URUGUAY, Matías Cerviño • The basic cycle of “Liceo Providencia –Papa Francisco” [“Pope Francis – Providencia Preparatory High School”], a Uruguayan Schoenstatt Movement social work, the first generation has ended. The entire educational community bid them farewell with great joy and a desire to continue accompanying them on the new stage they begin. The class of 2017 finished their classes at the end of December. “Liceo Providencia – Papa Francisco” opened its doors with this class in 2014; it is one of three educational programs at Providencia Center, launched and
Read More PARAGUAY, by Laura Ruiz Díaz • On 24 December, Christmas Eve, the prison ministry along with Fr. Pedro Kühlcke went to the juvenile detention center, “Centro Educativo Itauguá” (CEI) [Itauguá Educational Center] to share Christmas snacks with the youths. The experience allowed me to live the true meaning of Christmas through every smiling face that graciously expressed gratitude for our presence, or in the tear-filled eyes of some, who, no matter how they tried to control a feeling of sadness, could not hide it. Thus the hugs were longer and
Read More by Felix Geyer • “Take our love, our loyalty, our yes. For Schoenstatt’s new 100 years. This is what this torch represents”. This was heard during the celebration of the Jubilee 2014’s Vigil in the large pilgrims’ arena. The torch, which the youths brought from Italy that lit pilgrims’ candles and the fire in the large fountain, became the symbol of that night and of new beginnings. Primarily, it is a promise: whoever lit his/her candle took the torch, or in the shrine, promised “Blessed Mother, here I am,” now
Read More MEXICO, David Tijerina Sáenz and Mónica Díaz E. de Tijerina • We are David and Monica, we have been married for almost nine years, and we want to share our experience of carrying out an apostolate together with the aim of motivating you to open yours and others hearts to work during this Year of Mercy. Since we were married and because of the different circumstances life presented to us, we began to form ourselves in the Faith. Hand in hand, we began to feel the call to contribute, in
Read More PARAGUAY, Fr. Pedro Kühlcke • – Hello, Pepito! Are you in jail again? Too bad! Why? –Yes, Fr. forgive me! I was out for four months. However, I did not find work anywhere, I did not have support from anyone; you know my family chaos. Temptation was stronger, and I failed again. The sorrow: A short time after his release, he is in jail again Almost two years ago when we became aware that the Blessed Mother wanted to send us to such an existential periphery like a jail for
Read More PARAGUAY, Fr. Pedro Kühlcke, Maria Fischer • Christmas in jail: the Itauguá juvenile detention center, a few kilometers from the Schoenstatt Shrine at Tupãrenda. For a little more than a year, ‘mercy’ has a face here, mercy that has to do with being and doing, just as Fr. Juan Pablo Catoggio said during the opening of the Holy Door at the Original Shrine. During preparation for World Youth Day in Kraków during the Year of Mercy, Pope Francis asked youths to select and carry out a physical and spiritual act
Read More Today Claudio Ardissone responds: I am 45 years old, I have been married to Vicky Ramírez for 20 years, we have two children, Costanza (17) and Camilo (13) • I learned about Schoenstatt in passing when I was about 15 years old, and I became part of the Movement at the age of 19, when I entered university. The name of my Boy’s Group is Hontanar [Wellspring] and our ideal is “To be a source for others,” because we were at the stage of the second re-founding of the Boys’
Read More PARAGUAY, by María Fischer • We arrived after an adventurous trip in Father Pedro Kühlcke’s car, through paths of red dirt a little lost in the jungle, with holes and gigantic waves of ground that made me enjoy a feeling of a free Dakar Rally, or something like that. But the greater adventure of that day was still to come. The greater adventure is named Ángel (name was changed), who is 17 years old and he is one of Fr. Pedro Kühlcke’s young friends from the Prison Ministry, Visitación de
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