ARGENTINA, Tita and Héctor Ríos/org. The Father Symbol for the Original Shrine, that is on its worldwide pilgrimage in preparation for the jubilee of the Covenant of Love in 2014, will be in New Schoenstatt again on March 18th at the National Schoentatt Family Conference, which will celebrate both the 60th Anniversary of the blessing of the Father Shrine and the placement of the Father Symbol by Father Kentenich. During this week, it is visiting Córdoba’s two shrines, where as previously, it was in Entre Ríos: in Crespo and Nogoyá and in the Shrine of La Loma, in Paraná.
After waiting for it for a long time and making contributions to the capital of grace, the Father Symbol was finally in the midst of the La Loma Family. The three days of being with this Symbol – a gift from Father Kentenich to the Schoenstatt Family – greatly exceeded expectations. There were many demonstrations of love and rejoicing around the altar of the Shrine.
Jubilee is to renew the charism and to live the present with passion
During the celebration of the Holy Mass, the Archbishop of Paraná, Juan Alberto Puíggari challenged them with these words: “As Blessed John Paul II said, ‘Live the present with passion in order to go toward the future with hope.’
Thinking about Jubilee 2014… jubilee is a time to renew the charism and to live the present with passion. The future depends on the passion of you Schoenstatters… Of how you are able to transmit all the richness that you have received from the previous generations, all the doctrine, the person and the spirituality of Father Kentenich.
For this reason, it is a very beautiful time to prepare yourselves, with time…just as the great jubilees are prepared. Here we see a very special pilgrimage… that of the Father Symbol; this synthesizes a patro-centric spirituality centered on God the Father.
We pray to God for the grace that the arrival of this Father Symbol will increase, awaken, revive, and strengthen all of Father Kentenich’s spirituality in you.
May the Most Holy Virgin transform these hours, when the Father Symbol is present into a renewal of the Schoenstatt history, above all in the growth in the filial relationship with God our Father, discovering that the road to the Father is Jesus, and the road to Jesus is Mary. Through Mary to Christ, through Christ to the Father.”
Father Kentenich’s Prayer
Pilgrims arrived during the three-day visit; there were songs, hours of adoration, reflections, and moments of silence accompanied by a profound respect.
The commitment remains to take what Father Kentenich expressed on March 19, 1952 seriously, when he placed the Father Symbol in the Shrine of New Schoenstatt: “We want to appeal to God that he give us, men and women, who not only know how to speak well, but rather, that we will understand all the strength and the all the weight of this immense mission that God has given to us for the present era, and that we are willing to give their lives for it.”
Celina M. Garza, San Antonio,Tx: English translation – M.P. Janknegt: English edit
