GERMANY, Peter Hagmann • In this second evening of the Men’s Workshop trilogy “Life crises that led to faith”, Milan recounts his journey: As a Croat in Bosnia, he was brought up as a Christian, but in his environment the Christian faith did not have much importance and this lasted for a long time. — Due to the bad environment, his life went off the rails. He experienced all kinds of drugs that led him straight to addiction: from hashish to heroin to synthetic drugs and alcohol. Again and again
Read More ARGENTINA, Juan Barbosa • The Madrugadores, in Cordoba, gathered last night at the Eucharist to celebrate their first ten years since that November 17, 2012 when they began their early mornings of prayer and, since then, their biweekly meetings have never been interrupted. As they say, “many of us have not come to all the madrugadas but MARY… She has never missed any of them!”. Fr. Juan José Riba, currently 700 km from Cordoba, did not want to miss the event and celebrated a heartfelt Mass of thanksgiving. — Inside…
Read More COSTA RICA/Schoenstatt, Hugo García • Trusting, resting…like this little bird that perches securely on the cross of the bell tower of the Shrine, from my window in Marienland, I begin to understand better what it means to have complete and total trust, what is “Blank check Surrender”, the “Practical Faith in Divine Providence”…already in a totally practical and experiential way in my today. I hope, I trust, I pray, I believe! — This great experience lived during these days in Schoenstatt, Germany, began with the gratifying announcement by Father José
Read More COSTA RICA, Elisa Velásquez Yépez • The National Leaders’ Conference was held in Costa Rica on June 4, at Saint Paul School in San Rafael de Alajuela, with the objective of integrating the leaders of the different branches and vocations belonging to the Schoenstatt Movement. For Father José Luis Correa Lira, national advisor of the Movement, it was essential that each one of the members of the Movement know the richness of the life of going forth that has been cultivated in the last two years. “The mission is life
Read More VATICAN, The Opoe Video • The Pope Video for June has just been released with the prayer intention that Francis is entrusting to the entire Catholic Church through the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network. This month, the Holy Father prays “for Christian families around the world; may they embody and experience unconditional love and advance in holiness in their daily lives.” — The family at the center After having dedicated the May video to young people, the three-month Pope Video series about the family continues, created by the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network
Read More POPE FRANCIS – PRAYER FOR PEACE, Editors • At St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome, more than 3,000 people watched the ceremony, while another 2,000 gathered in St. Peter’s Square on March 25, the Feast of the Incarnation of the Lord, to support Pope Francis’ initiative. Another gesture by the Pope to end the war. Another strong appeal from Francis to end the conflict “that makes everyone suffer.” All over the world, the faithful gathered in different ways for a global prayer. Also in the Original Shrine in Schoenstatt, as in
Read More Bárbara de Franceschi, Spain • “The horror of war awakens both the best and the worst in human beings.” Since 11 days ago (alas, by now many more) the horror of the war in Ukraine has aroused a feeling of impotence in most of the world before a situation which was unthinkable in the XXI century. — Russia may indeed have felt menaced when Ukraine was considering joining the NATO, yet nothing could justify a Russian invasion of a territory until then considered a friend, an invasion that immediately began with bombardments,
Read More In covenant solidarity with Ukraine, Editorial Team • Only hours after the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, members of the schoenstatt.org team began to spread on their networks Pope Francis’ appeal for peace and his call for a day of fasting and prayer for Ukraine on March 2, Ash Wednesday. Shortly afterwards, it was also on schoenstatt.org, in all five languages, as a featured article. A gesture of solidarity with the people of Ukraine, with the soldiers, the children, the mothers, the dead fathers, with the children, women
Read More ITALY, Patricia Manson • For fifteen years now, week after week, a small group of Schoenstattian faithful have been unfailingly meeting every Wednesday at the Cor Ecclesiae Shrine in Rome to pray the Rosary. As long as it was possible, and I could find a ride since I do not drive, I too most willingly would join them to participate in a prayer gathering of a rather new type for me, who grew up in a Protestant environment. — I must admit that at first I met with difficulty in
Read More By Charlie Paternina, Spain / USA• Yes, Francis irritates me. I do have, however, a minor problem. We have been friends for 20 years. I walked into his office on the second floor of 415 Avenida Rivadavia in Buenos Aires for the first time on June 7th, 2001. I expected it to be a short meeting. “Monsignor – I said very politely – thank you for seeing me. I don’t want to take too much of your time. This is the situation: a generous client of mine has offered to
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