Agathe Hug. You needed to be strong and possess a great deal of inner warmth, as well as a warm winter coat and boots, it you wanted to survive the Schoenstatt-New Year’s Eve-Seventeenth-October Party. Although it was dry, it was bitterly cold as we celebrated the vigil of the Schoenstatt Year 2011/12. It was 3C (37.4F) so if you weren’t warmly wrapped, you ended an icicle.
Despite the cold an unexpected number of Schoenstatters attended the vigil that opened the “Year of the Shrine Current” in the evening of 17 October. A choir of Sisters of Mary had taken on the musical side of the event. A firm from Koblenz saw to the public address system, and schoenstatt-tv for broadcasting it live on the internet and a screen on the Pilgrims’ Place. Fr Francisco Sobral worked hard to translate the celebration live in Portuguese until his computer no longer made contact with the internet. The vigil celebration itself was the responsibility of Team 2014.
From all the shrines in Schoenstatt to the Original Shrine
The light was brought by flambeau torches from all the shrines in Schoenstatt to the Original Shrine to connect the mission of that shrine to the Original Shrine, but also to ask for its fruitfulness in the worldwide Schoenstatt Family and beyond. The pilgrimage from the various shrines symbolised the stream of life and grace flowing back from the shrines of the communities to the Original Shrine in keeping with their character as the centres for the international Schoenstatt Family, which was thus represented locally and personally at the place of origin.
Gratitude for all the graces and gifts of the “Year of the Father Current” was brought to the Original Shrine, the central and holiest place of our spirituality, but so were the petitions for a richly blessed and fruitful new year. Schoenstatt-tv presented a 30-minute video surveying the past year as an introduction to the actual celebrations opening the new year.
Gratitude for the Year of the Father Current
Even before the international vigil celebration at the Original Shrine, the German Schoenstatt Family was invited to attend a liturgical celebration in the Pilgrims’ Church. So representatives from most of the shrines moved in procession with their flambeau torches to carry the light from their shrine to the Pilgrims’ Church, and from there to the Original Shrine. Since this procession arrived rather too soon at the Original Shrine, those present were given the opportunity to follow the survey of the Father Year on the big screen set up outside the shrine, and to see and hear our Founder wish everyone a happy and blessed New Year at the end of the film. “Hurry – I still have great plans”, were his last words, and our Mother Thrice Admirable, Queen and Victress of Schoenstatt repeats them to us.
If the whole world wants to celebrate together
The local Schoenstatters needed stamina and a warm scarf when the international celebration began promptly at 9 p.m., because many were probably frozen to the bone already. They simply had to persevere. It wasn’t possible to make an earlier start, because the international broadcast to the worldwide Schoenstatt Family had been planned into the local Vigils. So we had to keep to the agreed time, no matter what. This is what happens if you want to celebrate with the whole world. Some have to freeze for the benefit of others. The Chat at schoenstatt-tv showed that the whole world had in fact tuned in to our New Year’s Party – from the Czech Republic to Mexico, from South America to Norway, all were there. A report with testimonies from the live broadcast will follow shortly.
In Schoenstatt itself the celebration ran its course. A bonfire at the Heroes’ Graves behind the shrine was lit from the flambeau torches, something those viewing it on the huge screen could easily follow. Perhaps it warmed the air slightly – or was it because of the people crowded together? Even a slight increase in temperature was welcome.
“The Year of the Shrine Current has been opened”
Actually Fr Heinrich Walter wanted to sacrifice his opening words because of the cold, but that would have been a pity, because a “Year of the Shrine Current” will only happen once in Schoenstatt’s history. His words have been recorded on a video which is available from schoenstatt-tv’s Mediathek, so that you can take it in in warmer surroundings. The text had already been made available before the Vigil on schoenstatt.org.
Your covenant our mission – in all the shrines in the world
After the pilgrimage prayer for 2014 had been prayed in a number of languages, the altar borders (antependium) were blessed. Each shrine in the world will receive one. They were immediately presented to representatives from the five continents, with a sixth representative, a family from Costa Rica, for the shrines that are to be built in the coming year. When he presented the altar borders in one of the languages of a continent, Fr Walter said, “Your covenant …” The representative answered, “Our Mission” spoken with great fervour, which was followed by the spontaneous comment in the live broadcast, “Really? For each shrine? From the Original Shrine? Thank you …”
The final blessing and the Schoenstatt Hymn concluded the celebration.
Happy New Year!
At the Original Shrine those present wished each other a happy New Year – if Fr Kentenich can do it, so can we all! – but then everyone dispersed pretty quickly. Only a few remained in the Original Shrine, in particular those who were responsible for starting the night of Adoration.
But also those who had to clear up the cables, cameras and microphones tried to hurry up. In contrast to other years, this did go quickly, because the crowd had already dispersed and so nobody had to be asked to step aside.
Finally, I am wondering how the translators will “tame” the long German word: Schoenstatt-New Year’s Eve-Seventeenth October Party? Thank you for all your hard work, because it isn’t easy to convey the German language with its long words. But: Hurry – I have great plans! THANK YOU all who took part in the celebration: before the celebration, and after it. Also, God willing, we will be celebration another New Year’s Party on 17 October 2012.
Final scene of the Video Review of the Year of the Father Current (from schoenstatt.org on Vimeo)
Video of the Vigil (Schoenstatt-TV)
Translation: Mary Cole, Manchester, England
