mev. Among the many who came to greet the MTA on October 18th, a group of ladies were noticed for wearing a “uniform” coat, and they participated actively and joyfully in all the activities that were offered.
They were the twenty-three leaders of the Ladies’ Branch from Viña del Mar, and the Shrines of Holy Water and The Pines; they have had the desire to come to the Original Shrine as a Circle of Leaders for four years. They began their pilgrimage in Rome; they traveled to Assisi, Quarten, and Dachau, and then they arrived at the Original Shrine. “In Dachau, we were able to fully experience the Covenant of Love, because something great emerged from this helplessness and deplorable situation where Father was!”
A very blessed pilgrimage
“Everything was providential, we absolutely did not schedule anything so that our pilgrimage would coincide with the opening of the Year of the Missionary Current,” the group leader, Veronica Ciudad, said. To be present at the vigil on October 17th, and in the procession on the 18th was the highlight that crowned this pilgrimage road that has been a gift.”
For them it was a great honor to carry the bowls that represented the five apostolic fields during the vigil and then forming a street of roses where the Pilgrim Auxiliary would pass for the renewal of the Covenant on October 18th.
The Little Box of Holiness
This group did not just come to receive many gifts – which they constantly experienced – but rather, “we go filled with that missionary fire to present our project in the best way possible!” When we asked them what this project was about, they spoke about a little box of holiness. They explained: “It is a project that was born in the Branch from Viña del Mar and now it has spread throughout Chile. It is a little box that is divided into four parts, which is a road of falling in love once again with the means of self-denial and self-education.
We presented our missionary gesture in the Shrine
The little box of holiness has become the foundation for a missionary project for the Ladies’ Branch from Chile. “Yesterday, we symbolically presented our missionary project, Be Happy Woman, in the shape of a cross that was burned in the covenant fire close to the Original Shrine. It is our apostolate to rescue the image of ‘being woman” and take this message to all the different levels and realities of the women in the country, always using Father Kentenich’s pedagogy and teachings.
In this way, the words of the liturgy for the renewal of the Covenant on October 18, 2012, became a reality: “We came as pilgrims, we depart as apostles.” These pilgrims return to their country and their homes with new strength to make their initiative a reality, departing with the grace of the Year of the Missionary Current.
Translation: Celina M. Garza, San Antonio, TX, USA
