YOUTH, Fr. José María Iturrería. The year 2014 has already begun; it is the year of the centenary of the Covenant of Love and of the Blessed Mother’s presence in the Schoenstatt Shrine. It is a year of graces, and from the organizational team of the Mary’s Crusade, we want to share this beautiful news with all the Schoenstatters.
In commemoration of the 100th Anniversary of the Movement, the “crusaders”, representing the International Boys’ Youth, will give the Blessed Mother a gift. We are building a wayside shrine for the MTA close to Christ the Redeemer on the range of the Andes that unites Argentina and Chile at an altitude of almost 4,000 meters, and we will bless it on January 24th, at 12:00 p.m., along with one 150 crusaders, who will go on pilgrimage to this place on our road from Mendoza to Santiago, Chile. We will also be accompanied there by representatives of the Schoenstatt Family from Argentina and Chile, and the Gendarmerie of the municipality of Las Heras, province of Mendoza that has jurisdiction of the monument.
“We will build a Shrine in the Andes…”
On this day, we will place a ceramic picture of the Blessed Mother, a commemorative bronze plaque, and we will deposit the symbols and contributions to the capital of grace of all the pilgrims who make the Crusade representing the Boys’ Youth. We believe that this wayside shrine is the fruit of the prayer of the Servant of God, Mario Hiriart, who dreamed of Mary’s presence in the Andes. On a certain occasion he said: “We will build a Shrine on the Andes, symbol of the unity of our people.” On Schoenstatt’s centenary this desire will become a reality in a new way.
During several weeks the schoenstatt.org “dreamteam” has accompanied the process –which was not easy – in covenant solidarity – to obtain the authorization to build this wayside shrine. Now it celebrates and expresses gratitude in “joyful solidarity” and with a certain “pride of solidarity”!
Original: Spanish. Translation: Celina M. Garza San Antonio. TX USA
