capital of grace Tag

Santa Cruz do Sul
BRAZIL, Ruy Kaercher / Maria Fischer • “With the gift of the Spirit, Jesus wants to free the disciples from the fear that imprisons them in their homes, so that they can go out and become witnesses and proclaimers of the Gospel.” Thus, Pope Francis at the Regina Coeli on Pentecost 2023. Where there is fear, where the doors are closed, the Holy Spirit is absent. Despite much suffering and many a threat, the lay people of the first Schoenstatt Shrine in Santa Cruz do Sul never closed their doors,Read More
Santa Cruz do Sul
BRAZIL, Ruy Kaercher, Maria Fischer • For two years, since that overnight action in which the Sisters of Mary removed the altar and other elements from the Shrine of Santa Cruz do Sul, there have been about eight hundred mentions of this Shrine in the local press, including articles, press releases, letters to the editor, and statements by prominent citizens. This makes this shrine, of which only the walls and the great love of its pilgrims remain, the one with the greatest media attention worldwide. To all this, a fewRead More
Santuario de Santa Cruz do Sul
BRAZIL, Maria Fischer • “What if we launched a large international campaign seeking contributions to the Capital of Grace to help our brothers and sisters in Santa Cruz do Sul to reconquer and rebuild their shrine? Let us create a great current of support and accompaniment for them and show them that there is also community in Schoenstatt. It is an idea…” An idea that Claudio Ardissone from Assunción suggested to his international team members at schoenstatt.org when he saw the pictures of the interior of the shrine, with itsRead More
Krug tinaja jar
ORIGINAL SHRINE, María Fischer • I simply turned off towards Frankfurt on the motorway instead of Cologne one day on the way from work. It is February 18th, Covenant Day, and my cell phone has loaded so many people and intentions that it urgently needs to go to the Original Shrine. This spontaneous pilgrimage to the Original Shrine brings two surprises: The blessing with the Blessed Sacrament at 6:00 p.m. at the end of the Adoration and a new, large jug with the inscription “Capital of Grace” in many languages.—Read More
ORIGINAL SHRINE, Maria Fischer • First of all: It wasn’t us! When Father Pablo Pol’s message was spread about the letters sent to the Blessed Mother in the Original Shrine that broke the jar, many said to themselves, “But the last time we delivered letters via Schoenstatt.org the jar was still in perfect condition! This Christmas, just in case, we put the more than 750 letters in a paper bag, which was placed next to the old jar, which for the moment replaces the one that was broken. —  Read More
ORIGINAL SHRINE, Father Pablo Pol, Rector of the Original Shrine  • A few weeks ago, something very special happened. The jar that contains the letters, petitions, offerings, in short, the entire Capital of Grace of the Original Shrine, was broken. As you can see in the photos, the letters that arrived with petitions to the Blessed Mother from all over the world were placed with great enthusiasm and the jar could not withstand it…it simply broke. —  From the outside, one might think that it is simply a mistake andRead More
BOLIVIA, Mariely Herrera • We have two children and have belonged to the Schoenstatt Couples’ Branch for seven years. Until a few years ago, we were a completely normal family, and we never imagined that God would place this very incredible task before us: to motivate the Family from Santa Cruz de la Sierra (the Family of the largest wayside shrine in the world), and to make the effort to fulfill goals with contributions to the capital of grace to conquer the future shrine. — How the “intercessory rosary” emergedRead More
PARAGUAY, BEATIFICATION OF CHIQUITUNGA, Mirtita Etchegaray De Arias, Family Work• The act of walking through the street and seeing so many people was emotionally touching. In the beginning, it made one happy seeing lines upon lines of people waiting to enter, but anxiety began when sensing that there were now few spaces. When everything became worrisome, it sufficed to say “when we consider our own strength, all hope and trust waver…” so we resorted to our ally, to divine strength, prayer…praying to the Blessed Mother that we could enter. —Read More
PRAYING IN SOLIDARITY WITH POPE FRANCIS • As he often does after the Angelus, Pope Francis on Sunday, 28 January urged the Church to unite in prayer, this time especially for the victims of the recent attacks in Kabul, Afghanistan. “Yesterday from Afghanistan arrived the painful news of the terrible terrorist massacre carried out in the capital Kabul, with almost a hundred dead and numerous wounded. A few days ago another serious attack, still in Kabul, had sowed terror and death in a large hotel. How long will the AfghanRead More
Editorial team • After the Angelus on the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, Pope Francis asked the Mother of God for the gift of consolation and a peaceful future for those who suffer as a result of natural disasters and the conflicts that assail many parts of the world. “To Mary Queen of Peace, who we contemplate today in the glory of Paradise, I once again want to entrust the anxieties and pain of the people who in many parts of the world are suffering as aRead More