RUSSIA/INTERNATIONAL, mda. “God is not afraid to go out to the outskirts”, Pope Francis told the more than a thousand catechists at the end of September 2013, stressing that God always precedes us and if we are afraid to go to the outskirts, in reality He is already there”. Go out to the outskirts: it is restlessness that schoenstatt.org has shared for years, that it has already reached 185 countries and to places that have never before been touched by the covenant of love. Like Jabarovsk in Siberia, a city close to the Amur River, close to the border with China. Where Father Iván Flores, from Argentina, is on mission; some time ago he found schoenstatt.org and he contacted us asking for holy cards of the Blessed Mother. There was an urge to also send a Pilgrim MTA to the outskirts…nine months after the first contact; the first photo of the Pilgrim MTA in Jabarovsk arrived.
Everything began on April 4, 2013: “I am writing to ask you how I can obtain a picture of the Virgin, since here in Russia the devotion with this name is not well known. Thank you in advance…” Father Iván Flores wrote to the editors of schoenstatt.org. Once the dialogue began, he related that he had looked for a picture of the Virgin, since the faithful from these regions are not accustomed to statues…and this is how he obtained a large picture of the Blessed Mother for the parish church and several holy cards to give to the faithful, to take them home…since they need the Mother of the Lord, the Mother of all men.
And at moment an intuition emerged: the Pilgrim MTA, the restless Virgin, wants to depart where she has not arrived. She wants to visit this city. It was offered to Father Iván, who answered: “It will be a very great grace for our faithful”. The next step was to find a generous and daring missionary, who knew how to find a Pilgrim MTA and to send it…In a few minutes a response from Mercedes McDonough arrived; she is a missionary from the Campaign in Argentina: Yes, I will obtain a Pilgrim MTA, contribute to the capital of grace, get material and I will send it …by Express because it cannot be delayed.
The Pilgrim MTA departed today…
A few days later Mercedes McDonough wrote to Father Iván: “Today a picture was sent to your name, I hope it arrives well, surely it will! I estimate that it will take 72 hours to arrive.
The Blessed Mother is traveling very much: last week two pictures went to Texas and Mexico; today one went to Russia, great! Father, we are at your disposal for anything that you need, we will try to help as much as we can. Along with the Pilgrim MTA there is a tablet to write the names of the families who will receive it regularly, with the history of John Pozzobon, prayers, etc. We also included brochures, John Pozzobon holy cards and even a little book with the meditations of the rosary; only the luminous mysteries are missing. The book is old, but very beautiful.
I bid you farewell, I ask for your blessing for all of us. It was a pleasure to send the Blessed Mother to the ends of the world. You do not owe us anything, only prayers for our blessed Campaign of the Pilgrim Virgin in the entire world”.
And the Pilgrim arrived in April 2013. “The Virgin is already in our Chapel in Jabarovsk, Russia. Since we have had several activities She has not been on pilgrimage yet, but She will go out next week. I have already translated the prayers that are in the notebook to Russian. I received a large picture of the Virgin, which I will frame and I will display it so that the people can venerate Her Father Iván Flores wrote.
The Unity Cross
Meanwhile, in one of the emails to confirm the address and the size of large picture, there was an offer to also send a small “Unity Cross”. Father Iván Flores answered: “I was very happy that the cross of our Lord will come here. I like the name of the cross very much: “of Unity”, something that is needed among the Christians here…”
The Unity Cross for his desk arrived on July 19th, along with a couple of small ones to give and approximately one hundred holy cards of the Blessed Mother, a gift from the Schoenstatt Center of Memhoelz in Germany.
More pictures, more unity crosses
How does one prepare for the centenary celebrations? We want to participate…I always have the cross that you sent me at my side. The Virgin travels to the homes!” read an email sent by Father Ivan on November 6th, and he adds: “We need more pictures of the Blessed Mother; we need more unity crosses…and medals of the Virgin of Schoenstatt”.
The Unity Cross and the Pilgrim MTA, the symbols of the covenant of love jubilee. Jabarovsk is fully in jubilee pilgrimage!
Original: Spanish – Translation: Celina M. Garza San Antonio, TX USA
