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Place
of many special experiences during the camp: Shrine in Montahue,
Concepción |
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| Active young
women - "Today we decide our Tomorrow!" Voller Energie: "Heute entscheiden wir über unser Morgen!" |
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| Proudly presenting
their flag Stolz auf ihr Banner |
| Fotos: Paulina Vásquez © 2001 |
(Carolina Juica) "Mother, enkindled by your love - today we decide the tomorrow." This was the motto that 21 university students took home from their summer camp (January 16 - 20, 2001) by the Shrine in Montahue, Concepción, in the South of Chile. The Covenant Renewal on January 18 and the hours spent in the Shrine left a mark on the young people who returned from these days filled with enthusiasm for their mission.
The young women belong to the Branch of the University Youth from La Florida, Santiago, Chile. One of the participants, after their return, called her friends: "Today I want to share with you a magical trip to beautiful places, to a Shrine that crowns a hill, surrounded by pines, with a sun that is reflected on the foliage, while the Mater (Mother) seems to caress us with a fresh breeze characteristic of the South of Chile. That's how the Schoenstatt University Youth Camp began."
A group of 21 young people traveled to Montahue on January 16 to participate in some days of formation, of learning more about Schoenstatt and how to apply the spirituality of Schoenstatt to their daily life. The topic was: "Today we are called to build the Kingdom of Freedom." They were motivated to be heroic and, united in prayer, to become interiorly free with the help of Mary. Between songs and laughs they expressed their thanks for the Sacred Spring. They enjoyed the Shrine that many times was "only for them." January 18, Covenant Day, was a special highlight of their camp. They participated in the Covenant Mass; then they went on pilgrimage to the Shrine with their flags, singing their and renewing the Covenant of Love.
Called to be a Living Crown
Every night in the Shrine, their camp leader gave a replica of the RTA crown to one of the young women who during the day had stood out as "a little Mary." One of the participants said, "There were four evenings, there were four girls, and among them was me. I should recognize that this was the best prize that I could receive, although it was difficult to sleep that night because of the emotion."
Each day began with a morning prayer to introduce the day. The students used every free minute to visit the Blessed Mother in the Shrine, to complete their 1000 contributions to the Capital of Grace, and to make friends. Their last day, January 20, gave them a deep Schoenstatt experience, as they said yes to the call of being a Living Crown. One of the youths summarized her experience of the farewell: "We went to the Shrine to say goodbye. The sun slowly hid in the horizon and it became dark. Our Mater said goodbye to us cheerfully, and she did so with a delicate rain. The Holy Spirit sent us a fresh breeze, and our motto was leading us to the heights: Mother, enkindled by your Love, today we decide the tomorrow."
English edition: Joan Biemert, New Franken, Wisconsin, USA