IN A FEW WORDS, Fr Joaquin Alliende Luco. She was entrancing. He was handsome. Sharing a table in a cafe, or the like. That’s the beginning of an advertisement on TV. Well made. Because it hit the nail on the head of one the shortcomings of our Chilean way of speaking and living. The young lady listens to him as he boasts about his academic titles, and in the end added a wonderful declaration of intent, such as, “I would have liked to do that.”
At that she leaves him with his mouth open and his eyes gazing into the distance. “If it only remains with good intentions, nothing will happen,” she thinks, gets up and goes.
In Chile we all too often live in the subjunctive mood, in the possibility, the wish. We lack the strength to will what we want, and to do what we have willed. Somebody could really change the country’s coat of arms. Over the heraldic condor and South Andean deer write “I would love to …”
A hundred years ago, when Schoenstatt began, our Founder impressed a motto on the young people: “On your marks, get set, go!”
It would be more than a good thing if this Kentenich imperative became popular in our beloved Chilean Schoenstatt. I may be mistaken, but I think we lack the verve, the precision, the greater modern effectiveness in our resolutions and plans.
Ah … I suddenly thought that a good motto for Chile could be: “We may meet again!”
Fr Joaquin Alliende L.
If this has said anything to you, tell the others … Pass it on.
Fr Joaquin Alliende, Chilean Schoenstatt Father, would like to write regular contributions for schoenstatt.org. They will touch upon some aspect of Schoenstatt’s life. The name of the series is: “In a few words”. Fr Alliende thanks most sincerely for this suggestion on the part of the editors of schoenstatt.org and hopes to contribute regularly to the international website as a contribution to this time of grace, which is the meaning of the Jubilee we are celebrating.
Ventura Torres, Secretary to Fr Joaquin Alliende
Original: Spanish. Translation: Mary Cole, Manchester, England
Thank you – I kind of figured that was him. Also thank you for the mouse-over tip I didn’t know about that.
Who is the priest in the picture with our Holy Father Francis? Is that Fr. Joaquin Allende? If I may offer a small critique for Schoenstatt.org from a journalist perspective. When pictures are run in most US news publications they run a brief caption beneath the picture which clarifies a little what the picture is about or at least the names of the people in the picture. We are from all over the world and some of us would like to know the who/what/when/where/why or at least part of that when we see the picture and how it relates to the article it is posted with. (A caption for this picture might be "Fr. Joaquin meets with Pope Francis…) I love what you do at Schoenstatt.org keep up the good work of informing our Schoenstatt Family world wide. MPHC-EV
___> would it not be Fr Alliende, we had not put it 🙂
But thanks for the advice, the caption was just forgotten to copy from the original. It is in now (mouse-over)