María Elena Vilches. Sierra Leone is a west African country, where the Covenant of Love is still a developing seed. For this the reason, the great petition during the Holy Mass on March 24th was that the Blessed Mother will manifest herself in this place, and that it will be a sign of blessing for all the people who have begun to learn about Schoenstatt through Her. A Brother of Mary, who is a native of this country, has taken the picture of the MTA there, and so there is great hope that the Schoenstatt Rosary Campaign will begin this year.
“Someday there will be a shrine in Sierra Leone, surrounded by a large movement full of life, that will build a new Church and a new world there; then they will look at this March 24th, and they will think: ‘that day the Schoenstatt Family, gathered in the Original Shrine and around the entire world, to pray in Covenant with Sierra Leone’,” Father Raúl Espina said in the introduction at the beginning of the Eucharistic celebration. Everyone attending united in prayer for the nascent Schoenstatt Family in Sierra Leone and for everyone, who has sealed the Covenant of Love with the Mother Thrice Admirable Queen and Victress of Schoenstatt in this country throughout its history.
The covenant solidarity – soul of the covenant culture
A special intention for this Holy Mass was for the Pope’s apostolic visit to Mexico and Cuba. It is a great joy for many people that the Holy Father has arrived on the American continent.
We especially prayed for the projects that have emerged as fruit of the Covenant Culture and for everyone who has collaborated in some way so that these projects become a reality.
We also prayed in a special way for everyone who visited or came on pilgrimage to the Original Shrine and the Daughter Shrines, and for those who sent their petitions and expressions of gratitude to the Blessed Mother in the Original Shrine through schoenstatt.org from Chile, Argentina, Brazil, Ecuador, Colombia, Germany, Portugal, Spain, Mexico, Italy and Panama.
The petitions, commitments, gratitude, desires, repentance and the giving of self of so many people from so many countries fill the jars of the Shrine – Saturday by Saturday. This morning the special initiative of some Schoenstatters from the Diocese of Fulda was offered in a special way; they convoked not only the family of their diocese; but rather, they convoked the entire world for a holy hour of prayer for Father José María via schoenstatt.org. Spontaneously, several places in Germany, but also in Argentina, the United States, England and other countries, there were members of the Movement who united in prayer. “Thanks to the translations and the attachment through schoenstatt.org”, Sabine Merdes, moderator of Conference 2014 and co-initiator, wrote. “For me this is Schoenstatt 2014, a Schoenstatt that is open, modern, attached, and in solidarity.” A Schoenstatt that lives in covenant solidarity – this is what Father José Maria commented -as soul of the covenant culture.
Thank you to the tertiary of the Schoenstatt Fathers
It was the last time that the seminarians of the Schoenstatt Fathers from Ibero-America participated in this Mass, since their “Zion time” is almost over. We extend a big thank you to them for their contribution to the internationality of the Mass “toward 2014”.
2014 – at one glance
Steps of the pilgrimage towards 2014
Official website 2014 – www.schoenstatt2014.org
Bulletin “Towards 2014” 3/2012
Bulletin 2014 (subscribe)
Celina M. Garza, San Antonio, Tx :English translation – M.P. Janknegt: English edit
