Women belonging to the Schoenstatt group prepared the children for their first Holy Communion. Frauen aus der Schönstattgruppe bereiteten die Kinder zur ersten Heiligen Kommunion vor.

The joy in the faces of these children holding the picture of Jesus and Mary in their hands was worth while all the efforts! Die Freude in den Gesichtern der Kinder, die das Bild von Jesus und Maria in der Hand halten, hat allen Mühe gelohnt!

Fotos: Schoenstatt, Costarica © 2001

(mkf) As a gift at the end of their preparation for their first Holy Communion, children of the "Escuela Británica" of San José in Costa Rica received a picture of the Blessed Mother , a copy of the picture in the Schoenstatt Shrines, the picture that many people in Costa Rica know from the Schoenstatt Rosary Campaign.

The Schoenstatt Movement in Costa Rica is young, small, apostolic and growing. Several ladies from the Schoenstatt group in San José worked as catechists for the students of the "Escuela Británica", a school in San José, and accompanied the children on their way to Jesus.

At the end of the two years of preparation, they wanted to give the children a special gift - Mary, whose task Father Kentenich describes in a prayer from Dachau: "In us walk through our word, make it ready for the Lord!" Their prayer: Mary, make them ready for the Lord!

"The joy in the faces of the children, when they held the picture of the Mater in their hands, was worth all the efforts," said Gonzalo Vega. "The Mater (Mother) must be very, very pleased today!"