Mary - Crowned to be Building Manager of the Shrine

The Peruvian Schoenstatt Movement Prepares for the Dedication of the First Daughter Shrine in Peru

The MTA picture for the new Shrine in Trujillo, Peru, with the crown Das schon gekrönte MTA-Bild für das neue Heiligtum in Peru

Crowning of the MTA in Trujillo, Peru- September 10, 2000 Krönung der MTA in trujillo, Peru - 10.September 2000

Almost complete: the new Shrine in Trujillo, Peru - to be dedicated on December 12, 2000 Fast fertig - von außen: das neue Heiligtum in Trujillo, Peru. Einweihung 12. 12. 2000

Fotos: Schoenstatt in Peru © 2000

(Cesar Medina Rivera, Manuel Huayapaya) On September 17, the Peruvian Schoenstatt Movement crowned the MTA picture for the future Schoenstatt Shrine in Trujillo. This first Schoenstatt Shrine in Peru is scheduled to be dedicated on December 9, 2000. Mary was crowned to be the Building Manager of the Shrine. The Schoenstatt Men's Youth plans a foot pilgrimage to the Shrine to prepare for the dedication.

The Peruvian Schoenstatt Family's anticipation is high – with joy and enthusiasm they prepare for the first Schoenstatt Shrine on Peruvian soil. Already on September 17, the MTA picture for this Shrine received the crown – an expression of this anticipation and longing. The idea to crown Mary before the dedication came up during a discussion of leaders earlier in the year when the importance of her building the Shrine became more and more clear.

The Shrine in Trujillo is the fruit of years of longing and of countless prayers, sacrifices and contributions to the Capital of Grace. While the Schoenstatt members in Peru built the daughter Shrine, brick for brick, Mary secretly began to build another Shrine, in the hearts of people, the living Shrine of the Peruvian Schoenstatt.

Building Manager of the Shrine of Stone and of the Heart Shrine

September 17 was a sunny day – thus underlining the Trujillo Schoenstatt family's joy on this occasion. They met by the wayside shrine, and from there processed to the construction site of the future Schoenstatt Shrine, praying the rosary as they walked. By the shrine, a large number of people waited for them, neighbors from the surrounding area and Schoenstatt members from Lima and Callao. Padre José Antonio Bohuytron celebrated the Holy Mass. Representatives of the different branches and groups were involved in the welcome, prayers, songs, and offering of the gifts. Everything reflected the joyful anticipation of the future Shrine as the climax of the day approached, the crowning! A special surprise awaited the participants afterwards - Lucrecia Enríques brought "relics" for the Shrine – a small cross from the first frame of the MTA picture and a stone, both from the Original Shrine in Schoenstatt, Germany.

Many Schoenstatt members from Peru and elsewhere spritually joined in the crowning which took place at a time when Peru made world news with its political crisis. In this situation, the Schoenstatt members confidently offered the crown to Mary and joined in praying the oldest Schoenstatt prayer, written by Father Kentenich in 1916, "Mother with your Child Divine, make our country wholly thine ..."

Caminata 2000 - Foot Pilgrimage of Schoenstatt Men's Youth

The Schoenstatt Men's Youth of Peru will prepare for the dedication of the Shrine with a foot pilgrimage, inviting youth between the ages of 18 and 35 from all over Peru and the neighboring countries to participate, especially including those who do not know Schoenstatt. The foot pilgrimage is an expression of their love for the Blessed Mother and reflecting their spirit of adventure and conquest. Each step would be a contribution to the Capital of Grace, out of gratitude for Mary and out of longing for the graces from the first Peruvian Schoenstatt Shrine – - that's the idea! "And of course we want to promote Schoenstatt, make it known to many," said one of the coordinators.

On December 7, the participants of this foot pilgrimage will meet in Lima and take a bus to Virú, a place about 30 miles from Trujillo. On December 8, they'll start their foot pilgrimage, stay overnight in Alto Moche, and continue on the day of the dedication. They want to stop in a pilgrim church on the way to gain the plenary indulgence. Around 3:00 PM, they plan to be at the new Shrine, just in time to prepare for the solemn dedication that will start at 5:00 PM – the moment when the message from the First Founding Document will become a reality in Peru: "Then it will please me to dwell in your midst and dispense gifts and graces in abundance. Then from here I will draw youthful hearts to myself ..."

The Shrine in Trujillo will be dedicated on December 9, 2000, by Archbishop Miguel Cabrejos Vidarte OFM of Trujillo.