TEAM 2014, Clemens Mann. When Father Stefan Strecker, a member of Central Team 2014, talks about the work that is currently carried out in the Pilgrims’ Arena, his thoughts return to 1985. “I still carry that special time within me”, Father Strecker said about the celebrations that were held for the centenary of the birth of Schoenstatt’s founder, Father Joseph Kentenich. “The number of people who arrived at Schoenstatt on that occasion was incredible. Despite the weather, the atmosphere breathed in the then recently built Pilgrims’ Arena was fascinating,” Father Strecker affirmed. Approximately 8,000 to 10,000 pilgrims from more than fifty nations are expected on October 18th, when they will celebrate the 100 years’ history of the Covenant of Love with Mary.
“Here we will pray, here we will sing, here we will carry out many symbolic ceremonies. In the Arena, we will be able to encounter each other as an international Family,” Father Strecker commented. The main four large celebrations – the welcome on October 16th, the vigil of October 17th, the large Jubilee Mass and the renewal of the Covenant of Love on October 18th – will be held in the Pilgrims’ Arena.
Currently many tons of earth is being moved so that this feeling of unity can grow throughout the Jubilee’s days. For several weeks, a highway construction company with its heavy machinery has been removing the uppermost superficial groundcover to free the terraces getting them back into their originally planned shape. The trucks the gravel that will be divided later – partly by hand – for the terraces. Where until recently there were only weeds, now the bleachers and the steps can be distinguished. The first phase of the remodeling of the Pilgrims’ Arena is finished. Then, a second phase will begin. The most noticeable changes in Schoenstatt are at the Pilgrims’ Arena, which will offer up to 12,000 seats once this remodeling work is finished.
The remodeling was necessary
The Pilgrims’ Arena was built between 1984 and 1985 for the Centenary celebration of Father Kentenich. Later, it was used for some years to welcome Germany’s large diocesan pilgrimages. In 2005, the Arena was filled with life with 5,000 youths, who participated in the International Youth Festival before the World Youth Day in Cologne; it has not been used since that occasion.
This inactivity is the reason great effort is required on the part of the organizers to provide pilgrims with an adequate space that will enhance their celebration. Besides giving the place a new form, the electrical installations and the drainage system, as well as the bleachers and the seats should be remodeled. In order to keep the cost within the budget, volunteers from the Schoenstatt Youth are willing to give their service for several weekends during the summer. “Thanks to this volunteer commitment of the youth, we have been able to lower the cost of this project, making it possible,” Father Strecker said.
The pilgrims can come
The remodeling of the Pilgrims’ Arena has been planned and coordinated by Dr. Lothar Ruf, of the RKS Group of Engineers. Dr. Ruf, an engineer and Professor of Construction Development, Construction Industry and Development of Projects at the University of Darmstadt, assumed the first challenge of demonstrating what the current development and regulations of the installation entail for an event of this magnitude.
“Today, it would not be possible to build an arena of this sort as it was done three decades ago. Other conditions exist for a construction of this type, for example, in the area of security. In the new plans, emergency exits should be included,” Dr. Ruf said.
During the planning, the experts from different fields not only considered the Pilgrims’ Arena but also everything around it. For the celebrations, they had to take into account, among other things, a new concept of mobilization, so that the arrival and departure of pilgrims can be done without difficulty. During the course of the remodeling, new evacuation routes and access had to be created. But they also had to think about the smallest details, such as the necessity of remodeling the existing sanitary installations. “From new toilets to towel racks, everything has to be approved and renewed. Of course, the amount of expenditure must always be considered,” Dr. Ruf added, “and everything has been considered. The pilgrims can come.”
Original: German – Translation: Celina M. Garza, San Antonio, TX USA
