Una "galaxia": Miles y miles de estrellas con los nombres de queridos seres, en el pesebre en Schoenstatt Thousands of stars with the names of loves ones, by the crib in the Adoration Church Tausende von Sternen mit Namen von lieben Menschen bei der Krippe in der Anbetungskirche
Estudiantes de los Padres de Schoenstatt con los vasos con de capital de gracias Students of the Schoenstatt Fathers carried the jars with the capital of grace to the fire Studenten der Schönstattpatres tragen die Krüge mit dem Gnadenkapital zum Feuer
Fotos: POS, Fischer © 2003
¡Cuánta esperanza, alegría, dolor, confianza, ofrecidos a nuestra Mater! How much hope, joy, pain, confidence offered to the Blessed Mother in each star! Wie viel Hoffnung, Vertrauen, Schmerz, Schuld, Zuversicht steht auf diesen Sternen!
Quema de las miles de estrellas Burning of the thousands of stars Verbrennen der Tausende von Sternen
Una vez más: música de Navidad! Once again: Christmas music! Noch ein letztes Mal: O du fröhliche...
Galletitas y te para todos Tea and cookies for all Tee und Weihnachtsplätzchen für alle
Algo más? A bit more? Noch etwas?
Liesel Houx, Federación, invita para el rosario por la paz Liesel Houx, Federation, inviting for the rosary for world peace Liesel Houx, Frauenbund, lädt zum Rosenkranz für den Frieden ein
Fotos: POS, Brehm© 2003
Jovenes desde Ecuador y Chile con Hermana Rosana, Paraguay Youth from Ecuador and Chile, with Sr. Rosana, Paraguay Jugendliche aus Ecuador und Chile mit Sr. Rosana, Paraguay
Secundarias de Chile y Argentina: estar en Schoenstatt en el 18 Students from Chile and Argentina: to be in Schoenstatt for the 18th Schülerinnen aus Chile und Argentinien: um jeden Preis am 18. in Schönstatt
Donde es la MTA? Nueva tapa de la carta de Alianza, Alemania. Where is the MTA? New cover of the Covenant Letter, Germany Wo versteckt sich die MTA? Neues Cover des Bündnisbriefes, Deutschland
Fotos: POS, Fischer © 2003

SCHOENSTATT, mkf. Come Wednesday, January 22, the first "Rosary for World Peace" will take place in the Original Shrine. This was one of the most important announcements and gifts on the Covenant Day in January. Following an initiative of the Federation of Women, from then on, each Wednesday until the beginning of Lent, the rosary will be prayed in the Original Shrine(7:30 PM – 8:00 PM). The first peace rosary will be lead by Father Matthias Rummel SAC, rector of the Original Shrine. During the Covenant Celebration in the Adoration Church, thousands and thousands of stars were burnt, signs of the confidence, prayers, and hopes of the 10,000 persons who had joined in the "Ten minutes by the crib" in the recent Christmas Season. The participants prayed for for the tens of thousands whose names had been written on stars, also and specially of those whose names had been sent via Internet.

With this weekly "rosary for peace", there is now one time of public prayer of the rosary in Schoenstatt, a first contribution from this place of grace to the Year of the Rosary that the Holy Father has proclaimed. In February, the Professional Women from Northern Germany will offer an "Illumined Rosary" – open for all - in the Founder Chapel (February 22, 3:00 PM), and will continue to do so if possible once a month during the Year of the Rosary. Each day, especially each 18^th , thousands and thousands of rosaries are said in the Schoenstatt Shrines, wayside shrines and parish churches all over the world, following the wish of the Holy Father and of Father Kentenich who on the 18^th of June, 1949, said: "In the rosary you have a compendium of all the great truths that are able to form our lives, a book from which we can study each day and that we can apply to our life." (Villa Ballester, Argentina).

A galaxy in the Adoration Church

At 7:30 PM, the Adoration Church filled with members of the local Schoenstatt family, and of the different communities in Schoenstatt. Father Heinz Künster (Federation) welcomed not only them - mentioning especially the Fathers of the Sion Province, and the Sisters of the Dynamic Province that had their province weeks -, but specially welcomed those who would spiritually be present in this covenant celebrations: the 10,000 who had been by the crib during the "Ten minutes by the crib", those whose names were written on the countless stars, especially those who via e-mailed had sent their "star by the crib", with a total of over 6,000 names of loved ones…

At the beginning, girls from Chile, Ecuador, and Argentina carried a lamp with the light taken from the Original Shrine to the MTA picture. During the "Litany of Light", candles were lit for all the many sources of light that exist in Schoenstatt: the Original Shrine, all of the Daughter Shrines (more), wayside shrines, home shrines; for the Pilgrim MTA and each of her visits to a family, prison, hospital, school…; for each Covenant of Love as light shining in the dark of times. A litany about "Finding the God of Life" followed, mentioning that God talks to us in the events of time – the peace marches of today, the threat of war in Iraq ...; that he leads us through the events in the international Schoenstatt family, like the ten thousands who came to the crib in Schoenstatt; the nomination of Fr. Penners as new movement director of the German Schoenstatt Movement , the presentation of the Sion tunic to eight novices of the Schoenstatt Fathers; one could sure have added many other events, like the visit of Archbishop Dolan to the Schoenstatt Center in Waukesha , the many social and missionary activities on and around Christmas – in Burundi, Argentina, South Africa, the decision of the "Rome board" that the corner stone laying for the International Rome Shrine will be on come December 8, 2003, the beginning of the construction of the first Shrine in the Philippines, and God willing also in other countries.

Sharing the Light in times of fear and crisis

In his sermon, Father Künster picked up the motive of the light and the peace marches that are held today in many places of the world. "The world experiences fear of war", he said, "while we enjoy in the light of the Covenant that today illumines the dark of times from here, and from so many Shrines and wayside shrines in the world." What can we do to share this light, to share the light in a time haunted by violence, crisis and threat of war? Father Künster mentioned two words of Father Kentenich said in times of extreme danger and pressure: on January 18, 1942, he encouraged to take Covenant Love seriously up to the degree of Inscriptio love – love that gives all, even suffering, for the loved one. We want to offer our Inscriptio love, Father Künster said, not first of all for our growth holiness but because times are so hard and the world needs this so much.

On August 13, 1951, when Father Kentenich learned that he had to leave Schoenstatt due to the accusations of the Visitator, he said: "We renew the Covenant of Love, and leave the rest to the Blessed Mother." We want to not leave people alone in their fears, but offer our Covenant for them and to them. The third word comes from the Pope who on October 16 proclaimed a Year of the Rosary, giving us the mysteries of light.

They can't visit the Original Shrine but keep the stream of grace flowing

United with all, who on this 18^th in the Shrines, by the wayside shrines, or in their home shrines, renewed the Covenant of Love, with all who carry the Pilgrim MTA to the ends of the earth, the participants in Schoenstatt then offered their capital of grace and renewed their Covenant of Love, praying especially for all whose names are written on stars, each one uniting specially with one person for and with whom we wanted to specially renew our covenant on this 18 of January. The Adoration Church seemed to not be able to receive the thousands and thousands present at that moment… Most of them will never be able to visit Schoenstatt physically, but their Capital of Grace, their prayer, their missionary love guarantees that the stream of grace from the Original Shrine keeps flowing. A true experience if family, of shared mission – each 18^th.

Traveling eight hours to be in Schoenstatt for the 18^th

To the tune of "Protect us with your mantle", we all processed out of the church; outside, the sheets of papers with the capital of grace, and countless stars were burnt in the fire… How much hope, joy, suffering, confidence offered to our Mother!

Afterwards, some remaining Christmas cookies, and tea, were offered to all.

Six of the youth who had carried the lantern with the light from the Original Shrine were in Schoenstatt just for this Covenant Day. They all belong to the Schoenstatt Girls' Youth from Chile (5), and Argentina(1), and are in Germany for some weeks on a students' exchange program. Some of them are from the Schoenstatt Sisters' School in Santiago de Chile. From Hamburg, Dresden, and Stuttgart, they traveled between three and eight hours by train, and arrived in Koblenz during the afternoon of January 18. Neither did the time nor the price of the travel matter, nor the response some of them had gotten from Schoenstatt when calling before – that all the sisters were in a meeting and whether they would not prefer to come on another day. No matter what – they wanted to be in Schoenstatt for the Covenant Day, and they came! In Koblenz, by "coincidence", they met in the same bus. Only one of them knew how to get to Schoenstatt from the bus stop… The joy of all was overwhelming when they arrived at House Sonnenau ("Anything is possible"), and were received by Sister Lisann with her usual hospitality and warm welcoming way. After the Covenant celebration, they had some private minutes in the Founder Chapel. Before leaving on Sunday (again traveling three to eight hours), they spent a long time in silent prayer in the Original Shrine.

A Shingle from the Original Shrine flying to Bariloche

Some days before the 18^th, Rosa Espinoza from Bariloche, Patagonia, after spending some time in Schoenstatt, returned to her home town, bringing to her home town and her "dear wayside shrine" not only her experiences and memories from Schoenstatt, but also a treasure and mission: she carried a shingle from the Original Shrine for the wayside shrine – an a future Shrine in Bariloche! On January 18, she wrote from Bariloche:

"I want to tell you a bit about our shingle. Here, all the groups are on vacation. Until February, there are no activities scheduled. Nevertheless I at once called the responsible persons, so on January 20 I will meet with three of them who still are in Bariloche, and we will organize something nice for the reception of the shingle. I guess the solemn act will be on February 18^th. I will keep you informed! But anyway, today, on the 18^th, some missionaries, my mother, father, my sister, and I, went to the wayside shrine, and took the shingle along, also the photos that I took of the Original Shrine. All those who so far heard about our treasure from the Original Shrine are grateful and happy about the gift I brought!"