ARGENTINA, Juan Barbosa •
The apostolic letter of H.H. Francis has inspired different initiatives all over the world. This page has also begun to work on the different proposals mentioned in the letter. The Madrugadores of the so-called “e-community HALFPASTSIX” took up the challenge and have already started to work with a first testimonial talk: St. Joseph, a tender and loving father. —
The HALFPASTSIX Rosary
Last March 31st, three Madrugadores from the parish of San Miguel, in Cordoba, gathered to pray the rosary to ask the Blessed Mother for the pandemic, back then, the virus was beginning to spread in the different countries of South America, just as it was happening in other continents. They decided to continue and invite others to join in, so this happened:
As of today they have 321 daily rosaries with an average of 30 men. A weekly rosary with the prisons was created, whose 35th edition was celebrated when this article was written. A physical community was created in La Pampa, one of the provinces of Argentina. Four monthly meetings with representatives of different communities brought them closer together (remember that people from different provinces of Argentina but also from Monterrey in Mexico, different communities in Costa Rica, Nicaragua and Chile participate). Through YouTube transmissions, the rosary reaches people in situations of loneliness and also different nursing homes. A Rosary of families also had space with the participation of 18 “screens” with 54 people and these restless prayers… They are going for more!
PATRIS CORDE could not be left out of the work!
Thus, the apostolic impulse of this nice group found in the initiative of this page, an incentive to imitate and… the idea was born! In just one day, the seven exhibitors were completed: The program is already set up and complete. And the first exhibition has already taken place with a “madrugador” from Mar del Plata, Argentina.
“St. Joseph, a tender and loving father” was the topic chosen by Daniel De Oto, who began with a nice and detailed review of his ancestors and the influence they had on his education, making a parallel between their tenderness and St. Joseph’s.
He talked about his growth in values and the presence of the image of this great saint in his life, motivating a spontaneous exchange with rich contributions among the assistants.
A subsequent reading of the Apostolic Letter related to his topic, invited to a reflection and then, by means of three questions, several of the 27 participants in the meeting by ZOOM brought rich contributions that invited to a beautiful exchange among all.
“Tenderness in masculinity? Of course we can find some and in St. Joseph we have THE MODEL to advance in the conquest or improvement of the tenderness. It is not easy, but it is the best way to develop our personality with ourselves and with others,” commented one of the attendees.
“How difficult it is to exercise tenderness in certain situations,” reflected another guest, inviting everyone to make the effort….
Much to do and… the best is always yet to come!
This initiative, which is Mary’s, clearly shows the men the need for prayer in their lives and the enormous benefits it brings. Every day, 20 minutes before the beginning of the rosary, there are already several people in the zoom’s waiting room, ready to pray, who happily participate in this space that continues to grow together with her.
“We only have to allow Mary to “light the fuse in our lives” and everything remains the same, but… we are the ones who change!” one of the Madrugadores commented with emotion.
Pope Francis is an inexhaustible source of material for reflection and the Madrugadores from all over the world say “yes!” to each of his initiatives with great dedication and, above all, with great joy.
Original: Spanish 2021-02-15. Translated by María Aragón. Monterrey, México
