ECUADOR, Maria Fischer •
“The Catholic Church, which through this Ecumenical Council holds high the torch of religious truth, wants to show herself as the loving mother of all, kind, patient, full of mercy and goodness…”. It has been 60 years since these words of St. John XXIII were heard at the opening of the Second Vatican Ecumenical Council. This loving Church Mother of all is experienced in hundreds and hundreds of corners of the world. We experience, concretely and with our hands, in front of the shrine in Quito, month after month. —
“On this October morning, we distributed the charity bags,” says Father Rafael Amaya, “In this way we share what we have with our brothers and sisters. We have given them the word of God with our gestures. In this way, our faith becomes solid. That is why I invite you to continue to help us in this task.”
Since the beginning of the pandemic, families who have lost their jobs or never had an income have counted on the help of the “loving mother of all, kind, patient, full of mercy and goodness,” in the Schoenstatt Shrine. This “loving mother of all” dresses up as men and women from Quito who assemble the charity bags, distribute them, make donations, and pray for the families. She also dresses up as readers of schoenstatt.org who are touched by the faces and smiles of the poor pilgrims of the Shrine in Quito.
Original: Spanish, 13.10.2022. Translation: Maria Fischer @schoenstatt.org
