VATICAN/PARAGUAY, Stella and Víctor Domínguez. “So many wounded families, so many broken marriages, so much relativism regarding the idea of the sacrament of matrimony,” said Holy Father Francis to the Schoenstatt Movement in the audience on the occasion of the Founding Jubilee, this passed October 25th. “So, it is clear that something must be done. Therefore your question: what can we do? Yes, we can provide great talks, give a declaration of principles, sometimes we have to do this, right? With clear ideas: Look, this you are proposing is not marriage. It is an association, but it is not marriage. In other words, sometimes we have to say things very clearly, and it must be said. But in this case only, pastoral help must be body to body. In other words, to accompany. And this means wasting time. Jesus was the master of time wasting, no? He wasted time to accompany, to allow consciences to mature, to heal, to teach. To accompany means to journey together…..” It is the task we assume as presenters in the International Congress of Movements, Groups and Family Associations and Life, organized by the Pontifical Council for the Family from January 22nd to January 24th in Rome.
“Announcing the Gospel for today’s family makes necessary the development of a pastoral experience for accompanying the families, ‘body to body,’ which can help them embody the Gospel in its everyday reality, encompassing the different problems experienced by the families in the different stages of life from the beginning of the marriage, in the growth of the children, including the stage of caring for parents and elderly family members…..the difficulties of health, employment, migrants, etc.” Thus began our presentation to more than 300 persons. The experience of the Congress was very enriching, a great opportunity for family, like the Church which we are, to get to know each other and to have one voice, creating new bonds and strengthening those already in existence: this was one of the objectives of the Pontifical Council for the Family upon organizing the Congress whose central theme was “the vocation and the mission of the family in the Church and in the contemporary world.”
The more than 300 participants came from 26 countries, representing 84 Movements and Associations, and we had the opportunity to share our charisms and to know the different apostolates for defending and accompanying the families.
“Thank you for bringing the Holy Spirit to this place”
The International Apostolic Schoenstatt Movement, on this occasion, was represented by nine couples from different countries: from Germany, Josef and Rosa María Wieland, Bernhard and Elisabeth Neiser, Karen and Kuno Leibold; from Austria, Richard and Inge Sickinger; from Argentina, Eduardo and María Inés Epele and Eduardo and Alicia Monguillet; from Brazil, Douglas Moser; from Chile, Pili and Luis Jensen and we from Paraguay. We spread ourselves among the five work groups which were divided up according to languages.
The truth is that we felt strongly the presence of the Holy Spirit at each moment and especially so at the time of our presentation. We were able to confirm this when a gentleman who belongs to the Charismatic Renewal in Colombia said: “Thank you for bringing the Holy Spirit to this place.” He told us he saw the light of the Holy Spirit over us. It was a strong experience. We felt very small and unworthy, but we know that Blessed Mother uses us as her instruments and She is the one who acts through us.
Service
After the presentation, many persons from different countries and who spoke different languages approached us to congratulate us. All asked for our email address and wanted to know more about our experience, not only in regard to the Pastoral Experience of Hope (for separated, divorced and remarried persons, but also about accompanying engaged persons, pre-marriage preparation, support for young marriages, and, especially, the accompaniment of marriages in crisis, a pastoral experience, or better said, a little known service.
Upon returning to Paraguay, we had many emails requesting more information on the Pastoral Service of Hope, about our experience on the topics and time-tables used.
Diffusion
We received communication from the Pontifical Council requesting that the Movement’s webpage be introduced onto the link of the Pontifical Council for the Family.
EWTN continues airing our interview which took place during the Congress and which has been seen by many persons.
And on schoenstatt.org there are many comments from persons who seek contact and information on a pastoral experience which is totally at the service of marriages so that, as Pope Francis said, “to heal wounds, restore and accompany the family.”
Contact with Stella and Víctor Domínguez
Couple shares pastoral experience with the divorced in a new relationship
Pastoral de la Esperanza (Ministry of Hope)
Archbishop Paglia’s greeting and the intervention of Cardinal Baldisseri and Prof. Belletti
Fruit of the Council: Roussy and Dominguez couples The publication of the Lineamenta for the Bishops’ meeting in October
Original Spanish: Translation: Carlos Cantú, Schoenstatt Family Federation, La Feria, Texas USA 02252015
