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Pilger aus Schottland bei der Bündnisfeier im Urheiligtum. |
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Bündnisfeier in der Anbetungskirche, Berg Schönstatt. |
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Junge Frauen aus Polen gestalten die Feier mit. |
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Im Feuerbecken vor der Anbetungskirche werden die Anliegenzettel verbrannt. |
(mkf) Schoenstatt members and friends from four continents joined in renewing the Covenant of Love in the Adoration Church on Mount Schoenstatt on July 18, 2000. At the same time, 50 pilgrims from Scotland gathered in the Original Shrine for their Covenant celebration, one of the highlights of their pilgrimage to Schoenstatt.
The first sunny afternoon and evening after a long period of cold and rainy weather made for special joy on this covenant day in Schoenstatt. The pilgrims from Scotland, among them many first-time visitors to Schoenstatt, made a candlelight procession to the Original Shrine where they arrived at 7:30 pm. Several families and individuals received a home shrine - in the size and shape of the more than 4,000 home shrines that had been distributed to children from schools in Glasgow and East Dunbartonshire in May and June, with the Home Shrine Project 2000.
At the same time, Schoenstatt members from four continents gathered in the Adoration Church. Flags from several countries stood by the left side of the altar. Father Michael Schapfel led the celebration. He welcomed the representatives from the various countries, a
group of Schoenstatt Men's Youth from the Speyer Diocese preparing for their summer camp, a group from Warsaw, Poland, the local Schoenstatt family, and all guests, visitors and vacationers present. Schoenstatt Sisters, and girls from Poland and the Czech Republic provided music and songs, Schoenstatt Mothers read the texts of the prayer service.
"Thanks That You Are Here"
Their year's motto set the tone for the covenant renewal: "Thanks that you are here!" This is addressed first to Jesus, whose birth 2,000 years ago is celebrated in this Holy Year, but also to Mary in the Shrine, and to each one: to the neighbor, the fellow Schoenstatt member, the husband, wife, and children, the parish priest, the fellow employee, the bus driver ...
Father Schapfel spoke about the encounter of Elizabeth and Mary, how these two women sensed each other's vocation. They greeted each other and the children they bore: "Thanks, that you are here!" We are encouraged to say this to each other, Father Schapfel emphasized.
"We may say it to the ones sitting next to us right now, or to those whom we met today. We understand - it is easy to say this to certain persons and, thinking of others, we may hold our
breath. We cannot and we do not need to say this 'Thanks that you are here' out of our own strength and will power, but because God and the Blessed Mother said and continue to say this to them. Thus we just join them in saying this to those we like and those we dislike, also."
As usual, each one then was invited to remember the gifts, graces, challenges, and needs of the past weeks - and to recall that everything becomes valuable as a contribution to the Capital of Grace. Each could write some contributions on slips of paper which were collected and put into the jars placed by the MTA picture.
