SPAIN, Fr. Jaime Vivancos. One more time this year, youths of Madrid’s Schoenstatt Movement wanted to bring a ray of hope from the Shrine to families and people who really are in need. Since Christmas 2002, the Schoenstatt Boys’ and Girls’ Youth of Madrid have been doing this with the cooperation of the families around the Shrines of Pozuelo and Serrano and the Monte Tabor School. The following are testimonies we gathered in order to share at schoenstatt.org about “Mostoles 2014”.
More than 300 boxes of food and 500 roasted chickens
The social canteen, St. Simon Rojas at Mostoles, has become a lifesaver for many families. Every day the center helps 700 people, and this past Christmas Eve, many families had dinner there thanks to the baskets that the volunteers of the social canteen had prepared.
“Our gratitude to the Schoenstatt Youth and the cooperation of Father Jaime and Sister María for having the initiative to organize this Christmas campaign for another year.
We were moved in witnessing the joy of 650 people, who normally get together at St. Simon de Rojas, as they enjoyed the 300 boxes of food that were distributed last December 14th and the 500 roasted chickens that were given last December 24th in the morning; the same day that we also were on television!
Thank you and may God bless them all.”
Sole – a volunteer at the St. Simon of Rojas Social canteen
… because it helps each of those who go to the center
To each family at this social canteen, we gave out a box of food prepared by different families around Schoenstatt and roasted chicken for the Christmas Eve dinner. We also prepared snacks for kids one day along with a small skit. Music was provided and many kids enjoyed that day. The experience was truly beautiful. Moreover I would like to thank all those families who helped in filling up a box of food, the roasted chicken, and also to Father Jaime and Sisters Lucia and María who bore with us, to the people in charge of the social canteen, and most especially to the Blessed Mother for having given us this experience. I hope this will be done for many more years, because it helps each of those who go to the center.
Paco Martín-Gil – Schoenstatt Boys’ Youth, Madrid
“Mostoles, Christmas in advance”
To organize Mostoles with Father Jaime and the Schoenstatt Boys’ and Girls’ Youth of Schoenstatt was surely a positive and beautiful religious experience which was done with dedication and effort.
From the very first, we accompanied this “endeavor” with daily prayer so that the people would respond, and once again, we could give boxes of food and delicious snacks to the children of the canteen.
I was surprised with the eager response of all the people who assist at Sunday masses in the Shrines in Serrano and Pozuelo. Most of them wanted to sponsor a box of delicious food for each family, and when this list of families was all taken, we continued to give out names of individual persons. We also received monetary donations, which allowed us to give out more roasted chickens and prepared snacks for children of the canteen.
For the Schoenstatt Girls’ and Boys’ Youth going to Mostoles and working there the whole day serving and helping needy people is an attractive apostolate many of our youths want to do, so we have to put a limit. However it was a big question mark to myself to witness how they almost “fought” to be a part of this unselfish apostolate. I also discovered that when boys and girls go together for a common goal, they form a “magical combination” of strength and youthful enthusiasm, that they forget their shyness (in dressing up as the Three Kings), in endlessly serving snacks and preparing hot chocolate, to unselfishly helping those who needed assistance (helping carry heavy boxes for delicate women who could not do that by themselves), chatting and sharing with the kids, with the young there, the adults, going out of themselves, and sharing with compassion, singing and dancing, spreading their joy to one and all around.
Mostoles was a big party where our youths made us live the coming of the Child Jesus in advance, with their gifts of toys for the children, the boxes of food for the adults, and most of all, with the joy they brought to many hearts because the Child Jesus was already with all of us there.
Sister M. Lucia Jofré – Advisor of the Girls` Youth of Madrid
Helping at Mostoles
I met Father Jaime through an office friend. I told him that I wanted to help in some way, and he told me that every year, Schoenstatt organizes snacks for a social canteen at Mostoles. After one or two meetings with Father Jaime, he asked me to join the preparation of this event and inform others from my perspective, about my impressions and give publicity to their endeavor.
May I present myself: I am twenty-six year-old Madrileña from an economically-favored family. I graduated in with a degree in Sociology, and I do not share the Catholic faith. However, from the very first, I noticed that we had a common goal, regardless of our religious perspectives: we wanted to do good and help the most needy.
Due to the economic crisis that has reduced important factors of social aide, it is very necessary that initiatives like this prosper to minimize in any little way, the effects of Spain’s vast unemployment. During Christmas there are usually more charitable activities and people feel the inequality more in our society and try to help with this type of activity.
An organization with a personal touch in it
With Father Jaime at its head, for many years now, the Schoenstatt Movement youths have organized a snack at the social canteen of St. Simon de Rojas at Mostoles for needy children. They also deliver boxes full of food that are given to families who usually frequent the social canteen. Their goal is to help the children have an enjoyable afternoon where they can enjoy music and food. Father Jaime and the Sisters Lucia and María welcomed me with a big smile and great enthusiasm, just like the kids, so happy to have one more person in their activities and thrilled with what they were preparing.
I was present in the entire process of organizing the boxes while the youths would fill them up, keeping the recipients of each box in mind. With the years, they have developed a system of distributing these boxes. A number is assigned to each person or family with corresponding basic information about each one so the contents are adapted to those persons specifically: like their religion, the number of family members, if there are children and of what ages. And this year, special Christmas goodies and alcoholic drinks were included, thinking how these families would enjoy them these special days.
To awaken smiles
The young volunteers wrote affectionate messages transmitting joy and hope to the recipients. This may seem trivial, but I think it is very important since it brings positive energy and will surely evoke a smile or two, which is the best reward one can receive.
To brighten up the snack party made up of Christmas goodies, hot chocolate, buns and candies, the Schoenstatt Youth organized a small show counting on the kids to participate by singing Christmas carols, telling jokes, and learning how to play some musical instruments.
The group of young people and families also donated a large quantity of toys that were to be divided amongst the 100 kids that came to the snack party. It was difficult to distribute these gifts since there was a squabble for certain favorite toys. This caused a bit of turmoil in the room. Fortunately, the enthusiasm and dedication of the Schoenstatt Youth managed to give each kid (from the many boxes divided according to age and sex) a toy that could please each one since they had begun to know more of the kids with the activities. In spite of the tears of disappointment from some, the canteen filled up with smiles and excitement.
The possibility to see the positive side of the Church
The young people that proposed this initiative came generally from upper class families with sufficient resources. This apostolate gave them the chance to value what they have and to see the effects of an unjust distribution of wealth. I had a chat with many of these young Schoenstatt boys, seventeen years-old who live in the high end districts of Madrid. They were insecure in Mostoles, but they were surprised to observe the profile of the people who came to the social canteen. They had expected the typical bum of the movies but were surprised to see that the canteen was full of “common people” whose only defect (if we may call it that) is the fact that they were born into a more adverse social condition. It is very important for the coming generations to learn these kinds of things and have these kinds of experiences that could make them sensitive to the situation.
This experience made me see the good side of the Church, which helps people to be integrated into society and makes them feel that they are part of something. Contrary to what the media usually publish, a Church centered on power, we experienced here the small organizations, which together conform the true parts of the Church and represent the essence of Christianity.
Human nature needs guides to channel the good and not be overwhelmed by greed or envy. The Church has always developed a very important social function, and with this experience, I was able to appreciate a value on the reaction of those people who received help, when it is so difficult to ask and admit that one needs help. In spite of the social injustice in which we are immersed with regard to the unjust distribution of wealth, it is positive to highlight the power to improve the community, small initiatives like this, done locally. Not only sentimental bonds between the helpers and those being helped are built, a very fundamental lesson is also learned: it is not money which makes a person. As human beings, there is much more that unites rather than what divides us, and in these aspects should we concentrate our efforts.
Marta López – Sociologist
The final testimony…
We are sending you compiled material about the Christmas campaign at Mostoles so it can be shared at schoenstatt.org.
A big hug and thank you very much for urging me to share this experience.
Fr. Jaime Vivancos
Original: Spanish. Translation: Kohnie Valderrama, Madrid, Spain/Melissa Janknegt, Elgin, USA
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