COSTA RICA, Michelle Ramírez •
Can you imagine 19 Movements and 18 pastors, together, talking among themselves? Seated at tables for four, with a digital clock in the center of the auditorium, visible…. very visible, keeping time…. each round of 18 minutes, counting in reverse…. and change! And again in 18 minutes, change! And thus, consecutively until completing nine times the change! No, it is not a game…. It is the Movements vs. the Church. It is the presentation and the offer of their apostolates and mission. It is the reality of the work of the committed Catholic making the Church his own! The difference of that “vs.” is that it is not a “versus, against” but a “with,” that is “in union,” in the same spirit which unites us, in the same mission: to take the good news, the saving message of Jesus, this is how it was expressed by the Most Reverend José Rafael Quirós, archbishop of San José, in his message of welcome. —
Alejandro Robles
Alejandro Robles and his wife, Elizabeth Field, executive couple of this mega-project, belong to the 4th course of the Schoenstatt Family Federation of Costa Rica and comment the following:
“My wife and I are inspired by a model already proven by all of the exterior offices of commerce in the world, BTM (Buyers Trade Mission), which is a challenging and efficient model. We believe we must dream of new and innovative methods of evangelization. These rounds are the key for opening the doors of the Movements and parishes, to know each other, to understand each other and to love each other as God and the Virgin want.
It has been an interesting project of a great deal of work by a commission to arrive at this point where a select group of Movements and priests gave an historic “yes.” A “yes” which our Founder, Father Joseph Kentenich, visualized more than 50 years ago, with what he called the ‘AWC’ Apostolic World Confederation, that is, to incorporate the Movements to the archdiocesan pastoral plan so that we can all work together, hand in hand, at the service of the Church which he so greatly loved.”
Why a Mammoth?
“It means a mammoth task, a great task. The mammoth was the largest mammal which existed on earth. It is something which no longer lives, but it is up to us to give it life and then to help it walk. That it may awake in each of the Movements and as brothers and sisters within the Church,” explain Alejandro and Elizabeth who are grateful to the Holy Spirit for the coming forth of this encounter. The future rounds will come!
To interconnect so we may serve better
“We are finally interconnecting in order to know each other and help each other better. To my surprise, I see how interest has awakened in pastors, in the different possibilities they have with the Movements! This is the opportunity to mix with each other and see how we can offer ourselves to each other in order to serve better,” shares with us Don Gastón de Mézerville Zeller, psychologist and professor of psychology in the seminary, representative of the Movement “Tree of Covenant Life,” which are small groups of fraternal support in the parishes.
On the other hand, the director of the National Catechesis, Father Mario Alberto Segura comments: “I am grateful for the good organization, the well-used times in the rounds, the details and the great opportunity to know the variety in the apostolates of all the Movements.”
With the vision well fixed
The preparation of the Movements helped them to find their North Star, their initial inspiration, to look again toward their founders and refresh their charism, and especially, their service to the Church. Thus, they were able to return faithfully to their commitment with the mission and prepare themselves aptly and conscientiously for the “rounds.”
Original Spanish, February 17, 2020. Translation: Carlos Cantú, Austin, Texas USA
