ARGENTINA, Juan Barbosa. During the Mass con-celebrated for the arrival of the Father Symbol to Córdoba, Father José María Iturrería invited the large number of faithful to “embody” the Year of Shrine that the Schoenstatt International Family is celebrating on the way toward the jubilee of the Covenant of Love with the words “Let us make our Nation…a Shrine!” The Father Symbol visited the province of Córdoba for four days on its worldwide pilgrimage in preparation for 2014 and was brought by a delegation that went to Ciudad de Santa Fe on March 8th to meet it.
A Symbol that is on pilgrimage to unite the Family
During the sending forth Mass with Father Jorge the celebrant and the pastor of Saint Theresa in the capital of the province of Santa Fe, the participants clearly understood that the symbol was very important, but what was truly transcendental, what mobilized and united them was what the same symbol represents: GOD the FATHER (words that were said previously in a talk by Sister María Sofía, within the framework of an Illuminated Rosary that was carried out by the Family). The celebrant not only conveyed with the utmost clarity and complete knowledge the main ideas about the Symbol; but also the the apostolate that Father Joseph Kentenich, founder of the Schoenstatt Movement had realized with his own life. A choir of children dressed in shirts bearing the image of Our Lady of Schoenstatt closed a very heartfelt celebration with singing. In celebration of subsequent incorporation, the Cordoba delegation received the symbol and hours later started the 360 km return of towards their country with GREAT ardor burning in the hearts of the carriers.
Their eagerness was so great…
They began to drive toward the Córdoban lands with great eagerness to be there in order to share this extraordinarily treasured Symbol with the Family that they had dreamt of with great anticipation. Their eagerness was so great that the pressure on the gas pedals of both automobiles caused them to get speeding tickets; it was because they wanted to arrive quickly!
When they arrived, they HAPPILY commented on what had happened during the hours prior to their arrival at the Life and of Hope Shrine. “Community of destinies,” someone smilingly commented when he heard about the fines the drivers had received, which produced an outbreak of laughter all around…
The youth received the Symbol along with another Symbol
During the entrance procession of the celebration, the youth received the Father Symbol from the hands of the representatives of the Family along with another Symbol- the one that also represents Father’s gaze that will be placed on the entrance door of Shrine of Life and of Hope next August on its 10th Anniversary of fruitfulness. Both symbols were inseparably united during the visit of the “Father Symbol” in the province of Córdoba.
He invited them to make our Nation a shrine
In his homily during the Mass concelebrated with Father Juan Pablo Cattoggio, Father Federico Piedrabuena, and Father Paul (Nigeria), Father José María Iturrería invited the faithful to “renew their missionary desire.” They have an enormous richness in their shrines, in their Founding Father and in their Family. They should make their blessed Argentina a shrine in every corner where they are called to be! It will be a Covenant Culture that Schoenstatt will present to the Church in the world. The final invitation was let us make our lives a shrine, let us make society a shrine, let us make our nation a shrine.
Youth vigil
The activities of the first day closed with the youth uniting among themselves along with the entire Family in a vigil until dawn.
No one wanted to miss a minute of the visit of the Symbol of God the Father to Córdoba!
Official web page of the jubilee
Celina M. Garza, San Antonio, Tx: English translation – M.P Janknegt: English edit
