Christ Tag

COVENANT SOLIDARITY, Sarah-Leah Pimentel • While most of us were enjoying the Easter celebrations, delighting in the beauty and joy of the Easter vigil liturgy or the surprise and wonder of the disciples in the Easter Sunday readings, for the Christians of Sri Lanka Good Friday never ended. Death overshadowed the promise of a new and renewed life.— The Easter candle splattered with blood of the martyrs reminds us that although Jesus is resurrected into eternal life, his body and the body of His Church remain on the cross ofRead More
PARAGUAY, Editorial team • “Every word is worth gold!” José Argüello commented to me after re-reading Francisco Pistilli Bishop of Encarnación’s homily at Pablo David Martínez’ ordination to the priesthood. It speaks to the mystery of personal vocation that “is woven into the soul of every life and in the mystery of God’s action.” It is the essential Schoenstatt has and offers as an ecclesial Movement, where everyone according to their vocational choice and coordinated in covenant, serves the Church and its mission and the world that God has entrustedRead More
FRANCIS IN CHILE, by Sophie Berthet E. • “Faith is lived in community.” This is one of the expressions that has most marked my life because I have always thought of myself as being very sociable and because I believe that it is very true. I won’t share the reasons here because that is not what this article is about, but I hope that through this account, you’ll see what I mean. I worked as a volunteer for the Pope’s visit. I love to sing. I belonged to the MisiónRead More
SOUTH AFRICA, Sarah-Leah Pimentel • On 2 December I received the sad news that the Schoenstatt Shrine in Johannesburg had been robbed. The thieves had got in through a window and stolen everything containing some kind of metal (probably to be melted or sold), including the tabernacle. Thank God the Schoenstatt Sister who stays on the property was unharmed. Bad news always spreads quickly and of course, the biggest concern, over and above the loss of our precious symbols in the shrine is what happened to the tabernacle and theRead More
BRAZIL, Fabio Alves via www.jumasbrasil.com.br • In Brazil the Schoenstatt Boys’ Youth celebrated its 60 years of founding with a National Gathering. The Paraná region welcomed 450 youths from allover Brazil to Cornélio Procópio close to Tabor Shrine of Loyalty and the Most Holy Trinity Church. On Saturday, 12 November, the gathering was in the shrine. There in the official opening, the different Branches and regions were introduced with the Bishop of the Diocese welcoming them. The theme for the first day was Missionary Generation, where spurred by this currentRead More
By Gilbert Sanabria Ravinovich • My name is Gilbert Sanabria, I am 26 years old, I am a missionary of the Catholic University Missions, and I am a member of the Vincentian Marian Youth.  I would like to share about the Blessed Mother’s call in my life. In the year 2014, my family and I experienced many trials.  My father was gravely ill, and as always, we only remembered God in difficult moments.  We began to implore his help with prayer chains to Mary under the title of Mystical Rose.Read More
PARAGUAY, Family Missions 2016, Rodolfo Melgarejo • “The Lord went out to sow, and in the heart of America, he found fertile land…” are the lyrics of a song, and today the Lord once again went out to sow in Paraguay.  Ten towns, with more than a thousand people, mad for Christ. Yes crazy, as we left comforts such as sleeping in a bed, bathing with warm water and there were days we had no water. During this truly cold winter, it rained, but this was nothing if we placeRead More
FRANCIS IN ROME – HOLY YEAR OF MERCY • During February’s jubilee audience, Pope Francis recalled that “in this Season of Lent, the Church invites us to learn to know the Lord Jesus ever better, and to live the faith in a consistent way with a lifestyle that expresses the mercy of the Father. It is a commitment that we are called to take on in order to offer to those we meet the concrete sign of God’s closeness. Full text of Pope Francis’s catechesis during the Jubilee Audience, 20.02.2016Read More
BRAZIL, Gregory Oliveira • The spirit of Christmas once again takes into account the dark streets of Sao Paulo/SP, thanks to Christmas in Solidarity. At dawn on 25 December 2015, Schoenstatt Apostolic Youths from the Jaraguá neighborhood once again transformed the solitude of the night into a smile for those who live alone on the capital’s streets and avenues. Christmas in Solidarity reached the ten-year mark of mission with great celebration. The apostolic initiative began in 2005 with a small group of Youths from Jaraguá going through the city’s streetsRead More
ITALY, by Gisela Ciola • I wanted to close these Christmas celebrations with a testimony of my experience as a missionary, which began in 2015. For me, “the Blessed Mother’s three graces arrived with the Three Kings.” I began to mission at Trento with the Pilgrim Mother less than a year ago. There are no Schoenstatt Shrines or missionaries in northern Italy, so my preparation for this very important work was very special. I began my task when I received Fr. Juan José Riba’s blessing, in February of last year.Read More