PUERTO RICO, Solmarie Sotelo. After the warm reception at the 4th of December Airport and the vigil in Hato Rey, the Father Symbol arrived at the Solidarity Shrine in Cabo Rojo, where it stayed until 5 December when it was taken to the cathedral in the Puerto Rican capital, San Juan Bautista, and was joined by the picture of the Virgin Mother of Divine Providence, “the main patroness of Puerto Rico.”
It was a special blessing for the Schoenstatt Family in Puerto Rico to receive the Father Symbol in the cathedral on 5 December because of the significance of the date. The first Puerto Rican cardinal obtained permission from the Vatican to crown the picture of the Blessed Mother as the Patroness of Puerto Rico on 5 November 1976. The night before, the recently restored painting was destroyed in a fire started by criminals.
For this reason, the crowning took place before a crowd of about 100,000 devout Puerto Ricans, many of them with tears in their eyes, since many cardinals, archbishops and bishops from across Latin America had come to witness the crowning.
It is a sign of divine providence that exactly one month after the 30th anniversary of this crowning, the Father Symbol, a gift from Fr. Kentenich, visited the cathedral. As we celebrate this memorable date, we entrusted ourselves to Mary’s motherly, despite our lack of respect for her.
The Schoenstatt Family arrived at the cathedral on 5 December to be inspired by the cardinal’s words:
“The match used to burn the picture lit a flame in the hearts of every Puerto Rican.”
He added: “Thanks to God, it is impossible to burn the Blessed Mother because she is in heaven” and in the hearts of so many people throughout the world and the people Fr. Kentenich enkindled with the flame of love for Mary who inspires and strengthens them to become more like her.
Wherever Schoenstatt exists, you will have your crown!
After an emotional Mass offered by Fr. Mario Mastrangelo, who invited all those present to become saints in daily life, a living Magnificat, proclaiming God’s glory each day, Sr. M. Maria told the beloved Mother and Queen of Divine Providence with deep emotion and joy: “Wherever Schoenstatt exists, you will have your crown!”
With these words, Puerto Rico was consecrated to our Mother of Divine Providence: “We don’t need many words to explain the great need that the people of Puerto Rico have for these words of hope. We need peace and light in the heart and home of every Puerto Rican.
Today, we want to unite our voices and our hearts to consecrate our small island to the kind and merciful heart of our Mother and Queen. Reveal yourself Mother as the Queen of Solidarity, the Mother of Hope and the Educator of the peoples. Keep us in the Father’s gaze.
Song for the Father
The people then returned to the Solidarity Shrine where they welcomed the Father Symbol with a song entitled “Song for the Father” written by Sr. M Carmencita in the typical Puerto Rican style of Christmas music, with this chorus:
the land of Jibaritos” (A banana-type fruit)
From the Mayagüez Diocese to the Ponce Diocese
On Sunday 6 December, the Schoenstatt Family and the pilgrims presented our father and founder, represented in the Symbol, with gifts. This was followed by the first Sunday Mass in the Solidarity Shrine in Cabo Rojo, where the Father Symbol was present. Fr. Mario Mastrangelo celebrated such an emotional sending out Mass for the Father Symbol from the Mayagüez Diocese (to which the Shrine belongs) to the Ponce Diocese.
To conclude Holy Mass, the delegates took the Father Symbol to the Shrine where it was handed over to the delegates from the Ponce Diocese.
Straight after lunch, the family gathered again in the presence of the Father Symbol to watch a video of the moment when the Puerto Rican delegates received the Father Symbol in Texas. Moved by their deep love for our father and founder, Gilberto and Mike gave their testimony of knowing Fr. Kentenich. The theme for the afternoon was: “In Fr. Kentenich’s gaze.”.
With deep emotion, Gilberto recalled his paternal and tender gaze, which he described as God’s transparency, a saint. He said that this is how God gave him a family – Schoenstatt.
Mike took us back to the moment he met our father and founder for the first time, who looked at him as a loving father looks at his children when he is concerned about them. His enthusiasm became even more evident as he read some poems he had been inspired to write on the theme of this gaze.
Finally, Monchito, as we lovingly call him, shared his experience in Schoenstatt, even though he did not personally know our father and founder. In his presentation, he spoke about the qualities he felt are the most characteristic of Fr. Kentenich: father, teacher, saint.
This concluded, the Ponce delegates left so that the Father Symbol could continue its pilgrimage to Ponce Diocese.
The international Schoenstatt Family is following the pilgrimage
“It is such a joy to know that right now, you have something as important as the Father Symbol, which was blessed by our founder. We belong to the Schoenstatt Family in Miami, which will in the future have its own shrine in the south of Florida. We are only waiting for a piece of paper. We therefore ask you to place this intention before the Father Symbol so that we can start and we are already inviting you for the celebrations next year. We know that when the Father Symbol returns, it will bring many graces and we trust that we will receive this blessed visit we desire so much,” Sara and Marcelo Ycaza from Miami wrote to the Family in Puerto Rico.
Like them, many others sent their greetings to the Puerto Rican Schoenstatt Family. The Sisters of Mary in Santa Maria also included a note about the arrival of the Father Symbol on their website www.tabormta.org.
>>> Photo Album: San Juan Cathedral, 5 December
>>> Photo Album: Solidarity Shrine, 6 December
>>> {cms_selflink page=”simbolo-del-padre” text=”Information on the Father Symbol’s international pilgrimage“}
Translation: Sarah-Leah Pimentel, Pretoria, South Africa
