Fr. José María García (vice-superior of the Schoenstatt Fathers and with Sr. M Luciane Machens is in charge of the 2014 Commission) was interviewed by VINCULO, magazine of the Schoenstatt Movement in Chile, on the Schoenstatt centennial in 2014 and the preparation there of.
Within the preparation of the 2014 Jubilee, how will we celebrate Father’s Jubilee next year?
Regarding the Covenant of Love, the Jubilee begins in 2010 and leads to 2014. Our internal option is to be able to relive Father’s path to the priesthood in this process….. to relive the Covenant from different perspectives and themes. The General Presidium convoked representatives from the 33 countries where our Family is present so they could respond to a series of questions: What are we celebrating? How will we prepare and how will we celebrate? Where will we celebrate? From the reflection and formulation of the answers to said questions, a Declaration was made which was assumed by the General Presidium. Now the Presidium has to continue making decisions to fulfill them.
Concretely, what do we want to celebrate?
At the February planning meeting of this past year (Conference 2014), providentially, we asked ourselves these questions…..How has God and the Blessed Virgin been preparing us for this Jubilee? Symbolically, we brought the life of our national Families to the original source, the Original Shrine. We confirmed, with gratitude and acknowledgement of our limitations – perhaps the biggest evidence – that it is not like when we look at the history of the Church: that all that we are and all that motivates us comes forth from the Covenant of Love with the Blessed Virgin in the Shrine.
In the message for 2014, we affirm that we will renew our Covenant in light of the present times which has a strong apostolic seal: the “nothing without us,” our contribution, will be to give to the Blessed Mother apostolic projects in five areas – youth, marriage and family, education, incorporation into the local Church, a new social order – where the God of life is opening doors for us so that we may respond in the power of the Covenant of Love.
What challenges do we have in the Family, what strengths do we have?
The strengths available to us for fulfilling these apostolic projects cannot be other than those which spring forth from our own Covenant life: the life currents which flow through the international Schoenstatt Family and which were formulated in said planning conference:
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The Shrine and its reality, identity, mission. The Shrine and its cosmos.
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The attachment to the Father and Founder and our desire to canonize him, beyond the emotional and the devotional…..also in the intellectual and spiritual compression of his charisma.
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Missionary current, to go out into the world with different missionary projects.
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Unity current. It is a very concrete and permanent challenge. We are a Movement of renewal which defines itself as a Family united by the graces and points of contact as well as in one same mission. Unity is grace on the par with task. For example, at the February meeting, a common spirit toward 2014 came forth, not only in the emotional but also in the style of work. Unity is experienced as a grace and has a response in the work in regard to the mission which unites us.
The Father and founder always led the Family by means of the life currents which came forth. The currents which we confirm today in the Schoenstatt Work have to give strength and Schoenstatt identity to the apostolic projects. Each country will find its projects open to the currents of life. In them we will find the common identity in an International Apostolic Schoenstatt so dispersed and varied.
What will our outer image be, how do we take our contribution to the Church of today?
The apostolic projects, fruitfulness of the Covenant, will be an expression of the Schoenstatt Jubilee message for the Church and society. Not only will we announce and reflect on the Covenant and Father Kentenich’s mission (charisma and mission which he entrusted to us as the Family which he formed), but we will present them in projects which demonstrate the fostering power of the culture of the Covenant.
Along with this message “toward the outside,” there is a message “toward within” in this jubilee. The preparation of such projects as Family, the openness so that the grace of the Lord may set us afire, lead us to a profound renewal. It has to do with the renewal and “re-foundation” which Father Kentenich expected from his Family in moments of grace.
The centennial Jubilee of our Family leads us to give to the Church and society projects which demonstrate how the Covenant fosters a culture of life.
And how will we celebrate?
With all of the spiritual, apostolic and organizational preparations, we will arrive at 2014 which is called to be a year of pilgrimage to the Shrines and especially to the Original Shrine in order to renew in this apostolic and surrendering sense, our Covenant of Love. Afterwards, we will go on pilgrimage together to Rome to present to the Pope the fruitfulness of this Covenant which we celebrate and receive his sending forth.
Which are the steps to take?
First of all, it was agreeing on how the celebration will be. Then came the 2014 message which was presented. Now the challenge for the General Presidium is to name in December a responsible team (commission 2014) where by means of leaders and experts, a pastoral and organizational model may be created. There is a proposal that it encompass communication, contents, and the working aspect. From here, areas will be defined and the operational development defines the times and the fostering in coordination with each national Schoenstatt. It is a great challenge because it has to be a transverse project. It goes beyond the personal and cultural where we all need each other. At the 2014 Conference, we all contributed because we live the Covenant of Love. We are all necessary. It is an integral and fraternal contribution with its own mark, different from the others. We work for a common mission, not only in the Spirit, but also in the Work where the federation aspect has to cultivate itself in a positive sense in order to achieve organic loving.
One beautiful and striking gesture is the pilgrimage of the Father Eye Symbol at the international level. The national Schoenstatt Family which receives it unites with the Father. This initiative began on the anniversary of Father Kentenich’s ordination. The Family becomes aware of what it means to be family in unity with Father, and we meet as family at points where we are less Father’s family. It is not only an affective and devotional gesture, rather, we find in him the unity in the charisma and mission. Father Kentenich not only accompanies us, he visits us like when he returned to visit Dachau so that the Family would unite in life by means of a symbol which demonstrates the paternity of God. It is a gift which wants to be fruitful in regard to the unity of Father’s family.
Finally, what transformation would we want for our Schoenstatt Family?
The idea is that it be a transformation in depth. A jubilee in the authentic spirit of our Father and Founder, in his pedagogical charisma with a determining apostolic sense. The key will be in that the Jubilee be a great current of life which incorporates the entire international Family…..a current which may be an expression of our Covenant life at this moment in the history which the Lord entrusts to us and that it will be the beginning of a new centennial for our Family.
In 1914, Blessed Mother counted on our Founder and some youths to seal the Covenant of Love; in 2014, She counts on Father’s Family to realize a new culture from this Covenant of Love.
Source: Vínculo 12/2009
