Maria Teresa Coelhoo (l) from Belo Horizonte, Brasil, with Naila and Wilke: "On each 11th, the Pilgrim Mother visits me, today I visit her." Maria Teresa Coelhoo (l) aus Belo Horizonte, Brasilien, mit Naila und Wilke: "An jedem 11. kommt die Pilgernde Gottesmutter zu mir, heute komme ich zu ihr!"

Carla from Monterrey, Mexico: A quick visit to the Original Shrine during a travel with a group. Carla aus Monterrey, Mexiko: Blitzbesuch im Urheiligtum während einer Gruppenreise

Also from Monterrey, Mexico: they came via taxi to Schoenstatt Auch aus Monterrey, Mexiko: sie kamen mit dem Taxi für ein paar Stunden

Enrique and Doracy Armadans, from Asunción, Paraguay Enrique und Doracy Armadans aus Asunción, Paraguay

Fotos: PressOffice Schoenstatt, mkf © 2001

A postcard from Paraguay as expression of unity: "These are our Shrines, where she is so close to us!" Eine Postkarte aus Paraguay als Zeichen der Verbundenheit: "Das sind unsere Heiligtümer, wi sie uns ganz nah ist."

Foto: Archiv © 2001

(mkf) On the eve of the anniversary of Father Kentenich's ordination, on July 7, four ladies from Monterrey, Mexico, came to Schoenstatt - with a taxi, that they had taken to get to the place from where the Pilgrim Mother set out who one of them receives each month. Like them, visitors from all over the world came to Schoenstatt, not only with big pilgrim groups but individually - all of them adding their personal colors to the Covenant of Love, to the face of Schoenstatt.

Maria Teresa Coelhoo from Belo Horizonte, Brazil, came from Heidelberg together with her daughter and son-in-law. She had visited the young couple there; Naila and Wilke are both studying music in Germany. On June 2, a rainy, cold day, they came to Schoenstatt, all of them for the first time ever. Maria Teresa: "The Pilgrim Mother visits with me on each 11^th of the month, and I know that she originally set out from a place called 'Schoenstatt' in Germany! I wanted to find this place!" They are in the Original Shrine for the first time, and hear about Father Kentenich whose tomb they also want to see. There, they entrust their loved ones to his intercession. And they want to know about Schoenstatt in Belo Horizonte and in Brazil - so they are invited to visit the room of PressOffice Schoenstatt to browse through the news on Brazil on schoenstatt.de - thus also finding the Pilgrim Mother again! Maria Teresa wrote some days later: "Through our Pilgrim Mother we got to know each other on this rainy morning of June 2. I will neve forget our encounter and our walk to the Shrine of grace. From Fatima, Portugal, where I will stay in July before returning to Brazil, I'll be in Schoenstatt with my prayers."

Because a Friend Came from Schoenstatt Full of Excitement

A couple from the US military had heard from a friend from San Salvador how beautiful it was to be in Schoenstatt, so they decided to come and see. "Where is the Shrine where Schoenstatt began? We need to find it!" They are happy to find out that they are already pretty close. "We'll move from our base to Wiesbaden soon, maybe we can come more often!"

On July 7, four ladies from Monterrey, Mexico, showed up in the information center in Schoenstatt - they had come with a taxi. "We were in Amsterdam, on a travel through Europe, and simply had to come. A friend belongs to Schoenstatt and told us to not miss this place." - One of the ladies belongs to the Schoenstatt Pilgrim Mother Campaign: "When my husband died, the others brought the Pilgrim Mother to me. It was such a consolation to have her around." They have been told by their friend what to do in Schoenstatt: visit the Original Shrine, and the tomb of the Father Kentenich.

Personally See That They Knew and Loved from Pictures and Books

Doracy Wagener de Armadans, from Asunción, Paraguay, and her husband, Enrique Armadans, came on June 10 from Hamburg where they were visiting with their son who is studying there. They belong to the Schoenstatt Family Movement in Paraguay. "The direct contact with the holy places," says Enrique, is what made the one-day visit to Schoenstatt special to him. Doracy: "With deep emotion I personally see and feel all that we have seen and read in books, on photos and pictures." For her, the few hours in Schoenstatt mean a profound spiritual experience, and: "feeling closer to the Schoenstatt family". For Enrique, the climax of his pilgrimage to Schoenstatt was "to have walked the same way that Father Kentenich walked on the last day of his life." In the Founder Chapel, he adds, one feels the presence of Father Kentenich, and it this presence that he will take home as precious "souvenir" from Schoenstatt. As their souvenir, they leave a postcard with the Shrine in Tuparenda: "This is our Shrine, where the Blessed Mother is so close to us, and where she unites thousands of pilgrims; it is true - each year on October 18, we celebrate our Shrine with over 40,000 persons!"

On June 30, in the morning, Carla from Monterrey literally ran for the Original Shrine - she had only a very limited time to be there: "I am on the way with a group of students, we came from Asterdam - and I talked those in charge into making the detour so I can be here!" A prayer in the Original Shrine - some of the precious time had been spent with finding it-, a photo, a candle, and back to the group: "It is such a gift to have been here, in our Shrine!