18 de marzo de 2003: Santuario Original - un día de sol March 18, 2003: the Original Shrine on a sunny early spring day 18. März 2003: das Urheiligtum an diesem sonnigen Vorfrühlingstag
Miles y miles de personas hoy peregrinan espiritualmente al Santuario Original Thousand of thousands of persons will today spiritually come to the Original Shrine Tausende werden heute geistig zum Urheiligtum pilgern. Fotos: © POS Fischer 2003
Ibadan, Nigeria: cantando para la Mater Ibadan, Nigeria: singing for the Blessed Mother Ibadan, Nigeria: Singen für die Gottesmutter
Día de Alianza en la ermita de Ibadan Covenant Day at the wayside shrine in Ibadan Bündnistag am Bildstöckchen in Ibadan
Pronto se ve un Santuario en Nigeria Soon we will see a Shrine in Nigeria Bald steht hier in Nigeria ein Heiligtum Fotos: © Kister 2003
Mil Avemaria en el 5 de marzo en la ermita en Goya, Argentina Thousand Hail Mary on March 5 at the wayside Shrine in Goya, Argentina Tausend Ave Maria am 5. März beim Bildstöckchen in Goya, Argentinien Fotos: © Petiti 2003
Santuario de Nazaret, Villa Ballester, Argentina Nazareth Shrine, Villa Ballester, Argentina Nzareth-Heiligtum, Villa Ballester, Argentinien Fotos: © Ciola 2003
Oración por la paz: 19 de marzo, en el Santuario Original Next rosary for peace in the Original Shrine: March 19 Nächster Rosenkranz für den Frieden, im Urheiligtum: 19. März
Grafik: POS, Brehm © 2003

SCHOENSTATT, mkf. While the hopes for peace, the hopes to prevent the world from a war against Iraq, are falling to pieces, while the efforts of the Holy Father to save peace, and the efforts of the thousands and thousands who took the streets and to the churches during the past weeks, seem to have been in vain, prayers, confidence and commitment do not surrender. It is better to lose a battle than to not fight at all. And as on each 18^th, a wave of prayer, confidence, and commitment goes forth from the Schoenstatt Shrines, wayside shrines, home shrines. - Also today, the new bishop of Trier, Reinhard Marx, will meet with members of the General Presidium.

"Like on each 18th" - this is not only the title of the digital newsletter of the Schoenstatt Movement of the archdiocese of Bahia Blanca, Argentina, published each 18th of the month (like the German news magazine Schoenstatt Aktuell as well), but is the general response to the question about the activities of this 18^th. "Like on each 18^th", there will be Covenant Masses in the Shrines in Mannheim, Germany, and Borken, in Ayinrehue/Temuco as well as in the City Shrine of Buenos Aires, in Rosario, Paraná, Guayaquil, Madrid.... There will be the prayer of the "Thousand Hail Mary" in the Shrines of Salta, San Isidro, and in countless wayside shrines, there will be Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, rosary, and always: covenant renewal, and offering of the capital of grace. "We can't stand aside when on Covenant Day, and the feastday of St. Joseph, nameday of our Father and Founder, the world is facing these most decisive 24 hours," wrote Flavio and Beatriz Arosemena, from Guayaquil, Ecuador.

In the Shrine of La Paz, Achumani, those who come to renew the Covenant of Love will see the new symbol of the Holy Spirit, ready to be conquered spiritually.

In Ibadan, Nigeria - a country suffering from violence and riots -, as in Belo Horizonte, Lima, Frederico Westphalen, and Garanhums, the construction of new Shrines continues.

In Schoenstatt, the new Bishop of Trier, Reinhard Marx, will meet with the General Presidium of Schoenstatt. With joy and great anticipation, Pallottines and Schoenstatt are preparing for his visit to Schoenstatt come March 25, when we wants to pray the rosary in Schoenstatt, inviting the faithful of the nearby parishes to join in.

Give us your peace…

On this Covenant Day, the prayer for peace and justice among the peoples will continue with firmness, although obviously the fight against the war, called unjust and a violation of the rights of poeples, is lost. The power of confidence goes on, uniting thousands again like on March 5, Ash Wednesday, when Schoenstatt, together with the Universal Church, joined at many places of the world in prayer, and especially in praying the rosary for peace.

As Hilda Weigand shares about the activity in Villa Ballester, Argentina: "The church calls us in the name of the Lord to conversion of the heart, to follow the Gospel, and we follow because we want his way to be ours, as he leads us to true life. Therefore, we answered to the petition of the Holy Father to dedicate this day in a special intensity to fasting and prayer for peace, especially in the Middle East; so we united in our Nazaret Shrine in Villa Ballester. We began with a prayer, asking Jesus to convert the hardened hearts, to make love and not hatred reign. We did so in the conviction that because of our faithful commitment God coud and would work miracles, and we told our Mother and Queen: Accept the title Queen of the World and let us glow with ardent love for you. May the whole world be set afire for your service so that all nations find their way safely home."

Then, we placed ourselves in the presence of God so that our prayers would reach his thrones, we begged pardon for our faults and continued, praying the Sorrowful Mysteries of the Holy

Rosary. We prayed in the intentions of our Holy Father, and went on with litanies for peace, then dedicated ourselves again to our Mother and Queen, giving praise and honor to God, to the Son…"

"Dear Mother Thrice Admirable of Schoenstatt, we ask you to seal a perfect Covenant of Love with as many persons as possible; yes, with many peoples, and especially with their leaders and their governments. Give them a living faith in Divine Providence, with every day sanctitiy, and give them mission consciousness…"

Fr. Joseph Kentenich, October 20, 1946, Switzerland

Tomorrow, March 19, feastday of St. Joseph: Rosary for peace in the Original Shrine, 7:30 PM German time. You are invited to join...