ARGENTINA, Ana Echevarría • Large and small wayside shrines: nailed in mountain areas, forests and valleys, towns and cities, and roadsides. The Mother Thrice Admirable’s wayside shrines sown by the Schoenstatt Rosary Campaign are raised braving bad weather: wind, snow, heat, and cold in different places around the world. The popular creativity of missionaries from different nations where these shrines are found displays enormous diversity. However there is something that they all have in common, something that unites them. It is the immense love borne of a Mother’s restless heart
Read More MÉXICO, Ana Echavarría Barros • Experiencing the Family Missions is always a gift from God and the Blessed Mother. From 1-6 August, we shared the joy of going on mission in Tapona and Obregón, two small communities in our state; Fr. Felipe Ríos Correa accompanied us. The people welcomed us warmly into their homes, and they joined us at the workshops for adults, youths, and children we had prepared. Mrs. Marcela’s testimony The roads that God has for us that touch our hearts are often unforeseen. One morning, we visited
Read More USA, Maria E. Garcia • The Schoenstatt Rosary Campaign of the South East Texas Region has the opportunity to meet twice a year. The Pilgrim Mother arrived in this region of Texas in the early 1980’s. Raquel Guillen was the MTA’s chosen instrument to begin the Pilgrim MTA’s visits among families in Brownsville, Texas, and surrounding areas. With the rapid and fruitful growth of the Pilgrim Mothers’ visits over the next two decades, Schoenstatt Father Hector Vega and Raquel decided a bi-annual conference would be in order to apprise missionaries/coordinators
Read More COLOMBIA, Beatriz Cárdenas, Coordinator of Schoenstatt Rosary Campaign in Riohacha • On 17 April 2016, the Schoenstatt Rosary Campaign arrived in Riohacha La Guajira, a city located in northern Colombia on the edge of the Caribbean Sea. Since that day, the Blessed Mother has guided everyone’s steps that began the process of offering their service. It has been an honor to accompany such a distinguished and sweet visitor to these wonderful lands. She has participated in many activities, and she has received the affection of the devotees who feel attracted
Read More COSTA RICA, Michelle Ramírez de Monturiol • Costa Rica experienced a triduum of celebration; it was a weekend filled with joy for the blessing of their first “Family of Hope” Shrine, the fruit of 20 years of contributions to the capital of grace. Saturday, 18 March, was not only a day of renewal of the Covenant of Love but a dream of many was fulfilled. Now the first Schoenstatt Shrine in Costa Rica and Central America has become a reality. The blessing was led by the Bishop Rafael Quirós Quirós
Read More PORTUGAL, Tereza Braga • The Lourinhã Parish joyfully welcomed the youths of Mission Country for the third and final year; they are students of ISEG Lisboa (Superior Institute of Economy and Development). The also young, Fr. Rodrigo, from Óbidos Parish, accompanied the group of sixty missionaries. The missionaries visited several places, schools and kindergartens; they also reached many people “door to door.” On the next to last night of their stay, they had dinner at the home of the families who had registered to welcome them, and the last day ended
Read More ITALY, Fr. Rolando G. Montes de Oca Valero • Being a Pilgrim Mother missionary presupposes allowing her to choose the methods. I expected my brother, Marwan – a Maronite rite priest with whom I know at the University – would return the picture with more “solemnity”. She had visited him the previous week, accompanying him at an important time; he was grateful and was willing to “return the visit.” When he took the Pilgrim Mother books out of his backpack and placed them in my hands, along with a “Thank
Read More ORIGINAL SHRINE, Fr. Bladimir Navarro Lorenzo • On 18 October, Fr. Bladimir Navarro Lorenzo, a Cuban priest of the Schoenstatt Federation of Diocesan Priests in Cuba, was in Schoenstatt. He con-celebrated the International Mass in the Pilgrims’ Church. At Fr. Egon M. Zillekens’ request, he shares his experience of those days. For me, Schoenstatt is a place of encounter and rest. It is clearly an encounter with the Blessed Mother, but at the same time in a special way with Fr. Kentenich. I arrived at the “beautiful place” with two
Read More ITALY by Gisela Ciola, Campaign missionary from Trento • I have missioned with the Schoenstatt Pilgrim Mother in Trento since 2014; it is the only one in this diocese. Many people in this area already have received it, as many as the graces that she has granted us. Milena, a woman from our prayer group asked me if she could take the Pilgrim Mother to her family in Milan, who waited for her with so much love. That was it. During those days, I had scheduled a meeting with Sr. Ivone,
Read More PARAGUAY, by Amada Girett and Maria Liz Ibaizabal • This is María Liz Ibaizabal’s testimony: she lives in Santa Rita, Alto Paraná, Paraguay. After the event that she relates, she felt called to be a missionary by the Blessed Mother, and on 18 March 2016, she received a Pilgrim Mother. She believes she is a miracle of the Blessed Mother, which happened a year ago. We heard about it when she shared it with the missionaries from Santa Rita. It is a testimony of how the Blessed Mother works. All
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