CHILE, editorial team / with Vínculo material •
This year marks 75 years since Father Joseph Kentenich, on May 31, 1949, in the recently blessed Shrine of Bellavista, placed a letter on the altar of the Shrine: the first part of his response to Bishop Bernhard Stein’s report as a result of the diocesan visitation of Schoenstatt, concretely of the Institute of the Sisters of Mary. In this response, Joseph Kentenich points out the need to change the way of thinking, acting and living in the Church towards a more integral way, more oriented in real life and its processes, more committed to concrete persons and their biography, their gifts and their projects. It is a call to the Church and its foundation to unity – not to uniformity of thinking, acting and living, but to the famous “and Catholic”: Jesus and Mary, God and man, faith and real life, dogma and pastoral, ideal and reality. —
This event in Schoenstatt’s internal language is called, from a historical point of view, the “third Schoenstatt milestone”, and from an apostolic point of view – gifts are tasks – as “mission of May 31st”. There are kilometers of books on the essence of this mission, gigabytes of digital files and dozens of congresses, festivals and symposiums, and it is still difficult to translate it well into a language that can be understood externally (and internally). But there is a symbol that expresses it and that at the same time has long since transcended the inner space of Schoenstatt: the Unity Cross.
On the occasion of the Jubilee of the 75th Anniversary of the Mission on May 31st, which will be celebrated in Chile, as a sign of loyalty to the history of the Cross of the Bellavista Shrine, the Institute of the Ladies of Schoenstatt has again given a Unity Cross as a gift.
The meaning of the Unity Cross’ journey through Chile’s shrines
At the shrine in Stuttgart, Germany, next to the original Unity Cross
The various Schoenstatt shrines, built after the Original Shrine, are not independent shrines, but are linked together in the same plan of God and in the same stream of grace that was first manifested on October 18, 1914.
Particularly each shrine in Chile is born – in addition to the stream of graces that God gave us from the Bellavista Shrine – from the strength of the third milestone in Schoenstatt’s history that took place in this place.
During this Jubilee, from “Arica to Punta Arenas” we want to renew our awareness that each one of our Shrines and wayside shrines are nourished by this grace and at the same time renew, with the originality of each place, the “mission of the 31st of May”.
The passing of this new Unity Cross is a unique opportunity that God gives us, so that in each place we can conquer it again and return to our Bellavista Shrine the Cross loaded with our offerings, intentions and renewed commitment for the mission.
From Schoenstatt to Chile
Before leaving for Chile, the Cross was present at some celebrations and places: on the Founder’s tomb, in the Shrine of Stuttgart next to the Original Cross, in the Original Shrine, in the Mass on January 9th and in the Mass in Spanish on January 11th, being accompanied by many people through the internet.
On January 12th, the Cross left Haus Regina and arrived at Bellavista on January 13th, 2024, being presented at the Covenant Mass on the 18th and accompanying the vigil on January 20th that the Bellavista Family offered to conquer it.
Since its arrival to Chile, the Unity Cross has been traveling through some communities: Sisters, Frauen, Women’s Federation, it also accompanied very special moments, such as the funeral of Kiki Quiroz de Tagle, and the celebration on January 20, the anniversary of the second milestone in Schoenstatt’s history (20.01.1942) in Bellavista. In this final stage, it was with the Schoenstatt Fathers in their annual journey.
On February 29th, the pilgrimage of the Unity Cross that will be enthroned during the Jubilee on May 31st in the Cenacle Shrine of Bellavista began. In an emotional Eucharist celebrated in the esplanade of the Shrine, the enormous significance of this new Cross that comes to replace the one that was stolen some time ago was highlighted. From Bellavista the Cross departed to Puerto Montt.
The journey includes visits to all the Shrines and Wayside Shrines of our country, during the months of March to May. It has not been easy to organize this “puzzle”, so we hope that everyone can coordinate and support so that this beautiful idea can become a reality.
We are sure that this visit of the cross in the different cities will encourage each family and will unite us in the spirit of the Jubilee, will bring us closer to our Cenacle Shrine of Bellavista and will awaken life, joy, unity, prayer and will enliven the feeling that “We go one in another”.
The Unity Cross is accompanied by a book to record the meaning of each visit. The idea is to record testimonies and experiences of those who come in contact with it. The first pages explain the history of the Unity Cross as a symbol and the history of this one in particular. There is also the Jubilee prayer so that everyone can pray it and contribute to the capital of grace for the Jubilee.
The new Unity Cross of the Bellavista Shrine
Collaboration: Miguel Ángel Rubio, Madrid
Original: Spanish. Translation: Marcela Fernandez, Toronto, Canada
